Starring: Pat O'Brien
Two gangsters out to get each other are led together by a small girl and a dog.
Johnny one-eye is a dog! The plot crawls along at a very pedestrian place. The print that I saw of this movie was so grainy that it looked about 20 years older than it is. But the girl and the dog were cute and I just considered myself lucky to be able to see this one at all. 3/10
Starring: Barry Jones
A Professor engaged on atomic research threatens to blow up London unless his work is brought to an end.
Spiky little thriller that keeps up a good pace and although obviously slightly dated, holds up quite well still today. Some interesting observations on human behaviour, but there's no way on earth that an evacuation of London would be so orderly today. Although disaster was averted, it didn't have the ultimate happy ending that I was expecting. Well worth a view. 8/10
Starring: Winona Ryder
A highschool student begins to systemically murder his fellow students.
I don't fully get black comedy. I understand the dark side, but don't ever find it particularly funny. A psycho kid attempting to blow up a high school is just too near the mark to be entertaining, whether it's done tongue in cheek or not. Christian Slater is his usual oddball self and there is a certain irony in the gorgeous Winona Ryder playing a character who goes a little off the wall. 6/10
Starring: Seymour Hicks
A miser reforms after ghosts haunt him on Christmas eve.
What better way to start Christmas morning? A version of scrooge that I hadn't seen. It doesn't bring much new to the table & Tiny Tim is a little too sprightly for me. But this is a timeless classic and it still made me feel good at the end. 7/10
Starring: Jason Patric
Vampiric bikers corrupt Innocent teenagers.
At the risk of becoming hugely unpopular, I don't get this interest i vampires. Every new programme coming out seems to be vampire related & it's just, oh so boring. This was on the comedy channel & I'm thinking of doing them under trade descriptions as it never once made me smile, let alone laugh. I suppose that the amosphere was well depicted an I know there's a market for this, it just wasn't for me. 3/10
Starring: Ralph Richardson
A secret ray helps spies to steal test aircraft during proving flights.
With Richardson & Olivier, how had I never heard of this movie? The acting was terrific as you would expect & the premise was way ahead of its time. Occasionally witty, the movie got bogged down with too much chat and not enough variation. The climax had some nice action and the ending also raised a smile. An interesting movie to watch. 4/10
Staring: Charles Bronson
In new Orleans in the depression-hit thirties, a prizefighter and a promoter help each other.
Of sll the sports, boxing/fighting is probably the one that you come across most in the movies. And to be fair, they're often very good. This was gritty but realistic. Nice depiction of the time although I'm not sure that the poverty was completely conveyed. Bronson & Coburn were both terrific and this was an extremely watchable movie. 8/10
Starring: Dean Jagger
Customs agents track down a murderer.
Slow paced and poorly acted B movie. When a crucial part of the blot occured early on in the movie, the orchestral underscore was sl loud that you couldn't hear the dialogue. A couple of the female actresses came out of this with credit, mostly the lead's secretary, but this is not a movie to go out of your way for. 3/10
Starring: Harold Lloyd
A milkman becomes a prizefighter and overcomes a gang of crooks.
Sure, there are many annoying scenes in this movie. But there were also a few moments that made me laugh out loud. Lloyd is at his best with the physical theatre and certainly cut a humorous figure as the bespectacled prize-fighter. 4/10
Starring: James Stewart
A tenderfoot becomes a hero for shooting a bad man, but the shot was really fired by his friend and protector.
The second week running I've landed a James Stewart movie. Absolutely compelling from beginning to end. In my view, Stewart is possibly the greatest actor ever to have graced our screens and you find yourself routing for him throughout. This is one of Wayne's stronger performances and Lee Marvin is suitably rotten to the core. Brilliant sets and location, nearly every scene is a delight. 10/10
STARRING: James Stewart
Problems of a lawyer and his new wife culminate in the near-death of their infant son.
Gentle comedy that turns into light drama for its final third. A young married couple cope with inlaws, a difficult boss, poverty and then illness. A slightly dull plot is saved by the brilliant James Stewart with Carole Lombard, an admirable companion for him. 5/10
Starring: Gordon Harker
Hornleigh and Binham track down a fifth columnist.
2 zany Scotland yard detectives catch the bad guy by luck and the odd nice move. Reasonably amusing with Harker & Alistair Sim both superb. 6/10
Starring: Brian Donlevy
A research station operating under military secrecy is supposed to be making synthetic foods, but is in fact an acclimatization centre for invaders from outer space.
Sci-fi, slight horror B-movie, Acting isn't up to much and sets are a bit wobbly. But keep going until the end as the last 10 minutes are positively hilarious. 6/10
Starring: John Savage
Two policeman are shot by a manic killer, and the one who survives finds that he is suspected of cowardice and has to resign from the force.
There's something about true stories that let you buy into what you're seeing on screen. This is a harrowing and yet captivating, tragic story. James Woods is truely terrifying as the psychotic killer. I went straight on to read more about this case. Beautifully put together. 9/10
Starring: Freddie Bartholomew
Feuding next door neighbours have children in love.
A surprising little gem. Although some of the parents feuding got on your nerves, the other characters helped soften the movie and were very likeable. A pacy plot, humourous moments when the children have to move next door after finding out they they were swapped at birth and a well thought out & satisfactory ending. This actually made me laugh out loud and was good fun. 8/10
Starring: James Mason
An Austrian refugee in the south of France is asked by the police to track down a spy among his fellow hotel guests.
A reasonably enjoyable "Who is the spy" drama. The best part is early on when you're trying to identify the spy yourself. Short enough to be quite enjoyable. 6/10
Starring: Claudette Colbert
The daughter of an impoverished French aristocrat marries for money a millionaire who has had seven previous wives, and determines to teach him a lesson.
Unsurprisingly, rather dated as a comedy. Some humorous moments and a strong start as the two stars quibble over buying pajamas. Colbert is a delight as ever but Gary Cooper seems miscast and misses many comic opportunities by charging through his lines. A young David Niven gives a nice supporting performance. 5/10
Starring: Clark Gable
Andrew Jackson enlists the aid of a Texas adventurer to persuade Sam Houston to change his mind about an agreement with Mexico.
A mixture of politics and action. A bit of a history lesson really although fairly hard to follow as a European. Quite good action & stars give reliable performances. 4/10
