The Scarecrow (1920)

An enjoyable and highly inventive comedy from the legendary Buster Keaton.

Buster Keaton and Joe Roberts are poor farmhands who manage to survive in very inventive ways, including reusing the same coin over and over again in the gas meter! They are both interested in the farmer's daughter Sybil Seely. Buster disguises himself as a scarecrow to cause trouble for Joe and soon he and Sybil are engaged. But of course they get married in a madcap road scene while on a motorbike and sidecar combination!

A great comedy, inventive (the hut they live in at the start with all the hidden gadgets and tricks is brilliant) and slipstick which culminates in a frenetic and fairly spectacular final scene. 

Paul Temple's Triumph (1950)

Frenetic crime fighting antics from Paul and Steve Temple.

A scientist (Andrew Leigh) is kidnapped by the mysterious criminal Z. The scientist's daughter (Anne Hayes), a friend of Steve (Dinah Sheriden), asks for help but she is later found dead. Paul Temple (John Bentley) and Steve begin to investigate, their search taking them into the countryside but where Z's organisation seems to have agents everywhere...

A fast moving film that stretches a small budget as far as it can go, unfortunately a lot of the film takes place in hotel rooms or driving around country lanes (though Temple drives an early Aston Martin which is interesting). The film is based on a radio serial and has that feel with regular cliff hangers. Basic but effective.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

This isn't just Bond, it is Bond at it's most bonkers. Total genius!

British and Russian ballistic nuclear submarines go missing. James Bond (Roger Moore) joins forces with a top KGB agent in the Bond-friendly form of Major Amasova (Barbara Bach) to investigate. As usual the trail leads to exotic locations, in this case Egypt where Bond and Amasova first encounter the man mountain Jaws (Richard Kiel) who has a mouthful of iron.

Bond and Amasova soon discover that mega rich industrialist Stromberg (Curd Jürgens) is somehow behind the plot, he is obsessed with creating a new society living under the seas. Bond wonders why has he got a new gigantic oil tanker with a curious bow which looks like it could open. Why the tanker looks big enough to be able to store two large submarines...

It is completely over the top of course. The gadgety and gimmicks are dialled up to the max. The film includes one of Bond's most iconic cars, the Lotus that could become a submarine. So many British boys (including myself of course) in the late 70s / early 80s had model versions.

Curse of the Fly (1965)

The third instalment in the Fly trilogy, don't actually expect any flies, do expect a surprisingly good film.

Martin (George Baker) is heading home when he spies a young woman running in her underwear. Naturally he stops to help her. He falls in love with Patricia (Carole Gray) and marries her after a quick romance, even though she is on the run from a psychiatric hospital!

Martin brings Patricia home to meet his father Henri (Brian Donlevy) who is conducting mysterious experiments involving teleportation, why Henri is the son of the man who became The Fly... 

There are no flies in this film but there are hideous mutants, the results of teleportation experiments gone wrong, and kept in the stables. Henri's servants Tai (Burt Kwouk) and Wan (Yvette Rees) are also rather odd, especially Wan who takes a dislike to Patricia and tries to drive her insane. Soon the poor girl is recoiling in terror from the dark secrets of her father-in-law's house...

This is a fine film, marred only by the low budget which is felt sometimes in the effects. The film has a real feeling of doom and menace and plenty of twists, including the final deadly one.

A Night in the Show (1915)

Charlie Chaplin goes to the theatre, obviously mayhem ensues. Firstly he has trouble getting a seat he likes, and of course causes a lot of disruption changing it. Finally he gets into a fight with the conductor and is thrown out! 

Meanwhile in the cheap seats is a tramp, who looks rather like Chaplin's future iconic character, who causes even more trouble. When a fire eater is on stage he thinks the building is on fire and starts to hose down the stage... and the audience!

The film is of it's time, violent slapstick without any real story or meaning. Chaplin at this stage was randomly punching people for laughs, which in itself is sometimes funny though something better was yet to come.