An ageing grape grower spots an attractive waitress, sends her a marriage proposal by mail, but encloses a photo of his handsome foreman.
Considering this is nearly 100 years old, I rather enjoyed it. Edward G Robinson's accent drops occasionally, the dialogue is a little too frenetic at times, but it made me smile and was kind of cute. 6/10
The story of a strike at a small-town plastics factory.
I hate unions with a passion with all their small-minded destruction. This is however, a strong movie dealing not only with that side of things, but also the economics and torture in trying to keep a business going. Thought-provoking stuff. 7/10
In 1805 the United States sends marines to rout the Barbary pirates.
Good at the beginning, then takes a long time to get to the conclusion. Action at the end was good and the local lead mercernary added a nice touch of humour. 5/10
Quarrelling stage marrieds consult psychiatrists, who end up more confused than the patients.
Seems older than it actually is, very talkative but I actually found it quite enjoyable due to the excellent comedy delivery of lines by both leads. 6/10
In the thirteenth century a young Italian crusader devotes himself to avenging the murder of his father.
Can't beat bit of swash and buckle. A B-length movie, best during the action sequences. 5/10
A con man fleeces a war widow into paying for a memorial to her husband, but falls in love with her.
A reasonable drama, needed a little more light and shade by the lead con-man but had a reasonable plot. 5/10
A Broadway musical star falls for her suburban neighbour.
A movie that took off once The neighbour appeared, I loved the song "I'd rather have a pal than a gal". Slightly odd with occasional animation and fantasy. I found this and hit and miss movie, if that makes sense? 4/10
A reporter is framed for killing an informer.
Short, B-style movie. Very talkative until the end. Nice to see a couple of well known British actors making an appearance. Not bad. 6/10
A psychotic arsonist enlists the aid of a teenager but soon discovers she is kinkier than he and has murder in mind.
Brilliant performances by both Perkins and Tuesday Weld. The movie laboured a little for me and never really took off, the ending made up for this though and slightly blew me away. 5/10
A retired gunfighter is suspected of the murder of his best friend.
Very disappointing Western, never got going for me with a very unoriginal plot. 4/10
A pilot must safely land a 747 on which deadly nerve gas has been planted.
Despite this having a fairly average script, a bunch of absurdly good-looking people and a bunch of cliches, I really enjoyed this. Tense, the odd twist and I found myself gripping the arm of the chair. 9/10
Three people drive an ailing truck to a remote African township where they hope to start a haulage business.
Wonderful movie, with the journey turning up a variety of problems, obstacles and mechanical failures. Hugely enjoyable, I have no idea who sourced the locations for this, they deserve an award! 8/10
Two self-admitted eccentrics take it upon themselves to release turtles from captivity in the London Zoo.
Why an odd movie. I also find both Jackson & Ben Kingsley detached as performers and I just never warm to them. Wanted to love this but it really did nothing for me. 5/10
An unclaimed parcel containing a shrunken head is found after a plane crash; murder follows.
All shrunken heads, blows-pipes and big cats. A short movie, a bit pedestrian for most of the movie, but the ending was fun. 5/10
Two officers sent on a document raid in Libya during World War 11 become poor soldiers because one suspects the other of an affair with his wife.
I often wonder what all the fuss was about with Richard Burton, he was so wooden in this, as was the whole movie. Reminded me at stages of Ice Cold In Alex. 4/10
A doctor marries wealthy women and then murders them.
I think that Rathbone was an exceptional actor and was brilliant as Sherlock Holmes, this was just too routine and never took off for me. 3/10
A hoodlum on the run from the police virtually picks up a girl and hides in her family's apartment.
The type of movie you've seen many times before. The family were actually well cast and you believed them as a family unit. Fairly unsurprising ending. Watchable enough although unoriginal. 6/10
Members of a thief-catching posse fall out on the way and return in disgrace.
I liked the early stages, the rich and poor line has modern connections. I thought it lost interest once the posse was out on the trail. 5/10
In 1912 Arizona, a widow stands for sheriff and has plenty of choice for a husband.
Absolutely loved this, Debbie Reynolds was perfect in the lead role, a fiery strength but with a twinkle in her eye. Lovely slapstick humour at times and plenty of bar room brawls to keep Western fans happy. Brilliant! 9/10
A dedicated schoolmistress has no chance against her slum surroundings.
RIP Glenda Jackson whose final scene is as dramatic as anything I ever saw her do. Disturbing movie set in a reform school with Oliver Reed, wonderful as the headmaster. A troublesome watch and deeply politically incorrect in modern times. 8/10
A theatrical agent grooms a gangster's dumb girl friend for stardom.
To me, the lot was kind of irrelevant. Worth seeing for Jayne Mansfield who died tragically young in her early thirties and for the awesome music that constantly pops including the likes of Little Richard. 6/10
A businessman goes to Germany to find out how the workers live.
The rich seeing how the poor live. Hit and miss comedy, enough amusing scenes to keep this ticking over, the dish washer without a lid was my highlight. Some nice comic timing and contrasts, not bad at all. 6/10
An airliner in flight from London to New York is discovered to have a bomb on board.
A decent, tense thriller. Some of the acting and a couple of scenes were over-dramatised. A Stella cast, what I liked the most was the characterisation. After 90 minutes, you came to the end feeling that you knew everybody on board. Really enjoyed this. 9/10
A successful city trader suddenly loses everything he truly cares about. Seeking comfort in isolation on a remote island, his life is turned upside down by the arrival of a little girl.
