The Love bug 1968

Starring: David Tomlinson

An unsuccessful racing driver finds that his small private Volkswagen has a mind of its own.

I'm sure most people saw this as a kid & I was no exception. However, great to see it again. It never made me laugh out loud but it did engage with me & I had a steady smile on my face. Ends up a bit like an episode of Wacky races but good fun with nasty David Tomlinson stealing the show.    7/10

The Sheepman 1958

Starring: Glenn Ford

A tough sheep farmer determines tp settle in a cattle town.

Westerns came at ten a penny & you need an outstanding feature for them to remain memorable. This one had it. Firstly, there were sheep at the centre of attention rather than cattle & secondly, the scxript is marvelous. Well paced & witty, the plot rolls along, Glenn Ford is cast perfectly & Shirley Maclaine is delightful. Some neat character portrayals from supporting actors round it off nicely.    8/10

Car of dreams 1935

Starring:  John Mills

A rich man's son buys a car for one of his father's factory girls.

Charming little dipsy comedy. It's all in the comic timing & John Mills is a delight. Vera is played by a German lady, a decision I didn't quite understand but she was very good. Catchy little occasional songs helped the movie along. A little gem.   9/10

Speak easily 1932

Starring: Buster Keaton

A professor inherits a Bradway musical and falls for the lure of the bright lights.

A Keaton talkie & he plays the part of the professor brilliantly. Completely straight, he is hillarious particularly when undertaking silent style comedy. Jimmy Durante's humour doesn't last 80 years but he exudes a tremendous energy. Surprisingly enjoyable all round. 7/10

The Shootist 1976

Starring: John Wayne

In 1901, a dying ex-gunfighter arrives in a small town to set his affairs in order.

The best performance I've ever seen by John Wayne & a real tribute to his life and career. He underplayed his part magnificently and was superbly aided by Lauren Bacall. Ron Howard looking exactly like Richie from Happy days never quite fitted for me, the brilliant James Stewart did his best to steal the show. A great mixture of old Western and emerging 20th century technology. This was touching with tremendous attention to detail.       8/10

The Bride of Frankenstein 1935

Starring: Boris Karloff

Baron Frankenstein is blackmailed by Dr Praetorious into reviving his monster and building a mate for it.

Considering this was made in 1935, the quality was superb. Excellent effects especially the King, Queen etc in a jar & superb explosion of the castle at the end. The acting was not at all bad and it was a pleasure to watch such a classic.     6/10

Rogue cop 1954

Starring:  Robert Taylor

A police detective is on the payroll of a crime syndicate.

This just didn't work. You never got the feeling that this cop was a bad apple. We were handed 90 minutes of tough talking, New York, gangster chat and little action. Just all a bit tedious.    3/10

Shadows 1959

Starring:  Ben Carruthers

Two blacks and their sister find their identities in Manhattan.

Digitally restored and shown on the Sky Arts channel, I was just lucky to ever see this movie. It had a tenderness and a great Jazz score but other than that was a bit confused and not terribly interesting.  3/10

The Mummy's hand 1940

Starring: Dick Foran

The high priest of an evil sect revivifies an Egyptian mummy and uses it to kill off members of an archaeological expedition.

The problem is that you compare this to modern versions of The mummy & it just doesn't stand up. It took an age to get to the part with the mummy, the magician on the way was annoying & the whole thing was less scarry than an episode of Scooby doo.     2/10

Night tide 1961

Starring: Dennis Hopper

A sailor falls in love with a fairground freak show girl who may be a real mermaid.

Sometimes movies just hook you from the start & this was one of those. Is the girl a real mermaid or is something more sinistor going on. A quiet paced mystery with Hopper exuding a certain, endearing charm. Dated nut interesting to see.    7/10

The Way to the stars 1945

Starring: John Mills

World War 11 as seen by the guests at a small hotel near an airfield.

Not a whole lot of plot but somehow, absolutely charming. Very dated for obvious reasons but the despair & resignation to tragedy is brilliantly portrayed.    7/10

the Pumpkin eater 1964

Starring: Anne Bancroft

A compulsive mother of eight children finds her third marriage rocking when she gets evidence of her husband's affairs.

