Add Dirty Dancing to the endless list of studio remakes. The 1987 film starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey and became an international sensation. Now there's a feeling it should be updated for modern audiences. Here's a suggestion: just reissue the original. For more click here

 

Fans of the Star Wars franchise have been visiting filming locations around the world for many years- in some cases saving up relatively small fortunes in order to make the pilgrimages. For fans of any movie or series, it's fun to see where the actual sequences were shot. However, there are always extremists such as the fan who equates the statue of Yoda outside the LucasFilm HQ in San Francisco with a symbol as meaningful as the Statue of Liberty. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Warner Brothers is planning a remake of the 1968 Cold War spy thriller Ice Station Zebra, which was based on Alistair MacLean's bestselling 1963 novel. The original film was directed by John Sturges and had a powerhouse cast: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan and Jim Brown. The new version has been written by screenwriter/producer/director David Gordon Green. As for Green's reverence for the material, check out a quote he gave about working on the project:

"I just finished a script for Warner Bros. that’s a remake of ‘Ice Station Zebra’ that’s a big military movie. And I got to go camp out on the arctic circle with the Navy and explore those kind of… you know just the lingo and the politics of what’s going on in the arctic right now so it truly is a passport. Like literally Warner Brothers says, ‘Do you want to get on a jet with the Navy and get on a submarine?’ and you’re like, ‘absofuckinglutely!’ ”

One of Green's forthcoming projects as producer includes a film titled Olympic-Sized Asshole. 

This is the man that Warner Brothers has entrusted with a beloved story by one of the twentieth century's most respected novelists. In Green's parlance, the decision seems "absofuckinglutely" insane.  Click here for more

 

If you ever see an official Daniel Craig Facebook or Twitter account, it's going to be a fraud. According to Mr. 007, "I am not on Facebook. And I'm not on Twitter either... 'Woke up this morning, had an egg'? What relevance is that to anyone? Social networking? Just call each other up and go to the pub and have a drink." We have some sympathies with Craig's desire for human rather than virtual companionship, though our biggest gripe is people's obsession with texting. Ever notice how people text one another even when they are in the same house?

The color barrier continues to collapse when it comes to playing traditionally white characters in comic book-based films. Samuel L. Jackson has played Nick Fury and how Laurence Fishburne has been announced to play Daily Planet newspaper editor Perry White in the forthcoming Superman movie Man of Steel. The role of Clark Kent's crusty boss was originally played by John Hamilton in the 1950s Adventures of Superman. Jackie Cooper played the role in the Christopher Reeve films and Frank Langella played White in the more recent Superman Returns. For more click here

 

Cinema Retro has received this press release from the producers of Black Dynamite, the recent hit retro Blaxploitation movie:

All you suckas gather 'round because the 11-minute pilot for Adult Swim's BLACK DYNAMITE: THE ANIMATED SERIES will premiere on AdultSwim.com on Monday, August 8.

Catch the exclusive trailer for the pilot here. 

The series follows Black Dynamite, an ex-CIA agent and certified ladies man avenging his brother's death by battling it out week to week with kung fu masters, drug-dealing pimps and his nemesis, The Man.

Carl Jones of THE BOONDOCKS fame is running the show, with the stars of the movie -- including Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley and Byron Minns -- returning to voice characters for the animated series.

In the next issue of Cinema Retro, columnist Tom Lisanti discusses the weird scenario that took place in 1965 when two rival studios released competing biopics of screen legend Jean Harlow (In fact, Tom has a new book about the rival films due to be released). A similar situation is unfolding with two biopics of the late porn legend and Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace going into production. Olivia Wilde is considering starring in one film, while Watchmen's Malin Akerman is starring in the other. Click here for more

By Harvey F. Chartrand

MICHAEL MORIARTY, who starred in such classic films as Who’ll Stop the Rain and Pale Rider, exiled himself to Canada in 1995, following a nasty confrontation with U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. Moriarty was invited along with network television executives and producers to hear Reno’s views on censorship of TV violence. Law and Order, one of the least violent shows on television, was cited as a major offender. Incensed by Reno's campaign to “forcibly end violence on television and trample on rights of free expression as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution,” Moriarty quit the series and left the U.S. in protest. He has been a landed immigrant in Canada ever since. Why the fateful encounter with Reno led to a radical (and seemingly overnight) transformation of Moriarty’s political views from soft liberal to hard-core conservative remains unexplained to this day. The onetime Manhattan über-liberal’s sudden shift to “gun-toting” arch-conservatism proved to be too much to fathom for his socialite wife Anne Hamilton Martin, and their seemingly ideal marriage ended after almost 20 years.

