Dangerous Curves (1929)

An early talkie. Truthfully, its not that great but one of the few sound films the queen of the silent movie, Clara Bow, so is of course well worth a watch.

Circus performer and trapeze artist Larry (Richard Arden) is involved with the vampish fellow performer Zara (Kay Francis) but he is also falling for stunt horse rider Pat (Clara Bow). Zara is cheating on Larry and dumps him when he has an accident. Pat tries to persuade the circus owner to take the injured Larry back, but she needs to think up a new act for them...

Clara shines, unlike many silent movie stars she took to talkies pretty well (this being her second, so with still an occasional hitch) but was let down by indifferent material. The film is OK, interesting without being exceptional. Both of the female leads steal the show but with entirely different styles.

The Third Visitor (1951)

A nice little, if sometimes a bit static, murder mystery.

After Richard Carling (Karel Stepanek) is found dead in his fancy house, Inspector Mallory (Guy Middleton) begins his investigation. There are a number of suspects as Carling was visited by a few people that night, but who was the last person to see him alive. And what is the dark secret behind who Carling really is?

The film can be a bit confusing at times, and also can get bogged down now and then. The story is good though and rewards the viewer's patience at some of the meandering early on as the dark secrets are gradually revealed. Everything comes together in the final act.

Some good performances, especially from Sonia Dresdel, add to the richness of the film. Not perfect but worth watching.

Do or Die (1991)

A fine entry in the Andy Sidaris universe, as our heroines and heroes have to run a gauntlet of assassins.

Japanese crime boss Kaneshiro (Pat Morita) challenges federal agents Donna (Dona Speir) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez) to survive a series of various teams of assassins. 

Luckily, the various assassin teams turn out to be fairly useless, though they do employ a variety of methods and weapons to make their attacks, though all share a lack of being able to aim...

This has a rather simple storyline even for a Sidaris film but is tremendous fun and a hugely enjoyable romp. It has plenty of cheese (including some wonderfully retro computer graphics), sexy nonsense and action. 

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)

A great example of the bank robbery film, maybe the ultimate attempted heist!

It is 1901 and the IRA needs money, so they decide the best way is to steal the British gold reserves held in the vault of the Bank of England! They employ Irish-American Norgate (Aldo Ray) to plan and carry out this audacious plan. 

Norgate befriends the captain of the guard at the bank Fitch (Peter O'Toole) to gain access (luckily Fitch is rather naive) to the bank and begins to formulate a plan to access disused drain tunnels under London and then break into the vault from underneath!

Although not an overly thrilling film, without that much action apart from the final act, it is very interesting film to watch. The gathering of information and forming the plan is very well portrayed and thought out.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

An exciting spy romp with this version of Sherlock Holmes transplanted into the Second World War.

An agent carrying secret plans across the US goes missing, feared captured by Nazi agents. Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) are sent across to the US capital to investigate. Holmes thinks the plans were hidden by the agent, but their whereabouts is unknown. Can Holmes find the Nazi agents, led by George Zucco, before it is too late?

An excellent entry in the Basil Rathbone Holmes series, Holmes using his deduction skills to find the agents despite the apparent absence of a trail (though to be honest he was lucky with the clue he did get). There is a bit of a wartime propaganda feel, but it does not interfere with a strong story.

A Tattered Web (1971)

A superb TV movie about a good cop's downfall.

Detective Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) dotes on his daughter Tina (Sallie Shockley), and is perturbed when he catches his son-in-law Steve (Frank Converse) messing about with a floozy.

Stagg goes to warn the woman Louise (Anne Helm) off but a fight ensues and he accidentally kills her. Stagg is now desperate to cover things up and not just to protect himself but also Tina as he knows Steve, whom Tina loves deeply, is a prime suspect. How far is he prepared to go?

Quite far indeed, and this is a very enjoyable film with some great performances especially by Bridges. Stagg's downfall from trusted veteran cop is swift and continuous as he tries to make things right, but continually makes it worse. One thing which more could have been made of was the dark past which had given Stagg his demons, it seems a bit bolted on too far into the story to have much impact.

Pharaoh's Curse (1957)

A rather dull mummy's curse film, although not without interest.

Captain Storm (Mark Dana) is sent out to reach a team of Egyptologists during a time of revolt in colonial Egypt. The team encounter a strange Egyptian woman called Simira (Ziva Rodann) who doesn't seem bothered by the relentless desert heat and keeps talking in riddles. At the tomb, Quentin (George Neise) opens a tomb and unwittingly releases an ancient evil spirit who begins to kill the party one by one, draining the blood of it's victims...

