The Steel Key (1953)

A fast moving though rather complicated crime/spy caper. A scientist who has worked on a formula for hardening steel has died in America. Johnny O'Flynn (Terence Morgan) arrives in the UK pretending to be the colleague of the dead scientist to try and find the formula. He discovers that the only man who might know the formula, Professor Newman (Esmond Knight), has just died...

O'Flynn enlists the help of a nurse at a sanatorium where Newman died. Doreen (Joan Rice) had serious misgivings on the treatment given to patients. Doreen helps O'Flynn discover that Newman is still alive, and a gang led by Dr Crabtree (Colin Tapley) are trying to sweat the information out of Newman...

A complicated plot with various double crosses and changes of identity. The film is fairly light and breezy in tone, despite a certain amount of murder and brutality... all in the crisp, chipper nature of an early 1950s British film.

Hideout in the Alps (1936)

A breezy crime caper involving forged bank notes and skis. Jim Kent (Ronald Squire) is an old lag who has been released from gaol for forgery. He vows to go straight but discovers to his horror that his nephew Gilbert (Arthur Macrae) may have got into the same game. He follows Gilbert and his niece Linda (Jane Baxter) to the Alps where he finds a forging gang using the cover of a hotel to commit their crimes.

The police in the form of Inspector Forsyth (Anthony Bushell) are in the Alps too. Jim recognises old bill already and tries to save his nephew from being caught with the help of Linda...

This is a good fun film that travels from England to the Continent and back a couple of times. It is fast paced, often feeling a bit like a serial. The film climaxes with a rather entertaining chase scene through the snow. Margaret Rutherford plays a good role as one of the crime bosses.

Welcome Back, Norman (1979)

A curious little short film about a rather inept man who returns home... and makes an incredible mess out of getting out of the airport car park! Norman (Douglas P. MacIntosh), presumably a travelling businessman, is a bit of a reverse Midas. When he reaches his car he finds the other cars are parked too close so he has to squeeze in with much discomfort. Oh no, he has left his brief case on top of his car, lets hope he doesn't run over it...

There isn't much to this film but it a little bit of fun. The bumbling ineptness of Norman resembles the hapless Captain Mainwaring. Most of the fun is from the sheer oddness of this little film, the fact it exists and quite why it was made?

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Epic psychological horror. FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is bought in create a profile on the serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). To do this she needs the help of convicted serial killer and cannibal Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). 

After Buffalo Bill kidnaps a Senator's daughter, Lecter is offered a deal if he helps. He ends up in a cage in a Tennessee courthouse, he can't escape from there can he? And can they find this Buffalo Bill?

A deliciously dark and gory horror film which has deserved it's various awards and accolades. The two leads give excellent performances, especially Hopkins who gave his character such an air of believable terror and menace.

Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964)

There have been a number of Tintin movie adaptations, the most well known being animations but this was the second of two live-action Tintin movies made in the 1960s starring Jean-Pierre Talbot as the young reporter. In this original story Professor Calculus (Felix Fernandez) wants to end world hunger. He is sent a blue orange from a fellow scientist Zalamea (Angel Alvarez) but this is stolen by thieves.

Tintin, Captain Haddock (Jean Bouise) and Calculus head to Spain to see Zalamea. Calculus is kidnapped to help Zalamea perfect the blue oranges by an Emir who wants the invention for himself...

It is a light film, fairly fun though sometimes a bit slow. The film includes a little too much silliness and gags which often don't quite work. What does make the film at least a bit enjoyable though are the main characters, Tintin and Haddock really do look like they have come to life from the pages of a comic book. Overall though it is a bit dull which is a bit of a shame considering how great the comics are.