Track Of The Cat 1954

 

Starring: Robert Mitchum

In the southern Californian backwoods one winter in the 1880',s a farming family is menaced by a marauding mountain lion.

Overlong, brooding family drama. Short on action and you never actually see the cat!   4/10

Oliver And Company. 1988

 A kitten becomes friends with a gang of criminal dogs and their human master.

Animation is as strong as ever, it's the humour that's missing and the songs are just not catchy as usual. A bit of a Disney fail.    4/10

The Fabulous Dories 1947

 

Starring: Tommy Dorsey

Two quarrelling bandleader brothers are reunited on the death of their father.

The quarrelling was irritating and the plot passed me by to be honest, music was listenable too though.     4/10

The Magnetic Monster 1953

 Starring: Richard Carlson

A new radio-active element causes 'implosions' of increasing size by drawing energy from the area around it.

A decent sci-fi movie with an invisible monster. The script seemed highly intelligent and this added to the authenticity and suspense.      6/10

Caveman 1981

 

Starring: Ringo Starr

Adventures of a prehistoric man

What on Earth was Ringo Starr thinking about? Truly dreadful. Never even made me raise a smile. I very rarely give a 1, this was lucky to reach that!     1/10

Queen Christina 1933

 Starring: Greta Garbo

The Queen of 17th-century Sweden, distressed at the thought of a political marriage, goes wandering through her country in men's clothes and falls in love with the new Spanish ambassador.

Garbo is brilliant, at times regal, at times far from it. Her masquerade in men's clothing is the most unconvincing thing I've ever seem, yet this has a real charm and you utterly believe her.   7/10

Tobacco Road 1941

 

Starring: Charley Grapevine

Poor whites in Georgia are turned off their land.

Although this is lightened up and focusses on comedy, there is a real part of history lurking under the surface. Just how hard would it have been to scrape a living in the weather conditions weren't exactly right? Loved the singing, this had a certain charm.    6/10

Whirlpool 1934

 

Starring: Jack Holt

A convict is released and makes contact with the daughter who never knew him.

Extremely short movie, kind of a nice idea but as ever, is extremely dated and the tension no longer comes through.    4/10

The Woman Who Came Back 1945

 

Starring: Nancy Kelly

A girl returning to her home village in New England is made to think she is a witch.

Very short movie, some good lighting and tension adds to the piece, going back in time, you can believe this could happen.      5/10

The Monolith Monsters 1957

 

Starring: Lola Albright

A meteorite lands in the desert and causes rocks to rise and expand, becoming toppling pillars which threaten a local community.

A rather enjoyed this, a different take on an alien force without silly little creatures running round. Well made too with a good finale.     7/10

Pickup On South Street 1953

 Starring: Richard Widmark

A pickpocket steals a girl's wallet and finds himself up to his neck in espionage.

A decent spy thriller, I loved the place where Widmark was staying, great set! Thelma Ritter stole the show for me and was wonderful.   7/10

Tight Spot 1955

 

Starring: Ginger Rogers

A material witness in the trial of a gangster is released from prison in the custody of an attorney.

Quite a strong thriller, Ginger Roger is very believable and Robinson has a determined, single track determination which drives the piece along. A nice twist as well, this is a slow burner but the last half hour is excellent.    8/10

The Mean Season 1985

 

Starring: Kurt Russell

A Miami police reporter becomes the personal spokesman for a murderous psychopath.

Turning a blind eye to the ludicrous nature of the premise, this is actually quite. decent thriller. Russell is very believable and the murderer is excellently depicted and is suitable unnerving.     8/10

Convict 99 1938

 

Starring: Will Hay

A seedy schoolmaster accidentally becomes a prison governor and lets the convicts run the place.

A very old movie, exhausting to watch due to the frenetic pace of acting and line delivery. In modern times, the humour is still there in places and it did make me smile from time to time.  5/10

Tornado 1996

 

Starring: Bruce Campbell

An accountant sent to produce an evaluation of a tornado research project, and the scientist running the project pursue tornadoes and each other.

Many a Twister movie has been made. This is not great to be honest, you feel like you're waiting 75 minutes for the huge Tornado to hit and then it's a bit of an anti-climax. Global warming messages within this movie from the mid-90's. Still kind of watchable though.     6/10

Coney Island 1943

 

Starring: Betty Grable

Two fairground showmen vie for the affections of a songstress.

Frantic, noisy and a little difficult to love. Thankfully, lots of song and dance numbers along with the brilliant Phil Silvers help things along.   3/10

World In My Corner 1955

 

Starring: Audie Murphy

A penniless would-be prizefighter becomes the protege of a millionaire and wins his daughter but not the crucial fight.