The film has problems. The story is not that original and moves rather slowly, plus does not have the largest of budgets. However, the film does have some good creepy moments and Rodann was excellent (if a bit campy) as the mysterious Simira.

Guns (1990)

A brash action drama involving many women in skimpy outfits with big busts and bigger guns.

Crime boss Jack of Diamonds (Erik Estrada) orders a hit on DEA agent Donna (Dona Speir), though a mix-up by the assassins who were in drag (honestly!) results in another woman being killed. Donna discovers that the crime boss is the man who killed her father, and he has also kidnapped her mother so there is plenty at stake...

This film is by Andy Sidaris and so you know it will be an action romp which makes little sense. We have the drag queen assassins as mentioned earlier, an interrogator who does magic tricks while interviewing captured gang members and even an attack by ninjas! The film is tremendous fun and highly enjoyable.

Special Inspector (1938)

An inoffensive quota quickie, though unfortunately a lot of it takes place in the dark.

Someone is hijacking Canadian trucks carrying furs and selling the loot down in the US. US Agent Tom Evans (Charles Quigley) goes undercover as a driver and is soon the victim of another robbery, though somehow Patricia (Rita Hayworth) is involved - but on whose side? 

Tom continues undercover though when his identity is unveiled he, and Patricia, are in big trouble with the mob...

A reasonable film that plods along though not without much purpose or that much excitement. It isn't helped by a lot of the scenes taking place at night and indifferently lit. 

The film is not bad but not much more.

The Caribbean Mystery (1945)

A fast moving crime romp in the swamp.

After the repeated disappearances of oil company prospectors in the swamps of an unnamed Caribbean island, private detective Smith (James Dunn) is bought in to find out what is going on. This is not to the liking of the authorities, who think the men just died of natural causes in the swamp (though we know thats not true). When people aligned with Smith start dying, and Smith himself has attempts on his life, it is clear that something big is going on, and involving buried treasure...

A decent little crime B-movie. Modest but well made and the plot moves swiftly enough to keep your attention. There are plenty of potential suspects and the film manages to keep some good surprises until the end, though the finale is a little rushed. 

An enjoyable film, though the plot is not anything out of the ordinary and indeed is pretty similar to a number of other films but still worth watching.

The Voice of the City (1929)

An uneven early talkie.

Convicted cop killer Bobby Doyle (Robert Ames) escapes prison and goes on the run. He protests that he was framed by the mob. He was helped by Johnny (Clark Marshall) and is hidden by his girlfriend (Sylvia Field) and sister (Duane Thompson) Detective Myers (Willard Mack) is tasked with catching Bobby and putting him back in the nick...

Not a bad film with some enjoyable scenes, though the film is also padded out with some awkward extended dialogues scenes and the staging is pretty static most of the time. Some of the actors also struggle a bit with the change from silent movie style movement and physical emoting to dialogue, but that is the fun of transitional films.

One interesting thing to note is that this was the film Al Capone was watching when he was arrested in Philadelphia in 1929!

The Underwater City (1962)

For once a 1960s science fiction film that doesn't take place in outer space but under water.

A group of scientists and engineers led by Bob Gage (William Lundigan) seek to build a city on the sea bed. This is fraught with danger though, including getting eaten by sharks! Finally, the city is built but oh no its been built on a fault line (obviously didn't consult with any geologists first)...

This is a reasonable if not super exciting film, it is rather marred by a voice over which gives it the feel of a strange documentary at times. It is a shame the film ends up being a bit wet (so to speak) as it could have been more. It's not bad but ultimately a bit disappointing.

Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)

Undeniably cheesy but a fun body horror science fiction film.

A gangster (Michael Granger) appears to have come back from exile abroad and is killing the people who put him away in prison, and he seems to have supernatural strength! 

Dr Walker (Richard Denning) investigates the case and discovers traces of radioactivity and links to a (mad) Nazi scientist (Gregory Gaye) who experimented with controlling animal bodies via electrodes in the brain. Could the experiment have moved onto human suspects?

The effects are pretty low budget but are wonderfully creepy. The final battle between the radioactive zombies and the police is both hilarious and thrilling. 

Trapped by Boston Blackie (1948)

Another bright and breezy Boston Blackie entry, though padded out a bit.

After a private investigator friend dies in a car crash, Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) and The Runt (George E Stone) help out his widow to provide discreet protection of valuables at a fancy costume party (which gives Blackie yet another opportunity to don a disguise, though unfortunately he decides to black up!) 

