Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour. 1943

Starring: Jimmy Lydon


Henry Aldrich becomes the most sought after guy in town when he wins a date with a movie star.

Easy going movie with a genuine charm. Part of a series of about 10 movies and intended for second feature release, this had an innocence and gentle humour that puts a smile on your face.  
                   6/10

The Apple Dumpling Gang. 1974

Starring: Bill Bixby

Three orphan children strike gold in 1878 California

This is how I remember movies when I was young. Hapless villains, a funny sheriff and jaunty banjo music. All great fun with Harry Morgan absolutely stealing the show for me.      7/10

Reaching For The Moon. 1931

Starring: Douglas Fairbanks

On a transatlantic liner, a new cocktail has a sensational effect on a mild-mannered hero.

Considering its age, this is impressive but it has not stood the test of time and is just plain irritating apart from Fairbanks impressive acrobatics.        3/10

The Baroness And The Butler. 1938

Starring: William Powell

The Hungarian prime minister's butler is loved by a princess.

The prime minister's butler runs for parliament for the opposition, gets elected and yet still serves the prime minister. Original plot that allowed some nice, light hearted moments. An enjoyable movie, my only issue is why cast William Powell who looks American, sounds American and indeed, is American as a Hungarian and yet the princess was played with an accent.         7/10

The Seventh Sign. 1988

Starring: Jurgen Prochnow

A pregnant mother fears that the birth of her baby will signal the end of the World.

Nice to see Demi Moore, it's not that this is a bad movie, it's very well made and acted, it's just not a very pleasant subject matter. If you watched this with the lights off, late at night on a cold January evening, it could be terrifying.          6/10

Prudence And The Pill. 1968

Starring: David Niven

A girl borrows her mother's contraceptive pills and replaces them with aspirin, causing no end of complications.

Niven again. A fluffy sex comedy in the loosest sense of the word, an element of Upstairs Downstairs but interesting to see how much life and views have changed in fifty years. Jaunty little soundtrack that was a shade underused for me. Really rather likeable movie.       7/10

Q - The Winged Serpent. 1982

Starring:  Michael Moriarty

An ex-con on the run finds a monstrous Aztec god, a flying serpent, nesting in the spire of the Chrysler Building.

A decent enough horror movie forgetting the nonsense mythical aspect. Reasonable special effects for its time, that's still no excuse for the awful acting throughout. Been on my bucket list for a long time and nice to get it ticked off.   5/10

Never Look Back. 1952

Starring: Rosamund John

A lady barrister finds she must defend an old boy friend on a murder charge.

I do like a courtroom drama and this has its place. Interesting to see a lady barrister, such a shame that the plot focussed on her being involved in a potential sex scandal rather than on her abilities.
                                                                                                                                   6/10

The Dark Mirror. 1946

Starring: Olivia De Havilland

A police detective works out which of identical twin girls is a murderer.

Standard 'Which twin did it' thriller. Nice role for Olivia de Havilland who was very good. Few surprises other than that but a decent thriller.      6/10

Black Beauty 1971

Starring: Mark Lester

A luckless horse passes from hand to hand but is finally restored to its original young master and has a happy retirement.

A lot grittier than I expected and now how I remember the story at all. Very 1970's with lots of horse whipping and unpleasant violence along with keystone cop type humour.     6/10

The Man Who Finally Died. 1962

Starring: Stanley Baker

A German-born Englishman returns to Bavaria for news of his father, and becomes involved in a spy plot.

Slightly muddled thriller which is held together by the always reliable Baker. The main issue for me, is the clunky soundtrack which sounds like a bunch of year 5 kids were let loose in a music room and told to enjoy themselves.     5/10

Kid Blue. 1973

Starring: Dennis Hopper

In 1902 Texas a young outlaw tries to go straight.

Can't make up its mind as to whether it's a comedy, romance or Western drama. It's certainly odd and best remembered for the flying machine scene. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but watched it mostly with a puzzled expression on my face.       6/10

Waist Deep. 2006

Starring: Tyrese Gibson

An ex-convict (Tyrese) gets tangled up with a gang after his car is hijacked with his son inside.

