CUTTER'S WAY

year: 1981

cast: Jeff Bridges, John Heard

rating: *1/2

John Heard, who'll either play a really nice guy or a complete jerk, is miscast as a crippled Vietnam war Vet named "Cutter," who'd have fared better with Frederic Forrest or Nick Nolte donning an eye patch and long hair. Heard seems to have a lotta fun spouting tons (and I mean, TONS) of drunken devil-may-care dialog, but still seems like he's being a pirate for Halloween. Jeff Bridges as "Bone" is a bit more natural as Cutter's yacht-selling playboy buddy who, one night after a one-night stand, witnesses a rich, powerful man (this we find out later) throwing away a dead woman's body into a trash can. And then, as fate (or really bad writing) would have it, the next day he JUST HAPPENS to see the same man as the head of a parade. Then it's up to Cutter to talk the reluctant Bone into doing the underdog thing... to turn in this powerful, greedy killer... after which our grungy heroes, with the moral badge of hippiedom screaming from their shoulders, fight to survive. Rarely have I seen so many actors trying to outdo each other: And all lose the race.

KING KONG (THE LEGEND REBORN)

year: 1976
cast: Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange, Charles Grodin, Ed Lauter

rating: ***1/2

Directed by John Guillerman, the first half of this movie is great. A terrific set-up with the famous story changed so that an oil speculator (Charles Grodin) is seeking the island surrounded by fog as a possible teat for that gushy stuff that keeps cars running. Jeff Bridges plays a hippie stowaway on the ship and he knows the island has a big secret - but is not sure exactly what. And Jessica Lange is gorgeous as the monkey's moll/damsel in distress, and things flow very nicely. But the movie hits a wall when the Ape arrives. Things get bogged down by dated special effects and overall slow pacing, and the "relationship" between Lange and Kong is very corny.

THE FISHER KING

title: THE FISHER KING

year: 1991

cast: Jeff Bridges, Robin William, Mercedes Ruehl

rating: ***

This is a magical film... that works. Nothing compares to its weird bravado and chaotic characters and no movie, in taking this big a risk in merging so many aspects, has succeeded as well. The plot centers on a shock jock radio guy played by Jeff Bridges (basically playing Howard Stern without the charm or humor) whose advice to a lonely man causes this man to kill people in a restaurant. Bridges sees the news report of the deaths (mentioning that he is the cause), mutters the f-word, and the film skips forward several years as he's working for his girlfriend in a video store (that rents VHS movies... ever heard of those?). His girlfriend is played by Mercedes Ruehl, in what I consider one of the best supporting roles ever. She firmly stands by her man as he slumps around hating the world and tries pushing him to succeed at the same time. She never goes over-the-top but she gives a very, very dramatic, charismatic performance which, in the hands of a less dependable actress, could have easily gone hammy. Director Terry Gilliam is at his best: not too kooky, not too normal; but normal enough and kooky enough to create a brand new genre of film: "urban fantasy"... and giving it a good name.

HEAVEN'S GATE (MICHAEL CIMINO)

year: 1980

cast: Kris Kristofferson

director: Michael Cimino

rating: *

What makes Michael Cimino's infamous "Heaven's Gate" the biggest bomb in history? What makes "Heaven's Gate" one of the worst epic films ever made? Was it the four hour running time? Was it the fact that each scene went on way too long? Was it the rollerskating scene where a guy plays a fiddle for five minutes skating around the rink (a roller rink in a Western just doesn't mesh)? Was it the love story between a dull, overly-idealist town Marhsall and a plain looking prostitute and their superlong rides in a stagecoach? Was it the prologue involving graduates of Harvard giving speeches while we get numerous cuts to beautiful women who have nothing to do with the scene other than forcing us to realize that they find Kris Kristofferson sexy? Was it the dancing scenes in the same prologue that showed people spinning around endlessly without showing where the music was coming from? Was it the dialog; most of which was almost impossible to understand? Sure, these things didn't help. But what I hated most about this film is the characters: they're either really bad or really good. The bad ones, especially Sam Waterson... are so overly bad they should be wearing thin mustaches and, upon seeing them on screen, there should be an audince booing and hissing in the background. And the good guys... well, let's just say they're the polar opposite of the villains... Too good, too perfect. The polar opposite of this muddled disaster.