Morocco (1930)

This early talkie is notable for being Marlene Dietrich's Hollywood debut, though the film itself is a bit slow and light on plot though certainly worth watching. We are in Colonial Morocco during the Rif War, in Mogador the French Foreign Legion has returned from the fight, in their ranks is Private Brown (Gary Cooper). Also just arriving in Mogador is the nightclub singer Amy (Dietrich) who takes a singing job in a club.

Brown and Amy spark a friendship though he rejects the chance to have a relationship with her. However, Brown's past womanising and the fact rich La Bessiere (Adolph Menjou) is pursuing Amy makes their love rather difficult... especially when Brown has to return to the war.

Visually the film looks great, especially Dietrich's iconic nightclub performances in her top hat and tails, though is light on dialogue and a bit cliched. A film to savour for what it is but a film that is quite flawed.

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Classic British sci-fi, low quality effects but high quality thrills. A British spacecraft crash lands in a field, when Professor Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) orders the craft opened they find only one of the three crewmen accounted for, the other two have vanished. The survivor, Carroon (Richard Wordsworth), is in a bad way. As Quatermass and Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) of the Met begin their investigation, Carroon begins to mutate...

The scientists discover that Carroon has been infected by an alien organism. It makes him lethal to others who come into contact with him, which is quite a problem as he has escaped hospital and is now loose on the streets of London. Dr Briscoe (David King-Wood) discovers that the organism is due to spawn, London could soon be overrun by thousands of killer alien creatures...

The film is a bit of a slow burner but has an air of menace and alien horror over everything which slowly builds. Maybe the final monster looks a bit ridiculous but the film, by then, has earned you suspend enough disbelief. A great film.

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

A superb Satanic occult horror, one of the best films by Hammer. We are in Interwar Period England. Nicholas (Christopher Lee) and Rex (Leon Greene) are looking for their young friend Simon (Patrick Mower). To Nicholas' horror, he thinks Simon has become part of a dark coven dedicated to the Horned One led by Mocata (Charles Gray). Nicholas, who is well versed himself in the dark arts himself - though for good, manages to save Simon from being baptised into the Satanic coven.

However, Mocata is not easily stopped. He summons dark forces to try and defeat Nicholas and regain Simon and Tanith (Nike Arrighi) who is also due to be baptised in goat's blood. There follows a terrifying battle between good and evil...

A wonderful film and also notable for Christopher Lee being the good guy for a change. The film has a rare depth for horror films of the period.

The French Connection (1971)

A superb, gritty crime drama. Charnier (Fernando Rey) is running a heroin smuggling operation out of Marseille. In New York, hard-nosed narcotics cops Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Russo (Roy Scheider) after a string of minor arrests, finally get wind of a big drugs drop about to arrive in the city. 

While the cops tail Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), Boca is receiving Charnier in the US and trying to make a deal for a huge amount of heroin which has been smuggled in the US in a car.

However, the police and FBI tailing of Boca and Charnier does not go unnoticed and a hit is ordered on Doyle. This results in a thrilling chase along the NY Subway. Meanwhile the car is discovered and the drugs found after a lengthy search. The cops then set up Boca and Charnier who are finally ready to make their deal...

A really great film with a highly realistic feel. The film is dark and violent, humanity (and lack of it) and all the frailties are on show on both sides. The epic car chase is one of the best in movie history.

Dark Future (1994)

Trash movies often make little sense but this one is takes that to a whole new level. It is the future and most of mankind has been wiped out by a plague, the few survivors live underground in a large prison... serving as prostitutes and servants to cyborgs! Quite why cyborgs, also billed as the ultimate machines, require sex and booze is never explained. But much of this film remains explained to be honest...

When a baby is born to two of the human survivors, who previously thought they were sterile, a rebellion is begun by Kendall (Darby Hinton) while Birch (Andria Mann) looks after the baby. The cyborgs, led by Nero (Leonard Donato), want the baby and begin a war against the humans. Finally, when Nero gets Birch and the baby, the dark reason for the cyborgs' need for the baby is revealed...

This is typical low-budget sci-fi nonsense. The film is pretty violent with a very high body count though the fight scenes are generally very clumsy and oddly slow motion. The most interesting thing about the film was that it was filmed in Russia and this gives it a different look and feel to most films of this type.