A plot that has been seen a hundred times before. Still a decent thriller with some great scenes and two engaging leads. Let down for me by excessive cussing and swearing which brings absolutely nothing to the table.      6/10

Dodsworth. 1936

Starring: Walter Huston

An American businessman takes his wife on a tour of Europe, and their lives are changed.

Great modernised re-print, lots of interesting location, unfortunately the constant arguing and bickering made it all rather tiresome.           3/10

Never cry Wolf. 1983

Starring: Charles Martin Smith

A scientist is dumped alone in the Arctic to collect evidence against wolves.

An odd movie in many ways and yet it hypnotises you in. Having spent a week north of the Arctic Circle last year, I'm not sure as this was nearly bleak enough. The wolves and the scenery are the true stars.      6/10

The Wizard 1989

Starring: Fred Savage

A young boy runs away with his almost-mute even younger brother in order to compete in a video game championship.

Found this on Netflix, a decent road movie with Fred Savage strong and interesting to see a young Christian Slater. Didn't buy in to the bounty hunter portrayal at all. Keep watching to the end and there is a quite moving scene that neatly makes sense of everything that's been going on.      8/10

Four Men And A Prayer. 1938

Starring: Loretta Young

Four young Englishmen set out to clear the name of their dishonoured father.

Starts strongly, then gets little convoluted and confused. Strong, harrowing firing range scene and a moralistic message about gun running. David Niven for the second Sunday in a row.      5/10

Guns Of Darkness. 1962

Starring: David Niven

A British plantation boss in Latin America escapes with his wife when rebels strike.

Decent drama with an excellent scene in a swamp halfway through the movie. Niven is very well cast and gives a great energy, James Robertson Justice didn't bark as much as usual but was still James Robertson Justice. Well worth a watch.       8/10

The Ipcress File. 1965

Starring: Michael Caine

An intelligence man traces a missing scientist and finds that one of his own superiors is a spy.

Finally got around to watching this. Some weird stuff in it but not a bad spy thriller. Caine is quite good but bettered by Gordon Jackson in a performance that surely influenced the role he later took on in The Professionals.                      7/10

Horrors Of The Black Museum. 1959

Starring: Michael Gough

A crime writer is fascinated by murder, and works out his own plots by practice beforehand.

A Hammer Horror type production which is about as scary as a walk to the local shops. Unintentionally funny with crude early style computers. Enjoyable purely because it is such nonsense.                 6/10

A Yank On The Burma Road. 1941

Starring: Barry Nelson

A tough truck driver in the Far East abandons profilings for heroism when he hears of Pearl Harbor.

A propaganda ra-ra movie, a little lost in time mow. An amusing start and action packed finish, bit in the middle wasn't great.       4/10

John And Mary. 1969

Starring: Dustin Hoffman

Two New Yorkers have a one night affair and cannot decide whether to continue.

Ah, the swinging sixties. Watchable at times and particularly early on, the movie never seemed to move on and there's only so long you can watch into peoples minds and listen to their conversations. Well cast leads.                5/10

Cry Vengeance. 1954

Starring:  Mark Stevens

An innocent man is released from jail and seeks vengeance against the man who framed him and killed his wife and child.

Standard drama with lots of pent up anger. A little slow paced and single level, it did build to a nice finish. There was an excellent bleach haired villain and the scenes with the little girl were delightfully done.         5/10

Brannigan. 1975

Starring: John Wayne

A Chicago policeman is sent to London to pick up a gangster.

This is an entertaining enough thriller. All the same old tired London cliches are dragged out including a car flying over an opening Tower Bridge, It's just that John Wayne is always exactly the same and never develops any characterisation. Even the usually reliable Richard Attenborough is caught hamming it up at times.     6/10

The List Of Adrian Messenger 1963

Starring: Kirk Douglas

An intelligence officer traps a mass murderer with a penchant for disguise.

