The forthcoming remake of The Wolfman starring Benecio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins seems to have been in production since Lon Chaney Jr. was a toddler. The $85 million flick was deemed to need some work in terms of new action sequences, so the production has been filming at England's famed Pinewood Studios under the supervision of top second unit director Vic Armstrong. Meanwhile, Universal has postponed the premiere for the third time, saying it will open early next year. For full details, along with a video update from Comic Con, click here.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Although Hollywood is bucking the economic trend and enjoying a good year at the box-office, the picture is far from rosy for the average person trying to eek out a living in the film business. Studios have cut back on location shooting by as much as 50%, with far more productions relegated to studio settings. This means a major negative impact for people in the transportation and catering business. Also hard-hit is the prop rental business, as evidenced by a major company being forced to sell almost 100,000 classic movie props that were rented out to other film productions. Actors who work as extras and in supporting roles also express real concern over the fact that roles are drying up rapidly, leading one pundit to quip that the waiters and waitresses you see in Hollywood suddenly look a lot more glamorous.  For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

The dreaded days of Senator Joseph McCarthy's crusade against "anti-Americans" in the film business represents a dark chapter of Hollywood history. However, according to British journalist Michael Freedland, the movie industry is presently in the midst of another defacto blacklist - this one based on ostracizing those who dare to express messages that don't conform to political correctness. Freedland cites examples of a monolithic approach to presenting minorities in films and on TV as almost always virtuous characters for fear of offending someone. Similar sentiments have been raised by members of the gay community, that homosexual characters are generally relegated to being the eccentric, over-the-top next door neighbor but are rarely seen as complex individuals. Ironically, some liberal actors also have cited being affected. In his later years, ultra liberal Gregory Peck complained of being shut out of films because, to the new Hollywood, even he was too mainstream. 

Whether a new blacklist exists or not remains to be debated. What is clear is that, from a political standpoint, both liberals and conservatives chronically whine that they can't get their message out and that "the media" is stacked against them. For the liberals, the rant rings hollow, as Democrats control the Presidency, the Congress and the Senate. For conservatives, the premise that they can't get their message out because of a media conspiracy is equally nutty: the top cable news network is right-leaning Fox News and right wing hosts have a virtual monopoly on talk radio. Whether the notion of a new Hollywood blacklist is legitimate or just another symptom of America's obsession with "victimization" is up to the reader to decide. Click here to read 

The Cafe de Paris, the Rome restaurant immortalized in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, has been raided by Italian police, who claim the cafe's owner - a nondescript barber- is actually a front man for the Mafia. The cafe was seen in Fellini's landmark film as the favorite hangout of the rich and famous, including the paparazzi. It's colorful past has included being bombed by terrorists in 1985- but in typical Roman style, it reopened for business the next day. Too bad Fellini isn't still with us...he'd make the tale into a great movie.  For more click here

The teaser posters for Guy Ritchie's forthcoming version of Sherlock Holmes have been unveiled showing Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective, Jude Law as Dr. Watson and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, the only woman who seem to catch the fancy of Holmes due to her incredible intellect. Downey's Holmes is depicted as disappointingly ordinary and resembles the guy who might be standing next to you at any bar in London's Soho district. Still, we're optimistic because he is an incredibly skilled actor, and any plan to bring Holmes back to the screen deserves credit. The film opens on Christmas Day. Click here to view

Gadfly director Oliver Stone is still obsessed with the "unsolved" murder of President John F. Kennedy. Stone is a chief conspiracy theorist who refuses to accept the official conclusion that the president was assassinated solely by Lee Harvey Oswald. His controversial film JFK was a major hit but was criticized by academics for blatantly inventing and fictionalizing key elements of the investigation into the president's death. Now Stone is citing a new book as proof that Kennedy was actually murdered as part of a scheme by disgruntled members of the "military intelligence community". Stone says that President Kennedy was concerned about rebellion in the U.S. military because he refused to heed to the advice of hawkish generals to engage the Soviet Union in armed combat. According to Stone, JFK had been particularly affected by Fletcher Knebel's best-selling novel Seven Days in May, which was made into an acclaimed film in 1963 by director John Frankenheimer. In the film, Burt Lancaster plays a charismatic general who orchestrates an attempted military coup of the U.S. government because he believes the president's determination to pursue detente will lead to Soviet world domination. For more click here

