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