The Beatles in a feature film of The Lord of the Rings? John Travolta as Forrest Gump? Al Pacino as Han Solo? Nicholas Cage as Superman? Incredibly, these were all actors seriously considered for these classic roles before studios came to their senses. However, a hilarious animated short film shows us what could  have been. Click here to view

Jane Fonda knows a thing or two about the struggle of women in the world of film. Despite being the daughter of a screen legend (Henry Fonda) and the brother of an in-demand young star (Peter Fonda), Jane Fonda's early roles rarely extended beyond playing sex kittens. When her politics became radicalized in the late 60s, she began to fight for equality for women in all aspects of society. She continues the battle through the Women's Media Center, which she co-founded. The center seeks to increase opportunities for women in film. Unfortunately, despite the fact that there is finally a woman up for a Best Director Oscar this year (Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker), Fonda reports that the percentage of women directors is actually falling. To read more click here

Ben Affleck will direct- and possibly star in- The Trade, a true life big screen story about a sex scandal that kept New York Yankees baseball fans riveted in the 1970s. Team mates Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich brazenly admitted that they had fallen in love with each other's spouse. They decided to literally wife swap. The story caused a sensation at the time and has been percolating as a possible big screen production for a number of years. It's possible that Matt Damon may also become involved with the project. For more click here

The Viceland web site has a hilarious history of the worst action figures of all time. There's George Lucas, described only as "The Director" to avoid legal problems. There are dumbed down versions of superheroes (Spiderman as a baseball player!), political figures designed to inflame both the left and right (President Obama, Sarah Palin), a pregnant Wonder Woman, and flash-in-the-pan pop culture kooks (Joe the Plumber). My personal favor is the meat from Rocky. Remember the scene where Rocky gets in shape by pummeling frozen slabs of meat? Well, some genius actually packaged it as an accessory kit for the Rocky action figure. (Maybe they should have used "Hey kids, now you can beat the meat whenever you want!" as the tag line)  To read click here

With his latest film The Ghost Writer having recently premiered in Europe, Roman Polanski is back in the news - and this time, it's relating to his work, not his on-going legal problems stemming from his infamous sex-charged scandal from the 1970s. In an article in the New York Times, writer Dennis Lim analyzes Polanski's films- and comes to the conclusion that, perhaps, no one truly knows what makes the controversial director tick. Click here to read

By Lee Pfeiffer

The good folks at Wall Street investment firms who guarded your money so well in the recent financial meltdown now have a new ideal for sapping what's left from your piggy banks: gambling on the financial fate of major films. The firm Cantor Fitzgerald is seeking permission to launch a complex plan whereby investors would bet on whether specific films in production will soar or tank upon their release. From the firm's standpoint, the idea is brilliant. Everyday people are always looking for ways to be associated with the glamor of show biz, even if it is on a dotted line basis.The problem is that, what most of them know about the movie industry is limited to what they see on Entertainment Tonight. As Mother Jones magazine, which reports on this story points out, the deck would be stacked among industry insiders who could see a flop in the making and bet on a film's failure. To ensure the bet pays off, they could manipulate marketing strategies and use other techniques to make good on their investments. The investment firm promises that they would hold "boot camps" for potential investors to teach them the ins-and-outs of the film business. (I'm not making this up, folks.). If nothing else, this would give them the chance to wring even more money out of the suckers who attend these Camp Run-a-muck's for attention-starved investors.

Vanity Fair runs a tribute to the late director John Hughes and includes personal memories of actors Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and Matthew Broderick. Click here to read

Director Robin Hardy's long-awaited re-imagining of the horror cult classic The Wicker Man is in post-production. The original film was a box-office bomb when it opened in the 1970s but has since grown in stature and acclaim. Sir Christopher Lee will reprise his role as the mysterious and evil Lord Summerisle. Lee describes the film as "erotic, romantic, comic and horrific enough to loosen the bowels of a bronze statue". You don't read that kind of endorsement every day! The film has got the blogosphere in a flutter with fans impatient to hear more. Click here for Empire's coverage.

