Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 26 & Fri 27 Jun
Elijah Drenner / USA / 2014 / 91 mins
The name might not ring a bell, but you definitely know the face. Dick Miller has brought his New York tones to over 300 films and that’s not including the ones like Pulp Fiction, where he ended up on the cutting room floor.
A Roger Corman regular and later a totemic presence in the work of Joe Dante, Miller is one of those actors whose answerphone message always says yes. He’s played cowboys and Indians (sometimes in the same film), hipsters, geeks, freaks, family men and a variety of cops and robbers. He’s worked with the best and the worst in Hollywood and has enjoyed every minute of it.
Elijah Drenner’s film features interviews with friends, family and the many directors and actors he’s worked with. It’s frequently pointed out that Miller isn’t the tallest man in the world, but what he lacks in inches, he makes up for in commitment and inventiveness. Originally hoping to be a writer, he’s improved more than one dull script with his improvisational skills.
As much a celebration of the joy of filmmaking as Miller’s career, this is a fairly superficial documentary, but then, as most of his movies show, there’s nothing wrong with simple fun.
Showing as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014
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