Call Northside 777 (1948)

Based on a true story, this is an interesting if slightly dry crime drama. Journalist McNeal (James Stewart) is tasked to investigate an old murder case which took place in the 1930s. Wiecek (Richard Conte) was convicted of killing a policeman in 1932 but his mother (Kasia Orzazewski) puts up a reward to find the real killer. As McNeal digs deeper into the case he finds the conviction was unsafe. However, the police are keen for McNeal to be kept away...

McNeal's investigation, truly old skool journalism by putting in the pavement miles and talking to people not copying things off twitter as happens these days, is fascinating as is the glimpse of police procedure and bureaucracy plus a bit of 1940s style information technology. A thoughtful film without much in the way of thrills and spills despite a few limp attempts to add a bit of menace. 

This is a film an engaging film and a treat for criminology geeks. For example, a polygraph is used on Wiecek, applied by Leonarde Keeler the actual inventor of the device! Highly enjoyable.

Revolver (1973)

An intense film. The wife (Agostini Belli) of prison officer Cipriani (Oliver Reed) is kidnapped in order to force him to help prisoner Milo (Fabio Testi) escape. Cipriani facilities the escape but immediately things start to go wrong. Testi doesn't know who would want him out of gaol. Cipriani recaptures Milo to force the kidnapper's hand. He ends up taking Milo to Paris where he finds himself embroiled in a complicated plot involving a French pop star Al Niko (Daniel Beretta) and the killing of politicians...

Truthfully the ending of the film is a bit baffling as Cipriani finds himself hitting against the wall of the establishment but before that the film becomes a highly enjoyable thrill ride with the odd couple of Cipriani and Milo finding they can trust no one, and hardly trust each other. 

The film lacks as much violence as others in this genre but makes up for it with plenty of emotion and cool. The two leads give great performances.

Oliver the Eighth (1934)

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy both apply to an advert by widow Mrs Fox (Mae Busch) who is looking for a new man. Oliver is successful in his application, unaware that Mrs Fox is insane and intent on killing him like she has seven other Olivers before him!

Stan and Oliver turn up at Mrs Fox's mansion, greeted by the strange butler Jitters (Jack Barty) who plays imaginary cards and serves imaginary food! He warns them that Mrs Fox is going to cut their throats that night. All they have to do is stay awake...

A very inventive Laurel and Hardy comedy, somewhat more surreal and dark than some of their other work. Less slapstick more absurdity

The Bat (1959)

A ridiculous but amusing dark house murder mystery with elements of horror. Novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) rents a mansion in which some dark crimes have happened in the past, apparently committed by a crazed maniac called The Bat. Meanwhile, at the bank a million dollars worth of securities have gone missing and it is thought they were hidden in the house. The Bat is now back and hunting for the securities and killing anyone in his path!

Police Lieutenant Anderson (Gavin Gordon) is on the case and has a number of suspects including the chauffeur Warner (John Sutton) and also Doctor Wells (Vincent Price) is also under suspicion. However, as the murderous Bat continues his reign of terror is the suspect closer to home?  

An enjoyable romp in a sinister dark house with secret passageways and plenty of shadows. The film keeps you guessing (to an extent) as to the identity of the Bat with a number of red herrings (though a seasoned watcher of these kinds of films will soon guess who he is!) Not as atmospheric as the original 1926 version though with plenty of camp and energy.

Death Ship (1980)

A superbly chilling and at-times gory film, completely ridiculous but it is a horror film after all.

A mysterious cargo ship, seemingly without a crew, is sailing across the sea. It approaches a cruise liner, despite all warnings it isn't stopping, it wants to ram! Later on a few survivors of the liner, including the captain Ashland (George Kennedy), lie on a raft. The cargo ship looms behind them, the survivors not knowing this was the ship which caused their plight.

They board the ship, which is deserted and rusted and old. They discover it is a World War 2 German ship, they also discover it has a mind of it's own as the survivors are picked off one by one, including being grabbed by cranes, terrified to death in a shower of blood and being crushed in a net of corpses. Ashland, meanwhile, has donned the uniform of a German Navy captain and now calls the ship his own. Crenna (Trevor Marshall) and Nick (Nick Mancuso) discover the ship was used for Nazi tortures...

A superbly weird and macabre film. The derelict ship setting makes for a very eerie film. Often the best horrors have the threat coming from a faceless and unknowable entity, in this case it is an entire cargo ship! It makes little sense but is a great horror film.