A disbarred clergyman becomes a travel courier in Mexico and is sexually desired by a teenage nymphomaniac, a middle-aged hotel owner and a frustrated itinerant artist.
Burton acts his socks off, Ava Gardner steals the show for me, but there needs to be some likeable characters in a movie, here there were Nono whatsoever and I found the whole thing a bit of an ordeal, despite strong acting. 5/10
Various interests combine to locate gold bullion hidden in Death Valley... then thieves fall out.
For this type of movie to work, you have to have character development. This didn't, the arguments were therefore of no interest and the sand storm went on way too long. A disappointment. 3/10
Five highly qualified applicants interview for a coveted job. On the night before the last round of interviews, they are all kidnapped and drugged. The next door, they wake up trapped together in a locked room without any hope of escape.
For a thriller to be really good, the situation has to be believable. I just never bought this for one second. Very single paced, sure I needed to know who came out victorious but this was instantly forgettable. 4/10
A social worker is assigned to look for a mystic child who will bring peace to the Earth.
Murphy in his prime, but this is a bit of a dud with a couple of very odd scenes. Visually good with Tibet and Charlotte Lewis very easy on the eye. 6/10
A 'prehistoric' mantis escapes from Arctic ice and travels rapidly towards New York.
Marvellous! Daft and hugely enjoyable for it. Actors played it absolutely straight and the effects were actually okay. Needless to say, the mantis headed for USA rather than some little heard of town in somewhere like Mongolia. 7/10
City children discover and chase a crook, who is finally arrested.
Disney channel grab, a famous story. Had its moments but I actually found that it dragged in places. Not the greatest acting but still of interest. 5/10
An ambitious girl makes her way into Regency society.
A classic, so had to be seen. Started off quite interesting but descended into a string of screams, shouting and massive over-dramatised scenes. A good production for its time but too much now! 4/10
A lady novelist poisons her husband and lover, then unwittingly takes a fatal dose herself.
Great to start the year with a classic Bette Davis melodrama. All rather wonderful with Davis gloriously over the top. Very strong supporting cast. Based on a play, Davis made this movie with her husband as her co-star. 7/10
An ageing grape grower spots an attractive waitress, sends her a marriage proposal by mail, but encloses a photo of his handsome foreman.
Considering this is nearly 100 years old, I rather enjoyed it. Edward G Robinson's accent drops occasionally, the dialogue is a little too frenetic at times, but it made me smile and was kind of cute. 6/10
The story of a strike at a small-town plastics factory.
I hate unions with a passion with all their small-minded destruction. This is however, a strong movie dealing not only with that side of things, but also the economics and torture in trying to keep a business going. Thought-provoking stuff. 7/10
In 1805 the United States sends marines to rout the Barbary pirates.
Good at the beginning, then takes a long time to get to the conclusion. Action at the end was good and the local lead mercernary added a nice touch of humour. 5/10
Quarrelling stage marrieds consult psychiatrists, who end up more confused than the patients.
Seems older than it actually is, very talkative but I actually found it quite enjoyable due to the excellent comedy delivery of lines by both leads. 6/10
In the thirteenth century a young Italian crusader devotes himself to avenging the murder of his father.
Can't beat bit of swash and buckle. A B-length movie, best during the action sequences. 5/10
A con man fleeces a war widow into paying for a memorial to her husband, but falls in love with her.
A reasonable drama, needed a little more light and shade by the lead con-man but had a reasonable plot. 5/10
A Broadway musical star falls for her suburban neighbour.
A movie that took off once The neighbour appeared, I loved the song "I'd rather have a pal than a gal". Slightly odd with occasional animation and fantasy. I found this and hit and miss movie, if that makes sense? 4/10
A reporter is framed for killing an informer.
Short, B-style movie. Very talkative until the end. Nice to see a couple of well known British actors making an appearance. Not bad. 6/10
A psychotic arsonist enlists the aid of a teenager but soon discovers she is kinkier than he and has murder in mind.
Brilliant performances by both Perkins and Tuesday Weld. The movie laboured a little for me and never really took off, the ending made up for this though and slightly blew me away. 5/10
A retired gunfighter is suspected of the murder of his best friend.
Very disappointing Western, never got going for me with a very unoriginal plot. 4/10
A pilot must safely land a 747 on which deadly nerve gas has been planted.
Despite this having a fairly average script, a bunch of absurdly good-looking people and a bunch of cliches, I really enjoyed this. Tense, the odd twist and I found myself gripping the arm of the chair. 9/10
Three people drive an ailing truck to a remote African township where they hope to start a haulage business.
Wonderful movie, with the journey turning up a variety of problems, obstacles and mechanical failures. Hugely enjoyable, I have no idea who sourced the locations for this, they deserve an award! 8/10
