Satan's Triangle (1975)

It is the Bermuda Triangle with a twist!

A boat issues an SOS and a US Coast Guard helicopter is despatched crewed by Pagnolini (Michael Conrad) and Haig (Doug McClure). Haig ends up stranded on the boat due to a storm, and he finds there is a survivor Eva (Kim Novak). 

She tells him of horrible events which took place on the boat after a priest was rescued from the open sea, which resulted in the deaths of the rest of the crew. Yet, what really happened?

An excellent TV movie which presents the familiar (and cool in the 1970s) Bermuda Triangle mystery and gives its an extra supernatural bite. The dark twist at the end elevates this into a movie well worth your time.

SOS Coast Guard (Serial) (1937)

An exciting though familiar action serial.

A scientist (mad of course) called Boroff (Bela Lugosi) has developed a disintegrating mist and wants to sell it to rival powers of the good old USA. Coast Guard Lieutenant Kent (Ralph Byrd) and his reporter girlfriend Jean (Maxine Doyle) gets involved with the hunt for the fugative Boroff and also has to tackle Boroff's brutal thug Thorg (Richard Alexander) who really makes this serial with his impressive and menacing physicality.

A succession of death defying cliff hangers to follow. This serial is well made though pretty familiar fare. Although Lugosi is the main villain, Thorg is the most memorable one. The rest of the cast do a competent though unexceptional job though this is well worth a watch.

Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (1995)

A gripping telling of a true story of a near disaster in the air.

Captain Bob (William Devane) has a routine trip taking his new Boeing 767 across Canada. Unfortunately, there is a problem. Canada has switched to metric and this has confused the ground crew. Therefore, Bob and his fellow crew and passengers discover that their airliner is about to run out of fuel...

Bob has to demonstrate all of his flying skills to get his now-glider safely down on the ground. Meanwhile, the motley collection of stereotypes amongst the crew and passengers face the danger in many different ways.

A good film though padded out a bit. The soapy elements do add a bit of human interest to the film and to heighten the stakes but maybe slightly over done. A neat little cameo is made by the real Captain Bob Pearson who plays an examiner who assures some trainees that it could be done!

Miss Polly (1941)

A rather silly little comedy but maybe what you need in trying times.

A small town is terrorised by it's Purity League led by Mrs Snodgrass (Kathleen Howard) who doesn't want any fun in the town and especially young boys and girls doing anything which might be even the slightest bit naughty. 

That even includes Snodgrass's daughter Barbara (Elyse Knox) who is trying to romance Eddie (Richard Clayton). Luckily, Miss Polly (Zasu Pitts) has a plan. She has a spirit which might be able to unlock the romantic feelings kept supressed in the town...

A nice little comedy with some good hands in the key roles. The clash between two people with opposite characters and attitudes is a common comedy trope and is done well here.

The Brain Eaters (1958)

A low budget but high thrills science fiction film.

A strange cone has appeared near a small town, the inhabitants of the town including the mayor begin to disappear and then reappear and act strangely. Senator Powers (Cornelius Keefe) is despatched to see what is going on, or annoy everyone. He pushes the scientists on the site to find out what the cone is all about. It is discovered that parasites are taking control of people and cannot be removed without killing the host...

A standard science-fiction story, especially from the time. A lot of Cold War paranoia can be felt in this tale of invasion and control. Despite the familiar story, low budget and - at times - oddness, this is an enjoyable film to watch.

Leonard Nimoy has a small role though until he speaks he is unrecognisable under a hood and beard!

Istanbul Express (1968)

A tasty late 60s spy movie.

Agent London (Gene Barry) has been despatched to Istanbul to win an auction for some secret documents, which rival powers are also interested in. London will receive the number to the safety deposit box where the cash is from different people along the way as he travels from Paris on a train, which is protected by Cheval (John Saxon). 

However, is the auction all that it seems and can he keep away from the clutches of the Communists led by Darvos (Senta Berger)?

A good plot though a little ridiculous and convoluted to suit the TV movie format. Quite why he needed to be given the safety deposit number in separate digits is a little silly but does make for plenty of exciting scenes and perils. Highly enjoyable film with a good twist.

Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942)

Ellery Queen returns to combat a Nazi gang after diamonds.

Free Dutch agents have smuggled diamonds into the US to keep them away from the Nazis... though a Nazi gang is hot on their heels. Ellery Queen (William Gargan) and Nikki Porter (Margaret Lindsay) are dragged into the case, at first thinking the Dutch agent Gillette (Gilbert Roland) is a criminal but soon they discover the truth. The case is a complicated one with some unexpected twists.

This was the final entry in the Ellery Queen series and the series ends on a high. A lot is packed into the war time plot and it ends with some good rough humour in the final fight scene. Of course, there is a bit of a propaganda edge to the film though this doesn't overbear the story.

Danger Trails (1935)

A nice enough though unspectacular Western.

Bob (Guinn Big Boy Williams) is a successful football star back east who heads back west to see his father and brothers whom he has not seen for years. 

