Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939)

Comedy crime antics, though amid all the nonsense the crime itself is rather dark.

Inspector Hornleigh (Gordon Harker) and Sergeant Bingham (Alastair Sim) are on holiday, and incognito, but when an obviously fake naval captain is apparently killed in a car accident Hornleigh (keenly) and Bingham (reluctantly) begin to investigate. It is soon clear that the accident was really murder and a plot is uncovered by a gang stealing corpses from a hospital to fake accidents in order to claim insurances and wills. The question remains who is the Mr Big behind the plot?

This is a great film, the comedy team of Harker and Sim working together so well. The plot is well constructed and builds gradually, though whether it makes a great deal of sense in the end is a good question. The mixture of character humour, silliness and crime may seem unusual these days but was quite common back in the 1930s.

On the Threshold of Space (1956)

An interesting, though fairly dry, look at the very beginnings of the US effort to put a man into space.

Before you put a man into space you have to work out a way to get him back alive. That is the job of Captain Hollenbeck (Guy Madison) who works for the USAF. Firstly, he is working on a way to get men to eject from the latest ever-faster jet fighters and survive. This isn't the easiest thing in the world but Hollenbeck manages to find a way amid quite a few injuries.

However, there is more to come. A rocket sled to push humans above 1000mph and then the most dangerous of all, a balloon that takes a man to the very edge of space. To the horror of his new wife Pat (Virginia Leith), Hollenbeck volunteers for this mission himself...

Based on the real events, then contemporary to this film which at times is in a semi-documentary style. Unfortunately it can be a bit dry and too restrained at times but the actual experiments give you all the drama and action you could hope for. A fascinating look at the very early, and maybe largely forgotten, part of the space race.

Deep Space (1988)

A secret US weapon falls to Earth (in Los Angeles - what bad luck!) and now a rather horrible insectoid killer is loose killing people left, right and centre.

Detective McLemore (Charles Napier) is a tough hard-bitten cop who does not respect authority (and other clichés). He is investigating the brutal murders of teenagers when he suddenly comes up against the US military. 

Then he discovers that a fast reproducing killer insect-thing is now loose in the city and killing people, including his partner Merris (Ron Glass)...

A not very original film, it even directly rips off a famous scene from Alien. It really is a lot of nonsense, full of characters who act stupidly. One interesting appearance is James Booth, best known for Zulu, who plays a sinister government scientist.

Moonshine (1918)

Mountain folk engage in an endless series of feuds, but real trouble comes when a couple of government revenue inspectors (Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton) comes looking for an illegal still. Many strange antics follow.

This is a silent comedy that sends up the genre in many clever little ways (though not all of the attempts at humour work). The action is a little violent and crude at times but it doesn't take itself very seriously. Does it really work as a film though? 

I Love a Mystery (1945)

A curious but enjoyable crime mystery with a rather amazing twist and a Noir feel.

Socialite Jefferson Monk (George Macready) is convinced he is going to be killed by a mysterious secret society who want to cut his head off! He is followed by a strange man with a bag ready for his head. He employs detectives Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc (Barton Yarborough) to protect him...

The detectives begin to unravel this strange case, with suspicion falling on the people around Monk including his wife (Nina Foch) who has been paralysed... or has she? But is Monk telling the whole truth here?

This is a curious little film livened up by the secret society, a creepy atmosphere and the strange and sinister characters throughout. Nothing is quite as it seems and a lot of plot is squeezed into a short film, and it works really well. The film was based on an episode of a popular radio serial.

4D Man (1959)

A man who can walk through solid matter, would save time that is for sure.

Scientist Dr Nelson (Robert Lansing) is working on advanced new materials, he discovers that radiation has mutated him so he can now pass through solid matter. 

However, every time he does this he ages rapidly. To counter this he must kill people to rejuvenate himself through their life force. It falls on his brother Scott (James Congdon) and his girlfriend Linda (Lee Meriwether) to try and find a way to stop him...

