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