low -budget genre films ilivil l)em/ cotnes to lllllltll. lidinburgh. (‘anteo.
Rhapsody In Blue (Irving Rapper. US. l‘HS) Robert .-\ltla. Joan Leslie. Alexis Smith. l.‘~9 mins. The life story of George Gershwin is something of a musical
estras aganza. :\II the old favourites are here.
including ‘Blue Monday Blues' and Al .Iolson gets to stretch his vocal cords. lidinburgh; St. Bride's ('entre.
Saving Private Ryan (15) (Steven Spielberg. lTS. I998) Tom Hanks. Tom Si/einorc. Matt Damon. I7t) mins. like no film iii recent memory. Sui-Hie l’rr'i'ulr Rvun focuses its attention squarely on the brutalities endured by American soldiers in World War II. (‘entral to this impact is the already legendary opening half hour. detailing with i'cmorseless brilliance the carnage of the D-I )ay landings. The actual meat of the story. itt which Hanks is sent off w tilt the remnants of his unit to locate the epony moits Ryan. is built on rugged rather than subtle llll'.‘\ .\ landmark piece of
mov remaking. (icnei‘al release.
Shock Treatment I IS) (Inn Sliarman. lFK. I9.\'l I ('lill' De Young. Jessica Harper. l’att‘icia ()uinn. Is’tchat'd ()'Ilricn. 94 tiiiits. l.uttg l)eltti‘t‘ he entered li/lt' (in UN] .T/ttft' ()'Bricn emoyed a modicum of success with a rock "n. roll goth sclilock. spoof ctilt entettainment called The ls’m'li Horror Shun. I'nfortunatcly someone persuaded him that ll would be a good idea to repeat the formula T his is the result. and. for all the superficial sheen and merrincss. it's something oi an anachronistic mistake. (il.isgtt\\. l'lt‘apll.
The Sidewalk Surfer And White Lines Film Tour ( ‘ompilation of skate aitd snow boarding \ tdeos for tlte allicionados.
I’ilniniakei's include Tll7. l)ecatles. Whiskey
J and l’Ul'lllll I'eam Video and theies‘ a preview of the ttew film by Hope. /.I/(‘ Sir/mutt. l'oi' tickets phone (II 335 53!) 32‘). liditihiti‘gli (Kittieo
Small Soldiers i PM (Joe Danie. US. I998) Kirsten I)itnst. (iregoi'y Smith. l)enis leary. Ill) nnns Dante pltmdei's his anarcltic live notion cartoon tale. (ilt'llI/IIH. substituting toys tor little ile\ ils and adding state-of—thc-
a:,.
A rate}; BY MICHAEL HANEKE
I‘T‘I'fi
* EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE UNTIL 19 NOVEMBER, GFT UNTIL 12
art computerised effects. Unfortunately. Small Soldiers displays none of the sadistic mischief. nor the knowing Capra-esque whimsy of its antecedent. Sanitised. bland and banal. General release.
Snake Eyes ( l5) (Brian De Palma. US. I998) Nicolas Cage. Gary Sinise. Carla Gugino. I08 mins. When the American Secretary of Defence is assassinated. Cage's flamboyant. corrupt cop atid old pal. Navy commander Sinese. attempt to figure out whodunnit. With a narrative is driven forward by the edgy suspense. telling revelations and razor-sharp editing. Snake Eyes is one of the director's best film's to date atid. unusually for De Palma. the sheer technical wizardry does not distract us from the more serious political and emotional dimensions. See review. General release.
A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries ( I 5) (James Ivory. UK. I998) Kris Kristofferson. Barbara Hershey. Jesse Bradford. IZ—I mins. A disappointingly episodic drama about an American writer and his family living in the Trench capital from the 60% to the 7()s. Adapted from a semi-atitobiographical novel by Kaylie Jones about her father James. writer of From Here 7}: Iflernilr. the film tries to cover too much ground and suffers as a result. It‘s professional but unadventtirous filmmaking. See review. Glasgow: (il’l'. Iidinburgh: Iiilmhouse. Soylent Green ( l 5) (Richard Fleischer. US. I973) Charlton Heston. lidward G. Robinson. Leigh ’l‘aylor Young. 97 mins. film adaptation of Harry Harrison's highly- regarded novel Mule Rmuii’ Mute Rmmi.’ sets tip a plausible vision of a future world teeming with hungry millions. Heston is a tottgli cop trying to discover exactly what are the ingredients of Soylent Green. a synthetic foodstuff that‘s been cooked tip to help feed the planet. The final revelation might be obvious front a long way off. but it's very logical it) a Swiftian sort of way. lidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
The Spanish Prisoneri IS) (David Mamet. US. l998) Campbell Scott. Rebecca Pidgeon. Steve Martin. I I I mins. A clever. cold study of the art of the confidence trick. (‘ryptic and playful Mamet's writing '—
which has been compared to that of Harold Pinter — is perfectly suited to the illusionary nature of the con. 'lhe insubstantiality of everything is deliciously maddening. Stirling MacRobert.
