Lloyds of London 1936

Starring: Tyrone Power

A young messenger boy in the 18th century grows up to found a great insurance company.

Interesting epic of a film, fun to see a young Horatio Nelson floundering in the water early on. The story really came together late on, I would have like to have seen the movie maybe equally featuring the stories of Blake and Nelson. Well acted though and interesting from a historical point of view.    6/10

The Pagemaster 1994

Starring: Macaulay Culkin

A cowardly boy, who buries himself in accident statistics, enters a library to escape a storm, only to be transformed into an animated illustration by the Pagemaster. He has to work through obstacles from classic books to return to real-life. 

I'm not the greaest fan of live/animation movies, Bedknobs & Broomsticks excepted. I enjoyed the live action stuff at the beginning and end, the animation scenes, although well done, weren't really for me.      5/10

Oliver Twist 1948

Starring: Alec Guinness

A foundling falls among thieves but is rescued by a benevolent old gentleman.

A classic that I've seen so many clips from and yet had never seen in its entirety. A brilliant lesson in characterisation throughout. So dark and must have been a horrendous time to live in. Dickens movies can be so clunky at times, but this is an absolute masterpiece.    8/10

In the Meantime Darling 1944

Starring: Jeanne Crain

A wealthy bride lives in an overcrowded boarding house to be near her husband's army camp.

Very confused movie with everyone talking over each other. Went at 100mph and never gave anyone enough time to enjoy any humour put in. I got bored with it very early and it never managed to get me back.  2/10

The Man Who Could Cheat Death 1959

Starring: Anton Diffring

A surgeon looks 35 but is really 104, having had a series of gland operations performed on himself.

Hammer horror movie that I found on Netflix. Was Christopher Lee in every horror film ever made? Ludicrous plot and over the top acting. The thing about these Hammer horror movies is that they really aren't even in the remotest bit scary. Special effects right at the end were hilarious and I enjoyed the movie through a nostalgic grin.     5/10

The Revengers 1972

Starring: William Holden

A rancher gathers a posse to hunt down the Indians who have allegedly murdered his wife and family.

A bit like the Magnificent Seven. William Holden was a strong, believable lead and the movie was heightened by stunning scenery and the always enjoyable to watch Ernest Borgnine. I found the ending a little unsatisfactory but on the whole, an enjoyable watch.           7/10

Call Of The Wild 1972

Starring: Charlton Heston

During the Klondike gold rush, a stolen dog becomes a miner's best friend before joining the wolf-pack.

Now, I like a dog film as much as the next man, in fact I preferred Rebel to Champion The Wonder Horse, but this was not good. Yet another disappointing Charlton Heston performance. I found this on Youtube nd the colour of the movie seemed very washed out. The constant dog yapping was an annoyance and there were wooden performances wherever you looked. A few bright moments however saved it from being a complete right-off.             4/10 

Journey into Fear 1942

Starring: Joseph Cotton

A munitions expert finds himself in danger from assassins in Istanbul, and has to be smuggled home.

Typical spy, melodrama. Not bad and had a good climax with a cheesy exit line. My main issue was with a few of the supporting characters. They were so caricature that they came across as completely unbelievable. Always interesting though to see these old Hollywood classics.   5/10

The Disappearance 1977

Starring: Donald Sutherland

An international hit man finds that his wife has disappeared.

Donald Sutherland's movies are often quite odd. Any excellent movie needs light and shade. This started dour and remained so throughout. It wasn't that it wasn't occasionally interesting, it was just all very much on a level and just a little strange.     5/10

Dreamscape 1984

Starring: Dennis Quaid

Experiments prove that it is possible for a dreamer to enter the dreams of others, and a subjext finds himself being used for a plot against the president of the US.

Quite a nice idea for a plot and early on, I thought it was working. Then it got a bit confused for me, some of the fantasies just seemed a little pointless and the apocalyptic style ending was unlike the rest of the movie and just seemed totally out of place. Ended up missing the mark for me.     4/10 

The Black Parachute 1944

Starring: Larry Parks

An American Soldier parachutes into a mythical European kingdom to free its king from the Nazis.

Standard war, spy thriller. Not badly done. Plenty of pace and action. Nothing overly memorable and clearly propganda inspired, not bad though.    5/10
 

Excuse my dust 1951

Starring: Red Skelton

The inventor of a horseless carriage loves the daughter of a livery stable owner.