Odd, to say the least. After a reasonable start, the movie becomes whimsical and raised many questions. Nesbitt was dealing with grief and didn't speak for the majority of the movie. Was the little girl real? What was with the stills at the end, was this a true story? Thought provoking and highly unusual. 6/10
A credit store salesman is himself heavily in debt, and his private life is in ruins; But even after a chapter of unexpected and tragic events he remains irrepressibly optimistic.
Set around the time that hire purchase had become a thing and people were spending money they didn't have, digging themselves into a hole. Ian Hendry was perfect as the Jack-The-Lad salesman. The movie has lost its relevance in the modern day but still interesting from a historic point of view. 6/10
A man is wrongfully executed and his brain is implanted in a gorilla, which goes on the rampage.
A poor man's King Kong, after a sedate first half, the movie becomes highly amusing and entertaining once the gorilla appear on the scene. 7/10
During the Chicago depression, a girl follows her father west and hitch-hikes across America.
There are so many Disney films off people or animals taking impossible journeys, I did however quite enjoy this. Slightly grittier in parts than some, as ever, the animals took centre stage with a gorgeous wolf holding centre stage in this one. 7/10
A scientist experiments in the Mexican desert to combine the qualities of beautiful women and spiders.
Utterly bizarre with some dance scenes that just made me laugh out loud. So weird, you almost couldn't take your eyes off of it. 3/10
A madwoman menaces two orphan children.
A slightly disturbed take on Hansel & Gretel. I know it's a cliche, but they don't make them like this any more. Horror without the gore. Shelley Winters is marvellously over the top. 7/10
A mad doctor abducts an heiress in the hope of gaining her wealth.
A mixture of horror and early Indiana Jones type adventure, stars were very watchable. Good fun. 6/10
An East side kid inherits a fortune and has the time of his life.
Hit and miss musical with shades of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory at the end. 4/10
Scientists at a mysterious research station are really visitors from a planet in outer space, to which they kidnap brilliant minds who they hope can help them.
One from the so bad that it's good book. Hilarious vivid green special effects, an alien who looks like he's just stepped from the set of the original Star Trek series and about as terrifying as the Teletubbies. All great fun though. 6/10
The captain of a tramp freighter finds himself in charge of an abandoned baby and a runaway girl.
The old abandoned baby in an inappropriate setting plot. It is the early 1930's so you have to forgive it, just not very interesting. 2/10
A ghost comes back to tell his actress wife he didn't desert her as she thought.
Packed with great song and dance numbers, I loved "Fella With The Flute', but also tinged with some sadness around relationships. Definitely worth a view. 6/10
Boys of poor families take to the road in gangs.
I found a restored version of this movie in colour and it really brought it to life. Cutting edge for the time, really well done, thought-provoking and a surprising movie. 7/10
Kidnappers are rounded up by G-Men
Surprisingly enjoyable kidnap/crime drama, ransom money has been marked and its use tracked to hunt out the criminals. Love Cesar Romero and the tension is very well maintained. 7/10
A radioactive palaeosaurus menaces London.
Truly terrible, average special effects, a poor script and acting. Luckily, it is so bad, that it fell into the enjoyable category. Very pleased to have seen this. 6/10
A tap-dancer turned jewel-thief is persuaded to put on his dancing shoes again.
The plot I can take or leave, worth watching for the series of superb tap routines throughout the movie. Damme Davis was great value too. 6/10
In the New England woods, various reasons cause various people to find and bury the same body.
Hitchcock and early Shirley Maclaine, what could go wrong. Well, the idea of the same body being buried, dug up and buried again is quite amusing, but you can't hang a movie on it for 100 minutes. Watchable but a bit of a disappointment. 5/10
A mysterious young woman speaking a strange language shows up in an English village, where she is taken in by aristocrats who assume she is a foreign princess
A film for all the family, excellent cast with Phoebe Cates perfect in the lead. All a little far fetched until you realise that the basis of this movie comes from a true story, fascinating to read about that on Wikipedia. Interesting movie. 7/10
A star's daughter takes her mother's place, with romantic complications.
Old school song and dance piece, some of the big group numbers were easy to watch, the rest of the movie didn't really do it for me. 3/10
Life in a Dublin prison when two men are to be hanged, as experienced by a new young warder.
Still quite a powerful piece, well acted and really traumatising in its subject matters. Definitely a place for this still to be seen. 6/10
A woman having an affair with a car salesman finds herself sexually locked to him in her husband's new vehicle.
\not really believable, all a little silly, the scene with Julie Walters and the guy trapped in a compromising position went on way too long. Interesting seeing what was considered classy car at the time. 5/10
A we--to-do couple try to find out whether their son's house guest is male or female.
Well, this hasn't aged well. Only 50 years old, this movie focusses on whether their sons' partner is male or female. Michael Hordern, such a superb actor and I just felt awkward watching the whole thing. Historically interesting I guess as a stepping stone before times changed.... 3/10
Before World War 1, in Paris, a girl alternates between a French and a German student, and after the war they meet again to form a constantly shifting triangle.
Every now and then, I bump into a foreign language movie that is an absolute delight. That is exactly what happened here, the subtitles became almost irrelevant as I was so into the story. We all know of a member of the opposite sex that has had a mysterious hold over people, that is what happens here. Fascinating to watch, for me hasn't dated at all with some stunning locations. So glad I got to see this. 8/10
A submarine commander in World War 11 trains men to attack the Lindenorf in midget submarines.
I'm not a great fan of James Caan but he was watchable in this. A decent thriller which considering it is over 50 years old, still looks fairly modern. 6/10