This is a rather decent example of the 50s/60s "science gone wrong" science fiction genre. Although the story takes some time to get going, once it does it is engaging and the special effects are pretty well done especially for their day. The jazz soundtrack is rather jarring though but somehow kind of works?

House of Mystery (1931)

Early DC character The Phantom (Frank Readick) narrates another short but sweet crime drama.

The body of a young woman (Geneva Mitchell) is discovered by two hunters in a log cabin in the woods. Suspicion falls on the woman's husband John (James Craig) after it is revealed that she had been unfaithful. However, the woman's lover Gerald (Eddie Pbillips) and the family butler (Frank Austin) seem to be acting suspicious. There is something in the log cabin they don't want revealed...

A short feature that has a good little plot with a surprising twist. A very satisfying screen equivalent of a crime short story, though its probably a story that could have been expanded into a full-length feature.

The Terror Within (1989)

For a change the battered survivors fight a barren wasteland caused by a biological weapon instead of nukes.

Some sort of virus has escaped from a lab (probably not Covid) and wiped out most life on Earth. A few survivors, now immune, hide in a secure lab while violent mutants roam the wasteland. They discover a group of slain people, and a live girl (Yvonne Saa). The girl is pregnant, and to everyone's horror her baby isn't human... soon a fast growing mutant is loose in the base.

David (Andrew Stevens), Linda (Terri Treas) and the others are in a race against time to kill the mutant before it kills them. Unfortunately, the mutant seems virtually indestructible...

A low-budget science fiction movie, mostly involving running about an underground bunker set. The mutant actually looks pretty good and there is plenty of action and it is pretty entertaining. There isn't a lot of depth to the film but really that isn't the point of a film like this.

Find the Blackmailer (1943)

A bright and breezy crime drama involving a talking crow!

Mayoral candidate Rhodes (Gene Lockhart) comes to private investigator DL Trees (Jerome Cowan) with an unusual request. A talking crow owned by a man called Molner is being used to blackmail Rhodes which is threatening to scupper his election chances. 

Trees goes in search of Molner but finds the man has been killed by gangsters collecting a debt. But where is the crow? Maybe Molner's girlfriend Mona Vance (Faye Emerson) knows something...

This is a fine B-movie crime romp with the usual fast moving action and plenty of wise cracks. A well worn recipe seen in dozens of films of course but always entertaining. Jimmy the Crow is probably the real star on show.

Meteorites! (1998)

A somewhat tedious TV movie about meteorites which decide to bombard the same small American town.

Tom (Tom Wopat) is a retired bomb disposal officer (and as this is a TV movie of course he has demons in his past) who is called upon to investigate a series of unexplained house explosions. 

The mayor (Marshall Napier) is not interested in this though as the town is holding a UFO festival, it's big money spinner and the mayor needs the cash after some dodgy business loans. Tom discovers that the explosions are not due to gas leaks but from something from above. In fact a meteorite storm is targeting the town...

So, the science makes no sense whatsoever, and the film wastes too much time on side plots and irrelevance. Overall, this is a fairly insipid watch.

A Burglar to the Rescue (1931)

A neat little crime drama narrated by the early DC character The Shadow.

Banker Steve Corley (Thurston Hall) has been embezzling the bank so he can spend lavishly on his young mistress Marian (Charlotte Wynters), however the bank auditors are closing in. We learn that Steve has already framed a fellow bank worker for earlier money losses, but Marian will not run away with Steve and leaves in a huff. Then, a burglar (Frank Shannon) enters the bank, he is the man Steve framed (or thinks he is), together they concoct a plan where the burglar steals the contents of the safe then Steve can claim he took all of the missing funds. However, Detective Hurley (Arthur Aylesworth) is sceptical...

A short feature but packed with storyline, and narrated by The Shadow (Frank Readick) who has a very annoying voice. Many films outstay their welcome and would be better if they were shorter, this is one film which would have been better with a little extra time to explain the story. But very enjoyable all the same.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Classic science-fiction thrills as Earth battles wobbly flying saucers.

