Dick Tracy (Serial) (1937)

A wonderfully over the top action serial, just how a comic hero adaptation should be of course. In this serial version of the comic story Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) is a federal agent and battling The Spider Ring crime organisation...

Now The Spider Ring which is led by the Lame One has some cool toys, including a sonic weapon he has mounted aboard a fabulous looking flying wing, though their plans seem rather suspect and often easy to foil. The Lame One is assisted by the rather sinister Doctor Moloch (John Picorri) who performs surgery on Dick's own brother George (Richard Beach) to turn him into a brainwashed thug (Carleton Young)...

Dick has plenty of help, and needs it as the evil plots come thick and fast. Among his assistants are Gwen (Kay Hughes) - who plays the Tess Trueheart role - and Mike (Smiley Burnett).

Bush Pilot (1947)

Red North (Austin Willis) is making a reasonable living hauling cargo in his floatplane up in the Canadian Great White North, and also keen on Hilary (Rochelle Hudson). However the arrival of Red's arrogant brother Paul (Jack La Rue) shakes everything up. Paul is keen to move in on Red's territory, and his dame...

The death of Red's mechanic Chuck (Frank Perry) hauling nitroglycerine hurls Red's life into chaos and turns Hilary against him. Can Red win back Hilary and sort out his brother?

A neat little film, rather melodramatic at times but a decent story if without any surprises. It is also interesting to see Jack La Rue in a role where he isn't a two-bit gangster.

This was one of the first Canadian movies to be made in English.

Non-Stop New York (1937)

A wonderfully energetic, but at sometimes quite odd, crime drama. Jennie (Anna Lee) is a showgirl down on her luck in New York, she chances upon a lawyer who works with the mob but who wants to get out. When the lawyer is bumped off a tramp Able (Arthur Goullet) is blamed but Jennie (now back in Blighty) knows he is innocent...

She needs to get back across the Atlantic to tell the police what happened and stop Able being executed. The gangster Brant (Francis Sullivan) must stop Jennie getting back to New York. She is travelling on a futuristic flying boat along with Brant and police detective Jim Grant (John Loder) who thinks something is up but isn't sure quite what...

Although quite far fetched this is a highly enjoyable crime drama / adventure set aboard a flying boat. A great collection of characters including prototype-geek Arnold (Desmond Tester) and plenty of good sharp dialogue.

Future Force (1989)

In the near future ever rising crime has led to the police being replaced by Civilian Operated Police Service (C.O.P.S.) who are brutal bounty hunters. Tucker (David Carradine) is the toughest man in the precinct but soon finds himself under attack by his former colleagues...

This is because reporter Marion (Anna Rapagna) has uncovered corruption at the very heart of the C.O.P.S. organisation involving imitation hard case Adams (William Zipp). Marion is wanted dead or alive... actually scratch that just kill her, but Tucker is going to bring her in alive for the lulz. Adams is therefore a bit miffed...

So its total nonsense and is a fairly slow moving mess of bad action scenes in the "future" which looks like 1989 if we are going to be honest... the only bit that is vaguely futuristic is Tucker's robot arm which he occasionally brings out of the trunk of his car when he feels the need to shoot some lasers. The battle between Tucker and similarly overweight thug Becker (Robert Tessler) is hilariously bad.

The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973)

A strange film but one with heart. One of the most 70s films you'll ever see too.

Reg Varney is Sherry, an entertainer at a dingy holiday camp. Sherry has delusions of once being a big name, even meeting the Queen. Though his wife Mary (Diana Coupland) knows the truth and that he is grinding out a living at the end of his career. She has had enough of him and his delusions and is getting ready to shack up with Charlie (Lee Montague).

Sherry's life begins to fall apart as he embarrasses himself and his son (Michael Hadley) in front of his future in-laws. When he finds out Mary is leaving him he has a meltdown and the end is in sight...

Perhaps against expectations the film is wonderful, capturing the shambles and grim sadness of Britain in the 1970s more than most films. Appearances by young Johnny Briggs, Jane Seymour and George Sweeney who would one day be very well known also entertain.