Empire reports that producer Paul Maslansky intends to re-launch the critically-reviled but popular Police Academy series. Steve Guttenberg, who starred in the films between 1984-1994, has expressed interest in appearing in the new series, which has yet to have a firm start date or director announced. However, it appears that Maslansky intends to start the premise from scratch. For more click here

Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston is one of the best freelancers in the business and consequently gets invited to attend all the A list events. Here are some exclusive photos Mark took at last month's BAFTA awards. (All photos copyright Mark Mawston, all rights reserved)

Warner Brothers has decided to bring Superman back to the big screen, and they've brought director Chris Nolan on board to oversee the project as a consultant. Nolan's involvement is sure to please Supey's fans, as he gained great respect for his reverent treatment of Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. There is no indication Nolan will direct the film. The last Superman big screen epic, Superman Returns, was directed by Bryan Singer and earned good reviews and decent box-office. However, it was deemed somewhat of a disappointment in the profit department, as it had soared far over budget. No casting has been set for the new film.  For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

In an article for the Times of London, writer Tim Teeman exposes the blatant hypocrisy in Hollywood when it comes to gay rights. The film capital teems with liberal thinkers who pride themselves on wearing red ribbons, raising funds to battle AIDS and giving the world lectures about being tolerant and open-minded about minorities. Yet, as the article points out, those few homosexual actors who have come out of the closet have mostly seen their careers nose-dive. Although studios don't expect anyone to believe that straight actors who play action heroes are really the same as their on-screen persona, when it comes to gay actors Hollywood apparently thinks the audience will confuse their personal and professional lives. The situation is somewhat arguably somewhat different for lesbians, but only because straight males find female-to-female love scenes to be erotic. Meanwhile, gay males in the industry often regret coming out of the closet and have to tolerate the irony of the fact that their straight counterpoints often win kudos and awards for playing gay characters. For the article click here

James Cameron has been studiously investigating the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 as the subject of what may be his next film. However, he planned to base the work on the soon-to-be-published book The Last Train From Hiroshima by his friend and sometimes collaborator Charles Pellegrino. However, the publisher has just suspended the title and will not be printing it despite good word-of-mouth and hefty advance sales. The reason for this is one that has plagued high profile books in recent years:  fraud. Pellegrino interviewed people who claim they witnessed the bombing and the aftermath, but it now turns out that at least some of those individuals lied to him, thus throwing the entire value of the work into question. For more, click here

Robert De Niro is developing a sequel to his hit 1988 comedy Midnight Run, which cast him as a bounty hunter in pursuit of charismatic con man Charles Grodin. However, since Grodin stole the lion's share of the reviews and will not appear in the sequel, we wonder if there is much of a point to the project. For more click here

At age 79, Clint Eastwood remains one of the most active of all directors. He's just wrapped the supernatural thriller Hereafter with Matt Damon and will next delve into the life of F.B.I. director J.Edgar Hoover, whose seemingly endless reign over the agency was ensured by the dirt he threatened to use against politicians of both parties. Hoover, who is widely believed to have been gay, ran the agency in a totalitarian manner, often using legally questionable methods to get incriminating information on celebrities and political opponents. For more click here

Fox has bumped the opening of Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps back to September 24. The sequel to Michael Douglas' 1987 Oscar winner was supposed to premiere on April 23. Generally, when a studio pushes back the release date of a film it indicates behind-the-scenes problems. However, in the case of Shutter Island, the delay may have enhanced the movie's box-office appeal. Although Fox has yet to officially comment on the move, there are rumors that the film has been delayed in order to premiere it at Cannes. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Variety, the legendary but cash-strapped entertainment publication, is cutting costs again - but this time, they may have gone too far. Variety fired popular and trusted film critic Todd McCarthy, who has been with the publication for thirty-one years. Think about how long that is: it was the year Apocalypse Now premiered. However, experience means nothing to the hacks who run today's corporations. McCarthy is just the latest in a long string of revered film critics who have been put out to pasture in recent years due to cost-cutting and an insane obsession with appealing to the youth market. It's not a coincidence that, as the number of films worth watching has declined, so has meaningful film criticism. McCarthy and his peers look almost quaint in an era in which many younger film reviewers feel compelled to punctuate every other sentence with expletives. The Wrap reports that a grass roots Facebook movement is underway by disgusted Variety readers who are trying to find a new employer for McCarthy by signing a pledge they would be willing to pay a fee to read his work. Incidentally, Variety also fired their long-time theater critic David Rooney, among others. For more click here Click here for L.A. Times editorial

