War Hunt (1962)

A dark war film set during the Korean War.

Loomis (Robert Redford) is a naive young soldier who is sent to join the Korean War front line. He finds it is not a straight forward conflict with the aim being not to win but to hurt the enemy as much as possible. 

Fellow soldier Endore (John Saxon) is quite happy with that and soon Loomis finds Endore's obvious psychopathic tendencies as dangerous as the enemy...

A low budget war film (and the low budget really shows at times) but very tense and dark with a great performance from Saxon who really steals the film. 

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)

A crazy martial arts film involving ridiculous combat... a lot of it.

In the days of ancient China, the people are kept under control by the Manchu by the practitioners of the flying guillotine. The master of this bizarre device, which looks like a bowl lined with razor blades, is the blind monk Fung (Kang Kam). He is out to gain revenge on the one armed fighter Liu Te Lung (Yu Wang) who killed two of his disciples...

That is the plot, which isn't much. The film is mostly about the fighting and there is a lot of it in this film. In fact the film is nearly all fight scenes which are held together by the odd bit of plot. Those fight scenes, especially the final battle between Fung and Liu are on the whole pretty terrific.

Mary Ryan, Detective (1949)

A modest but enjoyable little crime B-movie.

A female gang is stealing jewellery, possibly by making use of small children. Detective Mary Ryan (Marsha Hunt) is sent to prison (undercover of course) by her boss (John Litel) to try and infiltrate the gang. This she succeeds in doing but the gang leader (June Vincent) is suspicious which proves very dangerous to Mary...

A thoughtful and intelligent film with some good performances. The gang are not the sort of identikit thugs which you usually get in films of this type. Maybe not a thrill-a-minute but a good plot.

Flat Top (1952)

An enjoyable, if generic, naval air warfare yarn.

During the Korean War Commander Collier (Sterling Hayden) remembers back to the previous war and his early days on the carrier. 

This included butting heads with Rodgers (Joe Carlson) and various antics, and many training missions, as some raw recruits get knocked into shape and got ready for combat...

It is very predictable but a decently made film. If you have seen that many war films then it probably has little you would not have seen before in these kinds of film but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a watch. The carrier stock footage is good, especially the early jet age footage.

Blind Warrior (1987)

Completely over the top magical martial arts action, extraordinary and fantastic.

In the days of ancient Indonesia, the brutal warlord Baden Parna (Advent Bangun) is terrorising local villages, enslaving the men to toil in his gold mine and taking the women to his bed. 

Only one man can stop the evil warlord... a wandering blind warrior called Barda (Ratno Timoer)! He has supernatural fighting skills and brings the fight back to Parna...

This is a crazy film, violent yet frequently ridiculous martial arts mixed with a lot of mysticism and magic. The plot is basic, and often doesn't make a lot of sense. But this is a glorious watch and a huge amount of fun, and exotic sleaze.

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (Serial) (1941)

Everything is thrown at this Dick Tracy serial, which is wonderfully over the top.

A deadly crime boss known as The Ghost has the ability to become invisible. He uses this skill for crime of course. When he wants to deal with his underlings he wears a rather creepy black mask which looks pretty cool. 

Only Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) can stop him (and reveal which of the potential suspects he is) after many cliff hangers and death defying stunts... 

This is pretty good stuff and one of the better movie serials of the 1940s. Nothing is spared and the actions is fast and frequently ridiculous. It is a comic strip bought to life on screen which is exactly how Dick Tracy should be of course.

The Wild Blue Yonder (1951)

A standard training for war film which has few surprises but has some great footage of the iconic B-29 bomber.

The B-29 is coming, but this is a more highly advanced and complicated new plane than has come before and requires a lot of training. Major West (Forrest Tucker) is leading the training, Captain Calvert (Wendell Corey) one of his charges. They are (of course!) rivals for the affections of the same woman Landers (Vera Ralston)! 

After a lot of effort, trouble and revealed dark secrets, the bombers are sent into combat and an explosive ending...

Quite a reasonable film though overly relying on stock footage (some of which is a bit sloppy). The story is a bit hackneyed but the technical details of getting the B-29 into service are very interesting.

The Great Hotel Murder (1935)

A quintessential 1930s murder mystery with the crimes investigated by a fast talking sassy crime novelist!

A mysterious death, later found to be murder by poison, takes place at a hotel during a convention of doctors. Hotel detective McCabe (Victor McLagen) is on the case, unfortunately for him the rather annoying crime novelist Blackwood (Edmund Lowe) also wants to be on the case and competes with McCabe to solve the case. As the hotel is full of doctors who know the poison involved that means that are no shortage of potential suspects...

An enjoyable film with a well matched pair tackling the crimes, with a good mixture of suspects and red herrings. The film can be a bit confusing at times and does seem to end rather abruptly.

The Iron Curtain (1948)

Another film about the notable Soviet defector Igor Gouzenko (see also 1954's Operation Manhunt), but this one details exactly how he defected in Canada.

