Rhinestone (1984)

I genuinely expected to find Rhinestone on the IMDB bottom 100 list, but it's not there; that oversight will help me try to defend it. It really is bad, but it's supposed to be, I think, except when it's supposed to be good and is still bad. But a laugh is a laugh even if it's for all the wrong reasons, right?
Dolly takes a bet to turn loudmouth taxi driver Sly into a one-song Country singer. If Sly had been his usual slow-witted, underdog self and let the comedy slant of the script do its work things might've been different, but instead he TRIES to be funny and that almost ruins everything. He also sings and that's a whole other kind of comedy.

While looking at the Bottom 100 on IMDB I noticed that the director of this also holds the No. 1 spot! Jebus.

1½ happy trails out of 5

Misery (1990)

Dir. Rob Reiner’s vision of a different kind of terror from Stephen King is bursting with Hitchcockian style but never quite reaches the heights the fat man would’ve taken it. No matter, it has Kathy Bates to detract from that. She's simply amazing as an obsessed fan with an unpredictable on/off switch in her brain. At her mercy is a writer, whose imagination could be the only thing that saves him from her tough love.
Despite some major changes, including the addition of an entirely new character and subplot, William Goldman’s screenplay captures the essence of the novel admirably.

4  _umber o_e fa_s out of 5

THE STRAIGHT STORY [1999]

Director David Lynch shows a different side of his art with The Straight Story, based on the true story of elderly Alvin Straight's 240 mile journey to see his estranged brother to make amends with him before it's too late.

Lynch's fascination and love for people becomes all so very apparent with this beautifully woven tale about age, forgiveness, kindness, redemption and family.  It's told with an interesting view as each person Straight runs into is older than the last and makes for some lessons to be learned and taught. Richard Farnsworth delivers his final and most powerful performance with some excellent work turned in by Sissy Spacek and Harry Dean Stanton as well.  It's quiet, slow-burning and majestically layered with so much depth and perfection, one can't deny Lynch's incredible talent in filmmaking.  

5 bundles of sticks out of 5