GRAN TORINO

Clint Eastwood never disappoints. We loved this movie which happens on so many levels and encompasses so many themes. Of course a movie taking place in Detroit and with a title car has a head start! Add to that a crochety old guy, immigrant neighbors, street tension and lots of regular old house and yard settings - you wouldn't normally thing these were the ingredients for excellence. But they are, and the movie is wonderful.
It will be with me for awhile. My dad would've loved this one. Clint is the man. We even enjoyed the Special Features which were discussions about guys and their cars. Maybe it's a Detroit thing, but I still remember my first car, a silver with black interior 1975 Firebird. It started clicking (lifters) in the rain, so I sold it after a year and bought a 1978 Camaro LT. I loved loved loved that car. It was maroon with a fabric camel interior and clear T Roofs. My license plates were simply "DSP". I drove it for three years until it was stolen 2 weeks after I moved to Evanston. Sometimes I hate this place. The Chicago police called me a few weeks later at 3 in the morning to tell me that they had it in a pound and it had been stripped. Going to that pound was an experience. The theives had even taken the fabric panels off the doors. All my paperwork from the glove compartment was scattered around the empty interior. I took my license plates and a Camaro emblem that escaped their notice, and I still have that stuff in a shoe box in the basement. At least I think I do. I might have gotten rid of it last year. I only have a couple of pictures of the car. I loved it. It was one-of-a-kind, because the guy I bought it from's Dad worked for GM and ordered it off the line without a center console. It had a very open and airy interior. It didn't have a spoiler and it didn't have a hood scoop. It was like this car, only maroon: The interior was beautiful as previously mentioned. I found this photo showing the correct color: This picture really brings back the memories...