It's an incredible record of longevity- Clint Eastwood, who was among the American public's top ten movie stars in the 1960s, has topped the list this year. Equally remarkable is his fellow Western legend John Wayne, who also appears on the Harris Poll list. Wayne has been on the list consistently since 1994, making him the only star to achieve that honor (and the only star to ever appear who was not alive!). For the entire list click here

Family and fans of Farrah Fawcett were dismayed when the actress was not included in the video tribute of artists who passed away in the last year that was telecast during last weekend's Oscar ceremonies. The tribute takes place every year and inevitably someone is left out, angering that person's fans. However, the Academy explained that Fawcett - along with actor Gene Barry - were eliminated intentionally in the interest of time because both artists were primarily known for their work in television. This also explains the absence of TV's Maude, Bea Arthur. For more click here

Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2 will be released by Corinth Films, with new 35mm prints distributed to theaters.  The film will open in theaters in New York and L.A. on March 26, with a national theatrical release on April 16. The film will premiere at New York's Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and run for a full month.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Who was it who said that the problem with the future is that it's not what it used to be? Well, the same can be said for remakes of movies. Remember when the public thought remakes like Cleopatra and Mutiny on the Bounty didn't live up to their predecessors? Today, they look like classics. Contemporary studios have the rights to a seemingly endless array of good movies and can't resist financing ill-fated remakes of many of them.  Empire reports that a redo is being planned of Arthur, Dudley Moore's 1981 smash-hit comedy about a wealthy drunkard who romances a working class girl to the horror of his friends and relatives. The new film will star Russell Brand. The idea of remaking another fine film might drive us to drink! Hopefully, it will attract the dozens of moviegoers worldwide who patronized the immortal remake of Alfie. Please, just reissue the original...For more click here

The decision by the Los Angeles Times to agree to a faux front page advertisement for the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie is causing angst among some in the journalism field. The "front page" is actually a wrap around sheet that covers the actual front page of the newspaper. While some at the Times are bragging about the ad's creativity and the paper's participation in creating the campaign, editor in chief Russ Stanton said tersely that "Obviously, it was not my decision" when asked about the strategy. No one denies newspapers are on the downswing and have to think out of the box to create revenue sources. However, there is concern that the strategy damages the reputation and integrity of the paper. For more click here

UPDATED

Click here for complete list of Oscar nominees and winners

By Lee Pfeiffer

Kathryn Bigelow made history with her win as Best Director at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, becoming the first female to be nominated for (and win) Best Director. Her film The Hurt Locker also won Best Picture, defeating her ex-husband James Cameron's over-blown, over-hyped and over-praised Avatar. That film - once considered a shoo-in to sweep the awards - came away with only three Oscars in technical categories.Sandra Bullock was a surprise winner for Best Actress for The Blind Side. Jeff Bridges, considered the favorite to win Best Actor for Crazy Heart, fulfilled the predictions. Mo'Nique won Supporting Actress for Precious and Christoph Waltz won Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds.

Cinema Retro doesn't jump on the "Trash Oscar" bandwagon when it comes to analyzing the merits of the show. Let's just face an obvious truth: expecting a short, fast-moving Oscar ceremony is about as useful as awaiting a Best Actress acceptance speech from Pamela Anderson. The shows are predestined to be cinematic equivalent of a Tolstoy novel, so they can only be judged by the degree of entertainment and boredom that occurs within the three-and-a-half hour running time. As usual, I'll provide my observations in a random manner:

• Whoever thought of teaming Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (co-stars of the very funny and very mature comedy It's Complicated) as co-hosts deserves a medal. They were genuinely hilarious, but it was frustrating to see how little time they had on stage in the course of the show. At the end of the evening, Martin quipped, "The show was so long that Avatar now takes place in the past." The barbs between Martin and Baldwin were always on target and very funny. These guys should get an act together and take it on the road.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has stunned the industry by opening as a full-fledged blockbuster. It posted the greatest three day opening for a 3-D movie ever. The film has taken in an astonishing $115 million opening weekend in North America- and is doing blockbuster business in the international market, despite mixed reviews. Ironically, as Deadline Hollywood Daily reports, the film is the brainchild of Disney executives who were replaced before the movie opened. Burton's film reputedly went far over budget, but these initial grosses seem to indicate that the investment proved to be a wise one. In other grosses, the Richard Gere cop movie Brooklyn's Finest opened soft with $14 million. The Bruce Willis starrer Cop Out, directed by Kevin Smith, opened last week to dreadful reviews and seems to be petering out with $32 million in the till so far. For more click here

Cinema Retro's Movie Magic Tour 2010, which celebrates British film history, will be attending the London Film Museum's Fan Fest, which will honor the legacy of great spy and science fiction movies with an astonishing line-up of celebrity guests. Among them:

• George Lazenby
• Maud Adams
• Honor Blackman
• Richard Kiel
• Shirley Eaton
• Martine Beswick
• Madeline Smith
• Caroline Munro
• Margaret Nolan
• Tania Mallet
• Maryam d'Abo
• Burt Kwouk
• Eunice Gayson
• and many more

There will be autograph sessions and a large array of original props from classic movies. For more, click here for the official Fan Fest web site.

The Movie Magic Tour 2010 is shaping up to be a terrific event, with movie lovers from around the world meeting in London to embark on the trip of a lifetime. The tour runs from April 23- May 1 and is hosted by Cinema Retro publishers Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall. Click here for more information.

By Christopher Gullo

The late Robert Quarry was one of the last remaining horror “stars” – a category of actor that has seemed to disappear in modern cinema. Quarry’s career stretched back to the 1940s with bit parts in films before he formed a theatrical group when joining the army. Following World War II, Quarry won a contract with RKO, and then later with MGM. He appeared in a number of films at MGM including “A Kiss Before Dying” (1956) and “Crime of Passion” (1957).  Quarry’s claim to fame was not to come with MGM but later in his career when he took on the role of a modern day vampire in “Count Yorga, Vampire” (1970). Originally intended as a soft-core porn flick, Quarry convinced the producers to shoot the film as a straight horror film which became a great success. The film was a breakthrough in updated the classic vampire genre, something Hammer Studios would later catch on with “Dracula A.D. 1972”. Quarry brought his own version to the title role – a manipulative, cunning, and deadly vampire count. American International Pictures distributed the film and recognized Quarry as a new leading face in the horror genre.

Over the years, Cinema Retro readers have repeatedly requested that we run a feature or interview devoted to director Brian G. Hutton, the wunderkind young filmmaker who helmed hits like Where Eagles Dare and Kelly's Heroes, not to mention smaller scale gems like The Pad and How to Use It and Sol Madrid (aka The Heroin Gang). Hutton walked away from his promising career, directing only occasionally in the 1980s. His last film credit High Road to China in 1983. When preparing our special edition issue devoted to Where Eagles Dare, we tried to track down every lead to contact Hutton and seek his co-operation. A phone number given to us by the film's producer Elliott Kastner proved to be a dead end and even the Director's Guild of America had no contact information.In essence, Brian G. Hutton had become The Invisible Man. We had learned that he had shunned the film business to concentrate on trading in real estate investments. Once in a blue moon, there would be a sighting (several years ago, Hutton participated in a British documentary about war movies.) However, there have been more encounters in recent years with the Yeti than there have been with the director of two of Clint Eastwood's major early career hits.