The long-delayed big screen version of The Green Hornet is finally taking flight, with production scheduled to begin in the fall. Seth Rogen will star as the legendary hero with word that Nicholas Cage is vying for the role as the villain. Cameron Diaz is also said to be interested in playing the love interest. For more click here

The legendary Bruce Lee will be the subject of a three-film biography done with the co-operation of the late martial arts master's family. The Asian film production is set to have the first entry in the trilogy released in November 2010 to coincide with what would have been Lee's 70th birthday. No casting has been set for the title role. For more click here

Who's the hottest older dude in show business? According to The Huffington Post's poll, the top vote getter is Sean Connery- with fellow honorees Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood and Hugh Hefner chalking up support as well.  (If only Walter Brennan was still alive!) Vote for your favorite by clicking here. 

Alcatraz is hot this week, at least when it comes to movie lore. Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief is hosting an invitation-only screening of Clint Eastwood's Escape from Alcatraz tonight in New York City and our next issue will feature writer Bruce R. Marshall's exclusive interview with the movie's screenwriter Richard Tuggle. There is also a fascinating look at the cinematic history of the legendary prison, courtesy of Open Road TV. Click here to clear up the myth from reality. 

Entertainment columnist Kim Morgan has an extended essay on why Martin Scorsese's 1973 film Mean Streets is one of the most seminal movies of her life. Find out why by clicking here. Click here to order the DVD special edition from Amazon.

The controversial decision by A.M.P.A.S. to expand the category for Best Picture Oscar nominees from five to ten films will not be emulated by the Bafta Awards. The British version of Oscar will continue to have five films nominated for Best Picture. A.M.P.A.S. hopes that by doubling the number of nominated films, there will be an improvement in TV ratings for the Oscar broadcast, which have been in decline in recent years. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

The lovably flaky Cloris Leachman has figured out a way to get into the spotlight again. She's posed in a bathing suit (suitably tasteful) for In Touch Weekly - and displays a figure that women of any age would admire. (Of course, we don't know to what degree the publishing industry's penchant for photo retouching may have been involved.) Leachman 'fesses up to having a Botox treatment at one time but says the results were creepy - and thinks the procedures are ridiculous. She  attributes staying in shape to being a vegetarian and prescribes a unique way to keep your appetite under control: brush your teeth frequently during the day. As we all know, the taste of toothpaste kind of diminishes the thought of eating anything else for a while. It's almost enough to make me feel guilty about my next visit to White Castle....almost. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Regular readers of Cinema Retro know that we frequently link to the Deadline Hollywood Daily column for industry scuttlebutt and analysis of weekend box-office grosses. The brainchild behind the site is columnist Nikki Finke, who left mainstream journalism to start her entertainment blog. Her blog took off during the Writer's Guild strike several years ago when she gave second-by-second updates on developments, largely in sympathy with the Writer's Guild of America. Since then, she has become a modern Hedda Hopper - instilling fear in industry executives, even as they try to court her favor. Unlike Hopper, who gleefully played the Hollywood party scene circuit, Finke stays largely reclusive, a one-woman powerhouse who drives herself to the point of exhaustion by handling every aspect of her web site herself. There is only one known photograph of her and she explains her refusal to socialize with industry types by saying it would compromise her ability to report objectively. In fact, Deadline Hollywood is too "inside baseball" for average readers - but it attracts the people who matter in the entertainment industry and even her enemies give kudos to Finke for unveiling top-secret information before some of those directly affected even know about it.

Click here to read a New York Times profile of her.

Universal's UK office has decided to perform a celluloid circumcision on the hit comedy Bruno, trimming 110 seconds of particularly raunchy bits involving sex acts. The plan is to get a "15" rating that will allow younger audiences to flock to the film. The original version of the film carries an "18" rating and will remain in theaters simultaneously with the re-rated version - the first time this has happened in British cinema history. For more click here

Yesterday, we linked to the men's iconic swmsuit poll on the Huffington Post. Today, legendary women's swimsuit scenes from the silver screen are being voted on. Click here to view the top vote-getters. 