Moriarty was an up-and-comer in the early seventies. In 1973, he drew lavish praise for his back-to-back performances as a baseball player who befriends a dying teammate in Bang the Drum Slowly and as a cold-blooded Marine Duty Officer in The Last Detail. That same year, Moriarty starred in a TV-movie adaptation of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie with Katharine Hepburn. Moriarty's role as the Gentleman Caller won him an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor of the Year. Moriarty then nabbed the 1974 Tony Award in the Best Actor category for his role as a young London homosexual with a blistering razor-sharp tongue in Find Your Way Home, beating out heavyweight competitors Zero Mostel, George C. Scott, Jason Robards and Nicol Williamson.

However, Moriarty’s bid for big-screen stardom was a complete failure. In 1975, he was cast as a rookie detective who unwittingly kills an undercover policewoman in the Serpico-like drama Report to the Commissioner. The film (now hailed as a masterpiece) was shredded by the critics, especially the influential Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, who dismissed Moriarty’s acting as unbridled hysteria. Roger Ebert described Moriarty’s performance as manic: “During whole stretches of the movie, (the rookie detective) seems to be in the grip of incomprehensible tensions and fears, and Moriarty makes these so obvious we wonder why he isn’t sent in for observation. Underplaying, providing just the slightest suggestion of inner terrors, would have made the performance more convincing.”

By necessity, Moriarty made the switch to television, appearing in series like The Equalizer with Edward Woodward and starring as a German SS officer in the landmark television miniseries Holocaust, which won him another Emmy. Moriarty was also unforgettable as an aggressive professional hockey player in The Deadliest Season, one of the greatest TV-movies about hockey ever made.

Through the 1980s, Moriarty started turning up in increasingly lurid fare such as Larry Cohen’s Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive and A Return to Salem's Lot. In 1986, Moriarty starred in the fantasy science-fiction movie Troll, playing the role of Harry Potter, Sr.! In the decades since, these films have all become cult classics. Moriarty is especially proud of his involvement in The Hanoi Hilton, a harrowing true story about the ordeal of American prisoners of war in North Vietnam’s most infamous prison during the Vietnam War.

Yet the role that Moriarty is still best remembered for is that of Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone in the first four seasons of Law and Order (1990-1994). Stone is an essentially humorless man of unflinching rectitude who believes in maximum enforcement of the law, but is open to plea bargaining if conditions warrant.

“In early 1994, I quit Law and Order and announced my departure in the Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety,” Moriarty told Cinema Retro. “My employers, the mainstream press and even Wikipedia like to say that it was (executive producer) Dick Wolf who fired me and not the other way ‘round. People say: ‘Oh, well, no one fires Dick Wolf!’ Well, I did. At any rate, I had become an American dissident. I left for Canada not too long after that.”

After shedding his sleek Ben Stone persona, Moriarty moved to Toronto (and later Halifax and Vancouver) and became a radically different person – some described his behaviour as crazy or bipolar. At age 52, after a lifetime of discipline and abstemiousness, Moriarty began drinking and smoking heavily. The years of hard living were evident in the thickening of his features and a noticeable weight gain. His smooth-as-velvet voice became raspy from the constant intake of nicotine. The onetime exemplar of virtue on television even got into a few scrapes with the law. He was thrown into a Halifax drunk tank in 1997. In November 2000, Moriarty was arrested for assault after slapping his former girlfriend and manager Margaret Brychka during a drunken argument in a Vancouver bar. The charges were later dismissed in court.

The dark years passed and, through rigid adherence to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and his abiding faith in the Roman Catholic Church, Moriarty was able to lay his demons to rest. He says he has been clean and sober since 2003.

“Canada’s AA fraternity and their infinite faith in the power of God have brought me to a calm and utterly sober joy in life I had never thought possible,” Moriarty said.

Until 2006, Moriarty continued his acting career from his home base in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, where he lives with his lady friend Irene Mettler. Since relocating to Canada, the former star of Law and Order appeared in a steady stream of movies and TV shows, notably the hard-edged police drama Major Crime, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Emily of New Moon, Crime of the Century, Courage Under Fire, Children of the Dust (with Sidney Poitier), The Arrow, Earthquake in New York, James Dean (Moriarty won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie as Dean’s father), Taken (in the UFO TV mini-series premiere episode directed by Tobe Hooper) and director Larry Cohen’s Pick Me Up episode of Masters of Horror.

Now 70, Moriarty is semi-retired from acting, mainly due to health concerns following open-heart surgery and the lingering effects of serious injuries sustained during a savage beating at a Maple Ridge tavern in 2002. Moriarty’s last completed film to date is the still unreleased The Yellow Wallpaper, in which he plays a mysterious realtor. Lensed in Georgia in 2006, The Yellow Wallpaper is loosely based on the famous horror story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

 

After years of negotiating, producers of a new four-hour TV documentary about Woody Allen managed to land the shy Woodman's cooperation. The show will be the most intensive look at his life and career and will premiere in November as an American Masters presentation. Meanwhile, Allen's Midnight in Paris continues to perform well at the boxoffice and is his top-grossing film ever.

