The Mystery Airman (Serial) (1928)

A classic serial set in the air, with ten episodes and nine death defying cliffhangers.

The Baker Airplane Company led by Jack Baker (Walter Miller) has developed some new world beating technology for it's aeroplanes. However, a rival company want this technology and are prepared to use nefarious means to get it (of course!) Baker and his aircraft are continually attacked by a fleet of mysterious raider aircraft led by Pilot X...

So, this is familiar serial fare. The aerial scenes are a bit hit and miss and can be a bit difficult to work out what is actually happening but the episodes have sufficient fast moving action and plot twists and turns toi keep you entertained. The identity of Pilot X is of course unknown though is one of the other characters with a mask, so you can try and work it out before the big reveal! Also stars Eugenia Gilbert, Robert Walker, Eugene Burr and Dorothy Tallcot... is one of those Pilot X? Find out next week (maybe).

Gamera vs Viras (1968)

Every Japanese child's favourite rocket propelled giant turtle battles a bizarre space monster, as usual.

Aliens plan to conquer the Earth, however the mighty Gamera spoils their plans by destroying their ship. The aliens (in another ship of course) instead use two annoying cub scouts in a submarine to trap Gamera and put him under their control. 

Gamera then destroys Tokyo, which has probably only just been rebuilt after the last time Gamera destroyed it. Finally, Gamera is released from the alien spell but then has to battle Viras the giant space squid...

This is the usual Japanese monster fare but includes little you have not seen before (sometimes literally as this is padded out with footage from earlier films). Its OK but there are better monster films out there.

Bounty Tracker (1993)

A film about a bounty tracker, which is basically a bounty hunter but with a different title.

Jonathan (Lorenzo Lamas) is a bounty hunter tracker heads out west to visit his brother in LA. Unfortunately brother Paul (Paul Regina) and his firm of lawyers is mixed up in a murky crime boss trial. When Paul's law firm is literally wiped out by a gang led by Gauss (Matthias Hues), Paul gets police protection. However, that doesn't save him from Gauss and his top hit woman Jewels (Cyndi Pass)...

Jonathan wants revenge against Gauss and enters the LA underworld to try and track him down, including a rather strange fight scene at an Indonesian martial arts dojo. Jonathan ends up getting some help from a bunch of kids.

An ultra violent film with a basic script which simply provides a skeleton for the violent set pieces to be hung off. Not very original or high art but entertaining if you like a high body count. The sort of film you would get from the video store as a teenager and loved all to death but nowadays cringe throughout if you watched it, well not me as i am still the teenager inside and loved it. There is plenty of early 1990s cheese on show as well. Great stuff!

Murder with Pictures (1936)

An enjoyable crime caper, naturally with a wise cracking journalist like they always are in 1930s movies!

After crime boss Nate Girard (Onslow Stevens) is found not-guilty of murder, newspaper photographer Kent (Lew Ayres) gets on the story. At a party Nate holds to celebrate, a mysterious woman called Meg (Gail Patrick) confronts him. Later Meg turns up at Kent's apartment begging for help (he is in the shower at the time!) Redfield (Earnest Crossard), Nate's lawyer, was shot during a press photo call. In the confusion Meg fled and now she is suspected of carrying out the murder!

Kent decides to help Meg but he soon finds himself drugged (by Meg) and his apartment ransacked (by Nate's men). However, his friend and rival McGoogin (Paul Kelly) may have given him the clue to the identity of the real killer...

A fast moving film with some good performances though the plot at times is a little strange or far fetched. The sub-plot with Kent's annoying fiancé (Joyce Compton) doesn't really add anything to the film.

Death Race 2000 (1975)

One of the ultimate future shock road movies.

It is the year 2000 and America is run by a brutal regime pacifying the masses by the entertainment of the death race across America where bonus points are available for running people down! The regime's hero is Frankenstein (David Carradine) and ranged against him a strange crew of over the top characters including Italian pseudo-mafioso Machine Gun (Sylvester Stallone).

Meanwhile, a group of freedom fighters are aiming to bring the regime down and plan to crash the race to do it. Frankenstein himself though isn't quite what he seems...

Satirical, unusual and very violent. Death race certainly isn't lacking in kills (bonus points!) Its not lacking in good humour too. The racing perhaps is nonsense but the cars had a certain quirky feel about them. A really great film.