Captain Scarface (1953)

An interesting plot though the execution is not without it's flaws.

Sam (Leif Erickson) is desperate to escape South America for reasons. At a hotel he finds a group of people waiting to head to the US on a freighter. Clegg (Paul Brinegar), the radio operator from the ship, turns up wanting money from a man named Kroll (John Mylong), who has turned up at the hotel with Dr Yeager (Rudolph Anders). Clegg shoots Kroll but gets shot himself, Sam takes the opportunity to take Kroll's identity and get aboard the board.

However, there he discovers the boat has a false registration and the Captain (Barton MacLane) plans to detonate an atomic bomb with the help the reluctant Dr Yeager - his daughter Elsa (Virginia Gray) held hostage to force him to comply - and destroy the Panama Canal...

Not a bad budget B-movie though limited when it comes to action, the film also ends rather abruptly. However, the story is solid and is pretty well told.

Frontier Scout (1938)

An above-average Western, decent enough without being too thrilling.

We start with the American Civil War, where Norris (Dave O'Brien) is comrades with Wild Bill Hickok (George Houston) and Whiney (Al St John). 

After the war, Bill and Whiney head west where the great cattle drives are starting up to feed the great demand for beef in the east. By now Norris is in the cattle business but his herds are going missing. Wild Bill and Whiney lend a hand...

The war scenes at the start of the film give it some novelty but the rest is pretty familiar 1930s/1940s Western fare. A good cast helps elevate the film beyond it's fairly mundane plot line though not by a huge amount.

A Calamitous Elopement (1908)

An early romantic comedy with some interesting early use of the close-up in film.

A young couple (Harry Solter and Linda Arvidson) are chased out of the house by the girl's angry father (Charles Inslee). In shades of Romeo and Juliet, the lad turns up under his lady's balcony to woo her. He suggests they elope, she agrees and begins to pack her trunk and he heads off to make preparations. Things are complicated by a burglar (George Gebhardt) who sets up a rope ladder on the balcony and then hides in the trunk...

An early film by D.W. Griffith, it falls into the interesting rather than astounding camp though has some early uses of close-ups, editing and other film making techniques which Griffith was still experimenting with. In a few years everyone would be using them, but for now this is cutting edge and a work in progress. Alas for a comedy its really not that funny.

Breakout (1975)

A solid if not spectacular mid-1970s action romp.

Wagner (Robert Duvall) has been framed for a crime he didn't commit by a shadowy organised crime  cabal including his greedy grandfather (John Huston), who - due to family ties - insists his grandson isn't killed but is sent to spend thirty years in a Mexican prison! Wagner's wife Ann (Jill Ireland) enlists Nick (Charles Bronson) to get her man out. Nick is a hot shot pilot but he soon requires other skills when the cabal work to foil his plans time after time...

A typical 1970s film with a slightly laid-back feeling of irrelevance. It goes on a few tangents which don't go anywhere but the story is overall well structured and is just enough to keep you interested. Bronson plays his role a bit lighter than usual.

Interestingly the story is based on the real story of Joel David Kaplan who was broken out of a Mexican prison with a helicopter rescue.

Brand of the Devil (1944)

A perfectly reasonable Western, familiar themes but well done.

Three Texas rangers Tex (Dave O'Brian), Jim (Jane Newill) and Panhandle (Guy Wilkerson) are hunting for the Devil's Brand gang of rustlers led by Varno (I Stanford Jolley). Molly (Ellen Hall) meanwhile has her horses and cattle stolen by the gang, though the Rangers are in disguise do not seem to be any help...

The film begins rather cliched with a fight in a bar but soon develops into something a little better (though still pretty familiar). An enjoyable film that has decent (if not much more) performances. The film is somewhat strange at times, like many Westerns it includes a few songs including one sung by a character tied up!

Hijacked: Flight 285 (1996)

Fairly unoriginal aeroplan hijacking movie with a cast of stereotypes in the Airport movie tradition. It isn't that bad though.

Convicted murder Peter (Anthony Michael Hall) is being transported on a commercial flight, however he has two friends aboard the flight who release him from the Marshals and he takes over the flight. He demands a flight to freedom and twenty million dollars. FBI investigator Deni (Ally Sheedy) is rushed from her gymnastics coaching (really) to handle the situation...

As usual with these films we follow the story with a number of the fellow passengers. So, we have the rude drunk businessman (David Graf), the retired couple, the troubled family who come good as the varied passenger stereotypes (no alcoholic middle aged woman though which is disappointing, so we can't complete the bingo card). All are vital to the plot to some degree though so that is good.

The film is quite generic we are to be honest with few surprises but it is competently done. If a bit ridiculous.

False Pretenses (1935)

A fairly familiar subject maybe but nicely done.

Mary (Irene Ware), after being embarrassed by her drunken oaf boyfriend, loses her job as a waitress. She meets a rich former millionaire who is now skint (and stops him killing himself). Kenneth (Sidney Blackmer) and Mary concocts a plan where he will teach Mary how to be a refined lady and snag a rich husband (and she can pay him a finder's fee). Naturally, things don't go to plan...

So, a familiar story, poor girl learns how to be a rich girl. Its a pleasant little comedy with some decent performances and good chemistry between the lead pair. Witty dialogue especially early on makes the film, it does fall a little flat later on though the film is short enough for this not really to be a problem.