Here's a shocker for Duke Wayne fans: contrary to what we all thought, his final screen performance wasn't in the 1976 classic The Shootist. It turns out Wayne had filmed a segment for a nondescript low-budget sci-fi western titled Thunder Riders of the Golden West. Why would Wayne deem to appear in such a film? Because it was made by his old friend Dave Burleson, who appeared in bit roles in some of the Duke's films. Despite the presence of the world's most legendary movie star, Burleson's film has languished since the 1970s. Now, however, he is preparing to release it straight to DVD and the curiosity value alone should make for some great publicity. For more click here

Film Buff, a new American video-on-demand service that reaches millions of households, will offer an eclectic selection of independent films plus cult and classic movies for fees ranging from $2.99- $9.99 per rental. Among the titles being offered are The Life and Times of Harvey Milk and the original Inglorious Bastards. Click here for more

D.C. Comics' The Green Lantern is the latest superhero to make it on to the silver screen. Ryan Reynolds will star as the hero with the "ring of power". James Bond director Martin Campbell is set to helm the film. For more click here

In one of the most off-beat film projects of recent years, it has been announced that Jodie Foster will co-star with Mel Gibson in a film titled The Beaver. Foster will also direct the tale of a married man who copes with depression by wearing a beaver hand puppet. Gibson will play the beaver-obsessed guy and Foster will play his wife. The project has been around since the 1990s when Foster suggested it to Gibson when they were co-starring in Maverick. No studio is attached yet, nor has financing been finalized for the modestly budgeted ($19 million) film. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

The next time you think your love life is complicated, just compare it to that of Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. According to the National Enquirer, the 72 year old actor is planning to marry a 27 year-old woman. May/December romances among the Hollywood elite are old hat, but Freeman is really pushing the envelope with this one: his betrothed is his step-granddaughter. She is the grand-daughter of his first wife, but was raised from childhood by Freeman and his second wife, who he is the process of divorcing. Got all that? Good, then please explain it to us...Freeman hasn't verified the story, and the Enquirer attributes the rumor to an unnamed close family source so you may want to hold off on tying tin cans to his car. If true, however, we bet that Freeman and his new bride will be spending lots of time with the Woody Allens. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

In a virtually unprecedented move in the modern film industry, Sony canceled the Brad Pitt/Steven Soderbergh baseball flick Moneyball last month just days before filming was to commence. The action set industry tongues wagging. If these two Hollywood heavyweights weren't invulnerable to having their projects re-evaluated, who was? The action on the part of Sony, which felt Soderbergh's rewrites of the script made the concept too uncommercial, illustrates that star power isn't what it once was in Tinsel Town. Given the fact that millions has been spent on developing Moneyball, Sony is trying to make lemonade out of  lemon. They have hired writer Aaron Sorkin to come on board and rework the script. They are also wooing producer Scott Rudin to join the project. While the retooled team may enable Sony to get Moneyball before the cameras in the fall, one would presume that Steven Soderbergh can't be too happy about the loss of creative control. For more click here

Karen Black, looking as sultry and sexy as ever, is prominently featured in singer Cass McComb's new music video Dreams Come True Girl. Not only is great seeing Karen strutting her stuff, the song is a winner as well. Click here to view

(For David Savage's exclusive interview with Karen Black, see Cinema Retro issues #13 and #14)

By Lee Pfeiffer

The brave new world of internet communication and entertainment has a major stumbling block that most members of the general public would rather not contemplate: many of the most-visited web sites are going broke. The main problem is that most web sites outside of the porn industry are compelled to give their content away for free, 'lest they seem uncompetitive. While the free model makes countless consumers aware of their brand name, if there is no basic product to sell, what's the point? You Tube, for example, is a gold mine in terms of public awareness and name recognition. However, the company is bleeding cash in the tens of millions of dollars and can't even cover its basic overhead. The only revenue derives from subtle advertisements on the site for which You Tube gets a commission on any sales that transpire through third party vendors. However, if the ads are more pervasive and numerous, then it turns off people from visiting the site: a classic Catch-22 situation. 

A sequel is in the works for the surprise hit 2007 big screen version of the UK cult  series St. Trinians. The latest cast member is David Tennant, who recently starred as the Time Lord in the popular Doctor Who TV series revival. Tennant will play the villain Pomfrey in the new film, joining other cast members Colin Firth and Rupert Everett. Although the St. Trinians legacy is largely unknown outside the UK, it remains a staple of British popular culture. The films derived from the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle. The first four films were released between 1954 and 1966. The plots center on shenanigans that take place at a school for "uncontrollable" young girls - which affords plenty of opportunities for risque situations and humor. 