 This was really rather jaunty. Made me laugh out loud more than once and was a mixture of musical and quirky comedy. The race at the end was amusing, when you think back to when vehicles were first being invented, how far we have come!       6/10

Every day's a holiday 1937

Starring: Mae West

A confidence girl in the old Bowery sells Brooklyn Bridge to suckers.

Considering she is such a 20th century sex icon, I was amazed at how few movies Mae West made. She totally carried this and gave an enthusiastic, energetic performance. You know the comedy is going to miss the mark when the soda water in the face gag is dragged out. Had it's moments but all about Mae West.      4/10

Cairo Road 11950

Starring: Eric Portman

An Egyptian police chief lays traps for drug smugglers.

Not a bad movie but I felt like it was trying to achieve too much. The plot became a little muddled, although there were lots of good action scenes, they seemed to zip along and you were on to the next scene before you knew it. I'm a fan of Eric Portman, but he was a little pedestrian in this.      5/10

The Unguarded Moment 1956

Starring: Esther Williams

A schoolmistress who receives annonymous love notes from a psychotic pupil is discredited by his even more unbalanced father.

At times, quite a tense little thriller. All 'Who's behind the flashlight' type moments. Plenty of suspects to consider and the whole thing moved along at a reasonable pace.    7/10

The Hostage 1956

Starring: Ron Randell

A South American President condemns a revolutionary to death; In London, sympathizers kidnap the president's daughter.

A fairly original plot. Although some of the villains are a little unbelievable with their posh accents and some of the stints are a little crude, this was a reasonably put together little drama.   6/10

Istanbul 1956

Starring: Errol Flynn

Various adventurers and an amnesiac girl seek stolen diamonds in Istanbul.

The plot is a little forced and besides Errol, the acting isn't up to much. But forget all that, this is worth seeing just for the moment where Nat King Cole sings 'When I fall in love' to Errol Flynn and his partner in a bar. Iconic movie moment!       6/10

Haywire 2011

Starring: Gina Carano

A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission. 

A comic book type lead character. A ridiculously strong cast, this looks great but has no meat on the bones. Terrible script, dull storyline and only a few well choreographed fights to save it from being a complete dud.    3/10

The Crowded Day 1954

Starring: Joan Rice

Problems of five assistants in a department store during the Christmas rush.

The problem with making a movie like this is that you have to introduce all the characters, keep all the stories interesting and reach a satisfactory conclusion for each one, all i 80 minutes. By and large, they did a good effort. There was humour, romance and a little drama. The story with Richard attis and the mannequin dummy was very amusing. Not bad at all.     7/10

Empire State 1987

Starring: Cathryn Harrison

An American gangster tries to infiltrate London's East End.

At times, crude and uncultured with a variety of storylines intertwining, some of which you wished had been developed further. Views of 1980's East End London were fascinating and the soundtrack was terrific.    6/10

The Mountain 1956

Starring: Spencer Tracy

After an airplane crash the wreck is difficult to reach. A young man sets off alone to loot it, and his elder brother follows to stop him.

Some stunning shots and scenery. Spencer Tracy acts the socks off Robert Wagner, I never bought them as bothers. It struggled a little to keep the pace going during the climb and I'm not sure that political correctness was ever considered once they reached the plane. An enjoyable watch though.   7/10

Boys In Brown 1949

Starring: Jack Warner

Life in a borstal institution.

Life in Borstal where it's all about second chances. Great cast with Richard Attenborough & Dirk Bogarde. The World has changed so much that the impact is no longer there, great to see all these fine actors in their prime.  6/10

Breezy 1973

Starring: William Holden

A divorced 50 year old real estate agent is rejuvenated by an affair with a young girl hippy.

Had a typical late '60's early 70's look. A simple story, Kay Lenz as Breezy was so damn innocent and plain thinking that I found her utterly charming. Holden as the confused, guilt-torn older man, the perfect foil. Clint Eastwood directed this beautifully. An absolute delight!  9/10

The Revenge Of Frankenstein 1958

Starring: Peter Cushing

Baron Frankenstein evades the guillotine and makes a new creature with the brain of a homicidal dwarf.