However, to his surprise his family members are outlaws and they rob the stagecoach he is on! He manages to persuade his father to go straight but his father is killed by the sheriff. The brothers kidnap the sheriff's daughter (Marjorie Gordon), forcing Bob to choose between family and the law...

This is a fine enough example of a B-movie Western. It has all the usual tropes including speeded up horse riding and plenty of aimless firing of pistols (seldom hitting anyone of course) plus regular fights. The film is a worthwhile watch though has little you would have not seen before.

The Thousand Plane Raid (1969)

Much stock footage is assembled to give Nazi Germany a really bad time.

We are still early in the Second World War, British and American bombers are launching piece meal raids on Germany but Colonel Brandon (Christopher George) believes the raids need to be much bigger so a target can be devastated. 

Finally, Brandon is given the all clear to plan such a raid, but he needs help. He does not appreciate that the help comes in the form of cocky RAF Spitfire Howard (Gary Marshal). After much disagreement and no small number of training mishaps the raid is on, and of course Brandon and Howard are thrown together to lead the attack...

Not a bad film despite the limited budget, which therefore forced a reliance on a little more stock footage than i'm sure they would have preferred but we do get plenty of real B-17s. The story is a bit cliched but the structure of the film is sound and the combat scenes meaty enough.

The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988)

A tense TV movie about a real-life hijacking that took place just a couple of years before.

Chief flight attendant Uli (Lindsay Wagner) thinks her next flight will be a run-of-the-mill run from Athens. However, soon into the flight two Hezbollah terrorists hijack the flight. Castro (Eli Danker) threatens to blow up the plane unless the crew do as they say. 

The plane is soon travelling backwards and forwards between Beirut and Algiers, Uli and the rest of the crew are trying to keep their passengers safe, especially their Jewish ones and US servicemen, while the terrorists demand the release of prisoners...

An excellent film, the low budget helping to keep everything low-key and very believable. The terrorists are brutal, violent but also humanised to build out the characters and not making them 2-D cardboard cut-outs as so often happens with characters like this on screen.

The Greene Murder Case (1929)

An early Philo Vance talkie.

The Greene family are that staple of interwar American families on screen: rich and hate each other! They live in the family ancestral pile and must live there for fifteen years otherwise they won't get a share of the late Mr Greene's wealth. 

After two of the family are killed within a few minutes of each other, Philo Vance (William Powell) is called in by the baffled police (Eugene Palette) to help, but even he is confused by the various possible suspects, though it helps that the possible suspects are being whittled down by being murdered too! 

A good film. Technically interesting especially with some of the camera angles in the final act and the peril on the roof. The story is good with some interesting psychological aspects to it. Although an early talkie the sound recording and acting isn't too bad.

Operation Bikini (1963)

A rather strange film that is a mix of wartime drama and pop video!

Captain Carey (Tab Hunter) is tasked with transporting an underwater demolition team to Bikini Atoll which is held by the Japanese, and a US Navy submarine with top secret technology is currently sunk on the seabed and must be blown up before the Japanese can find it. Among the demolition team is Malzone (Frankie Avalon) who dreams of being a 1960s crooner and hanging out on a beach amongst young women!

This isn't a great film but it is a very strange one. The war scenes are not bad though the sort of anti-submarine warfare seen before (and probably better). The songs and weirdness take the film to a whole other level, which is either awful or brilliant or maybe a bit of both.

Time Travelers (1976)

An enjoyable TV movie, if you can overcome the rather ridiculous premise.

A new disease is in danger of getting out of control. The only way to fight the disease is apparently to... travel back in time to Chicago 1871 where the disease once rose before but was successfully treated by a now long dead doctor. Earnshaw (Sam Groom) and Adams (Tom Hallick) are sent back in time. Unfortunately, there is a slight miscalculation and they are sent just days before the great Chicago fire which will destroy everything...

OK, you obviously will consider that if the US government possesses time travel technology you may wonder why a mere virus is now a problem. However, if you suspend enough disbelief than this is a fine little film.

The Thirteenth Chair (1937)

A detective story set in the "mysterious" East and involving seances, could a film be any more from the 1930s?

After the murder of a man in Calcutta, Inspector Marney (Lewis Stone) is bought in to investigate this baffling case. "Help" comes from an unexpected direction as Madame La Grange (May Whitty) to performance a seance with a group of people linked to the victim, one of whom is probably the murderer. 

However, during the seance another man is murdered! Marney investigates the case, this time he is sure the murderer is in the room, and a number of secrets are revealed...

This is a highly enjoyable crime film with tasty additions of Eastern mystery and mysticism. Not as witty or intelligent as an Agatha Christie type of story but not bad at all. The crime itself and how it is solved is a lot more down to earth though. Some great twists and a good character mix make this a pretty good film.

Cash on Demand (1961)

A taut, tense and excellent bank robbery drama.