Of course, valuable pearls are stolen at the party and Boston Blackie gets the blame when Farraday (Richard Lane) turns up to investigate... On the run, Blackie and the Runt seek to discover the real thief, and of course there are a number of suspects.

A fine entry in the series, the penultimate film. Boston Blackie's ability to disguise himself is bought to the fore here, though how good these disguises are is another question though they certainly seems to fool everyone he meets! By now though we have seen the Boston Blackie set-up sufficient times that everything is a little too familiar but this is still an enjoyable film.

Day of the Warrior (1996)

Big chests and bigger guns, all you need to know is that the director Andy Sidaris was a genius.

Crime boss and former CIA agent The Warrior (Buff Bagwell) has broken into the secret service database thanks to his inside man. He is using this information to put agents at risk of being discovered while they try and infiltrate the Warrior's crime empire. Can our heroes and heroines led by Willow Black (Julie Strain) save the day?

Of course they can! What follows is a flimsily plotted, often very strange and also violent film where most of the cast do not like to wear much in the way of clothing. 

It is completely wonderful, a highly enjoyable film and a complete romp. Some might say this is so bad it is good, i say it is it's own strange and special kind of genius and completely excellent.

Homicide Bureau (1939)

An enjoyable police drama, though one with a bit of a missed opportunity.

Crime is out of control in the city, but the police are held back by the annoying fact they need to obey the law. Detective Jim Logan (Bruce Cabot) is tasked to investigate a murder which is mixed up with the scrap metal trade. Jim is foiled by the pesky need to get actual evidence, especially after the mob set him up for humiliation with fake evidence which is shown up by the new forensic scientist Bliss (Rita Hayworth). Under a cloud, Jim continues his investigation unofficially...

This is a good example of a 1930s crime B-movie. A complicated and involving plot is packed into a short film with some good performances and a good action set piece to finish proceedings. The one drawback is the fact Rita Hayworth is not used that much in the film, and lacks much in the way of chemistry with Bruce Cabot. However, that does not ruin the enjoyment too much.

Motor Patrol (1950)

A tale of motorcycle cops in Los Angeles. 

Motorbike cop Larry (William Henry) is killed while investigating a hit-and-run murder case, which may have been deliberate. Trainee cop Ken (Don Castle), who is engaged to Larry's sister, goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of car thieves in the city...

A reasonable, competent if not overly exciting crime B-movie. There is nothing much wrong with this film though it does lack a bit of a bite. Sid Melton provides a bit of comic relief which helps the film become a little too worthy for it's own good.

Enemy Gold (1993)

While not the best entry in the Sidaris-verse this is a solid and highly enjoyable boobs and guns romp.

Three federal agents anger crime boss Santiago (Rodrigo Obregón) so much that he calls in hitwoman Jewel Panther (Julie Strain) to deal with them. The agents meanwhile are on a trip into the woods and discover a cache of buried Confederate gold from the American Civil War. This of course adds another dimension to the showdown...

Although part of Andy Sidaris' series of films, it does stand alone to an extent as some of the actors play different roles to how they are in other instalments. 

This is a decent film, not quite as good as some other films in the series but still great fun. Former Playboy models and various hunks show off their cleavage and pecs and fire lots of guns. The plot is sketchy but does it's job.

Exposed (1947)

An uneven but still enjoyable crime B-movie.

Private investigator Belinda (Adele Mara) is hired by a businessman to check on his step-son (Mark Roberts) who is acting suspiciously including making a number of large money withdrawals. 

However, when Belinda arrives at the businessman's home she finds the businessman dead! Belinda begins to investigate the case, much to the annoyance of her police inspector Dad (Robert Armstrong)!

This is not a bad film though maybe a bit generic. A lot of plot is squeezed in as well as plenty of suspects and red herrings. The leads do not have much chemistry together though and Belinda herself can be a bit too annoying at times. Still, this is a decent watch.

The Monkey Hu$tle (1976)

A rather chaotic blaxploitation film, a bit of fun and charisma keeps things going but only just.

Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto) is a successful hustler in Chicago, he takes some young wannabe players under his wing and they hustle and jive their way to some success in their local neighbourhood. However, developers plan to demolish the neighbourhood to bring a new highway through...

This isn't a great film, the jive and poor dialogue is so poor it is almost beyond parody. Characters are incredibly one-dimensional and the plot is so vague as to be pretty much non-existent at times. The film can be very confusing, you wonder if the editor was maybe a little too keen and left some important plot driving scenes on the cutting room floor.

However, the film can be fun to watch with some good comedy scenes (though also some which really miss the mark).