Ten Little Indians (1974)

A lush Agatha Christie adaptation. A group of strangers are mysteriously assembled to a remote hotel in the Iranian desert by U.N. Owen (Orson Welles), the strangers who include Charles Aznavour (who of course gives us a song), Richard Attenborough, Herbert Lom, Adolfo Celi and Oliver Reed - all discover they have been bought together under false pretenses by U.N. Owen (or Unknown).

Then a tape is played where Owen's voice rings out, he tells them all they have gotten away with murder. Then the guests begin dying one by one. Who is the murderer? Is it one of the guests? Will any of them survive?

Although not the best version of this story, a bit slow at times, the sheer amount of star power and the surroundings especially the Persian architecture makes this film highly watchable and enjoyable. It is dark and suspenseful as such a situation should be.

Music Hall (1934)

Wonderful nostalgia. An old music hall managed by Bill (George Carney) has hit the skids and must close down. However in a last gasp to save the old place from being demolished and turned into shops and apartments the old founder of the hall Mr Davis (Wilson Coleman) returns to relaunch a refreshed music hall with new acts...

So basically the film has a bit of story just as a set-up before a list of acts. Including comedians, singers like G.H. Elliot, Dutchmen with accordions, footballers on bicycles, dancers (including the The Sherman Fisher Girls), performing animals and acrobats! If we are to be honest some of the acts were pretty ropey (bear in mind these were supposed to be fresher and better than the usual ones!)

You can't beat the nostalgia though. A glimpse of a now lost Britain from the interwar period, some things we now miss (xylophones) and others things we don't miss so much (blackface).

Future Zone (1990)

Apparently we needed a sequel to Future Force? In the future (which looks uncannily like 1990) law enforcement is now in the hands of bounty hunters, with Tucker (David Carradine) the top gun. When he tangles with a drug gang he needs help (though doesn't realise it), help does come in form of young hot shot Billy (Ted Prior) who has a secret... he is Tucker's son from the future... (Though as this is already supposed to be set in the future he is from the future's future!)

Billy can't tell Tucker this though and instead tries to win his confidence during a series of badly choreographed action scenes, culminating in a brawl in an alley way. The gangster boss Hoffman (Patrick Culliton) wants his cocaine back and Tucker dead, he kidnaps Tucker's wife Marion (Gail Jensen) leading to a final show down in yet another junkyard...

This sequel probably holds together slightly better than the original but is still a fairly low budget and low energy action film with little to justify the "future" tag and little in the way of coherence. Now there is Tucker's robot laser firing glove but as with the previous film he seems to forget all about it until he has almost been defeated!

Sing and Swing (1963)

Before the Beatles... there indeed was a British pop music scene which was thriving though somewhat overshadowed these days. Young hopeful Dave (David Hemmings) wants to hit the big time with his band of young post boys. Despite a few near misses though including Dave having an accident in a studio and meeting Kenny Ball success eludes them especially when he loses the demo tape. His relationship with Jill (Jennifer Moss) also becomes a bit rocky at times...

Well the story is very familiar, the basic template used so many times in films like this. A bit of light drama interspersed by plenty of pop tunes. Guest appearances by real pop stars including Gene Vincent, Patsy Ann Noble and those who would one day become pretty famous indeed including Richie Blackmore and Chas Hodges. A fascinating if not explosive period piece. Swinging!

A Man About the House (1947)

Two stiff upper lip single Englishwomen Agnes (Margaret Johnston) and Ellen (Dulcie Grey) own a school in rainy London but are pretty hard-up. Then they unexpectedly inherit an Italian villa near Naples from their uncle. They go out to Italy with the expectation to quickly sell the villa but are quickly seduced (in more ways than one) by Naples and the hunky Salvatore (Kieron Moore) who likes to go about shirtless as much as possible...

However Salvatore was originally promised the villa by his ex-master. Others note that he seems to be taking the loss of his inheritance pretty well. Or does he have a secret plan? When Agnes, who by now is smitten to Salvatore, falls ill is there a darker reason why?

The contrast between the repressed English and the happy Italians is amusingly large, especially as both sides are pretty heavily sterotyped in their own way. An enjoyable film though not without it's flaws.