The Uncanny (1977)

A superbly weird horror anthology. Wilbur (Peter Cushing) is convinced that mankind's greatest enemy is... the domestic cat! He has compiled a large portfolio of evidence and is trying to get it published by Richards (Ray Millard)... who unfortunately for Wilbur's nerves has a cat! Wilbur tells three stories to demonstrate the feline menace...

The first takes place in Edwardian England. Miss Malkin (Joan Greenwood) is having her will rewritten to give everything to her many cats and not her feckless nephew Michael (Simon Williams). The maid Janet (Susan Penhaligon) is in league with Michael and schemes to get rid of the will. One copy is destroyed but Janet is foiled by Malkin and the cats to destroy the other. Michael and Janet's scheme has deadly consequences...

In the second story we switch to modern day (well 1970s) Quebec. Lucy (Katrina Holden Bronson) has moved in with her cruel aunt (Alexander Stewart) and even crueller cousin (Chloe Franks) after the death of her parents. All Lucy has is her cat... and a knowledge of witchcraft which comes in handy...

The final story takes place in 1930s Hollywood. After the death of Valentine De'ath's (Donald Pleasence) wife in an accident on the film set, he gets his mistress (Samantha Eggar) into the film instead. However, his wife's cat isn't going to let them get away with it...

A ridiculous premise maybe but the three stories are suitably creepy and camp. There is plenty of gore, some slightly dodgy (though sufficient) special effects and plenty of cheese. Also look out for a photo of Donald Pleasence in his Bond film Blofeld guise!

Unpublished Story (1942)

An engaging, if propaganda-ish, view of the Blitz and the fight against enemy agents in London. War reporter Bob Randall (Richard Greene) returns from Dunkirk to find London in a state of flux, though a peace group is trying to stop the war. He is sent to report on the peace group. While there, he finds his fellow reporter Carol Bennett (Valerie Hobson) is also attending and interested in the group... 

During a bombing attack, Bob and Carol discover that one of the members of the peace group, Trapes (Frederick Cooper), is distributing leaflets. Carol later tracks Trapes down to an air raid shelter where he admits he was wrong. However, when Trapes tells his superiors at the peace group of his change of heart and they arn't too pleased. While Trapes is a misguided idealist, it turns out the others in the group are Nazi agents...

At times this is a tough and realistic film which uses actual footage (then fairly recently shot of course) of bombed and burning buildings in London. Of course, due to the propaganda, everyone has the stiffest of lips and accept the destruction of everything they have held dear with a suitably chipper or matter-of-fact attitude. The Nazi agents, including Andre Morell, are also suitably sinister looking. Basil Radford plays an excellent role as the unflappable newspaper editor.

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)

A superbly dark yet campy horror. Someone is killing young women in London with various gruesome methods including a guillotine. The police in the form of Superintendent Graham (Geoffrey Keen) are baffled by the crimes as there are no clues. However, noted crime writer Edmond Bancroft (Michael Gough) seems to have a lot of information on the crimes...

Which is no surprise because he has his own black museum filled with brutal and sinister weapons of murder, his assistant Rick (Graham Curnow) is using the weapons to commit the crimes thanks to the control exerted on him by Bancroft. However, Bancroft begins to become reckless as his chosen victims no longer are random but are scores to be settled...

Although very silly at times, Bancroft's "computer" is hilarious for example and some of the murders are completely over-the-top, the film has some moments of real campy horror. The police are completely hapless in this one, remaining fairly clueless despite all of the blatant clues left all over the place by Bancroft and Rick. A good fun horror film that is not to be taken seriously.

Rough Cut (1980)

An enjoyable crime caper with a few twists and turns along the way. Jack Rhodes (Burt Reynolds) is a top-class jewel thief who combines his life of crime with a public life of respectability and style. Soon to retire, DCI Willis (David Niven) wants to take down Rhodes before his career ends and finds the perfect way to finally get his man in the lovely form of another jewel thief Gillian Bromley (Lesley Anne Down).

Bromley is used to lure Rhodes into a big heist involving a diamond shipment to the continent. However, the reluctant Bromley - who has fallen for Rhodes - tells him about Willis' trap. Despite this Rhodes decides to continue with the plot, get the diamonds and evade the law. Indeed the complicated crime, which stretches credibility and common sense a tad, goes through without a hitch but is there a final twist in the tale?

Although somewhat far-fetched and a little slow to get going, the film is a perfectly good crime drama with a good cast. The chemistry of the leads adds a lightness to the film and the final action packed act makes everything worth while.

The Music Box (1932)

A hilarious comedy short as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are tasked with delivering a piano. The problem for the guys is that they have to carry the heavy crate containing the piano up a long flight of stairs. Various mishaps occur (of course) resulting in the crate ending back at the bottom of the stairs.

Finally the crate reaches the top of the stairs but the house owners are not in, Laurel and Hardy decide to basically break in and install the piano, cue more mayhem and destruction. When the house owner Professor von Schwarzenhoffen (Billy Gilbert) arrives home he is less than impressed with the piano never mind what has happened to his home...

A very funny film packed full of terrific slapstick and nonsense. Wonder too, despite many mishaps and crashing back down the stairs several times the piano is still undamaged when it is removed from the crate. It obviously was packed very well.

This film is an example (and there are plenty of others too) of Laurel and Hardy at their best. The staircase that causes them so much trouble still exists and is Los Angeles, you really wouldn't fancy carrying a piano up there.

The stair case, on Google Street View