Still Crazy ( l 5) (Brian Gibson. UK. I998) Jimmy Nail. Bill Nighy. 'limothy Spall. 95 mins. Like in The Full Monty. a disparate bunch of guys come together. suffer strife. but triumph against the odds. This time. however. the pants stay on as it's a reformed 70s rock group that‘s at the centre of attention. 'l’V stalwarts Dick Clement and Ian l.a lirenais deliver a script that's just a little episodic. but never less than funny. proving you don't need special effects to produce a hit movie. General release. Storefront Hitchcock (Jonathan Demnie. US. I998) British sitiger-songwriter Robyn llitcltcock introduces this concert movie featuring his old aitd new songs plus verbal monologues. Directed by l)emme. whom. you may remember. made the rather fabulous Talking Heads concert film. Stop .lltiking Sense. l-Zdinburgh: Cameo. Stranger Than Paradise t IS) (Jim Jarmusch. IFS/West Germany. I984) .lohn l.uric. lis/ter Balint. Richard Iidson. 89 mins. In Jarmusch's debut feature. l.urie (later to star in Down Br Law") is a New Yorker playing reluctant host to his cousin from Hungary. When she departs to play cards with her tiiad aunt in Ohio. he and his mate lidson follow her into the bleak. mid- westei‘n snovvscape. All very low -key aitd monochrome. but there's a wonderfully dry sense of humour at play. Ifdinbui‘gh: (‘ameo Swingers t l5) (Doug I.iman. US. I996) Vince Vaughn. John l‘ast'cau. Ron Livingston. 96 mins. A wannabe actor Mike and his pal Tient drive to Vegas to play the
tables and pick up some babes. l.ater. III l..-\.
the boys hang out with their friends. wandering the trendy bars. generally being young. single atid without love. Which is just about all there is to Sinner/2v _ a heap of talking. the odd liumuee (Scorsese and litt‘atititio) and lots of male bonding. A highly watchable. very funny and entertaining piece of low -budget filmmaking. lidinburgh; (‘amco
index FILM
Syberberg Films Brecht (Hans Jtirgen- Syberberg. Germany. l953/7 I /93) Curt Bois. Kathe Reichel. Patil Albert Krumm. 90 mins. At seventeen years of age Syberberg began filming scenes from the key productions of the Berliner Ensemble. Over the years. Syberberg continued filming and added a commentary by Brecht. Playing with Seiim‘u Currur is Rifles (Egon Monk. GDR. I953) Helene Weigel. likkehard Schall. lirwin Geschonneck. 5-1 mins. The sole recording. by East German TV. of Brecht's least typical play. what he termed a ‘deliberately Aristotelian empathy drama'. Written in I937. the play is sympathetic to the Spanish Republic. Glasgow: Goethe lnstitttt.
Taxi Driver ( I8) (Martin Scorsese. US. I976) Robert De Niro. (.‘ybill Shepherd. Jodie Foster. I l4 mins. An alienated taxi driver iti New York is so repelled by the squalor and the moral decay around him that he is driven to terrible violence. ()ne of the key films of the 70s with the Scorsese-De Nii'o partnership at its peak. lidinburgh: Cameo.
There's Something About Mary t I 5) (Peter and Bobby liarrelly. US. I998) ('ameron Diaz. Matt Dillon. Ben Stiller. ll8 mins. The liai'relly brothers follow their supremely fun. btit dumb debut. Dumb And Dumber. and bad taste extravaganza. Kingpin. with an even more outrageous film — a 'stalker' comedy. Small town geek Ted never makes it to the Iiiin school prom with gorgeous Mary. because he ‘zips himself up' -- ouch. Years later and all healed and grown tip. Ted remains obsessed with the date that never was. General release.
The Thing ( I 8) (John Carpenter. US. I982) Kurt Russell. Wilford Brimley. David ('lennon. l()9 mins. Scientists on an Antarctic research station thaw out an alien creature able to change its shape and horribly murder humans. Iixtraordinary effects in this tense shocker. which utilises the central gimmick from the original short story iii a way the I9Sl version did not. Edinburgh: HImhouse.
Continued over page
pt, radical, provocative... it’s a masterpiece”
Geoff Andrew, TIME OUT
GAMES
l(‘zTiiAi? iii/\NK (iii .iilf.i(i
S 'i ‘AN‘ (ll Al‘tl/VNTSK: (:Mtttsttwii iéANt/E it ‘siiSA‘rNi
iii HIGH .’.I' :l‘i' A‘lNl.‘ i With/LI! l‘rCii'f’) Vil;.\'.‘iii'.l/\“~JP. ‘.'J()l VCANG (il IiCK {l()N'KA //\E l Bil/ii I2
tilts/VINE
Lill‘itfiiti.
NOVEMBE
()“lg Nov I998 THE lIST 35