Dull & dreary. Good soundtrack though.        2/10

Bang the drum slowly 1973

Starring: Michael Moriarty

A baseball star finds that he is dying of leukemia.

Occasionally this hits home but generally is too single paced and talkative. I found my attention waning and found that the tragedy kind of passed me by.     2/10

Marjorie Morningstar 1958

Starring: Natalie Wood

A New York Jewish girl has great ambitions for herself but ends up a suburban housewife.

A light-hearted melodrama that is a delight when Natalie Wood is sneaking across the lake as an 18 year old. The movie loses its way as she becomes older and the tortured minds and egos of the stars become a little tiresome. Classic Hollywood that overstays its welcome.    6/10

On the beat 1962

Starring: Norman Wisdom

A Scotland Yard car park attendant manages to capture some crooks and become a policeman.

There is something endearing about Wisdom and there are a few delightful moments in this movie. Unfortunately , the whole thing drags on for way too long & I wish a little 'less is more' had been considered. Still the scene write at the beginning was great, as was the scene with the young lads playing football & the scenes with his Italian girlfriend.     6/10

Internal affairs 1990

Starring: Richard Gere

A duel to the death develops between an honest and a corrupt cop.

Gritty, tense and violent. This is well acted by Gere & Garcia although I struggled to see when Gere actually did any police work. As well played as this was, every one of the characters was unlikeable to me & for that reason alone it left me with few feelings at its conclusion. Not bad though.    6/10

Algiers 1938

Starring: Charles Boyer

A romantic Casbah thief makes the mistake of falling in love.

Started well enough with good scene setting but descended into a too single paced, talkative style with little atmosphere and I never felt you got a true feel for the Casbah. Lead actor gave a good performance and the random song was bonkers.     3/10

Torpedo run 1958

Starring: Glenn Ford

A US submarine in World war 11 destroys a Japanese aircraft carrier in Tokyo bay.

Typical submarine war drama. Ford & Borgnine were both good & a reasonable attempt was made to show the human side of their characters. I would have liked to have got to know the crew a bit more but a reasonable drama with good action sequences. 6/10

She's gotta have it 1986

Starring: Tracy Camilla Jones

Three men woo the same woman

Strange movie filmed in short scenes, the rest of the time taken up with talking heads. Somehow it was still fascinating mainly due to the superb performances by all the actors. Filmed in Black & White except for one dance scene where the colour leaps off the scree. As entrtainement, it's not up to much but as an artistic piece of work, it's spot on. 6/10

The Final Countdown 1980

Starring: Kirk Douglas

An aircraft carrier on manoeuvres near Hawaii passes through a strange storm and finds itself back at Pearl Harbor.

Forget the daft sci-fi concept & dodgy special effects. Forget the fact that having travelled through time, they arrived at the exact moment that Pearl Harbor was about to become famous, forget the historical impossibility of it all. This was a good, fun yarn with an interesting mix of naval hardware. Having loved aircraft carriers since I was a kid, this was right down my street. 8/10

The Fat man 1950

Starring: J.Scott Smart

The murder of a dentist leads to the circus

Rather dull murder mystery. Occassionally it grabs the interest but is too conversational and the plot is the same as can be found in thousands of similar movies. 3/10

The Hindenburg 1976

Starring: George C Scott

In 1937, sabotage causes the airship Hindenburg to crash on arrival at New York

Intersting to get some flesh on the bones of this disaster however true/untrue this version may be. Slow to start with little building of characters and dialogue delivered in a monotone, uninteresting way. The tension built well however and the disaster at the end was quite well done. 5/10

The Amazing Mr X 1948

Starring: Lynn Bari

A widow seeks comfort from a fraudulent medium.

A sort of ghost story which turns out to be a dodgy medium which turns out.....

