Hi-Jacked (1950)

An inoffensive decent little crime drama.

A gang are hi-jacking trucks and stealing the loads, one of these trucks is being driven by Joe (Jim Davis) when he falls for the old broken down car trick.

Unfortunately, Joe has a record so he is suspected by the police of being involved. These suspicions are fuelled when Joe is framed into driving a load of contraband. He sets out to catch the real criminals, and save his marriage to Jean (Marcia Mae Jones)...

This is a reasonable if unexceptional B-movie. The story is not very original and the performances a bit flat. It passes the time but not much more.

The Notorious Lone Wolf (1946)

The Lone Wolf continues, with a new face.

The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (now played by Gerald Mohr) has returned from the war and immediately gets drawn into a plot to steal a valuable diamond. Inspector Crane (William B Davidson) naturally thinks Lanyard and Jameson (Eric Blore) stole the gem - Crane is quite an unimaginative detective to be honest as he always thinks Lanyard is behind all gem thefts, maybe he thinks he will get it right finally. The gem was stolen from a dancer who was wearing it, the dancer being murdered. Lanyard must track down the gem and the murderer...

The Lone Wolf series was just starting to run out of steam by now. Post-war, these kinds of bright and breezy B-movies were starting to look a bit dated in the coming age of the Noir, however Mohr slightly refreshes the role. The rest of the Lone Wolf formula is there and this is a good, if unexceptional, entry in the series.

The Black Cobra 3: Manila Connection (1990)

Lots of running around in the Filipino jungle ultimately wins out.

After a shipment of US weapons are stolen in the Philippines, and a US agent is killed by insurgents, Malone (Fred Williamson) is called in from the streets of Chicago to help investigate the case along with Interpol agent Duncan (Forry Smith). 

As their investigation continually runs into trouble they begin to suspect there is a traitor in their midst, could it be fellow agent Ward (Debra Ward)?

A low budget action romp with the flimsy story largely there to punctuate the various action set pieces. These arn't bad, though are frequently a bit ridiculous and overly relys on the tired trope of the bad guys being hopeless shots. An enjoyable film if approached in the right way.

Alibi for Murder (1936)

A 1930s B-movie about a private detective and reporter who is (yes you guessed it) sassy and wise-cracking!

Perry (William Gargan) is trying to interview a reclusive scientist, while he is at the scientist's home trying to get to see him a shot is heard and the scientist is found dead. The murdered man's secretary Lois (Marguerite Churchill) helps Perry try and unravel a complicated case involving business rivals, military secrets and anti-war sentiment...

This is a typically fast moving crime drama with plenty of suspects and red herrings before we get to the final act and a fairly ingenious murder method. The plot is a bit hard to follow at times though but it doesn't really spoil the enjoyment that much. 

One interesting part of the film is early on when we see the scientist Stava (Egon Brecher) arrive back in the USA from Europe on the Hindenburg zeppelin!

Million Dollar Weekend (1948)

A neat little crime drama with some good twists.

Nick (Gene Raymond) has run off with a million dollars worth of bonds, he is joined on his flight by Cynthia (Osa Massen) who is on the run after killing her husband (accidentally but the slimy Alan (Francis Lederer) is blackmailing her). Once they get to Honolulu, Nick is forced to join up with Cynthia after Alan discovers Nick's secret and decides those bonds are a more lucrative prize and heads off back to the mainland with them. Now Nick and Cynthia desperately try and hunt Alan down in San Francisco...

An enjoyable film that has a bit of a Noir touch but only just enough to give the film a little extra bite. The story is involving and the leads give some good performances. A modest film maybe but certainly more than the sum of it's parts. A film that is well worth checking out.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The second film in the original Star Wars trilogy, many regard this the best film of the lot, and it quite possibly is.

After the loss of the Death Star battle station to the rebels in the first film, the Empire's forces led by Darth Vader (David Prowse / James Earl Jones) are fighting back and are hot on the rebels' trail. After a close call on the ice planet Hoth, the rebels manage to escape but Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) breaks off to meet with the legendary Yoda to begin his Jedi training. 

On the planet Bespin, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and our other heroes are captured by Vader. Luke comes to the rescue but discovers a horrific fact about his past...

A darker film than Star Wars with new layers added to the main returning characters, greatly adding to the richness of the leads established in the first film. All the joy and wonder of Star Wars is enhanced by thoughtful additions to the universe, these additions all makes sense (something later sequels often forgot). A fantastic film. The best Star Wars film? Maybe, it is certainly in the top two.

The Case Against Brooklyn (1958)

A tough crime drama with a definite Noir feel.

