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Film Soc; BY DOUG BELL Film Critic As a rule, Hollywood has good luck in addressing topical social issues. From The Grapes of Wrath to Norma Rae, The Lost Weekend to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Hollywood has applied a striking touch of intelligence and earnestness to some serious problems. Wli non f if/i To T# A F? i?vov AO AV r-h i ly wuy is no exception. From Brian Clark's highly acclaimed stage play, Whose Life examines the mental and moral turmoil of a hospital patient whose life is sustained by artificial means. Richard Drey fuss plays Ken Harrison, a young CPiilntAr tulin ?vui{/ivi yynu UCtUIllCS paralyzed from his neck clown after injuries received in a car accident. Like most of the characters Dreyfuss has played, his Ken Harrison is a bright, witty, free spirit with a flair for sarcasm. Even under the strain of his extreme affliction, he jokes playfully with the nurses and orderlies. He is less flirtatious, however, with John uassavetes, the hard-nosed head surgeon who is committed to a "life-at-any cost" credo. The atmosphere becomes less jovial after Dreyfuss learns that his condition is terminal. He requests to be released from the hospital and allowed to die without medical intervention. He tells his girlfriend to forget him and hires a lawyer to prepare a case. Dreyfuss' predicament differs from the usual "right to die with dignity" cases in that his mental faculties are perfectly alert. Because his ability to sculpt? i.e., his self-expression, i.e., his self ? has been destroyed, he believes his existence to be useless. That is the reason his vwwwwwwwww mmmmm ^^ S5S55S5S5SS5 i Arlrlr&s ial Prob tSECS ' MgflBKZgfr vvi ? -L p0 -^ H ^ -'"" t@ISB ^ :; ' ' "" ll ^SS3ii^RKs fl^HHHH|H| n i i w-k. ? tucnara ureytuss pU young sculptor who be 'Whose Life Is It Anywa girlfriend drops him so ! quickly at his suggestion; she is committed to the same artistically-based morality that governs his decision. That she could forget him so quickly and painlessly is a comment not only on her personality but on the quality of their reasoning as well. Naturally, Cassavetes fights him all the way, maintaining a "you'll thank me later" attitude. Dreyfuss draws courage and support from a pretty physician (Christine Lahti), and his ises lem 3r^'_MFr 3 ^ggj BPhT ftWr JB HH| i W . 'M MBMKSo JBsEa lys Ken Harrison, a comes paralyzed in y?' %r hip Jamaican orderly (Thomas Carter) helps to keep his sense of humor in tune. Directed by John Badham, the movie's position on the subject is as ambiguous as the issue itself. Though Dreyfuss wins his case, he seems doubtful about his hard-won fate. Despite its I dark subject, Whose Life Is It Anyway? is an enjoyable movie; it has a fine sense of humor. And thanks to its good performances and thoughtful script, it is a rewarding film as well. Burt Re BY DOUG BELL Film Critic You've got to hand it to Burt Reynolds? he's prolific. Three movies in a half-year is nothing to sneer at. True Cannonball Run was a dreary, stupid highway revue, and Paternity a weak but generally amiable little comedy. But Sharky's Machine, which Burt directed himself, is a surprisingly good, occasionally thrilling police drama. Burt is Sharky, a tough Atlanta detective who, in the opeing scenes of the film, is i demoted from the Homicide < tn thp Viop Hi*Moir\n ^nliinKi <- i vw v..x/ f ?w ui t luivu v miivii to like moving from Park I Avenue to the Bowery). In Vice, he organizes an ef ficient organization with the < help of his cocky colleagues, ? Brian Keith, Charles Dur- s ning and Bernie Casey. 4 Venom' Venom is a highly forgettable little horror item, with a good cast gone to wate. The predictable story line has a deadly black mamba being purchased mistakenly by a little boy about to be kidnapped by international villain Klaus Kinski (a good actor and one of the most chilling film personalities since Boris I Karloff). J ci 1 Cinematic Arts is u CUTTER S WAY. j | You probably haver j.j murder, intrigue and a I Eichorn and John Heard , ? Sunday 1\ turns T< Most of the movie is soent uncovering a mammoth case involving drugs, politics, prostitution and murder. A corrupt Italian millionaire (Vittorio Gassman) has his finger in every putrid pie: he has his hand-picked politician (Earl Holliman) run for the governorship; he maintains a harem of gorgeous minors, grooming them to become call-girls; he sends his cocaine sniffing brother to settle all his disputes with a sawed-off shotgun. If you think this plot is simply a glorified Hawaii 5-0 wUa ml cpiouuc, jfuu ic ngui. me story is hopelessly overblown. But it doesn't matter. Action is Burt's forte, and Sharky's Machine has enough of it to divert your attention from the insufficiencies of the plot. When the action does Wastes A Go< Almost all of the action takes place in and around a London residence. The police, under the leadership of an unusually dull Nicol Williamson, prove inef ictuvc in rescuing me Kio (a comment on present British capability?). The mamba solves the case all by his slithering self, killing off the bad guys (Oliver Reed, Susan George, Kinski) while utter's Wc |W . w ^ ^| HI ; ;5-.-'. ? "jH ; ^ proud to present a spe ft heard of it, but it is a { unique friendship. Starrir as Alex Cutter, the film's w 30 7 anrl O.Jrt - ? ( I M??VI J V ^ I U U ? program paid for in pari by Student Activities F< HHHBHMBHBHHBMHOHi BNBBRMHBMRBnBBIHBI o Action 11 2 r *4 wane, uie muvie s iauits are readily exposed. Reynolds seems to take his silly story too seriously; he tries too hard to make a "wellrounded" movie. The comedy and the love interest f fare poorly under his ^ direction. The supposedly tender love scene with Dominoe (Rachel Ward), the girl he is protecting by way of hidden surveillance (Rear Window style), is laughably bad. And the more comic moments, supplied mainly by Keith and Durning, have a forced fake ring to them. Don't get me wrong. ^ Sharky's Machine is a good police actioner, and Reynolds does an admirable job of directing. At the very least, it's a refreshing change from the redneck smash-'em-ups, which were becoming monotonous. ad Cast ignoring the kid and his blustery grandfather (Sterling Hayden). Of course, any move with a snake as one of its characters is going to have plenty of shock value. But I can't imagine one with less excitement than this Anv Johnny Quest episode is more inventive. W ran i# IS j cial "sleeper" film, gripping story about | i lg Jeff Bridges, Lisa | ar-torn anti-hero. ! | and $1.50 ^