Surprisingly engaging with good atmosphere created by thoughtful lighting & a well thought out score. I guess the gadgets were ground-breaking in their day. Quite an interesting little thriller. 7/10

Terms of endearment 1983

Starring: Shirley Maclaine

An eccentric widow fends off suitors while interfering with her daughter's marriage: but all is forgiven when the daughter dies

Brilliant performances by Maclaine & Debra Winger. At over 2 hours, this movie seemed too short due to the period of time it covered. So underplayed in many ways, made the film seem more realistic. Tragic at the end and it's always the children that suffer. Danny De Vito had about a dozen lines and was still billed above Jeff Daniels who played the under-appreciated husband - Explain that! 7/10

A lesson in love 1954

Starring: Gunnar Bjornstrand

A Gynaecologist and his wife grow bored and turn to other partners, but are reconciled.

I remember recently seeing a list of favourite jokes from different countries around the World. It proved that humour doesn't really travel or translate. This wasn't a terrible film & the subtitles helped to retain my concentration. But it was a bit sreamy & shouty and I don't think I even smiled once. 4/10

The Black shield of Falworth

Starring: Tony Curtis

The film in which Tony Curtis says "Yonda lies the castle of my fodda" (or something like it) is an amiable romp which alternates between comic strip dialogue and a surprisingly convincing sense of medieval custom. The training scenes are as sharp as the romantic asides are pallid.

Great stuff. Tony Curtis was perfectly cast as the athletic, strong-willed knight. The script is fun, the locations & costumes are spot on and all the fight scenes have a huge fun factor about them. Boys-own stuff. 8/10

Sunset Boulevard

Starring: Gloria Swanson

A luckless Hollywood scriptwriter goes to live with a wealthy older woman, a slightly dotty and extremely possessive relic of the silent screen

An interesting but slightly over-long movie. Swanson is superb but the best scenes for me were between William Holden & Betty, a lovely chemistry. Cecil B De Mille was spot on with his cameo. My main problem is that a lot of the film has Holden narrating. I hate that & have never really seen it work. When it was just played as a straight film, it wasn't at all bad. 5/10

One frightened night 1935

Starring: Charles Grapewin

Relatives assemble in a spooky house in the hope of inheriting an old man's wealth

So grainy and dated now that it wasn't easy to watch. This was about as frightening as a soggy tissue and as suspenseful as an episode of 'Murder she wrote'. The occasional moment was okay & they did try to include a little humour. 3/10

I don't want to be born 1975

Starring: Joan Collins

An ex-stripper gives birth to a monstrous baby which goes on a murderous rampage.

Deeply unpleasant horror movie with constant baby screaming, unpleasant scenes and an exorcism. Quite what Joan Collins, Ralph Bates & Donald Pleasence were thinking about is beyond me. Collins at lease gave a solid performance, it was 5 minutes into the film before I realised that Bates was trying to do an Italian accent - Why not hire an Italian actor!! Nostalgic views of 1970's London was the only interest. 3/10

Carnival of souls 1962

Starring: Candace Hilligoss

After an accident, a lady ghost emerges to become the new church organist.

Dated little chiller movie which is a must for anyone who likes creepy organ music. Plenty of screaming & running in high heels. The Zombie sequence near the end was particularly amusing. Not particularly original and no surprise at the ending, I've seen worse though. 4/10

A handful of dust 1988

Starring: James Wilby

An aristocratic wife, frustrated by the old-fashioned habits of her stately home-owning husband, begins an affair with a young man-about town.

More stiff upper lips than I care to mention. A lovely pace to a beautifully crafted and acted piece. Autumn colours, delightful location settings and costumes, this eases class. The story of infidelity , tragedy of a dying son and being held prisoner in Brazil almost come across as matter-of-fact as the whole thing is just so delightful. 8/10

All that Heaven allows 1955

Starring: Jane Wyman

A sad widow falls in love with the gardener at her winter home, and marries him despite local prejudice.