Every now and then the movie industry loses a legend, I changed my plans and watched this as a tribute to Kirk Douglas. A decent little mystery this. The cast list at the beginning confused me but stick with this until the end. The most unexpected and excellent conclusion that I can ever remember. Great stuff.   7/10

Street Corner. 1953

Starring: Rosamund John

Days in the lives of the women police of Chelsea.

Enjoyable enough, but the whole thing was a little fragmented with not much continuity. Maybe a major plot line would have helped. The gimmick of having female police officers is kind of lost in this day and age.       6/10

Rosie. 1967

Starring: Rosalind Russell

A rich woman spends wildly and her daughters try to have her committed to safeguard their inheritance.

Rosalind Russell is terrific, a brilliantly created character, Sandra Dee as always is just lovely and a great contrast. Maybe the movie is little too over-dramatic, but well worth watching for the performances alone.                          6/10

Capetown Affair. 1967

Staring: Jamel Brolin

A pickpocket on a South African bus steals a purse containing secret microfilm.

The 70's came early with the fashions in this one. A very washed out print that I saw, acting was poor, script was not overly interesting, I hoped for some great shots of Capetown but was let down there too. Not great.       4/10

You're Never Too Young. 1955

Starring: Dean Martin

An apprentice barber on the run from a murderer poses as a 12 year-old child to travel half fare.

The plot is almost irrelevant. Martin is best when he's singing, Jerry Lewis, who has always overdone the silliness for me, is best in his dance scenes and one very funny scene when he's conducting a choir. Some good stunts and enjoyable fun.    6/10

Holy Matrimony. 1943

Starring: Monty Wooley

A famous painter comes back from exile for a knighthood; but when his valet dies of pneumonia, has him buried as himself in Westminster Abbey.

Really rather enjoyable. Monty Woolley is utterly believable and works really well with Gracie Fields. Would never happen now in these days of post mortars and DNA, but fun to watch.     7/10

One Wild Oat 1951

Starring: Robertson Hare

An old flame tries to blackmail a highly respectable solicitor.

Two guys trying to get the better of each other. It was only when a little underscore came in at one point tha I realised I'd been sitting, listening to two guys bickering for about 5 minutes. One amusing scene when one of the guys 'dames up', other than that, very dated.       4/10   

Saloon Bar 1940

Starring: Gordon Harker

A murder is solved during an evening in a pub.

Interesting idea, but when you're not shown the offence or the person accused, it's very difficult to become engaged. Must have been very cheap to make and was light-hearted in places, just didn't quite work for me.         4/10

Orchestra Wives 1942

Starring: Ann Rutherford

A small town girl marries the trumpet player of a traveling swing band.

If they re-made this now, it would be called Orchestra WAGS. Lasted a little too long but very easy viewing and the swing music that went on throughout either as played pieces or underscore, were terrific.                   6/10

Fort Algiers 1952

Starring: Yvonne de Carlo

A female French agent loves a fellow spy who turns up as a foreign Legionnaire, working against an evil Emir.

A little tedious until the final showdown. American pronunciation of words such as harem and Sheikh were lazy, ignorant and a little disrespectful. Very average movie.         3/10

Ride The Man Down 1952

Starring: Brian Donlevy

The death of a rancher sets off a bitter fight for his lands.

A bit of a political Western with lots of dialogue about land ownership and herd branding. Plot needed to be tighter but there was a fair amount of furious horse riding and shooting to keep the traditionalists happy. Strong female lead. Not bad.        5/10

The Night My Number Came Up 1954

Starring: Michael Redgrave

A man dreams that his plane will crash, and the dream begins to come true.

The story was almost strong enough to stand without the dream element. Excellent special effects for the time and good tension. Enjoyed this.         8/10

Hope Springs 2012

Starring: Meryl Streep

After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship. 

What an absolute delight. Meryl Streep is so normal, she could sit in a room and you'd never notice her. Tommy Lee Jones is gruff, uncomfortable and very funny. This movie could resonate with any couple in their middle age.  Strong, strong acting and both amusing and thought-provoking.   9/10

Ambush 1949

Starring: Robert Taylor

An army scout leads a posse to capture an Indian chief who is holding a white womanhostage.