With unlicensed bookmakers operating in the city, the feeling is that the police are on the take. The DA sends a rookie cop in to investigate. Pete (Darren McGavin) is unknown and keen, but hurled into a very dangerous situation with ultimately deadly consequences. 

Pete thinks recently widowed Lil Polumbo (Margaret Hayes) is the key to getting the evidence that the local police are in the bookies' pocket but he really needs to be wary of her friend Franklin (Warren Stevens)...

A great example of a late Noir. The villains are ruthless and deadly, willing to resort to anything to keep their racket going. The plot is fast moving and the film is well performed. A great watch.

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

Part of the long-running Boston Blackie series, the usual frantic goings on but this time in Tinsel town.

Blackie (Chester Morris) and the Runt (George E Stone) are about to head off to Florida when Blackie receives a call for help from a fellow ex-criminal (or is he?) Arthur (Lloyd Corrigan) asks Blackie to take $60K from his safe in New York and take it over to California. 

Somehow this is mixed up with the theft of a valuable diamond, Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) of course thinks Blackie has stolen the diamond and so follows Blackie to California and gets mixed up in a complicated tale of blackmail and stolen goods...

Still early in the series but the series is now hitting high gear. A fast-paced story with plenty of swerves and action packed into a short running time. Good humour and performances add to make this an excellent film.

Steel (1979)

A film about high places which unfortunately doesn't quite raise to the challenge.

A major project to build a new skyscraper is running behind schedule, things not being helped when the chief engineer Cassidy (George Kennedy) dies in an accident thanks to some faulty equipment. Cassidy's daughter Cass (Jennifer O'Neill) is desperate for her Dad's last project to not end in failure so brings in Mike (Lee Majors) to lead the job completion. Time is short and there is a lot left to do, can he head up HS2 after this?

Not a bad film and sometimes unintentionally hilarious, such as the scene when Mike is introduced. He is seen driving a big truck, wearing a vest and listening to country music. One of the most American scenes in modern movie history. The film has plenty of construction site butch antics, i get the feeling these guys would have thought modern day health and safety is woke.

Not an amazing film but certainly a little different.

The Unholy Night (1929)

An early talkie, and an early dark house mystery. 

After an attempt on the life of Lord Montague (Roland Young), he discovers that some of his former army comrades have been killed. He calls his other army comrades to his home, with the police overseeing, to try and find out who was behind the attacks. The daughter (Dorothy Sebastian) of a disgraced former officer turns up, warning of bad things going to happen and a big legacy. Bad things indeed do happen as the officers start to get bumped off one by one...

While the sound and dialogue can be awkward at times (like most early talkies), this is a fun little drama. It has plenty of sudden screams and a spooky atmosphere, Oriental mystery, plenty of odd goings on and Boris Karloff chewing the scenery as a sinister Turkish lawyer.

The Mad Bomber (1973)

A pretty brutal and also rather good 1970s cop drama.

Distraught over the death of daughter, Dorn (Chuck Connors) begins a bombing campaign to blow institutions (including his daughter's ex-school) he blames for her death. The police are stumped without a clue who the bomber is, however there is a clue. 

During one bombing, a girl at a mental hospital, which is about to be bombed, is raped. Detective Minelli (Vince Edwards) desperately seeks the rapist (Neville Brand) not only for his crimes but also because he might be the only man who can identify the bomber...

A deliciously dark slice of the ultraviolent 1970s which revolves around the broken minds of two criminals, both superbly played by Connors and Brand. A graphic film for sure that maybe could have left a little more to the imagination. Very compelling viewing.

The Lineup (1958)

A tough Noir with some real menace.

The police are battling to stop the smuggling of narcotics, including heroin, into San Francisco. The method used is to dupe or force travellers to bring the drugs into the city when they return from abroad. Dancer (Eli Wallach) and Julian (Robert Keith) are two hoodlums who have turned up in town to retrieve the drugs smuggled in by a group of passengers off a cruise ship. 

All is going smoothly as they work they way through the mules (though a trail of dead bodies is being left behind) until they find drugs hidden in a child'd doll has been lost. The mastermind behind the operation will not be very happy about that...

A great film, the gangsters are psychotic, the people drawn into the smuggling ring are frequently doomed. A violent and dark film that is well worth seeing.

Return to Savage Beach (1998)

Tits and guns return to a remote Pacific island we last saw in Savage Beach.

A stolen floppy disk (which mysteriously has changed from a 5.25" in the first film to a 3.5" one to make the film appear more modern!) leads both criminals and the large chested ladies of LETHAL to a remote island to hunt for treasure stolen from the Philippines. 

Apparently, the gold in the first film wasn't all of the loot the wartime Japanese stole. Martinez (Rodrigo Obregón) returns as the Filipino rebel leader who wants the gold to fund revolution, others want the gold for more selfish reasons...