Flying saucers come to Earth, they contact the scientist Dr Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and tell him that Earth must surrender to the aliens or be destroyed. Dr Marvin and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor) work to develop a magnetic weapon that can cause the saucers to drop out of the sky. 

However, time is running out and the aliens are watching. They are also preparing to attack the major capitals of the world...

This film is typical of the flying saucer attacks genre and one of the most iconic parts of it. The special effects are maybe a bit dated now but good for their day. The final battle scene is very exciting and includes plenty of destruction.

The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)

Once again the retired jewel thief uses his skills to help out those in need.

Joan (Jean Muir) is an honest working girl who is due to marry into a wealthy family. She is entrusted with some valuable jewels but soon finds herself accused of murder when someone tries to steal her jewels, but the thief is himself killed by someone else! Jean enlists the help of The Lone Wolf Michael Lanyard (Warren William) and his trusty butler Jamison (Eric Blore). 

The Lone Wolf discovers that the location of the jewels was only known to a small number of people, one of those must be the murderer/thief but whom. As usual Inspector Crane (Thurston Hall) is only interested in arresting the Lone Wolf!

This is an excellent entry in the Lone Wolf series with plenty of sleuthing and red herrings. It also has the usual humour, fast moving action and interplay between the Lone Wolf and Jamison which makes this series so enjoyable.

Mark of the Witch (1970)

Mind bending witchy nonsense on campus.

A witch is hung in England, but not before she curses her captor. Many years later a descendant of that captor now lives in the USA on a university campus. One of the students, Jill (Anitra Walsh) is obsessed with the occult after discovering an old book and performs a spell to summon a witch. 

Unfortunately, the witch summoned is the one hung three hundred years before. Now the witch has possessed Jill and seeks revenge on her professor (Robert Elston) as well as terrorising the campus...

This is a low budget shock fest but looks great and is a lot of fun. The final battle is completely psychedelic and pretty wonderful to be honest. A perfectly decent early 1970s horror.

The Puppet Masters (1994)

A surprisingly good alien invasion film.

An alien lifeform lands in Ohio and takes possession of humans by sticking it's probes into human brains. Government agent Nivens (Donald Sutherland) is investigating the reported landing of a UFO, which seems to be an obvious fake but the locals are acting strangely, quickly resorting to violence to stop any investigation. 

He and his fellow agents Sam (his son) (Eric Thal) and Mary (Julie Warner) discover that horrible fast reproducing manta ray like alien creatures are possessing people in town and looking to possess as many people as possible.

A race against time begins as the agents and military try to contain the aliens and find a way to defeat them, without killing their human hosts.

A fine film though maybe stretches the plot a little too far (plus there are some obvious flaws in the alien plans and methods which the humans fail to notice). The alien visuals are pretty gruesome at times and make good use of the modest budget. The action is frequent though can be a bit ropey at times. Overall though this is pretty enjoyable.

Illegal (1932)

Rather melodramatic perhaps but an interesting look at the murky world of illegal bars and gambling dens.

Mrs Dean (Isobel Elsom) kicks out her no-good husband (DA Clarke-Smith) but then received a windfall from the race track. She uses the money to buy a failed bar, making money with after hours drinking and illegal gambling in order to fund her two daughters' good education. She eventually gets caught but by then her daughters have grown up and taken over the club. However, their troubles have only just begun, especially when their step-father re-enters their lives...

This is actually a rather sordid film at times, even including a bit of incest! The acting is a bit erratic, though good at times. The mechanisms of a club of ill repute plus the humour here and there enlivens the film. It can't be called good, but it can be called interesting.

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

A radiation mutated (naturally) man menaces Los Angeles.