This starts off as a gentle, romantic tale and heads off into fall blown melodrama with the pianist having to work overtime with thumping chords. Jane Wyman is a delight and the chemistry between her & Rock Hudson enables this to work Wyman's geeky daughter and pompus son are played just right and the meddling friends and nighbours are also well placed. A simple story but I found it to be quite delightful. 7/10

The Black knight 1954

Starring: Alan Ladd

A humble swordmaker reveals a traitor to King Arthur

A swashbuckling tale with a disgraced swordmaker turning court and unearthing a plot & traitor n King Arthur's court. Technicolour is used to its full potential with burning flames around every corner. The acting is pretty awful and the plot so historically flawed that you wouldn't recognise it. But the action is good and the Knight got his girl. What more could you want? 6/10

The Last wagon 1956

Starring: Richard Widmark

A half breed wanted for murder joins an 1875 wagon train.

Formula Western. you felt like you'd seen it all before but it was still well made and quite well acted. Not memorable but perfectly watchable. 6/10

Cheers for Miss Bishop 1941

Starring: Martha Scott

The life of a schoolmistress in a small midwestern town.

Some movies are way too long, at only 90 minutes this seemed too short as it covered a 50 year period in the life of Miss Bishop. Martha Scott in the central role was aged well and played the part delightfully. Sweeping music and speeches said with such intensity attempted to give a hard impct but somehow often missed the mark. 5/10

The Wrong man 1957

Starring: Henry Fonda

A New York musician is mistaken by police for an armed bandit, and both witnesses and circumstances prevent the truth from emerging.

How one man's selfishness and lawlessness can destroy an innocent person's life and family. Hitchcock has the whole movie proceeding at a slow pace and yet manages to keep you engrossed throughout. One small quibble is I didn't think his introduction before the movie was necessary. Fonda and Vera Miles are both terrific conveying such emotion and yet constantly retaining their humility. Brilliant! 9/10

Hell's house 1932

Starring: Bette Davis

A boy is wrongly sentenced to a corrupt reform school.

A blessed relief for all of us that Jimmy's mother died at the beginning of the movie, terrible performance! Bette Davis is top billed but is hardly in it. Jimmy has a naive, charisma to him and is engaging due to his honesty and kind heart. The reform school is supposed to be corrupt but comes across as way, way to soft and didn't actually look that bad a place to stay in.

Dated but enjoyable none the less. 8/10

El Cid 1961

Starring: Charlton Heston

A legendary 11th-century hero drives the Moors from Spain.

An epic in every way. Charlton Heston gets in right in this hugely demanding role. The pace is pedestrian to say the least but sometimes you have to just sit back and admire the scale and vision of someone who puts such a movie together. 5/10

The Stranger 1946

Starring: Edward G Robinson

An escaped Nazi criminal marries an American woman and settles in a Conneticut village.

Atmospheric thriller with high emphasis put on moody lighting, shadowing and a melodramatic score. To my mind, you discovered exactly what was going on & who the criminal was way too early and after that, you were waiting for the inevitable comeuppance. The conclusion was well done though with a highly original climaz up a clock tower. Edward G Robinson got some good gigs as an actor which is surprising as his speech and movement all go at a single pace. Quite an original thriller. 7/10

Corvette Summer 1979

Starring: Mark Hamill

A Los Angeles student spends the summer looking for his stolen customised car, and has various adventures around Las Vegas.

You can tell a 70's movie the moment it starts with the dodgy fonts and tinny music. This is a road movie about a young guy looking for a car that he restored. The plot is simple but Hamill & Annie Potts have an easy going charm. The comedy mostly falls flat but there is a watchable, sentiment about the movie that keeps your attention. A nice car chase to round it all off. 7/10

The Desert song 1953

Starring: Gordon Macrae

Well staged straight version of the musical, with full score.

Harmless enough but couldn't really decide whether it was a drama, comedy or musical. Lavish production though and wow, does Gordon Macrae sing fabulously! Easy going but forgetable. 4/10

Love affair 1939

Starring: Charles Boyer

On a transatlantic crossing, a European man of the World meets a New York girl, but their romance is flawed by a misunderstanding and physical accident.

Dated and tedious. A found the characters to be objectionable in their first few scenes and because of that I just never warmed to them. no rise and fall whatsoever, it was all too monotone and vaguely soporific. Got slightly more interesting following Irene Dunne's accident but generally for me, never got out of first gear. 2/10