X the Unknown (1956)

Time for our 1,200th review!

A large blob of radioactive slime threatens the world in this thrilling sci-fi horror.

A fissure opens at a quarry used by the British Army for radiation training, soon mysterious and horrific radiation related deaths occur. Radioactive materials also go missing, including from the lab of Dr Royston (Dean Jagger) and the local hospital X-ray department. Despite scepticism from his director Elliot (Edward Chapman), Royston thinks the thefts and deaths are due to some kind of inhuman force or life form from the bowels of the Earth.

Along with McGill (Leo McKern) from the Atomic police, Royston devises a plan to neutralise the radiation in the blob. However, with the blob's appetite for radiation growing is it too late?

Low budget but decent thrills. A very Quatermass like sci-fi horror, and quite gruesome at times. The plot is quite familiar and standard for films of the genre, but the script is taut and efficient and the film is rather good.

The Girl in Lovers Lane (1960)

A low-budget film from the tough streets of a small town in the US.

Danny (Lowell Brown) is a rich kid who has gone on the run, he gets turned over by some thugs in a rail yard but is saved from destitution by experienced drifter Bix (Brett Halsey). Bix takes Danny under his wing (the fact Danny has all the money is incidental of course!) They end up in a small town and Bix soon has to teach Danny some street smarts and how to deal with dangerous thugs and even more dangerous gals!

However, Bix falls in love with Carrie (Joyce Meadows) and starts to wonder if he should settle down and stop drifting. But the weird Jesse (Jack Elam) throws a tragic spanner in the works...

An enjoyable film, though the sleazy and brutal world of Bix and his drifting lifestyle could have done with a little bit more budget and at times the pace of the film could have done with a bit more juice. 

The Trusted Outlaw (1937)

An efficient if run-of-the-mill Western.

Reformed former outlaw Dan Ward (Bob Steele) returns to his old home in the hope of reuniting with his old beau Molly (Lois January), however she arranges for him to be ambushed! Dan faces his old rival Swain (Earl Dwire), the local outlaw, but in the end is persuaded not to turn to gunplay by the Sheriff (Frank Ball).

Dan is hired to take the payroll to the mine (very trusting considering his past!) He has to run the gauntlet of Swain's gang but also discovers Betty (Joan Barclay)...

So yet another B-movie Western, a decent enough film that tells a straightforward story pretty quickly without any tangents. The fact Molly is one of the bad guys (for a while) is probably the most notable thing about this film, which is otherwise pretty familiar fare. Good horsemanship and reasonably good fights.

Bruce Lee : Martial Arts Master (1994)

An interesting if limited biopic of Bruce Lee, this one concentrating more on his movie career.

The film tells the story of Bruce, moving to the US after a troublesome upbringing in HK. Soon he was making waves with his brand of kung fu and coming to the attention of Hollywood. Bruce's first forays on screen were in TV series like the Green Hornet but when he returned to HK his film career took up in a short but incredibly bright career...

Talking heads such as James Coburn, Jackie Chan and Bolo Yeung share anecdotes and memories of working with Bruce. Plenty of classic clips from his films (though not his TV shows) are fitted in throughout. This is a decent documentary however, if you are a fan of Bruce it really won't tell you anything new.

Squirm (1976)

Part of the 1970s wave of animal attack films, but in this case even more weird than usual, but also rather more compelling too.

A storm has bought down the electric lines in rural Georgia, the electricity flows into the Earth and brings millions of meat eating worms to the surface! City boy Mick (Don Scardino) is in town to see his local girlfriend Geri (Patricia Pearcy). Being a smart ass from Noo Yoick and therefore not a hick he knows that something strange is up already (of course) though the strangely smug Sheriff (Peter MacLean) won't hear anything about it...

Things really start to deteriorate when the somewhat odd Roger (RA Dow) has worms fly up into his face and literal masses of worms appear everywhere, eating people left right and centre. Mick has to try and save Geri and her family and fight a strangely zombified Roger...

Truthfully this film is a total mess, but a glorious one all the same. It makes little sense and at times the red necks are as scary and dangerous as the worms. The film is full of cheese, strange characters, gore and stereotypes. It is actually pretty great... somehow.