Gouzenko (Dana Andrews) is posted to the Soviet embassy in Ottawa as a cypher clerk during the war. It is here that he learns that the Soviets are already planning for the post-war period and are sending their agents into the Canadian state and learn about the atomic bomb so they can dominate the world. 

Gouzenko's wife Anna (Gene Tierney) gives birth and Gouzenko begins to feel that he doesn't want his son to grow up in such a world of Soviet domination and seeks a way to escape the paranoid Soviet machine...

A decent film, though there is a propaganda edge to the semi-documentary style. Some good performances add to the tension especially in the final scenes.

Death Machines (1976)

A crazy martial arts film which pushes the boundaries even for this time and genre!

A Dragon Lady (Mari Honjo) - evil of course, and seemingly unable to open her mouth much when she speaks - has had three martial arts fighters injected with a serum to turn them into zombie killing machines (Michael Chong, Ronald Marchini and Joshua Johnson). 

They wipe out a mafia boss' usual assassin force so he had no choice but to hire them instead to do the killings he desires. What can the police do about this?

The film makes no sense (well that is a surprise). The bizarre antics and performances, plus a lot of violence make the film very watchable in the "so bad it's good" category.

Flaming Frontiers (Serial) (1938)

A standard Western serial which ends pretty abruptly.

Tom Grant (John Archer) has discovered gold, but as we know in movie land that is always a curse not a blessing. Bart Eaton (James Blane) and Ace Daggart (Charles Middleton) are after the gold and of course is rather unscrupulous in how he gets it. He frames Tom for murder to force him to give up his claim. 

Luckily, Tex Houston (Johnny Mack Brown) is on hand to first save Tom's sister Mary (Eleanor Hansen) and then to clear Tom... amid many cliffhangers.

An enjoyable serial which is pretty action packed throughout, until the end which is strangely a bit low key. However, that doesn't detract from the decent quality throughout.

Whispering City (1947)

An interesting Noir set in Quebec.

An actress dies in a car crash, reporter Mary (Mary Anderson) decides to do a feature on her. She discovers that the actress had complained in the past that her fiancé had been murdered. Mary interviews a patron of the arts, Albert (Paul Lukas). 

One of the artists he is funding is composer Michel (Helmut Dantine). Michel's main problem is her troubled wife, who is soon found dead, and Michel believes he was to blame, he is blackmailed by Albert. Albert wants Michel to kill Mary...

The plot is quite complicated but it all comes together and makes sense. A slow builder that ultimately rewards. Some good suspense and atmosphere help make this a very worthwhile watch.

The Weapons of Death (1981)

A rather grubby and violent martial arts film. Its not that bad but what exactly is going on?

A group of thugs including Ralph Castellanos and Louis Bailey are recruited by one of the Triads to kidnap a young woman for ransom (quite why is unknown because they seem to have enough manpower of their own). The woman's half-brother Eric Lee comes to the rescue (luckily he runs a martial arts school so has good fighting skills!) He is joined by the woman's estranged father who also seems to get in fights a lot.

It is all a bit of a car crash, which makes little sense. The fighting is entertaining enough in lieu of much direction and some rather mediocre performances. Random fights and scenes add to the confusion. Its very watchable, the fights are on the whole pretty decent, but what it all means... well?

Chinatown Nights (1929)

An enjoyable early talkie though chock full of dodgy stereotypes.

War between two rival gangs in Chinatown begins, one of the gangs being led by a white man - Chuck Riley (Wallace Beery). He also becomes mixed up with society girl Joan (Florence Vidor) and begins to wonder if a life of crime and gang warfare is the right path in life. Rival boss Boston Charley (Warner Oland) has other ideas though...

A transitional film, originally made as a silent movie and dubbed into a sound film (though Vidor did not want to return to dub her speaking parts so that was done by someone else!) Hence, the film has a mix of sometimes indifferent dialogue and silent movie physical acting. The sound scenes are often very static due to the microphones, other dubbed scenes are full of activity, this gives the film a bit of a disjointed feel.

It isn't a bad film, though the dated stereotypes also jar these days of course. Despite the shortcomings there is still plenty to enjoy from this film.

They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

A mixture of crime and heart affirming morality.

Champion boxer Johnnie (John Garfield) has a hard living lifestyle though the public image of a saint. After waking up from another heavy session with the booze he discovers a reporter who planned to expose is dead in his apartment. 

Johnnie is innocent but knows he will be blamed so he goes on the run and due to the car crash and fire which killed his manager (who actually killed the reporter), he is assumed dead. He ends up at a farm in Arizona and begins to mentor a group of reform kids (The Dead End Kids). However, the law in the form of Detective Phelan (Claude Rains) who thinks Johnnie is still alive, is not far away...

An enjoyable film though the crime part earlier on is better. The film moves smoothly and does not offend in any way. Not great maybe but fine.

Mr. Nanny (1993)

Not a great film by any means though you do get to see Hulk Hogan in a tutu. 

