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

Nativity 2009

Starring: Martin Freeman

An improvised comedy based around a school nativity play.

For the first time, I ventured past 1989 for my Sunday morning movie. Just absolutely loved this. With Christmas just a week away, it had feelgood factor, was genuinely funny and all the kids were brilliant. Martin Freeman pitches it just right and all the supporting cast a delight.    10/10

Chained for life 1950

Starring: Violet & Daisy Hilton

One of two girl siamese twins is accused of murder.

Not much plot and a lot of time watching juggles, trick cyclists and rifle shooters. The fascinating thing here is the verdict. If one of a pair of Siamese twins is found guilty, could you imprison her and punish the innocent siamese twin. Fascinating thought.    4/10

The Front 1976

Starring: Woody Allen

For a small commission, a bookmaker puts his name to scripts by blacklisted writers.

What an interesting topic and the credits at the end made it more meaningful. I'm just not the greatest Woody Allen fan. He's the same in every movie, he just talks....a lot and you sitting there desperate for him to get to the point. One of his better films for me though, Zero Mostel was superb.    6/10

My Six Loves 1963

Starring: Debbie Reynolds

A musical comedy star goes to the country for a rest and with the help of the local minister adopts six scruffy children.

Chaotic at times with the noise but I guess that's kind of the point. In honesty, I found this an absolute delight and was rooting for the kids all the way through. On Netflix and well worth a watch.     9/10

Joseph Andrews 1977

Starring: Peter Firth

Adventures of a naive 18th-century footman

Bawdy comedy in a similar vain to Tom Jones. Lots of short scenes which didn't always come together. There were lots of tits and bums, but I actually quite enjoyed it although it never made me laugh out loud. They must have spent a complete fortune on costumes.     6/10

The Seventh Seal 1957

Starring: Max Von Sydow

Death comes for a knight, who challenges him to a game of chess while he tries to show illustrations of goodness in mankind: but death takes them all away in the end.

Slightly odd and with subtitles, a little difficult to follow at times. However, the chess game was kind of compelling and the whole thing was ever so slightly mesmerizing.     4/10

Red Sonja 1985

Starring: Brigitte Nielsen

In the times of sword and sorcery, Sonja avenges her sister's death and deposes an evil queen.

Schwarzenegger definitely improved as an actor with experience, this movie was not good. A shame really as the sets and costumes were amazing. Terrible acting by pretty much everyone, but particularly Nielsen, the young king and his sidekick, made this movie laughable.     4/10

The Phantom light 1934

Starring: Gordon Harker

Wreckers try to scare off a new lighthouse keeper.

I guess for the early 1930's, this was quite effectively done. It's lost its humour over the decades and the suspense doesn't quite work on a small screen at home, had some nice touches though.    4/10

The light in the forest 1958

Starring: James MacArthur

Kidnapped by Indians as an infant, a teenager is returned to his parents but finds the white man's ways disturbing.

A little downbeat for a Disney movie, not badly done, but the movie would have had so much more impact if the ending had been reversed and the Indians were not always betrayed as the bad guys. Book 'em Danno....            6/10

Apache 1954

Starring: Burt Lancaster

After the surrender of Geronimo, one Apache leader is unconquered; After creating much havoc, he settles for domesticity, and the white men let him go unharmed.

Of the thousands of movies I've seen, I have seen all the major stars but can honestly say, I've never seen a Burt Lancaster film I haven't enjoyed. This is no exception, I'm not convinced he looked anywhere near authentic, more fancy dress costume. But it was an enjoyable movie, he had great chemistry with Jean Peters and it had an ending you would never have expected at the start of the movie.       7/10

Treasure Island 1971

Starring: Orson Welles

I think I've been spoilt and influenced by stage productions and pantomime. Very true to the book but in all honesty, it was just a bit dull.         4/10

The Killer is loose 1956

Starring: Joseph Cotten

A bank robber swears revenge on a policeman who accidentally killed his wife.

Standard killer on the run movie, but killer is believable and there's a reasonable amount of suspense.           6/10  

The Private lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1939

Starring: Bette Davis

Elizabeth 1 falls in love with the Earl Of Essex, but events turn him into a rebel and she has to order his execution.

Errol Flynn was strong, Olivia De Havilland beautiful, but this was all about Bette Davis. I have no idea how accurate a portrayal this was, but it was a sublime performance. Great viewing, a fascinating time.      6/10

Deadly strangers 1974

Starring: Hayley Mills

A girl accepts a lift from a motorist at a time when a mad strangler is on the loose.

Very 1970's and where every male seems to be a raging sex maniac. So many questions in my mind were suddenly answered in a brilliant last five minutes. For once, the flashbacks were brief and yet gave you so much background into the characters behaviour. Excellent movie.      9/10

Stolen Heaven 1931

Staring: Nancy Carroll

A boy and girl decide to commit suicide after spending the twenty thousand dollars they've stolen, but neither can go through with it.

Very dated, but the movie was held together by a very spirited performance from Nancy Carroll. A bit static at times but had some nice moments.    4/10

Yes sir, that's my baby 1949

Starring: Donald O'Connor

Ex-service undergraduates and their wives have trouble settling down to studies.

A poor man's Three men and a  baby. Light comedy and oddly, about 25 minutes in, the two leads sang a song, this was followed about 5 minutes later by a full production number. The American football scenes were less than convincing but this did make me smile a few times and laugh on one occasion. Sad to see that Gloria De Haven had recently passed away.     5/10

Over The Top 1987

Starring: Sylvester Stallone

An arm wrestler tries to win the love of his son.

As a father/son bonding movie, I didn't think this was bad and Stallone showed an extra dimension to some of his other roles. The inevitable arm wrestling show at the end was predictable and less than interesting but not the worst Stallone movie I've ever seen.    7/10

Free for all 1949

Starring: Robert Cummings

A young inventor finds a way of turning water into petrol.

Excellent little comedy with such a simple plot but well paced and with a fine sprinkling of humour. Available on Youtube and well worth a view.     8/10

Under the rainbow 1981

Starring: Chevy Chase

Nazis and midgets mingle backstage while The Wizard Of Oz is being filmed.

Second week in a row I've had an absolute stinker. Politically incorrect in so many ways, loud, confused, lacking in any kind of plot or humour, richly bizarre in so many ways. Who comes up with these ideas?.......   2/10

Motel hell 1980

Starring: Rory Calhoun

Benign motel owners are famous for their spiced meat, which is in fact made from their human guests.

A Sweeney Todd wannabe but shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath. To me, horror and comedy just do not mix. Horror movies are at their best due to the tension created, tension and comedy cannot be achieved. This bored the life out of me.      1/10

Smash-up, The story of a woman 1947

Starring: Susan Hayward

The story of a lady alcoholic.

A very serious subject. Susan Heyward acts her socks off as a woman wracked with fear, loneliness and frustration. A little single paced which made it feel over-long, this is an issue even more relevant today than the era in which it was made.      6/10