Holt of the Secret Service (Serial) (1941)

A reasonable crime fighting serial involving counterfeit dollars.

A top engraver has been kidnapped by a criminal gang to make very good fake US dollars. Top Secret Service agent Jack Holt goes undercover with fellow agent Kay Drew (Evelyn Brent) - posing as his wife - to try and infiltrate the gang and discover their secret lair. After a lot of death defying cliff hangers of course!

This is a decent enough movie serial though does seem a bit pedestrian compared to many others in the genre. The story progresses from a secret hide out to a small island nation ruled by a maniac which is an interesting setting. 

But the serial never really progresses beyond interesting. It is decently made for a serial and Jack and Evelyn work well together but the serial just lacks that bit of spark other serials had.

Dead of Night (1974)

A superb horror film exploring some really dark territory.

The Brooks family is torn apart when their son Andy (Richard Backus) is reported killed in action in Vietnam. However, a few days later he turns up alive... and well? Well physically he seems fine but personality wise he seems to have completely changed, much to the concern of his father Charlie (John Marley). 

Andy seems to want to have nothing to do with his family or friends, he even kills the dog! He also seems likely to have killed a truck driver in a brutal attack. Well his mum (Lynn Carlin) is still happy...

A deliciously dark horror. Although there is some gore much of the menace is implied and laid on thick. Andy's descent into a blood drinking decomposing zombie is brilliantly portrayed with some great acting and great make-up. 

Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936)

A decent amateur detective caper set almost entirely on an ocean liner.

Haines (William Boyd) is the kind of reporter almost compulsory in 1930s and 1940s cinema: cocky, breezy and wise cracking! He is hunting after a business tycoon who has caused the ruination of many investors. He follows the man onto an ocean liner where he presumably is making his get away.

When the tycoon is killed in an amateur dramatic performance (don't ask), Haines is granted, despite not being an actual policeman, full rein by the captain (Lloyd Ingraham) to investigate and uncover the murderer. His investigation involves an awkward drunk, shifty crewmen aboard the liner and a love interest (Sheila Terry) of course.

This is typical of crime murder mysteries of the 1930s and 1940s. A mess of styles driven by a couple of charismatic leads. It doesn't really make a lot of sense with it's various red herrings and false starts but somehow works. Although its not that original, if we are to be honest, it has good performances and is light and very enjoyable.

Alice the Whaler (1927)

Another of Walt Disney's early Alice animation / live action hybrids.

Alice (Lois Hardwick) is dancing aboard a ship with a crew of animals. The chef is a cat, for example, with a mouse as his sous chef tasked with peeling the potatoes! To be honest there isn't much plot in this film, it mostly consists of animals dancing and the occasional hijinks. The mouse plays the biggest role and isn't a very sympathetic character.

Ultimately there isn't a great deal to this short film and it isn't really that good. The Alice series of films was running out of steam but fear not, Mickey Mouse was about to make his screen debut for Disney and that changed everything.

King Solomon's Mines (1985)

With a great cast, this film ruthlessly and hilariously sends up Indiana Jones.

Jesse's (Sharon Stone) father has gone missing in Africa, and she has hired Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain) to help her find him. In fact her father has discovered the location of King Solomon's fabled mine and massive diamond wealth. Unfortunately the unscrupulous Colonel Bockner (Herbert Lom) and Dogati (John Rhys-Davies) have captured him and are trying to get the information out of him by fair means or foul (actually no just foul)...

Their adventure becomes a series of exciting though somewhat improbable action set pieces across Africa including on a train and in the air. All the time our heroes are trying to avoid getting eaten by wildlife and the natives...

A very silly film, a well done parody of Indiana Jones and the like. The jokes are corny and the action frequently improbable but that is the point. Very entertaining.