Thus, it came as a shock when I received a phone call a couple of days ago from a gentleman who claimed he was sitting with Brian G. Hutton in a coffee shop and they were poring over the Where Eagles Dare issue. Hutton came on the line and- in between some hilarious mock insults and self-deprecating jokes- said he loved the issue and wished he had been able to contribute. Ever the opportunist, I asked Hutton if he would share his memories, not only of Where Eagles Dare, but also of Kelly's Heroes (we're working on a major feature for a future issue). Happily, he agreed, so in the near future we'll get some fascinating insights from one of the most talented filmmakers of the golden age of movies - the 1960s and 1970s.- Lee Pfeiffer

Burt Reynolds has issued a statement saying he underwent quintuple bypass heart surgery last week. He is now recovering at home with 24 hour medical care. Reynolds vows to get back to work as soon as possible. The last year has been stressful for him in terms of his health. He recently underwent treatment for prescription drug addiction and went into rehab. For more click here

Author and Cinema Retro columnist Raymond Benson has a long-running friendship with Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire that has resulted in their acclaimed series of movie screenings and discussions at the Schaumberg Township District Library in suburban Chicago. The events have caught on with the public, who often brave bad weather to hear the two film scholars discuss their favorite movies. Click here for more info

By Lee Pfeiffer

German director Veit Harlan would have been considered to be the James Cameron of his day. A superstar director during the era in which Adolf Hitler came to power, Harlan was known for his inimitable skill in putting together crowd-pleasing films. However, his legacy has been forever tainted by a work that was his most successful, but most notorious. Jew Suss was Harlan's 18th century costume drama that was a thinly-veiled anti-Semitic screed, using the worst types of Jewish stereotypes as villains. Unlike the crude "documentaries" made by Goebbels, Harlan's film had the facade of being a popular entertainment. Though no one other than SS members were required to see it, the film proved to be a huge commercial hit, selling more than 20 million tickets in 1940. This was after the outbreak of WWII, which began with Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939. However, Hitler had yet to move the Holocaust into its most nightmarish stage, and still felt compelled to motivate public opinion against the Jews.

A new documentary, Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss, is the work of a contemporary German filmmaker, Felix Moeller, who examines the legacy of Harlan's movie and its impact in the ensuing decades. Moeller tries to unravel Harlan's motivations for making the movie. Did he feel forced to use his talents for evil purposes or did he create the movie to ingratiate himself with Hitler? Adding to the mystery is the fact that Harlan was once married to a Jewish woman. The documentary will be showing at the Film Forum in New York for two weeks. Click here for more.

Regular readers of Cinema Retro are well-acquainted with Joe Sirola, the star of stage and screen who is also known as The Voice-over King. Joe has been the voice behind countless high profile commercials over the years, but he's just landed a high profile gig as Sluggy Patterson, the fictional character who allegedly created the legendary game of Punchdub, which revolves around Volkswagens. For decades, people have punched another person in the arm whenever they spot a VW on the road. The company has now turned this phenomenon into a clever marketing plan and it's the centerpiece of VW's TV commercials. Joe Sirola has thus far recorded four ads that appear on the VW web site in which he plays Sluggy, a crusty senior citizen who describes the rules of the game and how he created them. Response has been so good that "Sluggy" now has his own blog, Twitter and Facebook pages where VW fans share their observations about playing Punchdub.

At a time of life when most people would be comfortably retired, Joe is at the top of his game. His voice-overs are omnipresent in American media and when he isn't singing at the Met, he's performing his acclaimed one-man stage presentation of The Ages of Man. When we called him to congratulate him on the VW association, he was on the golf course with Elke Sommer. Some guys have it tough...To view Joe's VW ads and the Sluggy blog, click here

(Joe Sirola wrote about co-starring with Clint Eastwood in Hang 'Em High in Cinema Retro issue #6 and about his friendship with Richard Burton in issue #7)

Director Gary Marshall is determined that his hit 1970s TV series Laverne and Shirley should be brought to the big screen. Marshall wants to cast Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner in the roles originally played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams in the sitcom that was set in the 1950s. Marshall envisions the original actresses will make cameos in the new film. For more click here

Oscar winner Kate Winslet will star in a remake of the 1945 film Mildred Pierce under the direction of Todd Haynes. The film will be made as a mini-series for HBO. Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her performance in the feature film about a struggling mother trying to win the affection of her estranged daughter during the Depression. For more click here