Violent Saturday 1955

Staring: Richard Egan

Crooks move quietly into a small town with the intention of robbing the bank.

Not bad. A lot of the build up to the inevitable was fluff but things did tie up nicely at the end so that it all made sense. The final shoot out at the Amish barn was nicely handled.      6/10 

The Greengage Summer 1961

Starring: Kenneth More

A young girl staying at a hotel falls in love with a jewel thief but is accidentally responsible for his capture.

Gentle movie that had a touch of The Railway Children about it. Capturing the moment where a girl steps between being a girl and a woman. Nicely acted and there were some brilliant moments of lighting.      6/10

Better off dead 1985

Starring: John Cusack

When his fickle girlfriend leaves him, a lonely teenager becomes despondent, but the sun shines when another girl shows interest.

Early John Cusack film. Had some extremely weird and wacky moments but also had some amusing continuous threads running throughout. I actually really warmed to it and it put a smile on my face.     7/10

Bill and Coo 1947

Trials and tribulations of the inhabitants of Chirpendale are enacted entirely by birds, mostly wearing hats and neckties.

How very odd. An entire movie with just birds. Quite amusing for the first 5 minutes but it's a 'One-trick pony' , the charm soon wears off and there's nothing else to it.   2/10

Operattion daybreak 1975

Starring: Timothy Bottoms

In 1941, Czech patriots kill the hated Nazi Heydrich and are hunted down.

Fascinating portrayal of a true story. The sheer brutality of the times is mind-boggling. Excellent performances despite the odd bit of strange casting (Diane Coupland!?!). Really enjoyed it as a movie, I was on the edge of my seat.     10/10

The Man who could work miracles 1936

Starring: Roland Young

A city clerk discovers he has the power to woek miracles (given him by sportive gods) and nearly causes the end of the Earth.

H.G Wells story. All a lot of nonsense although it does have a moralistic story attached to it. I guess for the time, the special effects were cutting edge and it was certainly an enjoyable movie to watch.          8/10

Too late for tears 1949

Starring: Lizabeth Scott

A lady bluebeard disposes of both husbands and boyfriends.

More twists and turns than a twisty, turny thing. So long as you buy the premise of a suitcase full of money being thrown into a speeding car, it wasn't too bad. Lizabeth Scott was completely believable and despite coincidences and detectives proving to be better than Sherlock Holmes, this was quite good fun.         6/10

Touch of evil 1958

Starring: Charlton Heston

A Mexican narcotics investigator honeymooning in a border town clashes with the local police chief over a murder.

Ridiculously dark and crushingly boring. I lost intesrt about 10 minutes in and it never returned. Waste of a really good cast.       1/10

It happened at the World's Fair 1962

Starring: Elvis Presley

At the Seattle World's Fair, two crop-dusting pilots have romantic intrigues.

I always seem to end up having at least one Elvis film each year, I actually really enjoyed this one. Nice little plot, songs were easy on the ear and th elittle girl who featured as much as Elvis, was charming.        8/10

The St Valentine's day massacre 1967

Starring: Jason Robards Jr

The twenties gang war between Al Capone and Bugs Moran.

Semi-documentary like, it was interesting from a historical point of view. Other than that, it was a lot of machine gun fire and you just raise your eyebrows at the stupidity of the whole era.       4/10

The Naked kiss 1964

Starring: Constance Towers

A prostitute tries to enter mainstream society.

Constance Towers is very good in an interesting movie. Slightly confusing and downbeat, there are some lovely scenes although all lit very darkly. The occasional 60's psychedelic soundtrack makes you want to run screaming from the room.        5/10

Kidnapped 1971

Starring: Michael Caine

Remake incorporating sections of Catriona. 

Three versions of this classic story in my film book and I hadn't seen any of them. Fantastic setting with some stunning scenery, the plot was interesting enough with some enjoyable action along the way. I do enjoy Michael Caine movies but his accent in this was great when it was there, but tended to go walkabout in the middle of speeches.  6/10

The Oblong box 1969

Starring:  Vincent Price

One of two 19th-century brothers is mysteriously disfigured and buried alive; he recovers and runs amok.

You expect a horror film with Price and Lee to be top notch, this wasn't. From a story by Edgar Alan Poe, this was confusing, badly acted with gallons of bright red paint which was supposedly blood. Thank goodness for the gorgeous Sally Geeson who I had a huge crush on as a kid, I had good taste back then! Terrible movie though.     2/10

Sundown 1941

Starring: Gene Tierney

The adopted daughter of an Arab trader assists British troops in Africa during World War 11.

Different as a war film being set in Africa. The underlying score was spot on and the lighting moody. It was all a little dated and slightly confusing but did have some good moments. Worth seeing.   5/10

Decision at Sundown 1957

Starring: Randolph Scott

A cowboy tracks down the badman who has seduced his wife.

The prolific Randolph Scott turns up again but looks well rough and I'm not sure how he found the energy to fight anyone. A slow burner of a movie, I'm not a fan of flashbacks but feel that this movie could have benefited from one as a bit of a scene setter. Scott's character is clearly tortured in his own mind and this is fairly well portrayed. Not a bad Western.      5/10

Lorna Doone 1951

Starring;  Barbara Hale

In 1625 on Exmoor, a farmer comes to love an outlaw's daughter who proves to be in reality a kidnapped heiress.

First time I've seen a screen version of this classic story. All a bit like a poor man's Robin Hood, also pretty sure there's no raging waterfall like that in Exmoor. Harmless fun though.      4/10

Deadlier than the male 1967

Starring: Richard Johnson

Bulldog Drummond traces the death of oil company executives to a master criminal using glamorous female assassins.

All the Bulldog Drummond movies I'd seen before were quite dated, nice to see it brought into the colour age. A mixture of James Bond meets The Avengers with lots of explosions and inventive deaths and wall to wall glorious women. Extremely easy on the eye.     9/10

Tom Sawyer 1973

Starring:  Johnnie Whitaker

Classic American tale. I can't say that the plot gripped me, but the songs were lively and it was harmless enough.        4/10

Night passage 1957

Starring:  James Stewart

A railroad worker entrusted with a payroll finds that the bandits trying to rob it are led by his own brother.

Standard Western with a familiar plot, the brotherly conflict being a slight USP. Audie Murphy is always solid, but the movie is saved by the brilliant James Stewart and is worth watching for him alone.     5/10

Support your local sheriff 1968

Starring:  James Garner

Gold is found near a Western village, and the resulting influx of desperate characters causes problems for the sheriff.

I really enjoyed this. Totally tongue in cheek, it made you smile rather than laugh out loud but was very easy to watch with some lovely touches. James Garner played the sort of role that he was just perfect for.          8/10