Click here to order the boxed set of four original films in the series from Amazon UK for only £11.98 (save £18.00!) (Available in Region 2 PAL format only)

Click here to order the 2007 version from Amazon UK

For a critical evaluation of the series click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

You can count acclaimed director Barry Levinson among those who believe the Academy's new rules changes is leading to the dumbing-down of Oscar. The new rules expand the number of best picture nominees to ten (even though only five directors will still be nominated) and the exclusion of the honorary Oscars on the TV broadcast - always an emotional high for classic movie lovers. Levinson takes aim at the changes through a fictitious interview with a Gen X Academy voter...it's meant to be funny, but the point it makes is very serious and addresses the concerns of those of us who still distinguish between the Oscars and the MTV Awards. To read click here

If you think James Cameron's Titanic still reigns as the top box-office hit of all time, think again. The 1997 blockbuster would come in a distant sixth if box-office grosses were adjusted for inflation. The 1939 Oscar winner  Gone With the Wind still beats all comers with an adjusted gross of $1.45 billion. Star Wars, The Sound of Music, E.T., and The Ten Commandments all rank higher than Titanic. There are some other surprises on the list including the presence of The Graduate and Doctor Zhivago in the top 25 rankings, which indicates just how popular those films were with audiences. Good old Jaws is still biting, ranking #7 on the adjusted list. For the entire chart click here. 

By Lee Pfeiffer

The New York Times looks at a perplexing question movie fans have asked in recent years: why is Eddie Murphy still commanding huge salaries when most of his films have limited appeal? The candid piece points out that Murphy can still deliver occasionally when he finds the right role, so studios keep extending another lifeline to him hoping to beat the odds and score another hit. However, what comes across is that Murphy seems to act as an arrogant ingrate to his benefactors. For his latest flop film, Imagine That, Murphy was two hours late for the film's press junket and 45 minutes late for a premiere - standard behavior for the one-time comic genius. Oh, and he's employed a mouthpiece who claims his new film isn't a flop even though Paramount is writing off the entire production cost as a total loss. With a few more "hits" like that, the entire studio will be out of business. The mouthpiece also says that Murphy doesn't do interviews for the print press. Here's a suggestion for all of the press: next time His Highness has a press conference or premiere, they should not show up. For the article click here

Here's a fun new tribute to Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: an original trailer created by a fan. It's not really a trailer, of course, as it runs over 8 minutes, but it does a good job of incorporating all the highlights and setting them against Ernest Gold's great score. Click here to view

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That seems to be the mantra of Universal Studios Theme Park in California when it comes to competition from a haunted house based on the popular, if gruesome, Saw horror films. Last year, an official haunted house attraction built by Lionsgate studios drew so many customers that it put a crimp in Universal's popular annual Halloween Horror Nights events. Thus, Universal has made a deal to construct the Saw house within the theme park and make it a centerpiece of the event. For more click here

In yet another desperate attempt to control free speech and the media, the Chinese government is warning that people who regularly view pornography on the web can suffer memory loss. The very notion is ridiculous, of course...er, what was I talking about? I seem to have forgotten...

(There is a far more ominous aspect to this story. Totalitarian governments have launched a full-scale attack on their populations to gain control over internet and mobile phone use. The effects are chilling. For the story click here)

After years of false starts involving the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, Warner Brothers has finally put the remake of the 1964 kids flick The Incredible Mr. Limpet on the fast track. Enchanted director Kevin Lima will helm the production which, like the original, will combine animation and live action. Don Knotts starred in the first version, playing a nerdy milquetoast who is rejected by the Navy when he tries to enlist at the outbreak of WWII. Through a strange confluence of events, he ultimately turns into a fish and becomes a hero by sabotaging German war ships. It isn't known whether the film will retain its setting in WWII or who will play the Limpet part. (The character's name was always deemed a sly reference to his sexual inadequacies, so look for the first kid's movie to have a merchandising tie-in with Viagara.) For more click here

Remy Julienne, the legendary stunt driver and coordinator on many of the James Bond films as well as the classic 1969 version of The Italian Job has been held liable for the accidental death of a cameraman on a blockbuster French action movie shot in 1999. The stunt involved a car that overshot its target and hit the cameraman, who later died. Julienne was given a six month suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay monetary damages to the victim's family. For more click here