Gosford Park (2001) - ***
A nice period piece, set in 1932, brought to us by Robert Altman. A group of well-to-dos and their servants get together for a weekend shooting party. Amid a fair amount of shenanigans, it turns into a murder mystery. It's well made, but I had expected a little more with all the critical acclaim the movie received. Still it's good, just not great.
Grand Theft Auto (1977) - **1/2
A fun little car chase movie. No deep meaning or themes here, just some good 70s car chase/wreck/explosions entertainment. This movie was the directorial debut for Ron Howard who also starred in this movie. There are a lot of familiar faces...Marion Ross(Mrs Cunningham from Happy Days), Paul Linke(Grossman from CHiPs), Clint Howard, etc.
Rank: Honorable Mention Car Movies
Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka) (1988) - ***1/2
This is the most touching animated feature I've ever seen. I truly cared about the characters and was saddened at the tragic events they had to deal with. A young teen boy and his four year old sister are orphaned while their father is in the Japanese navy and their mother is killed in a fire bombing. Though there are a few small bits of humor as a way for them to cope with their situation, I caution you not to think this is a typical Japanese Anime story. It's as gut-wrenching as any live-action war movie and shows the attacks on Japan in a way I've never seen depicted before, from the personal point of view of two children. If you can take it, I think it's an excellent film that tells an important story.
Rank: #4 in 1988, #3 Pearl Harbor Day Movie
The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1977) - **
While watching this, I couldn't help but be remind of Thelma & Louise. Granted, this is a B-Movie version of two women on a bank robbing spree with a lot more violence and sex. I think this movie would have been better if they stuck to the somewhat lighter tones it had earlier in the film and away stayed from the heavy violence that came later. It went a little too over the top at the end and it kind of fell apart even on it's own low level. Not even any real good chase scenes that I had hoped for after recently watching other Roger Corman classics, Eat My Dust! & Grand Theft Auto.
Rank: 1977 Worst Movie
The Guru (2002) - **
An interesting movie. It's not really good, but it has some entertaining story elements. Ramu is enticed to come to America by his cousin who claims to be living the high life, only to find out it was all an exaggeration. Determined to become a star, he lands a role in a porno film where he has trouble with his performance. But through some interesting twists, he becomes a highly popular sex guru with the unintentional help of Heather Graham's character...who is a porn star who's fiance believes is a school teacher. There are some interesting twists and turns with the characters, but yet it never really comes together as a whole.
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