The Killing of sister george 1969

Starring: Beryl Reid

An ageing lesbian actress is fired from a TV serial and her life collapses around her.

A saw a stage version of this last year and wanted to see the movie. What I hadn't realised was what a brilliant performance I was about to see from Beryl Reid, one of the most complete acting  demonstrations you are ever likely to see. Sussanah York grows as the film progresses and is equally as good. Quite frankly, I was absolutely enthralled from beginning to end.     10/10

Ellery Queen: The Spanish cape mystery 1935

Starring: Donald Cook

The first in this series of B-movies that I've seen. Started okay and had a likeable quality but soon got too confused. The lead character is a little too smart for me and his deductions verge on the ridiculous. Having said that, I've seen worse.      3/10

Arizona Bushwhackers 1968

Starring: Howard Keel

A confedorate prisoner is given a chance as a western sheriff.

Howard Keel is always a likeable actor to watch. The whole spy plot thing is a little thin but the one handed fist fight was fun and the whole ending quite good although the townfolk have to be the worst shots I've seeen in a western for quite some time.       6/10

Undercover man 1949

Starring: Glenn Ford

US treasury agents indict a gang leader for tax evasion.

I usually really enjoy Glenn Ford movies, This, I found really dull with a slow moving plot, delivery of lines all played on one level and a premise that just never grabbed my interest.  2/10

Adventure in Manhatten 1936

Starring: Jean Arthur

An actress helps an ace reporter to foil a bank robbery by a master criminal.

An extremely watchable crime caper with both Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea, putting in delightful performances. Have to say, the stage set for the WW1 drama that covers the attempted robbery was brilliant.     6/10

The King and four Queens 1956

Starring: Clark Gable

A cowboy braves the wrath of a lady sharpshooter to gain gold and the hand of one of her four daughters.

Western's were so plentiful in their day, that you needed an original story for a movie to retain your interest. This certainly is original. Gable has never been my favourite actor and once again, he lacked personality and just seemed to drift throught the film. The old lady was marvelous and the four women a delight. It was fun seeing which one Gable would eventually end up with.    6/10

Mr Motto in Danger island 1939

Starring: Peter Lorre

One of the more enjoyable movies in the Motto series, I do feel if they made the plots a little simpler, the whole series would have risen above B level status. Motto's gorilla, wrestler companion was an amusing distraction.     5/10

The Big wheel 1949

Starring: Mickey Rooney

The son of a racing driver is determined to follow in father's footsteps.

Rooney was at his best in my opinion when he was this sort of age. A likeable character given able support by his mum, boss and girlfriend. Some of the racing early on was less than interesting but the final Indeanapolis race was gripping stuff.      6/10

Working girl 1988

Starring: Melanie Griffith

A secretary outsmarts her female boss in business and love

Well known Hollywoo movie with the engaging Melanie Griffith in lhe lead. The plot is fairly implausible, but it has an easy-watching charm about it but, wow do the women have big hair!!   6/10

Ma and Pa Kettle go to town 1950

The second movie that I've seen from this series and again it was terrific. The charm of the couple cannot be underestimated and as daft as the plot was, it made me laugh out loud on several occassions. The scene where they catch robbers by Pa calling a square dance was brilliantly original.   7/10

A Stranger in town 1943

Starring: Frank Morgan

A supreme court judge on vacation finds himself sorting out crooked local politicians.

A light, law related drama. There was always a light-hearted edge to this movie and the whole thinng was all the more watchable due to the likeable performances from the three leads. I could even forgive the stirring patriotic speach at the end.    5/10

The story of GI Joe 1945

Starring: Burgess Meredeth

Journalist Ernie Pyle follows fighting men into the Italian campaign.

Standard guns and bomb war film that touches on the human element. Probably held a lot stronger weight when it was made. It's very dated now and hasn't stood up too well in time. A few interesting scenes, otherwise, seen it all before.      3/10

Serious charge 1959

Starring: Anthony Quayle

A small-town troublemaker, accused by his priest of being responsible for the death of a young girl, amuses himself by accusing the priest of making homosexual advances.

Cliff Richard's first movie although he wasn't in in too much. Anthony Quayle is absolutely excellent as the almost too good to be true boxing, 1st division footballing, youth-club running priest. Although the movie is dated, the subject matter is almost more relevant today than it was at the time.     7/10

Five branded women 1960

Starring: Silvana Mangano

Five Yugoslav girls have their heads shaved for associating with German soldiers, and after various adventures joing the partisans.

What could have been sentimental, romantic slush is actually a gritty, compelling drama full of tension. The bleakness and hoplessness of these lives are brilliantly portrayed. An unexpected gem.   8/10

The Primrose path 1940

Starring: Ginger Rogers

The youngest of a family of shanty-town prostitutes falls in love with an honest hamburger stand proprietor.

Gingers Rogers and Joel McCrea have a good chemistry and Rogers family are suitably disfunctional. The picture gets a little cluttered at times both with the characters and dialogue but generally is an easy-view where you end up rooting for the family to fall upon better times despite one of the most precocious young girls I've seen on film for a very long time.            6/10

Love on the dole 1941

Starring: Deborah Kerr

Life among unemployed cotton workers in industrial Lancashire between the wars.

Gritty but watchable drama set in North West England when unemployment was through the roof, factories were closing and nobody had any money. Getting more relevant again by the week!   7/10

Road to Bali 1952

Starring: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour

In and around the South seas, with colour making the sets obvious and the gags only tediously funny.

Well I reather enjoyed it! At its best with the song and dance routines, this is packed with gags, some hitting the spot and others flying well wide of the mark. Nice to see the occassional cameo from other stars and a lotof the special effects/silliness actually worked quite well. I just need Zanzibar & Utopia for the set.        6/10

A Lion is in the streets 1953

Starring: James Cagney

An itinerant confidence trickster becomes a defender for the people, is nominated for governor, and becomes corrupt.

Cagney brings a tremendous energy to this role which starts out as a charming little family adventure and ends as a political thriller. It is difficult to like his character but he is certainly charismatic and is able supported by some strong perfromances.       6/10

The Brave little toaster 1987

Domestic appliances go in search of teir owner.

Standard cartoon stuff with some good humour and catchy songs. Couldn't watch too much of it, but once in a while it's quite good fun.     4/10

City without men 1943

Starring: Linda Darnell

A boarding house near a prison is filled with women awaiting the parole of their menfolk.

A woman fights to clear the name of her husband who was innocent of the crime for what he is imprissoned. Not the greatest print of a movie that I've ever seen made it a little difficult to watch, but it had its moments with the occassional stirring speach to raise a smile. Not bad.     4/10