Bank manager Fordyce (Peter Cushing) is unpopular with his staff, he pounces on mistakes and disapproves of the preparations for Christmas. 

Then he is visited by genial and refined Colonel Gore (André Morell) who is from an insurance company he claims, however soon Fordyce discovers that Gore is really a bank robber who has had Fordyce's family taken hostage and will have them electrocuted if Fordyce does not give Gore access to the safe and let him steal nearly £100,000 in cash!

This is a very good bank robbery film that keeps everything within a handful of locations. The interplay between Cushing and Morell is superb, maybe one of Peter Cushing's best roles. Morell also excels as the crook hiding a huge amount of menace behind his genteel facade.

Shadow Ninja (1980)

Despite the title there is no ninja action here, or even much in the way of shadows. There is some dubious humour though and some pretty good kung fu.

An experienced police detective (Roy Chiao), who has a gambling addict wife, is forced to work both sides of the law. He is teamed up with an eager young policeman (Wei Tung) and after some early awkwardness they begin to work well together. Everything is set up for a showdown with a serial killing swordsman (Shi Kwan-Yen)...

The film has plenty of goofy humour, though much of it is lost in translation especially with a badly dubbed film. Suddenly however, the tone changes abruptly with the search for the swordsman and much brutal violence and death. The fights are actually pretty good and innovative though the plot is a bit obvious.

The Silent Witness (1932)

Melodramatic at times but this is a pretty solid crime and court room drama.

Naive young fool Anthony (Bramwell Fletcher) is wrapped around the finger of his manipulative lover Nora (Greta Nissen) and her scheming husband Blake (Weldon Heyburn). Finally, he snaps and he thinks he has killed Nora. His father Sir Austin (Lionel Atwill) decides to take the blame to save his son from the gallows. In the court room the case against him begins to unravel putting Anthony back in peril... but did he kill Nora after all?

Anthony is an incredibly annoying character who drags the film down at times but when he is kept away from the story then things develop nicely into a very solid crime story and some good court room scenes with some good British humour and characters. The story is very good and Greta Nissen steals the film with her sexy performance. An excellent film.

American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)

The Japanese have conquered the Philippines, but the Americans haven't given up yet!

After Palmer's (Tyrone Power) patrol boat is sunk during the Japanese invasion, he and his crew are trying to get back to the US Navy. 

However, their attempts fail and Palmer begins to work with US personnel and Filipinos to fight back against the Japanese and prepare for the return of the US forces led by General MacArthur...

This is an enjoyable war movie with some classic tropes as well as plenty of jingoism but that is to be expected from a Second World War film made so soon after the events being recounted. 

The Doomsday Flight (1966)

One of the best TV movies ever made, an excellent tale of high drama at high altitude.

A flight takes off bound for New York, the usual collection of stereotypes is aboard including the arrogant celebrity Ducette (John Saxon). 

However, the flight captained by Anderson (Van Johnson) soon runs into trouble as a mysterious man (Edmond O'Brien) rings the airline to tell them there is a bomb aboard! The bomb is air pressure sensitive, so will explode if the plane drops below a certain altitude. With time running out, FBI Agent Thomson (Jack Lord) battles to try and catch the bomber, though the bomber is getting drunk and throwing everything into chaos...

This is a truly excellent film with a lot of tension and plot twists and turns. Great performances and a well paced and staged plot make this film very highly recommended.

Canal Zone (1942)

Although full of cliches, this is an interesting war film that approaches a somewhat neglected aspect of the conflict.

Bombers need ferrying from the US mainland out to the forces fighting in the East, this requires flying them from Panama across to Africa, a highly dangerous job. Despite this, barely trained pilots are being recruited and Hardtack Hamilton (Chester Morris) has his work cut out to get them ready. The new pilots are a collection of stereotypes, but the one which causes the biggest headache for Hardtack is the arrogant playboy Ames (John Hubbard) who takes risks in the air and is trying to muscle in on Hardtack's girlfriend Susan (Harriet Nelson)!

Ames' risk taking soon results in a disaster after a fellow pilot is killed. Ames falls into despair at what he has done. Now Hardtack and Susan must try and drag him back to the obvious redemption arc!

An enjoyable film, though fairly predictable, it is well made and has some good performances. The aerial scenes are obviously done with models and are not very realistic but it does not ruin the film.

The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)

A superb crime drama, though it does seem intent in shoehorning every Swiss cliché into it that is possible.

Swiss banks are famous for their secrecy and discretion, however someone is putting that at risk by black mailing the customers of the bank operated by Hurtil (Ray Milland). 

Former US agent Christopher (David Janssen) is bought in to investigate, but soon tangles with mobster Hayes (John Saxon) and the rather more lovely Abbott (Senta Berger). There is an insider behind this conspiracy, the identity of which is quite a surprise...

A very good film, though leans rather more heavily on the "Swiss-ness" of the setting than maybe it should. At times it does risk becoming self-parody but luckily the strong plot and good performances save the day and make this a very worthwhile film indeed.