These are never going to tax the brain too much. Nice sense of period with the costumes and played totally straight as it needs to be. Not a masterpiece but amusing in its own way.     5/10

Too late the hero 1969

Starring: Michael Caine

In World War 11, the Japanese hold one end of a small Pacific island, British and Americans the other.

Good start to this movie, it then became over-long and was one big shoot out with shouting inbetween. I think they tried to build the tension but although this was okay, it fell a little short of the mark. Michael Caine was once again a major disappointment for me.    5/10

The Big Red One 1980

Starring: Lee Marvin

Five foot-soldiers survive action in several theatres of war between 1940 and 1945.

An awful lot of shooting and explosions, not too much plot other than soldiers being posted to different countries. Some nice shots and a few harrowing moments, the rest of it was not easy to engage with.   4/10

Ten Wanted Men 1955

Starring: Randolph Scott

A rancher and his family are besieged by bandit's in a lady's house.

Routine family feud Western, Randolph Scott never brings anything new to the table for me. Not bad, but nothing memorable or original.    5/10

Razorback 1984

Starring: Gregory Harrison

In a small outback town, a man is tried for the murder of his grandson, actually carried off by a wild boar.

This is a classily made film, some stunning shots throughout and done in such a way that you have no idea who will survive. A lot of very unlikeable characters but in my view, a cut above most giant animal on the rampage movies.    7/10

Mutiny of the Elsinore 1937

Starring: Paul Lukas

A reporter on a sailing ship for a story finds himself in the middle of a mutiny.

Over the top poor acting, a purser with the weirdest accent I've heard in a long time anD  weak plot. This had plenty of flaws and yet strangely, I rather enjoyed it.       6/10

Colonel Effingham's Raid 1946

Starring: Charles Coburn

A retired Southern colonel tries to straighten out a corrupt Georgia town.

This just never grabbed my interest. Nothing more really to say.    2/10

Crosroads 1986

Starring: Ralph Macchio

Urged by a young musician, an old blues singer travels the south in search of his legendary companion's lost music.

Road movie. Great look and great lighting. I worried a little that Ralph Macchio would be cheesy but he held his own, Joe Seneca stole the show though. Great music throughout and the guitar battle at the end is a scene well worth seeing.     6/10

Ride Out For Revenge 1957

Starring: Rory Calhoun

Gold is discovered on land to which the army is moving Indians, and this causes second thoughts.

Standard Western with white man in love with Indian girl, unusual to see a young boy shot in cold blood early in the movie that gave this a bit of an edge. Not too bad.   6/10

Pitfall 1948

Starring: Dick Powell

An insurance investigator proves easy prey for a grasping woman.

I really rather enjoyed this. A love triangle story, well, love square kind of it was well scripted with the conflicts between family life and  an affair through work neatly handled. A bit on one level with its pace, but otherwise a sharp little movie.         7/10

Made Men 1999

Starring: James Belushi

While working for the mob, Bill "The Mouth" Mannuci, stole $12 million dollars from them and turned over information to the FBI about the man he stole the money from, the mysterious "Skipper"

If you like people shouting at each other for 90 mins, swearing and shooting guns then this is the movie for you. I was bored within 90 seconds and it never improved. Most tedious movie I've seen for a very, very long time.         1/10

Marine Raiders 1944

Starring: Pat O'Brien

The marines do battle in Guadalcanal.

Ra-Ra war movie some documentary shots within. Had its purpose at the time, now it was very difficult to get excited about. Full of cliches and an unnecessary love interest. I fear this will be instantly forgettable.      3/10

Slipstream 1989

Starring: Mark Hamill

In a post-holocaust future, an android learns human feelings while being hunted by a policeman and woman.

I quite enjoyed the performances by Mark Hamill and Bill Paxton, but the movie as a whole was very poor. Badly scripted with some of the more ridiculous lines you are ever likely to hear and some very poor acting. Hell of a cast put together, somebody forgot about the plot and script.        4/10

Caribbean 1952

Starring: Jon Payne

An 18th-century pirate captures the nephew of his old enemy.

Flawed but enjoyable pirate romp, the movie is saved not by its star but by both guys who play the two captains. Colourful and with not only swash but also buckle. Can't beat a good pirate movie.   7/10

More dead than alive 1968

Starring:  Clint Walker

Revenge erupts some years after a violent jail break.

