Writer Nick Carr of the Huffington Post site lists his choices for the best horror films set in New York City. We only take issue with the inclusion of Wait Until Dark, which is more a thriller than a horror film. On the other hand, Carr is canny enough to include the original Planet of the Apes, although, again, this is a sci-fi film rather than a horror movie. Check out the list and see if you concur with Carr's opinion. 

Thirty years after the release of the original Mad Max, the film's director has announced he is planning to film a $100 million entry in the series on location in Australia. No studio funding was announced, but Miller is talking as though the project is definite. It isn't known if the original star, Mel Gibson, will be involved. For more click here

Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of such films as Crash, Flags of Our Fathers, and Million Dollar Baby has committed the ultimate no-no: he's split with the Church of Scientology and the story has gone viral. Scientology is considered a legitimate religion by some and a bizarre cult by others and the organization does not like or tolerate bad publicity. Just last week, Church spokesman Tommy Davis walked out on a Nightline interview rather than comment on questions pertaining to the church's top-secret beliefs that earth was founded by a race of ancient aliens. (Click here to view) In another development, senior church officials in France were convicted of committing organized fraud against members and fined $600,000. Haggis and his wife were die-hard Scientologists until Haggis saw Davis laughinghingly dismiss a church edict known as disconnecting which prohibits church members from ever talking to or associating with those that are considered enemies of Scientology. Haggis sent a scathing letter to Davis saying that the practice does indeed exist in the church and that his own wife had been ordered to disown her own parents. Haggis was also shocked and dismayed by the church's recent support for a ban on gay marriage in California. For more click here

Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen are remaking the 1969 Western classic True Grit. John Wayne won an Oscar for playing the drunken, rascally Marshall Rooster Cogburn, who reluctantly assists a young girl in tracking down her father's murderer. The Coens are in talks with Jeff Bridges for the Cogburn role, Matt Damon for the part of a young Texas ranger originally played by Glen Campbell and Josh Brolin, to play the villain (Jeff Corey played the role in the original). While we are always enthused about seeing a Western go into production, the Coens are taking the risk of remaking one of the most beloved films of the genre. The original, directed by Henry Hathaway, featured a magnificent Elmer Bernstein score (as well as an Oscar-nominated song warbled by Campbell.) Still, if anyone can bring a quirky twist to the tale, it would be the Coens. No star has publicly committed to the project as of yet. For more click here

Producer Jon Landau, who has worked for almost five years with director James Cameron on the forthcoming sci-fi epic Avatar, claims the duo is not nervous about the film's December opening - despite having run up a budget of $300 million. Cameron proved nay-sayers wrong when he turned his $200 million film Titanic the top-grossing movie of all time. Landau says the new film will break so much new ground in the cinematic sense that he compares it to what JFK accomplished with the space race. (Modesty is never in ample supply in the film business.) For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Black Dynamite, an independent film that opened in limited release last week, has benefited from a creative and aggressive web-based publicity program. (I received a Black Dynamite T shirt even before filming began.) Director Scott Sanders says the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s may have burned briefly, but they did allow black audiences to relish leading men who were handsome, tough and able to kick ass. The film is getting good buzz and has been picked up for distribution by Sony. Click here for more. 

By Lee Pfeiffer

Nicholas Cage, who was once a respected actor before becoming the king of bad action movies, is millions in debt. People magazine reports the Oscar winner owes the IRS $6 million for the year 2007 alone, with hundreds of thousands of dollars under lean for prior years. Cage continues to sell off his assets, but he still has plenty of worries, including irate creditors who claim he has defaulted on loans. Cage blames his business manager for deceiving him and is suing him for $20 million in damages.For more click here

Clint Eastwood can add another award to his sagging mantle piece of honors.Eastwood, who is in France to film his latest movie Hereafter, was honored with the Prix Lumiere, an off-shoot of the Cannes Film Festival prizes. The festival honored the work of Eastwood, Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Eastwood quipped that he wanted to thank the people who edited his film trailers over the decades for inspiring people to see his movies.For more click here

Pinewood Studios, the legendary home of some of the great British films including the James Bond series, had proposed a plan for a massive expansion on their premises. The project would have created permanent recreations of the world's major cities, as well as the construction of 1400 new homes in the serene countryside area where the studios are located. It was the latter aspect of the plan that caused the local council to reject the proposal on the grounds that the construction of so many new residences would have caused irreparable damage to the quality of life of local residents. Pinewood argues that the plan would have created a substantial number of new jobs at a time when the UK is suffering tremendous financial hardship. The studio plans to appeal the ruling. For more click here

By Bruce Marshall

One of the great mysteries of our time is the fate of the three escapees who defied the odds and successfully broke out of the supposedly ‘escape proof’ Alcatraz federal prison in 1962. The famous 1979 Clint Eastwood film Escape From Alcatraz  strongly implied that they were successful. However, since they disappeared without a trace, some people believe that they most certainly must have drowned. One person who is sure they made it is true crime reporter Don DeNevi. His 1992 book “Riddle of the Rock” persuasively makes the case that the Anglin brothers, at a minimum, returned to their roots in the Florida/Georgia section of the southern United States and lived out their lives as free men.