By Todd Garbarini

 

Sharktopus and Dinoshark are the titles of two of the SyFy Channel’s most-viewed titles of late. Like Piranha 3D, which was released theatrically last year, the titles of these films are fairly self-explanatory and leave little to the imagination. There is plenty of T & A on display in Sharktopus, though for reasons unknown far more restraint is shown in Dinoshark.

Sharktopus and Dinoshark were both produced by Roger Corman, who has a cameo in the former as a beachgoer and a larger role as a scientist in the latter. In Sharktopus, the shark-octopus combo is a genetically-engineered creature that is strapped to a device to keep it under military control – until it breaks free of it, that is. Out on its own, the military needs to reel the creature back in, and that’s where genetic scientist Nathan Sands (Eric Roberts) comes in. Nicole Sands (Sara Malakul Lane) is his daughter/scientist, who is trying to break free of Nathan’s “Daddy’s Little Girl” grip, and tries her best to gain control of the titular creature.

The special effects in Sharktopus are fairly decent for a film shot on a shoestring. The effects team replicates “blood” splattering on the camera lens (in reality CGI blood), and there are a fairly high number of sharktopus kills to be had, the most memorable of which is a bungee jump gone haywire (no pun intended, of course). Mary Corman, daughter of Roger and Julie Corman (the film’s producers), appears in this scene.

The acting is nothing to write home about, although Mr. Roberts is the best of the bunch. Also on hand is Sara Malakul Lane as Nathan’s daughter, and she’s quite good in her role, but just about everyone else looks like they stepped off the pages of FHM and Maxim to get in front of the camera, especially Shandi Finnessey who did step off the pages of Stuff and was chosen as Miss USA 2004. The special features consist of a trailer and an enjoyable audio commentary with Roger and Julie Corman that discusses the genesis of the film and how the SyFy Channel approached it as a project.

Dinoshark runs nearly the same length as Sharktopus, but it feels twice as long. Like Sharktopus, the film was shot in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Trace McGraw (Eric Balfour) and Carol Brubaker (Iva Hasperger) both share a mutual friend who dies at the hands of the dinoshark, and they spend the remainder of the film trying to get people to believe them. Naturally, no one does, and the authorities do their best to bring down the dinoshark. Like Sharktopus, the special features consist of a trailer and an enjoyable audio commentary with Roger and Julie Corman.

If you have to see one of these films, Sharktopus is the way to go – that is until Sharktopus vs. Dinoshark rears its head.

Click here to order Sharktopus discounted from Amazon

Click here to order Dinoshark discounted from Amazon

Add Bruce Willis the growing roster of stars trying to revive their blue collar screen heroes that burst upon the scene in the 1980s. Willis will again delve back into the Die Hard franchise with the new flick to be filmed in Russia. Directors are now being sought. Click here for more

If you would like to visit the new Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, all you have to do is drop by Arnie's hometown of Thal, Austria. There, his childhood friend has presented a celebration of the ex-Governator's life and career. Displays include props from films and the home Schwarzenegger grew up in. There is also a replica of his office as Governor of California. Arnie couldn't make it the opening (they probably wouldn't allow him to smoke cigars inside), but he did send a video greeting. Click here for video tour of the museum.

 

Feast your eyes on lovely Anne Hathaway, carrying on the glorious tradition of bringing Catwoman to life. Hathaway plays the sultry villainess in the new Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises now in production.

 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio has certainly proven he wasn't a flash-in-the-pan heartthrob. His salary is quite titanic. In the last year, Forbes estimates that Leo has earned $77 millon from his films, displacing former top gun Johnny Depp who has dropped to a "paltry" $50 million. Better start a fund drive for him. Click here for more

Daniel Craig is so enthused about the forthcoming James Bond film that he predicts it will be better than the critically acclaimed 2006 blockbuster Casino Royale. Click here for more including a video interview with Craig.

 

Hugh Hefner has agreed to provide narration for the premiere episode of NBC's forthcoming TV series The Playboy Club. The retro-based series will follow the lives of people associated with a 60s-era Playboy Club with heavy emphasis (unsurprisingly) on the character's sex lives. TV Guide reports that original concept was to have Hef provide narration for every episode, but that idea has been dropped. Hefner will be portrayed as a character on the show, though it's unclear how integral he will be to the plots. Click here for more

 

Here's a link to an insightful article from January that appeared in the Los Angeles Times: Kim Darby and Glen Campbell recalling their experience working on the original 1969 classic True Grit with John Wayne.

 

The tragic but not unexpected demise of rock star Amy Winehouse puts her in the category known as "The 27s"-- and it's a club no one would want to belong to. There have been a surprising number of rock legends who passed away at the tender age of 27. Click here to read about them.