It makes little sense, to be honest the first film didn't either but this is worse. But it doesn't really need to make sense, this is a film to see former Playboy models fire guns while wearing skimpy outfits. This is great fun though, among the cast is former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell, but of course!

This was the final film in the Andy Sidaris' LETHAL series and is a fine end to a fun series.

The Lone Wolf in London (1947)

The penultimate film in the long running series.

Two diamonds disappear from a police vault, the police immediately suspect the former jewel thief Michael Lanyard - the Lone Wolf (Gerald Mohr) as they know he is in London, officially doing research for a book he is writing. 

Lanyard is recruited by a member of the aristocracy (Vernon Steele), who is hard up, to sell some jewels for him. Meanwhile, Lanyard is starting to suspect stage star Iris Chatham (Evelyn Ankers) is involved in the diamond robbery, though the police still stubbornly suspect him!

Mohr and Eric Blore as Jamison worked well as a team, though this was the last time they worked together in this series, and the eleventh and final time Blore played Lanyard's assistant. A decent film with the usual fast moving plot and various plot tangents and red herrings. Maybe we have seen it all before (many times) but it is still a good film.

Operation Manhunt (1954)

A dramatisation of the life of Soviet defector Igor Gouzenko who was a wanted man by the KGB after he defected to Canada, he also makes a (masked) appearance at the end of the film.

Gouzenko (Harry Townes) is living in hiding in Canada, but the Soviets have their plans ready to find and kill him. Agent Volov (Jacques Aubuchon) is tasked to pose as a wannabe defector in order to befriend Gouzenko so he can be drawn out of kiding...

After a slow start (the semi-documentary style doesn't help) this film develops in a compelling spy drama full of tension. There are also some surprises too especially in the final scenes. It can be a bit wooden at times but the story (with it's real-life basis) is excellent.

Nazi Agent (1942)

Although heavy on propaganda and message, this is a good early wartime spy drama.

Otto (Conrad Veidt) is a respected book seller, and an emigre from the Nazi Germany he despies. However, his twin brother is very much on brand with the regime, indeed he has also come over to the USA but he is setting up a spy ring! He forces Otto to become part of his network but in a struggle Otto is forced to kill his brother. 

Otto takes the part of his brother, and now within the spy network begins his plan to bring it down from within. However, he also encounters fellow agent Kaaren (Anne Ayers) who has become disillusioned with the regime...

An enjoyable film with good performances and emotion leading to great sacrifice. The best part of the film though is definitely Veidt who plays twin brothers with dramatically different characters. Unfortunately this was one of his last films before his early untimely death.

Pickup on South Street (1953)

A tough and gritty Noir spy drama.

Candy (Jean Peters) is being tailed by the feds, they know she is carrying microfilm containing industrial secrets which the Communists want to get their hands on. 

However, pick pocket Skip (Richard Widmark) messes everything up by stealing Candy's purse on the underground! Now the search is on for the pick pocket, both by the spies and the feds...

A dark film, doomed people hanging on by their fingernails in the dark underbelly of the city. A very good film with a compelling storyline. Thelma Ritter plays a terrific role as a police informer, indeed well worth the Oscar nomination she got for it.

Fit to Kill (1993)

Another boobs and guns epic by Andy Sidaris.

International arms dealer Kane (Geoffrey Moore) is after a diamond which had been stolen from the Russians in the Second World War and is now owned by Chang (Aki Aleong). He intends to return it to Russia but the gem is stolen by Kane. Now it is up to Donna (Dona Speir) and her fellow federal agents in skimpy outfits to retrieve...

This is a fun romp which makes heavy use of remote control toys such as helicopters and cars, though these are armed with rockets and bombs! It makes little sense of course but that does not matter as it should not be taken too seriously.

Surely this is one of the few films to mention the short lived Commonwealth of Independent States in dialogue?

Too Many Winners (1947)

The last Michael Shayne film, though he would return on the small screen in the 1960s. It would be great to say the character ended on a high but...

Michael Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) abandons his planned vacation with Phyllis (Trudy Marshall) to take on a case of counterfeit tickets at a race course. He begins to uncover a case involving murder and blackmail, with Detective Rafferty (Ralph Dunn) on his tail as usual...

This version of Shayne is not as hard boiled as the Lloyd Nolan version, this Michael Shayne is more easy going but maybe that robs this film of a little bite. The film is fast moving but a bit directionless and bland. 

The femme fatale character of Mayme (Claire Carleton) is one of the highlights of the film but she gets killed off too quickly! Not a bad film, watchable but pretty forgettable.

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.