Now, Canadian film producer and writer Graham Clegg wants to turn this story into a feature film. Clegg, a screenwriter for Canadian televison, has optioned Denevi’s book – recently reissued by Bristal Park Books as “Escape from Alcatraz” – with the intent of turning it into “a sprawling mystery” for Hollywood.

They say we don't have glamor girls like we had in the glory days of Hollywood, but every now and then there is an exception to the rule. Our friends at the testosterone-filled web site Planet Z Man  (modestly titled "The Last Great Bastion for Real Men!") have a regular feature called the Cougar Hall of Fame, which pays homage to older women who still have what it takes. This week's inductee is 45 year-old Courtney Cox. To view more cougars, click here

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the British Film Institute. It's sure to gladden the hearts of classic movie lovers the world over:

• Everyone in Britain to benefit from new centre for film
• Visionary new digital hub you can plug into from home

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola has a grim prognosis for the movie industry. He claims the studios are under great financial distress and some will cease to exist. Coppola says that the competition for audience from alternate means of entertainment will mean that world cinema may have to morph into completely different forms, combining with live entertainment in order to keep the audience interested. He says movie studios will continue to veer away from edgy movies in favor of producing overblown blockbusters. He also says that, despite his reputation, he had to finance his latest film himself. For more click here

Sir Sean Connery has at least one thing in common with James Bond: he likes the finer things in life, including a passion for good wine. Despite being diagnosed with a heart condition and advised to stop drinking, Connery insists red wine  is good for the health and will continue to indulge. In an unrelated development, there are rumors Connery may appear in the next Indiana Jones film. For more click here

Roman Polanski is issuing directives to his associates to ensure that his latest film -The Ghost - will be readied according to his wishes in time for the Berlin Film Festival in February. Polanski is currently in jail in France as he fights extradition to the USA for trial in a sex scandal with a minor that dates back over thirty years ago. His new film stars Pierce Brosnan as a British prime minister involved in a scandal of his own. For more click here

Variety's Peter Bart, a former studio executive, ponders why cash-strapped MGM is remaking the anemic Cold War thriller Red Dawn. He also provides some fascinating info on why the original 1984 film went off course. It started as a Lord of the Flies-type story and ended up being a blood-and-guts war movie, thanks to being taken over by director John Milius and-believe it or not- former Nixon chief-of-staff General Alexander Haig, who was on the MGM board of directors and envisioned a career producing movies. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Former TV sitcom actor Kirk Cameron has "growing pains" when it comes to intellectual thought. He's gone off the rails in recent years due to his almost fanatical devotion to Christianity. In his latest plot to thwart those horrible atheists who rely on science rather than prayer, Cameron and his fellow travelers are amending editions of Charles Darwin's The Origins of the Species to include a 50 page introduction explaining how the theory of evolution is ridiculous.This from a man who believes that a snake literally offered an apple to Adam and Eve.  He also claims that Adolf Hitler was inspired by Darwin to plot the Holocaust! Those of us who prefer to reside on planet earth might want to suggest to Cameron that he spend a couple of hours watching Inherit the Wind. For more click here

Here's one we can't wait to see...Michael Caine as Harry Brown, a British military veteran who decides to go after the creeps who killed his best mate. Caine still looks very credible in the action scenes and we join all retro movie lovers in giving thanks that this cinematic tough guy is still out there kicking arse. Click here to view

When legendary songwriter and singer Paul Anka heard Michael Jackson's final song, This Is It, he immediately recognized it as a tune he co-wrote with the late pop singer 26 years ago. The Jackson family has now acknowledged as much and the result will be a windfall for Anka, who stands to not only get co-writing credit but also 50% of the royalties. For more click here

Paramount picked up the theatrical rights to a mini-budgeted reality-based fright film titled Paranormal Activity and has reaped unexpected benefits. Like The Blair Witch Project, this film was made for peanuts ($11,000). It was to have been re-shot with a "name" cast, but Steven Spielberg championed releasing it as is. The limited release into only 200 theaters has thus far resulted in a phenomenal gross of $7 million, thanks to widespread word of mouth among college students. Now there is a campaign afoot to convince the studio to give the movie a much wider release. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Lovers of history, politics and popular culture have long celebrated Wikipedia, the now legendary on-line encyclopedia that boldly strives to create a knowledge base of every possible person and topic - all of it written by members of the public. The fact that anyone can post or re-edit entries on the site has led to Wikipedia being celebrated as the ultimate example of freedom of the press. However, it has also posed serious problems regarding the content. During the last presidential election, for example, activists on both sides amended the entries for the candidates to reflect "facts" that were outright lies. Inaccuracies and urban myths abound in many entries, with only volunteer editors attempting to make corrections. Wikipedia has announced it will have some limited, official oversight in the form of an editorial board that will monitor key entries and limit revision and updates by members of the public. Predictably, the decision has brought outrage from free speech advocates who equate this interference as an assault on democracy itself - even though they don't address the fact that inaccurate information is worse than no information at all. For example, some months ago a posting listed Sen. Ted Kennedy as having passed away, thus setting off a media firestorm as the mainstream news outlets scrambled to verify the story. As we all know, news of his death was premature, as Mark Twain might have said. The iconic American political leader died today.