 

Clark Gable is back in the news this week....sort of. The only grandson of the man known as The King of Hollywood, Clark James Gable, was arrested for fooling around with a laser and pointing it at a police helicopter patrolling the skies over Hollywood. Lasers can be attached to weapons and it is a felony to point one at a police vehicle of any kind. The 22 year old Gable said he was just fooling around with the device and posed no threat to the helicopter. He was jailed and was bailed out by a bail bond firm that turned his release into a TV publicity stunt. The offspring of the screen's Rhett Butler only turned to acting recently, having worked as a manual laborer for a pet store. His grandfather had gallantly put his screen career on hold when WWII broke out, enlisted in the service  and flew bombing raids over Europe. Meanwhile, the manager for his grandson said that upon being arrested,  the younger Gable broke down in tears, thus proving that machismo is not an inherited trait. For more click here

Universal is celebrating the forthcoming Blu-ray release of Brian DePalma's Scarface with a one-night (August 31) theatrical release in high definition. The studio has also released a deluxe Blu-ray edition packed inside a 1,000 piece limited edition humidor designed by Daniel Marshall. now you have the ultimate place in which to store your "leetle friends".

Here is the official product description:

"Inspired by the modern-day classic from acclaimed director Brian De Palma (Carlito's Way) and Oscar-winning writer Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July), the Limited Edition Scarface Humidor is handcrafted by the world renowned Daniel Marshall for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast. A decadent collector's item limited to only 1,000 pieces worldwide, it pays tribute to Academy Award winner Al Pacino's (The Godfather) stunning portrayal of Tony "Scarface" Montana, one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film. The humidor's exterior is hand painted and polished with Marshall's trademark ""1000"" coat brilliant finish, and its interior is made of untreated Spanish cedar complete with an analog hygrometer, guaranteed to properly condition and age approximately 100 cigars at optimal humidity levels. Expertly fitted with brass hinges in exemplary Daniel Marshall style and embellished with a custom medallion inspired by the iconic film, each humidor carries a numbered plaque, a certificate of authenticity with the designer's signature, and the Limited Edition Scarface Blu-ray encased in collectible SteelBook packaging with a digital copy of the film, a DVD of the 1932 version of Scarface plus 10 original art cards. The action-packed Blu-ray features an all-new eye-popping remastered picture, explosive 7.1 audio track and never-before-seen bonus features."

Click here to order from Amazon and save $300! 

By Lee Pfeiffer

The concept for Dreamworks/Universals joint production of Cowboys & Aliens must have seemed like a sure-fire, can't miss proposition. Directed by red hot John Favreau, who has a fan following in his own rite, the film also boasts the superstar pairing of James Bond and Indiana Jones leads Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Add to this the fact that the story has its origins in a comic book at the precise time when audiences seem to be embracing comic heroes, and it's hard to see what could have gone wrong. Yet, the film has opened soft- almost $10 below its estimated take in its first weekend. Worse, the movie's grosses were virtually equaled by the original Blue Man Group- the Smurfs, whose feature film has performed better than expected. The studio brass will be doing some major evaluations of what went wrong. No one is calling the film an outright bomb- yet- but with a budget estimate of up to $200 million, the words "bomb" and "under-performer" are used interchangeably. The film benefited from a massive publicity campaign that began at the 2010 Comic-Con when the movie had just begun production. Harrison Ford, who regards doing PR appearances as though it is root canal surgery, was the good soldier, as usual, and made the rounds to promote the movie. Not so with Daniel Craig, who did little PR for the film despite having top billing. Reviews were predictably mixed but this is not a movie that was conceived to please critics and its doubtful that anyone cleared off a mantle to make room for Oscars. Generally, comic-inspired flicks are designed to be immune to reviews. One factor that separates this movie from other comic-films is that it is based on a rather obscure graphic novel whereas most other productions benefit from the pedigree of a legendary superhero.There is still a chance that grosses might build if word-of-mouth is strong and the overseas market, which loves big budget Hollywood action films, might prove to be a fertile ground for considerable business.

Here's a personal observation that is probably not relevant to the film's overall performance. While in Manhattan a few weeks ago, I observed a massive billboard north of Times Square for the film. Despite being a city block wide, the advertisement featured only the likeness of Daniel Craig. It was apparently felt that Harrison Ford, that legend of action cinema, would not be important enough to feature on the billboard. Obviously, marketing executives associated with the film feel that Ford might be past his sell date as a viable box-office draw. In show business, as in politics, if you value loyalty, you'd better get a dog. For more click here

 

Cinema Blend provides some interesting photos from the set of Christopher Nolan's Batman epic The Dark Knight Rises, now shooting in Pittsburgh. They include shots of Tom Hardy in costume as the villain Bane. Click here for more