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Cinema
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With so many films in production
how can one spot a hit from a flop.
Let's sce,ifyou can.
Among the remakes' are: Doctor
DoolUtle: starring Eddie Murphy, directed
by Betty (Hill Street Blues)
Thomas. City of Angels: this remakes
of Wings of Desire deals· With the
romance of a guardian angel who falls
in love with the woman he is assigned
to protect. Whashington Square: this
time' starring Jennifer Jason Leigh,
A1bert Finney and Maggie Smith.
Shaft: first made in '71 is directed by
John Singleton. Secret Life of Waiter
MiIty: starring Jim Carey.
In the meantime John Singleton
has been busy complcting Rosewood.
This is based upon the true incident
about a white mob who attacked a
Deep South town populated mainly by
blacks in 1923. Starring Jon Voight
and Ving Rhames.
Women are starting to make their
mark in films. ,Tina Modotti, the
Italian photographcr, is to be portrayed
by Madonna. How Stelhl Got
Her Groove Back may,sound like a
comedy bilt is, in fact, a drama and
stars Whoopi Goldbcrg and Angela
Basset!. Whoopi follows this up with
Deep End of the 'Ocean with
Michelle Pfeiffer. Ms Pfeiffer has
already completed A ThouSand Acres
co-starring Jessica Lange. Jennifer
Jason Leigh makes up the third sister
for this modem day version of King
Lear which relocates to the US Midwest.
Jason Robards plays the mad
fathers. Altjelica Huston, Sharon
Stone and Kriston Scot! Thomas share
the Nom Ephron script Cup of Tea.
Ms Huston' directs the tale of a high
socicty love triangle set in NY during
WWI. Chris Columbus directs Susan
Sarandon and Julia Roberts in the
drama Step Moln. Sandra Bullock
(sce photo) leads the Runaway Bride.
This romantic comedy deals with a
woman who leaves a succession of
fiances standing gilted at the altar.
Things take a twist when a newspaper
hatchet man looks into the stol)'.
Hope Floats is next for Sandra this
time co-starring with HarI)' Connick
Jr and Gena: Rowlands. LaStly we
have Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility)
directing Nicole Kidman in Berlin
Diaries, the account of Marie Vas-
Dlcembre 971Gennalo 98
siltchikov's time in war tom Nazi
Germany as a poor Russian princess
and her involvcmcnt in a Hitlcr
assassination plot. Guess how that onc
endsl
Magic Hour takes us on to mixed
pairings with Paul Newman, Susan
Sarandori and Gene Hackman. Robcrt
Redford is set to star and co-produce
with Oliver Stone in George Washington.
Christopher L1oyd, leff Daniels,
Daryl Hannah and Elizabeth
Hurley -Were filming My Favourite
Martitin during the summer last year.
Adapted from the excellent stage play
comes Rise and Fail of Little Voice
with Jane Horrocks reprising the role
that w3s written for her, though not
after some heated telephone calls.
Along side her is Ewan McGregor.
Sam Mendes, the author, now takes
his place in the director's chair.
Don't worry there are plenty of
films for the boys. Cuba Gooding lr
won ari Oscar and the title lead in
Blaze of Glory the story of Otis
Redding as told by loe Eszterhas.
From the drama of Copland Stallone
next turns to comedy. Brand New
Man finds him as a burglar who
promises his wife to leave behind his
life of crime, only to provoke his
former crime boss who now wants
him dead. Continuing the comedy is
Terry Gilliam who directs 10bnny
Depp 'in Fear and Loothing in Las
Vegas. On a more serious note Costa­
Gavras directs Dustin Hoffman and
John Travolta in Mad CiIy. Antonio
Banderas and Omar Sharif co-star in
Eaters of the Dead, written. by
Michael Crichton who was, mCIdently,
recently paid SIOm for thc
script Air Frame. David Mamet directs
Steve Martin and Campbell
Soott in his thriller Spanish Prisoner.
Snake Eyes directed by ,Brian De­
Palma co-stars Nicolas Cage and Gary
Sinise. September was a wrap for
Saving Privote' Ryan. Directed by
Steven Spielberg and starring Tom
Hanks about the WWII Normandy
landings. Dayid Finchcr (Seven) teams
up again with Brad Pitt in Crowded
Room about the 23 multiple personalities
of Billy Mulligan.
But perhaps the hardest to predict
i leave to last. We will either all be
saying "why did we have to wait so
long?" or cringe at eyery film frame.
Neil Simon has put pen to paper and
scripted Odd Couple 11: Travelin'
Light. To be directed by Howard
Deutch and starring lack Lemmon and
Waiter Matthau.
Coming Soon
Kiss Me GiiUJo. Aspiring actor
Frankie Zito answers a newspaper ad
for a GWM room-mate, thiriking it
means "guy with money". His new
roomie is more interested in "gay
white male". Starring Nick Scotti and
Anthony Barrile. Opens 19 December.
Spiceworld:The .film of the SP!ce
Girls is rumoured to be SO appahng
that the distribution 'company are
refusing advanced preview for reviewers.
Opens 26 December.
Hard Eight. Professional gamblers
in Reno. Starring Samuel L. lackson,
Gwyneth Paltrow and lohn C. Reilly.
Opens end December.
Starship Trooper. The big bugs
land on earth. Opens 2 lanuary,.
TIre Jackal A ruthless assassin
(Bruce Willis) is out to eliminate
someone at the highest level in the
US government. Sidney Poitier and
Richard Gere are out to stop him.
Opens 9 lanuary.
The Rainmaker. Written and directed
by Francis Ford Coppo\a. Starring
Claire Danes, Danny DeVito and
Ion Voight. Opens 13 February.
Amistad. Based on a true story,
Amistad is the saga of a failed mutiny
on board a Spanish slave ship. Steven
Spielberg directs Morgan Freeman,
Nigel Hawthome, Anthony Hopkins
and Matthew McConaughey. Opens
27 February.
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