 
Print seems a little dark now, too much emphasis on the romance and not enough action. Inevitable final shoot-out was good enough if a shade predictable.    4/10

Elopement 1951

Starring: Clifton Webb

A girl student eloping with her professor is chased by her father.

They don't make them like this any more. So refreshing to see this sort of movie without sordid sex, swearing etc. Just a nice old fashioned comedy that puts a smile on your face.    7/10

Winter Of Our Dreams 1981

Starring: Judy Davis

A bookseller investigates the suicide of an old girl friend, and becomes involved with an unhappy prostitute.

Very low key. The old 'Tart with a heart' theme. Quite nicely done if lacking any real pace changes, Judy Davis and Bryan Brown are both very watchable.      6/10

City On Fire 1979

Starring: Barry Newman

A slum fire threatens an entire city.

This era was golden for disaster movies. Some good special effects and stunts at times, sadly the script didn't really live up to it. Henry Fonda who cruised through this a little was different class.    6/10

Dear Murderer 1947

Starring: Eric Portman

Plot and counterplot among an adulterous triangle.

More like an episode of Dixon Of Dock Green than a movie. Reasonable enough although the melodramatic moments were a little overplayed.      5/10 

A Room With A View 1985

Starring: Maggie Smith

An innocent Edwardian girl travelling in Italy has her eyes opened to real life and romance.

Anybody who was anybody in the World of British acting is in this movie.Considering they were travelling in Italy, I didn't see or hear a single Italian. Lovely to look at, superbly acting, jsut lacks a little something for me.    5/10

The Goose Steps Out 1942

Starring: Will Hay

To steal a secret weapon, an incompetent teacher is sent into Germany in place of his Nazi double.

Will Hay can either be really annoying, as he was at the beginning of this movie, or really funny, as he often was in the classroom scenes. Nice to see Charles Hawtrey who was always my favurite in the Carry On movies. Definitely had some amusing moments.             6/10

Lambada 1990

Starring: J. Eddie Peck

A teacher spends his nights as a lambada dancer so that he can give lessons to a gang of dropouts.

Lots of fast cars and dancing. Nice to see a movie of this genre without constant swearing. A strong moralistic message which is reinforced by the end credits.       5/10

 

The Hired Hand 1971

Starring: Peter Fonda

Two Western drifters avenge the killing of their friend and settle down to work on a farm; but violence follows them.

Very downbeat movie. In this modern age, where so much is talked about mental health, you could read this very subject into this movie. Loneliness, the desire to find yourself. Interesting if low key movie.       6/10

After The Ball 1957

Starring:  Pat Kirkwood

The life and loves of music-hall singer Vesta Tilley, who married into the nobility.

I didn't know of Vesta Tilley, but Pat Kirkwood, doing a fine Julie Andrews impersonation, was very engaging and the songs were foot tapping.       5/10

Keeping Company 1940

Starring: Frank Morgan

A young man announces his engagement but has trouble when his ex-girlfriend returns to town.

Light hearted rom-com, although old-fashioned, still made me smile on several occasions. All wrapped up neatly at the end, this was not bad.        6/10

Crime Doctor 1943

Starring: Warner Baxter

An amnesiac becomes a successful psychiatrist, then discovers that he was once a wanted gangster.

The old amnesiac angle, amazing how often this comes up in movies. To be honest, this didn't bring anything new to the table although it led on to seven sequels.        3/10

Paris Blues 1961

Starring: Paul Newman

Two jazz musicians have romantic problems in Paris.

Set against a moody setting and backing soundtrack, the always reliable Sidney Poitier joins Newman where the subjects of love, race and drugs are lightly tackled amongst others. Only occasionally became uplifting, but always interesting.      6/10

Give me a sailor 1938

Starring: Martha Raye

An ugly girl envies her sister her beaux, but ends up winning a competition for beautiful legs.

Bob Hope has the most brilliant comic timing, a lot of modern comedians could do a lot worse than study his techniques. A dated movie of course, but made me smile on several occasions and had one great dance number.   6/10