The Fighting Gentleman (1932)

An enjoyable, if fairly predictable, sporting drama.

Jack (William Collier Jr) is a mechanic who is at the fair with his girlfriend Jeanette (Josephine Dunn) and wants to impress her / win some money. He has the bright idea of taking on the fair's prize fighter, yet despite his bravado he is knocked out by a single punch! 

Undaunted, Jack decides he will become a professional boxer (of course!) However, despite success in the ring, Jack's love life is thrown into chaos by the arrival of gold digger Natalie Moorhead...

A pleasant film which breezes on by, though the story itself is a bit generic as a boxing/sporting story. That does not mean it isn't worth watching.

Coonskin (1974)

A very strange film, satirical and different but is it any good?

Mixing live action with animation, and everything seems rather random. This film includes a prison break (one of the would-be escapees is voiced by Barry White - yes that one!) as well as a number of wannabe gangsters who rise up the ranks in organised crime in Harlem...

A satire on mid-1970s America, blaxploitation films and race relations, though the satire is laid on as thick as an industrial digger. Maybe the film could have done with being a little more subtle. 

The mix of animation and live action is an acquired taste, though unfortunately not one i have ever acquired. It is certainly an interesting piece of work though i can't say i enjoyed it that much.

A film apparently intended to offend everyone, it will probably succeed.

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)

Sherlock Holmes battles Moriarty with a vital secret weapon at risk of being lost to the Nazis.

Dr Tobel (William Post Jr) has developed an advanced new bomb sight, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) helps bring Tobel to the UK and away from the clutches of the Gestapo. It should all be simple and settled now right? 

Unfortunately not as Tobel has a rather lax attitude to his own personal safety, and the dreaded Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) is after the bomb sight and is willing to sell them to the Nazis...

An excellent "modern" Sherlock Holmes tale, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Watson bringing all the goods as usual. Fast moving plot and ingenious code driven action makes this film highly enjoyable.