Roar (1981)

 

A naturalist living with big cats in East Africa expects a visit by his family of four from Chicago. A mix-up leaves him searching for his family, who have been left in the clutches of wild lions.

From memory: Nearly plotless adventure simply lines up one silly human mishap after another keeping all protagonists in a permanent stage of danger; the real stars of the show are the animals, and if you like lions, you'll see plenty of them here.

 Halliwell*: "A rather silly story takes in some of the most remarkable animal photography on record, and there is a sub-plot involving villainous game hunters."

Maltin**: "Comedy-adventure...is also pro-preservation-of-African-wildlife statement. Nice try, but no cigar."

The Disaster Artist (2017)

When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

A humorous, but sympathetic homage to the making of the allegedly worst movie ever made and its enigmatic creator Tommy Wiseau manages to turn it into a success story, while simultaneously retaining its mystery.

Forever Lulu (2000)

A schizophrenic romantic tracks down her college sweetheart to help her find their son she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago to the dismay of his new wife.

The stars enliven, but can't save this overly sentimental drama.

Halliwell (no star): "Gruesome sentimental hokum, which a glum-seeming Swayze and a frantic Griffith fail to enliven."

Autómata (2014)

An insurance agent of a robotics corporation investigates cases of robots violating their primary protocols against altering themselves, and what he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity.

Intelligent sci-fi tale with a good cast and an intriguing story has some scenic post-apocalyptic settings and holds one's attention to the touching ending, although it does drag on in spots.