Island of Doomed Men (1940)

A superbly dark tale which allowed Peter Lorre to run riot.

Mark Sheldon (Robert Wilcox) is tasked by the secret service to investigate the mysterious Danel (Lorre) who has his own island, and who accepts paroled men to work for him there. However, it is rumoured these men are horribly treated, treated as slaves and tortured. Sheldon is arrested after an unknown assailant kills a fellow agent, Sheldon allows himself to be arrested for murder and sentenced! Some time later he is paroled and is sent to Danel's island.

Sheldon finds a brutal regime of slave labour, with public floggings a regular occurrence. Danel is also treating his wife (Rochelle Hudson) as a prisoner. She soon has the hots for Sheldon...

An enjoyable romp. Peter Lorre plays Danel with relish, not so much chewing the scenery but having it on toast. The story itself is a little heavy in the whippings and violence but Lorre makes it very entertaining.

Miracle Landing (1990)

A rather excellent TV movie documenting an accident aboard which seems too far fetched to be real but it actually happened!

Bob (Wayne Rogers) and Mimi (Connie Sellecca) are taking their Boeing 737 on a routine domestic flight over Hawaii when part the roof of their airliner rips off! 

Somehow the plane stays in the air but is badly damaged, one of the crew has been lost but somehow everyone else is still aboard. Now the pilots and flight attendant Michelle (Ana Alicia) battle to keep everyone alive before the plane can be safely landed...

A dramatisation of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 which lost a large chunk of it's fuselage at 24,000 feet. This is an enjoyable TV movie with some pretty decent special effects and good performances by the principles. 

The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

An early talkie and one of the earliest Philo Vance films, in this film he is played by Basil Rathbone.

After a young man is found dead with an arrow in him, the police and Philo Vance are called in. Vance quickly sees that the arrow scene was staged, really the man was bludgeoned to death. The young man was found dead at the home of Professor Dillard (Alec B Francis), with a number of mysterious acting neighbours and relatives. A note by someone who calls themselves The Bishop is found alluding to the murder...

An interesting entry in the Philo Vance series, Rathbone plays the part well. Though it is amusing, in hindsight, that he gets accused of being Sherlock Holmes as he played the role many times just a few years later! The film suffers a little from being a bit static, as with many early talkies but it does not ruin the film too much. Some good character actors play the various suspects and there are the required number of red herrings and mysterious clues.

Behind Green Lights (1946)

An enjoyable detective drama which injects a dose of whimsy as well as Noir.

After a businessman involved in local politics is dumped outside the police headquarters, Lieutenant Sam Carson (William Gargan) is bought in to investigate. To make things complicated it looks like the daughter (Carole Landis) of a man heavily involved in local politics could be involved. Newspaper proprietor Calvert (Roy Roberts) who is a political rival is keen to push this angle...

This is a fine crime B-movie with plenty of potential suspects and red herrings. What helps the film stand out is some of the oddness which has been added, including a deranged character who ends up being rather key to the plot. The political shenanigans and corruption add another layer to the already good story.

The Forgotten Warrior (1986)

A basic but entertaining Rambo-esque action drama.

During the late Vietnam War, Parrish (Ronald Marchini) is badly wounded whilst escaping the Viet Cong. He is nursed back to health by some villagers and decides to stay and start a family there. He helps the villagers learn martial arts to protect themselves from the VC led by Colonel Minh (Sam Lapuz). However, danger is never far away especially after the corrupt Major Thompson (Quincy Frazer) arrives back in Vietnam...

The plot is fairly thin, just enough to hang many fight scenes off. The action is ridiculous, the good guys don't need to aim much to wipe out the bad guys. The many battles in the jungles of the Philippines... sorry Vietnam have a high bodycount but some pretty decent one-on-one battles too. The film isn't very sophisticated but if you want plenty of aimless gun and martial arts violence then this film does the job.

The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)

A tense conspiracy - Cold War drama that is somewhat let down by it's ending.

Air Force One crashes in the desert, the President is missing but assumed dead. The hapless Vice President  called Kermit (Buddy Ebsen) is now in charge but under pressure by White House hawks to launch a nuclear strike on China! However, reporter Mark Jones (Peter Graves) is suspicious, he doesn't think the President is missing after all...

So, that is the premise and it is a great one. This is a superb TV movie with good performances and an air of tension throughout (if punctuated where the advert breaks would be have!) 

The only problem with the film is the resolution and the big reveal, which stretches credibility a bit and also relies on a bit of luck. However, this is a really enjoyable watch.

Creature (1985)

A low budget but fun Alien rip-off.

A survey mission to Titan ends in disaster after something has wiped out the crew. Two new missions from rival countries head out to find out what has gone wrong. The US mission led by Davison (Stan Ivar) soon runs into trouble when it gets stuck on the surface. 

They head over to the German ship which has already arrived but finds that the crew is dead apart from it's commander (Klaus Kinski). He tells them that they found ancient alien infrastructure, and now a dangerous alien is running amok...

So, the plot will be pretty familiar and predictable and the effects are mostly cheap (though the alien itself is pretty excellent). This is an enjoyable sci-fi romp that has enough nonsense, twists and gore (and no shortage of cheese) to keep you entertained.

Night People (1954)

A static but tense Cold War drama.

A young US serviceman is snatched off the streets of West Berlin, Colonel Van Dyke (Gregory Peck) is tasked with retrieving the man, though has to content with political pressure from home as well as the dark antics of the Soviets. Van Dyke isn't sure who he can trust as more details emerge of the price that must be paid to return the soldier...

This is a good film that relies on good dialogue and tension rather than action, indeed for much of the film not a lot is happening at all! That doesn't matter though as the story is slowly revealed. A dark tale of double agents, betrayal and intrigue where people are mere pawns of the major powers and completely disposable.

Assault on Dome 4 (1996)

Low budget science-fiction action nonsense, and it is great!

Notorious terrorist Windham (Bruce Campbell) seizes an off-world base and forces the scientists to build bombs for him. 

Luckily, space policeman Chase Moran (Joseph Culp) just happened to be on the station at the same time (to surprise his wife Jocelyn Seagrave) and now he is on-hand to stop Windham and his mad and murderous scheme to take control of an alien world...

This is pulp nonsense which involves a lot of running around a space base and endless fights. Moran is the one-man army who whittles down Windham's squad one by one. It isn't very original, and has cheap special effects, but is a fun and frequently ridiculous watch. The cheese factor is high.

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.

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.