Monkey Minutia

Film director Terry Gilliam was recently interviewed by Bob Edwards on his radio show. Here are some highlights. Most interesting part: Gilliam wanted Jeff Bridges for the lead role in "12 Monkeys," which eventually went to Bruce Willis. When he confronted studio heads about the rejection of his choice, Gilliam was told that Bridges was a "jinx." (There's a theory that the quality of a Jeff Bridges movie correlates to the length of his hair. The longer the hair, the better the movie.) Least surprising part of interview: It was Brad Pitt's idea to look bug-eyed to convey his character's mental state. Brad P. is such an intuitive and subtle actor! Personal note: I was wildly disappointed with "12 Monkeys." I hated the casting, especially B.P. Gilliam's film rep has been riding on his masterpiece, "Brazil." I admit that "The Fisher King" was entertaining, but everything else has been muddled and self-indulgent.