Murder in the Clouds (1934)

High flying criminal catching antics.

Three Star (not his real name), played by Lyle Talbot, is a hot shot pilot for a small airline who likes showing off his flying skills with acrobatics a little too much for the boss' liking. However, he is chosen to fly a very special cargo - a top secret new explosive - to Washington but just before the flight he is beaten up by some mysterious thugs. 

Thus instead the brother (Robert Light) of his girlfriend Judy (Ann Dvorak) takes the flight, which ends in an explosion! Judy heads out to see what really went on, with Three Star close behind...

This is a really good film with some excellent aerial scenes. The plot is simple but well worked out and the bad guys suitably menacing, deadly and scheming. The hero Three Star is, as so often with films of this period, equal parts heroic and annoying.

The Dallas Connection (1994)

Although still a lot of fun, this is a bit of a mis-step in the Sidarisverse.

Four scientists are working on a top secret satellite that will detect the hidden weapon caches of terrorists and criminal gangs, of course the satellite requires a chip from each scientist that only they possess. Three are killed by large breasted female assassins in a variety of ridiculous ways including with an exploding golf ball! 

One scientist is left alive (Rodrigo Obregón), and the federal team must protect him from Black Widow (Julie Strain) and her assassins long enough for the satellite to be activated. Of course, there is a sting in the tail...

The story is complete nonsense, even by the standards of an Andy Sidaris film and it is heavily padded out (so to speak). However, fans don't watch these films for the high art, they watch it for scantily clad young people firing guns and all sorts of action nonsense. Despite the shortcomings this is still a very watchable and enjoyable film but compared to some others in the series it is lacking.

The Trouble with Spies (1987)

A spy farce, the humour is a bit heavy handed at times but it is worth sticking with.

Hapless British agent Porter (Donald Sutherland) is sent to Ibiza to find out where another agent, who was investigating Soviet links to the narcotics trade, has vanished to. 

As soon as Porter arrives in Spain the assassination attempts begin, luckily the Soviets are as useless as Porter! Who is the enemy agent at the hotel managed by Mona (Lucy Gutteridge)? There are plenty of contenders but maybe it is someone quite surprising?

An enjoyable comedy full of good slapstick farce. How much you enjoy this film will depend on your tolerance for things getting too silly, I was tested at times but stayed with it, and was glad i did.

Mutiny in the Big House (1939)

A tireless priest remains convinced he can turn around the lives of convicts.

Johnny Gates (Dennis Moore) - presumably no relation to Bill - has been sent to prison for forgery. The prison chaplain Father Joe (Charles Bickford) is convinced men can be reformed and become model citizens again, though old lags and the prison guards and governor remain unconvinced. Johnny's cellmate Red (Barton MacLane) sees an opportunity to use Johnny to attempt a prison break...

The moralising is laid on a bit thick at times but this is a solid prison drama, tough and dramatic in the right places. The message is good, prison need not be a dead end and reform is possible, though it is a message often forgotten about these days.

The Salzburg Connection (1972)

A complicated spy drama involving Nazi secrets, it looks amazing but what exactly is going on?

Mathison (Barry Newman) is an American in Austria investigating missing payments for a publisher, though really he is working for the CIA. After various people have gone missing, Mathison is drawn into a complicated and deadly plot involving lost Nazi secrets and competing secret service departments. 

He is helped by the wife widow of one of the lost men, Anna (Anna Karina) whose annoying brother knows where the secrets are. Perky KGB agent Elissa (Karen Jensen) is also hunting for the plans...

The scenery, both in and out of town, is sumptuous so this film looks amazing, but what is it actually about. The story is very complicated, though packs a little too much in which makes things confusing. Things pick up a bit towards the end but to get there it can be a bit of a slog.