The decision by Wikipedia to bring some official oversight to their operation brings up the ever-present debate as to whether there is such a thing as too much freedom of speech. Inevitably, a small number of trouble makers generally ruin the concept for all. Take, for example, the on-going debate over health care in America. While the majority of people who are attending town hall meetings to debate the issue are intelligent and rational, the events have largely been dominated by the lunatic fringe who shout down opponents and even bring guns which they brandish with pride. There lies the crux of the problem for Wikipedia...if there are no restrictions, can someone equate their freedom of speech to the old analogy of shouting "Fire!" in a movie theater?

For more click here

Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke reports that both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are planning to begin charging readers for accessing their web sites. In essence, the content will be available only to subscribers. Variety tried this tactic once before and abandoned it, but the trade publication is fighting for its life in a climate in which advertising revenue has dropped dramatically. The anemic sales of its print edition cannot support the company and web-based revenues are essential to its future. Variety's arch-rival The Hollywood Reporter is said to be considering a similar tactic, including scrapping its daily print edition. As we've reported previously, the era of completely free web content may be coming to an end. Newspapers and magazines cannot long sustain putting their articles on the web gratis when they still have to pay staffers to produce the work. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

The good news is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has shown good taste in deciding to grant honorary Oscars to Lauren Bacall, cinematographer Gordon Willis, studio executive John Calley and legendary B movie producer Roger Corman. However, AMPAS has decided not to show these awards as part of the annual Oscar telecast. Instead, the awards will be granted at a banquet in November. (No word on whether the recipients will have to pay for their own meals). This is the latest outrage in "updating" Oscar in order to attract a younger audience. After all, who wants to see someone like Lauren Bacall on stage when it might cut into the time allocated to a true industry giant like Vin Diesel? For critic Laurie Broeder's view click here

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions prides itself on being one of the biggest and most reputable sources for sellers of collectibles, including vintage movie and sports memorabilia. Now Heritage is embroiled in a major scandal- and the consequences can be quite severe. The company is charged under the RICO racketeering laws of using false or "shill" bidders to artificially inflate the selling price of collectibles at auction. The charges have been filed against the company's top executives. This is not the first scandal to hit Heritage, but it is by far the most serious. The investigation came about through the suspicions of dealers who had consigned goods for auction. Heritage is charged with using a false name for a shill bidder in order to prop up prices and make it appear the company can get top dollar for articles consigned.
For more click here

In the wake of his death, Paul Newman received endless accolades for his acting. However, the finest tribute to the man has been posted on You Tube by his charity, Newman's Own Foundation. Over the decades, Newman gave away all of the profits from his popular food line to benefit seriously ill children. His Hole-in-the-Wall Camp afforded countless thousands of kids the opportunity to experience summer camp. As usual, Newman kept his own role in the process fairly quiet - but it was his idea and he remained active in his charitable work until the end of his life. This moving 4 minute video speaks volumes about why the world is a better place because of his having been in it. Click here to view Click here to read Cinema Retro writer Steve Saragossi's tribute to the star (from our archive section)

Sales of pornographic DVDs are flaccid - a victim of the tidal wave of web-based eroticism. The New York Times reports on recent trends in the industry, which is increasingly catering to short attention spans. The relatively big budget, plot-oriented porn feature film is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Producers are now concentrating on the web audience, which tends to satiate their appetites for porn in mere minutes. Consequently, any pretense of a storyline is being sacrificed in favor of quickie films that might cater to a specific fetish. Not everyone in the industry is happy about the trend. Savanna Samson, a 42 year-old porn queen, bemoans the loss of any attempt to bring plot and characterization into the films in which she stars. To read the report click here

The Movie Moron site provides an interesting look at ten stars who tragically died before the release of their final film. Click here to read

Polish film posters, particularly from the Cold War era, are among the most creative and bizarre marketing tools ever created for major feature films. The Communist regime disdained the West's aggrandizement of Hollywood stars, thus most of the American and British films shown in Poland often had modern art designs that downplayed the star power. Instead, the posters used subliminal themes to suggest what the film was about. London's Guardian newspaper has presented a gallery of some of the most intriguing Polish film posters. Click here to view 

From Bloom to bust...Critic Scott Mendelson ponders why once red-hot Orlando Bloom seems to be missing in action from the landscape of major Hollywood films. Bloom's blockbusters include the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean series, but Mendelson points out that the young actor's schedule is conspicuously, er...uncrowded...in terms of future projects. Mendelson ponders the reasons why Bloom's career seems to have suddenly hit a rough spot. Click here to read

The Rotten Tomatoes web site has decreed the 100 worst movies of the last decade. We won't ruin the suspense by spilling the beans, but we will reassure you that Battlefield Earth, the sci-fi "epic" based on the novel by Scientology founder and eternal loon L. Ron Hubbard, has indeed been recognized. Click here to read