BBC - Films - High Noon - 3rd February 2004

		Caining It Michael Caine shows no signs of slowing down. After landing the role of Alfred the butler in Batman Intimidation, it's just been announced that he'll join Nicolas Cage and Hope Davis (American Splendor) on the Chicago set of The Weather Man. Hot off Pirates Of The Caribbean, director Gore Verbinski will lens the (deceptively dull?) tale of a successful TV weathercaster (Cage) who attempts to reconcile with his estranged wife (Davis). Caine will play a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and father to Cage's character, which means only one things to High Noon: dodgy accent. Shooting will commence on 23rd February, y'awll.

		The Passion Controversy No.734 Mel Gibson is in deadlock with The Anti-Defamation League over The Passion Of The Christ, his graphic retelling of the final hours of JC. He's refused an invitation for a sit-down chat/chastisement with ADL's head, Abraham Foxman, who wrote an open letter to Gibson, stating: "History has borne out the fact that many come away using the Passion as the very basis of hatred toward Jews." The response: "I hope and I pray that you will join me in setting an example for all of our brethren; that the truest path to follow, the only path, is that of respect and, most importantly, that of love for each other despite our differences," said Jesus Christ - we mean, Mel Gibson. Speaking to the Catholic Global Network, Gibson later confessed: "I've said that this is a career killer and it could well be. But that doesn't matter because I don't care." The Passion Of The Christ is released in UK cinemas on Friday 26th March 2004.

		Heavy Levy You saw him in A Mighty Wind and the American Pie franchise, and pretty much every film comedy made since 1980. But now Eugene Levy has been given his own starring vehicle in the shape of The Man. It's a so-called fish-out-of-water comedy about a bumbling travelling salesman who stumbles into an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) sting. The part was specially written for him, with Samuel L Jackson co-starring as an ATF agent who reluctantly teams up with Levy to protect his cover. Les Mayfield will direct the film, which is otherwise described as a cross between Midnight Run and Rush Hour. By the way, Les Mayfield is the man who brought you Flubber...

		Play It Again, Sam Director Sam Raimi has been talking about the upcoming sequel to Spider-Man. "I really turned the film inward on the characters," he 'reveals'. "It's a much tougher road than he [Peter Parker] ever thought and the sacrifices he makes here are much more extreme than he ever thought." Of course Rami doesn't give away anything plot-specific, but sums it all up with this thought: "It's about the growth of a boy into a man. This boy just happens to be one bitten by a radioactive spider." Exclusive!

		The Cybers The Sci-Fi London Film Festival took place this weekend, and it's just announced the winners of its top awards. Greg Pak's Robot Stories, a robot anthology "reminiscent of the classic Twilight Zone tales", strode away in rather mechanical fashion with the award for Best Feature, while British director Scott Mann took home the silverware for Chaingangs, about the global epidemic of junk emails. The Audience Award for Best Feature was handed to Calum Grant and Joshua Atesh Little for Ever Since The World Ended, depicting the aftermath of a plague in San Francisco. Congratulations to you all - all those nights spent indoors watching Star Trek finally paid off.