A Night for Crime (1943)

A very familiar kind of film containing a lot of themes and tropes you'll have already seen in dozens of other movies, and usually a lot better.

It is war time and there are a number of black outs, the perfect time for crimes to be committed! Perky reporter Susan Cooper (Glenda Farrell) investigates the murder of a young actress. A bigger star has also gone missing. Susan investigates these crimes with the help of movie publicity man Joe (Lyle Talbot), though the police think Susan and Joe did it (of course!)

A familiar film, a number of crimes and fast moving storyline and sassy dialogue. Unfortunately the film isn't that good, it goes a little too far with the familiar tropes. The "dumb" police detective (Ralph Sanford) in this film is reduced to a ridiculous caricature and one joke character that isn't funny the first time, even less so the twentieth. It has a little charm but is a bit too silly to enjoy that much.

The Sword and the Dragon (1956)

An epic Russian film involving many swords and dragons.

Ilya Muromets (Boris Andreyev) is a great warrior, but unfortunately he had lost the use of his legs and therefore he can't stop the ravaging Tugar hoards from setting his village on fire and taking off pillage in the form of the village's women, including his sweetheart. 

After Ilya helps some travellers out, they give him some special medicine which restores the use of his legs. Ilya heads off in search of battle with the Tugars to prove himself to the Tsar. Unfortunately, the Tugars have fire-breathing dragons in their armoury...

The first Soviet film recorded in CinemaScope and multi-track stereo and this adds to the splendour of this film which is based on a famous Russian epic story, with plenty of Soviet propaganda added of course. 

An epic film made at a time of epic films and it certainly is not disgraced by it's Hollywood rivals. A fun watch, the story can be nonsense at times but the grand scale is very compelling.

Inspector Hornleigh (1939)

The first of three Inspector Hornleigh films, in this first one Hornleigh and Bingham investigate the theft of the Chancellor's brief case!

Hornleigh (Gordon Harker) is called upon to investigate the murder of a lodger, the only clue being a man was seen leaving the premises with a suitcase. Bingham (Alastair Sim) in his own bumbling way finds the suitcase in the river, it is what inside the suitcase that really surprises... the Chancellor of the Exchequer's red briefcase! 

Hornleigh and Bingham begin to uncover a plot involving big debts, government secrets and murder...

An enjoyable film, the plot is a bit slow but it is well structured and the film has enough banter and humour between the two detectives to keep things moving.

The Spider Woman (1943)

An excellent entry in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes series, as the master sleuth battles a deadly foe who uses deadly spiders to kill.

A spate of mysterious deaths, claimed to be suicides though many are sceptical, grips London. However, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) are on holiday in Scotland. Holmes says he feels ill and then appears to fall to his death into a river, though his remains are never found.

But of course Holmes is not really dead, he returns in disguise and begins the hunt for whoever is behind these mysterious deaths. Disguised as an Indian gentleman down on his luck, Holmes encounters Adrea Spedding (Gale Sondegaard) who is interested in single men down on their luck. Indeed, she is keen to kill them using deadly spiders so she can claim their life insurance...

This is a great film, if you suspend disbelief at the basic concept (insurers don't pay out for suicides usually) it is highly enjoyable. Adrea is a great villain, including having a taste for killing people in very intricate and imaginative ways.

The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)

What is worse than spiders? Giant spiders from outer space!

Some sort of anomaly has landed in Wisconsin, some form of alien life form has arrived and it has a lot of legs and a lot of eyes! Tarantula sized spiders emerge from the anomaly that quickly grow into giant spiders which terrorise the population (especially young ladies of course). Scientists Dr Vance (Steve Brodie) and Dr Langer (Barbara Hale) need to find a way to save mankind.

This is ridiculous science-fiction horror trash of course but it is a lot of fun. Cheesy and makes little sense, but that is what films like this sound be like. 

The film is oddly dated though as it feels like it should have been made about twenty years earlier when various kinds of space and mutated giant bugs were attacking mankind a few times a week.