Religious Racketeers (1938)

The Great LaGagge (Robert Fiske) is a fake fakir who helps troubled rich women with their troubles using the "psychic plane" and relieving them of the burden of having any money. The police are already after him though after an elderly victim dies of shock at his temple during a seance, the press in the form of reporter Elliot (Arthur Gardner) are also on LaGagge's trail.

One complication is that Martha (Helene LeBerthon), a rich but troubled young woman whom Arthur has the hots for, is drawn into LaGagge's net and targeted as his next victim...

Frequently ridiculous, especially the scenes in the temple with the "mystic" powers facilitated by some behind the scenes trickery, but hilarious (unintentionally). Things really go crazy when LaGagge whisks Martha off to Egypt (you'll know it as the Sphinx is in the background!) and then India. Martha and her friend Ava (Betty Compson) are somewhat suspicious though as the great mystic in the desert looks like LaGagge with a fake beard... and funnily enough...

Look out for the real Mrs Houdini who appears in a short cameo.

Missed Date (1986)

Olivia Cheng is a bored housewife who is neglected by her husband (Henry Yung). He puts his business (advertising executive natch - though which seems to mostly include flirting with female clients) first and his wife second even though she works hard to be the perfect wife (which happily for male viewers includes lots of yoga and aerobics).

However when she meets a tennis instructor played by Chow Yun Fat she toys with the idea of an affair but decides she cannot as she is loyal to her man...

But then she finds her hubby hopelessly drunk with a female client and follows them to a love hotel. While her man and the client indulge in the beast with two backs in one room Olivia and Mr Chow chat and laugh in another room in quite an amusing parallel. Yet, of course, both couples leave the hotel at the same time and meet up in an awkward moment.

The marriage is over but the hubby hopes to woo her again yet spends his time smoking at his desk wondering what to do. He is too late anyway, his wife has sailed off with Chow...

A pretty good 80s HK film that is accompanied by a couple of killer cantopop tunes by Andy Lau and Priscilla Chan. Cantopop was designed for such dramatic romantic times.

Sinful Cargo (1936)

Sinful Cargo is a serviceable crime drama involving illegal immigration. Alan (Conrad Nagel) is a Federal Agent sent to Hollywood to investigate the racket and gets involved with reporter Bobbie Reynolds (Eleanor Hunt) and her hapless cameraman Vince Barnett.

The suspicion is that a film production company run by Crane Wilbur and Jack La Rue which doesn't seem to make any films is really a front for the racket. With the help of Bobbie, Alan pretends to be an aspiring actor to get involved with the production company and see exactly what they are producing.

It's not the best of films, Vince Barnett's hapless cameraman is a one joke role and unfortunately that joke stinks. However the plot is interesting enough and Jack La Rue plays a good role. At times the film has the breakneck air of an adventure serial, which isn't a bad thing of course.

This was the first of four movies with Alan, Bobbie and Vince in these same roles, another film was 1937's Bank Alarm.

The Gelignite Gang (1956)

Although nothing that special or unusual The Gelignite Gang is a decent enough crime drama.

A brutal gang is robbing (with explosives hence the name of the gang) and killing unfortunates left, right and centre. An insurance investigator (and imported American) Jimmy Baxter (Wayne Morris) is on the case though is warned off by the gang, and anyone who tries to rat on the gang is quickly despatched...

Despite this Baxter and his boss John Rutherford (Patrick Holt) continue the investigation and with the help of Baxter's squeeze (and secretary) Sally Morton (Sandra Dorne) begin to track down the gang and try and unravel who the Mr Big (or G) is behind the crimes...

The film is fast moving though full of cliches. Eric Pohlmann in particular chews the scenery as the nightclub boss in the know and with a regular supply of vague but sinister threats. Despite everything the film is undeniably fun. The identity of Mr G is a secret though a seasoned watcher of these kinds of films will probably guess who is it quite quickly!

Tragic Fantasy : Tiger Of Wanchai (1994)

The streets of Wan Chai in HK never looked so bloody, every Karaoke lounge and bar is a battleground complete with heaps of dead hoodlums.

Simon Yam plays the part of a parking attendant who rises to boss in the triads, but of course as soon as you rise then there are rival bosses who want you to fall. We've seen it all before of course many times in HK cinema, but this is especially quite gritty. However at the same time the film doesn't engage you fully, it lacks that extra special something. So no X-factor, though has plenty of XXX factor. Violence aplenty and not a small amount of sex.

The film is basically a HK triad romp: Simon looks cool and his love Marianne Chan looks hot, and action is interspersed with some cool mid-90s cantopop tunes, including a bit where Roy Cheung is firing an AK-47 in slo-mo to a musical accompaniment. Lau Ching Wan plays the usual (for these films) bumbling character, the film certainly doesn't lack for 1990s HK star power.

It's supposed to be based on a true story but let's just say it's maybe a little itty bit exaggerated...