Hold the front page! Vincent Price in something other than a horror movie and was actually really good. Excellent story line of an ex-killer trying to go straight. Several twists at the end that completely took me by surprise. Excellent Western.       9/10

Blonde crazy 1931

Starring: James Cagney

A bellhop and a chambermaid set out to fleece all-comers.

All about Cagney, he has to go down as one of my least favourite actors. In every scene, he seems to hit someone, threaten someone or just in some way be decidely unpleasant. I don't think I've ever seen a movie where I've warmed to him and this is no exception. Some nice scenes, but I don't think he was in any of them.      3/10

No Minor Vices 1948

Starring:  Dana Andrews

A doctor brings home an artist friend who proceeds to wreck his household.

I was okay with the first five or ten minutes, after that I was bored rigid. Two characters who were unlikable just constantly trying to outdo the other one. I found it tedious in the extreme I'm afraid.  2/10

Enigma 1982

Starring: Martin Sheen

An East German refugee is recruited by the CIA to return to East Berlin.

Not a bad spy movie with plenty of action. My issue, is I just never bought Martin Sheen as an East German Refugee. When both sides speak with broad American accents, it just takes away a bit of the authenticity. 6/10

Song of surrender 1949

Starring: Wanda Hendrix

In turn-of-the-century New England, a sophisticated visitor from New York falls for the wife of a museum curator.

Love triangle melodrama, very bible-bashing old school. It did keep my interest but could have been so much better. The performances were stilted and all played on one level and why was so much of this movie shot in shadow? Seemed much older than 1949.    4/10

Letter from an unknown woman 1948

Starring: Joan Fontaine

A woman wastes her life in unrequited love for a rakish pianist.

Oh, the drama! Don't watch this if you want to cheer yourself up. Not the first time I've seen a movie where a young woman falls in love with a mystery musician. Joan Fontaine was 31 when she played this role and yet carries off the shy teenager with ease. An amazing transformation both in looks and movement to her adult self. I found the whole pice is a little dark on the lighting front, but thoroughly enjoyed a few of the scenes, particularly in the static train carriage with different countries going by.
The pianist needed a bit more personality for me and almost seemed to be too besotted by Fontaine's character for the plotline to be believable.
Enjoyable though and a definite classic.                        6/10
 

Reach For Glory 1952

Starring: Kay Walsh

During World War 11, evacuee boys play war games and a German refugee is accidentally killed.

anyone who thinks that adult action and media do not affect children, should watch this. Really quite disturbing with elements of Lord Of The Flies. Bullying, abuse, hatred, you could understand why boys would want to join the army to escape it. Hints of homosexuality which were slightly glossed over. Very interesting movie and a bit of an eye opener.        7/10

The Lady Says No 1951

Starring: Joan Caulfield

A magazine photographer tames a female chauvinist author.

This started off as quite a nice little movie. However, the author seemed to run out of ideas and it descended into silliness with one particularly bizarre dream, fantasy scene. David Niven, not my favourite actor, played this nicely, Joan Caulfield went for the screwball comedy but was no Doris Day, James Robertson Justice for once didn't shout but did massacre an Irish accent.      4/10

Our Daily Bread 1934

Starring: Karen Morley

A young couple in the depression inherit a broken-down farm and make it work.

Certainly different as a movie and that made it enjoyable. I never really bought the whole "We're in poverty thing", everyone looked to healthy. But the teamwork was admirible and the last five minutes left a smile on my face.       5/10

Davy 1957

Starring: Harry Secombe

A member of a family music hall act auditions at Covent Garden.

Families, you can't live with them, you can't live without them. Despite Secombe's family being profoundly annoying, this was a movie that grew on me enormously. Secombe has such charm and was hugely impressive when singing his audition piece. The young lad bought an innocence to the whole thing and there is a moralistic message that brought a lump to the throat.      7/10

Ladies Man 1947

Starring: Eddie Bracken

A poor farmer strikes oil, becomes a millionaire, and finds himself a prize for the ladies.

Bracken had a very easy charm about him and was very watchable. A really likeable movie to start with, it got a bit bogged down with chaos and shouting with a couple of music numbers ending in mild hysterics that were particularly annoying. Had some nice moments though.      5/10