Colonel Manning (Glenn Langan) somehow survives a close-by nuclear test blast and begins to grow, he becomes an (amazing) colossal man. Unfortunately his brain has also been affected and he becomes very dangerous, and hungry. Egged on by his wife Carol (Cathy Downs), the US military don't just try and kill him. Though when Manning escapes he begins a rampage across Los Angeles.

Yet another giant mutated creature causes havoc, shown using some ropey cheap special effects. For a change the monster is human and not a giant insect or spider. This is a campy film with a big helping of cheese. 

It is nonsense and fairly entertaining though Manning spends a good deal of the film groaning and moaning and it does get a bit tedious after a while.

The Phantom Shot (1947)

The audience gets involved in this fine little murder mystery that helps elevate a basic plot into something more.

After an unpopular county gentleman (Ronald Adam) is shot dead in his house, Inspector Webb (John Stuart) is called to investigate. Unusually he speaks to the camera and asks us the audience to follow the case and see if we can guess who did the murder. Webb works his way through a list of suspects who all have their various reasons to hate the victim or who had the opportunity. Can you guess who was guilty?

To be honest i didn't although i suspected it was someone unlikely, mostly because it usually is! A basic little police procedural that doesn't outstay it's welcome, not Earth shattering but very competent and the (somewhat) interactive element by breaking the fourth wall helps make it stand out.

The House That Would Not Die (1970)

A rather engaging little horror TV movie. 

Ruth (Barbara Stanwyck) and her niece Sara (Kitty Winn) move into an old house. After a rather fraught seance and a painting which falls on a fire, they discover that the house is possessed by two ghosts who appear to be of two people who died in the American Revolutionary War. 

As the hauntings and disturbing antics continue, Ruth and Sara begin to unravel the dark secrets and mysterious circumstances deep in the house's past...

This is a great little ghost story full of atmosphere and growing menace. It might have only had a small budget but it made the most of it and has some good performances especially from Stanwyck.

Light of Day (1987)

The well-worn story of two young people struggling between the pressures of family life and the fantasy of rock and roll.

Joe (Michael J Fox) and Patti (Joan Jett) are young siblings who have the dreams of rock stardom to help them escape the mundanity of their lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Their mother (Gena Rowlands) would rather they got normal jobs as they might then get paid. However, it is when they are performing on stage then they can escape...

There isn't a great deal to this film, its fine (and occasionally cheesy and overly cloying) if not brilliant. Fox and Jett work together well as a convincing pair of close siblings.

Joan Jett in particular plays a good role, you would think an actual rock star would always be able to play a rock star on screen however, as we have seen so often in movies so many fail at it, but Jett nails it.

Tombstone Canyon (1932)

An average Western enlivened by the rather strange Phantom character.

Ken Maynard travels to Tombstone Canyon hoping to find out some more about his past. Unfortunately, a rather strange black masked character called the Phantom is terrorising the ranch of Alf Sykes (Frank Brownlee). Sykes has it in for Ken and tries to get him arrested or killed. Ken begins to investigate why Sykes has it in for him, and who the Phantom is... and why the Phantom is not a danger to him, rather he seems to be protecting him...

Really a fairly mundane Western, though Ken Maynard's real skills of horsemanship are always good to see. The film is given some novelty with the Phantom character, who looks likes he wandered off another film set where they were making a Gothic horror.

Just You and Me, Kid (1979)

A charming odd couple comedy drama, officially there is some darkness here in the plot but it never gets in the way of some old Hollywood nostalgia and nonsense.

Bill (George Burns) is a retired vaudeville performer who delights supermarket staff with his genial quips and illusionist tricks. His life is thrown upside down when he discovers a naked teenage girl in the boot of his car! 

The girl is Kate (Brooke Shields), a teenage prostitute on the run from drug dealers. Bill, once he has befriended Kate, has to keep her hidden and safe, from the bad guys, nosy neighbours and Bill's daughter...

This is a highly enjoyable film, packed full of light, finely observed, humour and nostalgia. The relationship between Bill and Kate develops well during the film, especially once Shields warms into the role.