Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective (1981)

Detective Constable "Dangerous" Davies (Bernard Cribbins) is always given the worst jobs, which often end up with him getting beaten up. Chief Inspector Yardbird (Joss Ackland) selects him to look for a dangerous hardened criminal for Special Branch, Yardbird suspecting Davies' usual clumsy manner will flush the criminal out. During his investigation, Davies discovers a fifteen year old cold-case involving a missing girl.

With the help of his friend Mod (Bill Maynard) he begins to investigate the disappearance and this takes him down a dark and murky path. 

A highly enjoyable film with a feast of great characters and performances including from Maureen Lipman, Frank Windsor and Patsy Rowlands. Davies as a detective is very believable, no flash or super human skill just good old fashioned determination and grit. There is also some good humour, which adds to the realism.

The Ambassador's Daughter (1913)

A neat little tale of love and espionage. Farnsworth (George Lessey), an attache at the US embassy in London, is in love with Helen (Miriam Nesbitt), the ambassador's daughter. However, while he pursues her (and gets knocked back), a spy - Dumont (Marc McDermott) - who works at the embassy, steals an important document though is forced to hide it. Helen begins to investigate the loss of the document, which puts her into peril...

Rather melodramatic and at times over the top, but a well made film. The romance part of the story is a bit overdone and detracts from the espionage plot. An interesting look at life just before the First World War.

Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)

School teacher and amateur detective Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) is on a seaplane to a holiday resort with an assorted set of fellow passengers. When they reach their destination one of the passengers is found to be dead. In NY Inspector Piper (James Gleason) discovers the victim had a bounty on his head from the mob and heads out to join Hildegarde to investigate the death.

Despite a small pool of suspects including newly weds (Harry Ellerbe and Dorothy Libaire) and a somewhat eccentric movie producer (Leo G Carroll), the investigation is complicated. Hildegarde bullys the hapless, laid back local police (Spencer Charters) into action, and then she and Piper form an amusingly dysfunctional but effective crime fighting duo.

A fine little murder investigation film with plenty of the usual red herrings and multiple suspects. A complicated plot and highly enjoyable especially with the twists at the end and the unusual (for the time) culprit. Oliver and Gleason steal every scene, they are brilliant.

Starcrash (1978)

Hilariously camp space opera. Akton (Marjoe Gortner) and Stella (Caroline Munro) are smugglers on the run from imperial forces. Their luck finally runs out and they are captured but then they are given a secret mission by the Emperor (Christopher Plummer), they must discover the secrets of the usurper Count Zarth (Joe Spinell) and rescue the Emperor's son Simon (David Hasselhoff).

Assisted by the robot L (Judd Hamilton) - who speaks with a Southern drawl - their adventures take them from planet to planet, encountering Amazons with a giant robot and cavemen. The final showdown takes them into battle with Zarth to save the universe...

So, a deliciously cheesy romp with cardboard sets and dodgy special effects. The story shamelessly plunders Star Wars for inspiration (as well as a few other films, the Amazons' giant robot is straight out of Jason & the Argonauts for example). The dialogue is often ridiculously banal and awkward. The acting, indifferent. The result is, somehow, superb.

The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961)

A delightful and silly children's film. Uncle Dick (Ronald Howard) has bought back some eggs and other specimens from Malaya. One huge egg is not labelled so naturally and he doesn't know what it is... so naturally he gives the egg to his nephews to look after! 

David (Michael Wade) takes the egg to school where it hatches a small reptile which resembles a dragon. As the creature is growing very quickly, David and his friends Sophie (Rachel Clay) and Chris (Terry Raven) are forced to release the creature into the lake on Hamstead Heath. Trouble comes when a couple of crooks try and steal it...

A fun little film with some decent stop motion animation. Scientifically implausible maybe but certainly a novel 1960s monster film, one that doesn't involve crowds of people running in terror from a rampaging beast for a change.