There have been so many boxing movies over the years. This one is not bad, interesting to see Audie Murphy in a different role. Too many scenes in the ring though, the movie was better for me away from that setting.       6/10

The Professionals 1966

 

Starring: Burt Lancaster

Skilled soldiers of fortune are hired by a millionaire rancher to get back his kidnapped wife.

Great cast, most movies that have a significant scene on a train are entertaining. I found this overlong and preferred the first hour. Some great action scenes.      5/10

Fort Yuma 1955

 

Starring: Peter Graves

Indians steal army uniforms and attack a fort.

Lots of screaming shouting, fighting and rolling in the dirt. Watchable enough with an attempt at getting across a moralistic message.     6/10

Enter Arsene Lupin. 1944

 

Starring: Charles Korvin

A master thief protects a beautiful girl's emerald.

A mixture of crime caper, romance and humour that never finds its home. Good chemistry between the leads helps this movie along.     4/10

The Hour Of Decision 1957

 

Starring: Jeff Morrow

A reporter is assigned to investigate the death of a columnist.

Decent little thriller, I actually really liked the reporter who was murdered and would have been happy seeing a movie that revolved around his observations. Lionel Jeffries was as superb as ever. 6/10

Innocent Sinners 1957

 

Starring: Flora Robson

A 13-year-old London girl builds a garden in the rubble of a bombed church, and gets into trouble with the police.

Absolutely charming, depicting a time of hope, desperation and bravery in a London that is now unrecognisable. Rare to find a movie with such charm. Strangely moving.  8/10

Rose Of Cimarron 1952

Starring: Mala Powers

A girl tracks down the killers of her Indian foster-parents.

A decent western, always interesting with a female in the lead. Not over-long and quite a dramatic ending.    6/10
 

Circle Of Danger 1951

 

Starring: Ray Milland

An American in England investigates the strange death some years earlier of his brother during a commando raid.

A bit Bill Bryson with an American visiting the UK and us getting scenic shots of Wales, Scotland, locks on canals etc. Never really gained pace but not bad.   5/10

Night Of The Iguana 1964

 

Starring: Richard Burton

A disbarred clergyman becomes a travel courier in Mexico and is sexually desired by a teenage nymphomaniac, a middle-aged hotel owner and a frustrated itinerant artist.

Burton acts his socks off, Ava Gardner steals the show for me, but there needs to be some likeable characters in a movie, here there were Nono whatsoever and I found the whole thing a bit of an ordeal, despite strong acting.   5/10

The Walking Hills 1949

 

Starring: Randolph Scott

Various interests combine to locate gold bullion hidden in Death Valley... then thieves fall out.

For this type of movie to work, you have to have character development. This didn't, the arguments were therefore of no interest and the sand storm went on way too long. A disappointment.  3/10

The Employer 2013

 

Starring: Malcom McDowell

Five highly qualified applicants interview for a coveted job. On the night before the last round of interviews, they are all kidnapped and drugged. The next door, they wake up trapped together in a locked room without any hope of escape.

For a thriller to be really good, the situation has to be believable. I just never bought this for one second. Very single paced, sure I needed to know who came out victorious but this was instantly forgettable. 4/10

The Golden Child 1986

 

Starring: Eddie Murphy

A social worker is assigned to look for a mystic child who will bring peace to the Earth.

Murphy in his prime, but this is a bit of a dud with a couple of very odd scenes. Visually good with Tibet and Charlotte Lewis very easy on the eye.  6/10

The Deadly Mantis 1957

 

Staring: Craig Stevens

A 'prehistoric' mantis escapes from Arctic ice and travels rapidly towards New York.

Marvellous! Daft and hugely enjoyable for it. Actors played it absolutely straight and the effects were actually okay. Needless to say, the mantis headed for USA rather than some little heard of town in somewhere like Mongolia.     7/10

Emil And The Detectives 1964

 

Starring: Walter Slezak

City children discover and chase a crook, who is finally arrested.

Disney channel grab, a famous story. Had its moments but I actually found that it dragged in places. Not the greatest acting but still of interest.    5/10

Becky Sharp 1935

 

Starring: Miriam Hopkins

An ambitious girl makes her way into Regency society.

A classic, so had to be seen. Started off quite interesting but descended into a string of screams, shouting and massive over-dramatised scenes. A good production for its time but too much now!    4/10

Another Man's Poison 1951

 

Starring: Bette Davis

A lady novelist poisons her husband and lover, then unwittingly takes a fatal dose herself.

Great to start the year with a classic Bette Davis melodrama. All rather wonderful with Davis gloriously over the top. Very strong supporting cast. Based on a play, Davis made this movie with her husband as her co-star.    7/10