Tech billionaire Mason (Austin Pendleton) hires ex-wrestler Sean (Hogan) to act as a bodyguard to his two children as he fears rivals might strike. Sean soon discovers Mason's children are delightful homicidal maniacs who try and kill him on numerous occasions including electrocuting him in the shower! Meanwhile, the strange Thanatos (David Johansen) with his chrome head seeks Mason's tech secrets and soon puts all of the family in peril. Can Sean save the day?

This is a car crash of a film for sure. Mad cap antics and physical comedy save the day as otherwise it would be pretty grim. The acting is awful and the story makes little sense (and borrows heavily from Home Alone)... however, it is great fun if we are to be honest. It is nonsense and sometimes over-the-top nonsense is just what you need.

As well as Hogan a number of other 1980s wrestlers like Brutus Beefcake and George Steele also make appearances.

Flight to Nowhere (1946)

A complicated film involving nuclear secrets though takes it's time to go critical.

Pilot Hobe (Alan Curtis) is hired by an apparent Countess (Micheline Cheirel) to fly her and her party (some of whom do not seem to be very happy) to a town in the desert. Things start getting interesting when one of the passengers Catherine (Evelyn Ankers) almost dies on the flight. Hobe also discovers that the passengers apparently to be holding some mysterious documents. Hobe's old commander Bob (Jack Holt), who is now involved in something hush-hush, is also sniffing around...

This isn't too bad a film, and has plenty of highlights including some good characterisation. However, the film gets bogged down in the desert and ends up being a bit dull.

The Flying Missile (1950)

An interesting, if not overly thrilling, look at the earliest days of US Navy guided missiles.

The war is over and now the US Navy is preparing for the next one, that will likely involve guided missiles. Commander Talbot (Glenn Ford) is keen to get his submarine involved in these new trials after watching an early missile (basically a V-2) launched off an aircraft carrier. 

The trial will involve firing V-1s off the decks of submarines, things don't go easy of course and involve the crew of the submarine in various troubles, Talbot is also trying to a girl (Viveca Lindfors)...

The film is a bit slow, and is at times it a little too much like a piece of propaganda but the early missile footage is very interesting.

By Whose Hand? (1932)

An escaped convict hides aboard a continental train, only a sassy newspaper reporter can save the day of course!

Killer Delmar (Nat Pendleton) is on the run. Reporter Jimmy (Ben Lyon) follows the police after news Delmar has been seen at the railway station. Jimmy joins the train, more due to his interest in Alice (Barbara Weeks) than anything else. On board the train Delmar is indeed hiding, a jeweller is also killed and his wares stolen...

This is not a bad film though the plot contains nothing that is surprising (the cops are clueless but the reporter is here to catch the criminal et cetera). The film could have done with a bit more budget to give the onboard train scenes a bit more polish though the location does give the film a claustrophobic feel which adds to the tension.

Follow That Car (1980)

A failed TV pilot but still an enjoyable romp.

Loretta (Tanya Tucker) and Sue Lynn (Terri Nunn) are two pretty car mechanics who spend a lot of their time fixing the car of moonshine runner Dusty (Dirk Benedict), who indulges in high speed chases with the police, sometimes involving driving through fire (won't do the paintwork much good). Caught out by the FBI, they are forced to become under cover agents to defeat the crime boss lady Stark (Sally Kirkland)... 

This was one of a number of films in the late 1970s in a sub-genre sometimes called hicksploitation. They were set in the deep south of the USA, usually involving beautiful girls, fast and loud cars and a county music soundtrack! The film is light, packed full of action though no one really gets that badly hurt amid all the car crashes ands mayhem.

It is fine for what it is but the story is a bit too generic and light. Its not hard to see why it never made it beyond a pilot, but perfectly watchable.

Parole, Inc. (1948)

Gangsters have infiltrated a city's parole programme in order to get dangerous criminals back out on the streets.

The authorities recruit Agent Richard (Michael O'Shea), he takes on the identity of an escaped convict in order to find out who is behind the parole scam. Richard investigates Jojo (Evelyn Ankers) who owns a seedy club where various low-lives and hoodlums hang out. He discovers that her boyfriend Barney (Turhan Bey) is a crooked lawyer who is lining the pockets of corrupt members of the parole board.

A decent crime drama, though for it's good premise it could have maybe been a bit darker. The story is told in flashback by Richard who starts the film all covered in bandages like an Egyptian mummy after the beating he received from the gangsters. 

Rome Express (1932)

An enjoyable crime caper on board a cross-Europe express.

A group of passengers are heading off on a train in Paris for a trip to Rome. They are a motley collection of characters, including an adulterous couple, a film star trying to escape the limelight and a French police inspector. 

Aboard is a valuable painting which is stolen, this leads to murders (though not until some way into the film). There are, of course, many suspects! 

This is a fun film that takes place almost entirely on board the moving train. Neat little camera tricks and editing adds to the interest, though sometimes is a little too cute for it's own good. Conrad Veidt is excellent as the main baddie, exuding menace. Also good in the film is Gordon Harker as a very annoying man.