Meet the Wildcat (1940)

An enjoyable crime drama involving art thefts, undercover agents and deception.

A notorious art thief called the Wildcat has ripped off another gallery in Mexico City. Magazine photographer Ann (Margaret Lindsay) spots a man stealing a painting from a frame and tells the police. The man, Brod (Ralph Bellamy) is supposedly a detective though Ann is unconvinced. She investigates Brod who she thinks is a shady customer. She gets him thrown in jail, but then is tricked and forced into helping him escape!

However, unknown to Ann, Brod is a real undercover agent and his arrest and escape was all staged in order for Brod to join the gang of the real Wildcat. But Brod and Ann are soon in real danger from the Wildcat and his gang of thugs as they prepare their next big heist...

A fairly complicated plot but a good one, this is a 1940s crime B-movie with a difference as it involved art theft and undercover work. Fast moving with good interplay between the leads and certainly plenty of charisma.

It's a Bikini World (1967)

A decent late 60s beach bikini film, plenty of young people frolicking in their swimwear, and even some plot too!

Delilah (Deborah Walley) turns up on the beach where beefcake Mike (Tommy Kirk) holds sway. Naturally, she quickly becomes a target for Mike's affections though she finds him arrogant. Mike overhears that Delilah prefers sensible boys not jocks so he disguises him (barely) as his studious "brother" Herbert. Delilah falls for Herbert but Mike faces a struggle keeping the truth from her...

Don't expect any surprises from this film which is true to it's genre, one highlight is the appearance of The Animals to perform one of their hits. The film's finale of a cross-country race should have been the film's exciting climax but instead becomes a bit of a bore. Times were a-changing, psychedelia was coming and that would soon make films like this look incredibly dated but it is a fine enough watch.

Radar Secret Service (1950)

Radar can do everything, as this curious little film tries to prove.

Uranium has been stolen by a criminal gang, the G-men led by John Howard are on the case and tracking the shipment using radar - which has almost supernatural abilities in this film! 

However, despite the magic of radar the G-men still need to use a shapely blonde to really get the goods on the criminal gang.

This is a decent watch but the premise is pretty ridiculous, though the radar nonsense is pretty funny. Apart from that the film is a pretty run of the mill and very low budget crime drama. 

Look out for the mention of Dick Tracy by radar expert Static (Ralph Byrd) who actually played Tracy in the late 1930s and 1940s!

The Crosby Case (1934)

Two former lovers must reunite to save themselves from a murder rap.

After Dr Crosby is found dead in the street, after being hit by a taxi though the gunshot wound is what really killed him, Inspector Thomas (Alan Dinehart) goes into investigate. 

There are a number of suspects including a woman (Wynne Gibson) who's slipper was found in Crosby's apartment and also the man (Onslow Stevens) who owns the gun which killed Crosby! All of the suspects are somewhat shady characters, as was the victim in this pre-Code film.

A fine crime drama, with themes and characters (including abortion) which would soon be forbidden in Hollywood films. The solving of the crime hangs on an eyewitness whom the police did not seem to realise was as blind as a bat for some reason!

The Phantom Menace (1999)

Years after the original Star Wars trilogy changed the world, the prequel trilogy began with this film. Did it work?

The galaxy is in a state of flux, on it's edges trade disputes are leading to conflict. The Jedi, who maintain peace in the Galactic Republic send Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) to sort things out on the distant planet of Naboo. The planet, led by Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), has come under threat from the Trade Federation... 

However, the Trade Federation seek the deaths of the Jedi. Unknown to the Jedi, the eternal enemies of the Jedi, the evil Sith Lords are behind the disputes. On Naboo, a young boy is discovered who has an incredible presence in the Force, Qui-Gon thinks this boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), could be the Chosen One who can bring balance to the Force...

So, this is how the Star Wars saga begins, with a trade dispute. The problem with this film is that it needs a story that can stand alone for new fans but also fit into the canon and lore established by the original trilogy. It doesn't quite succeed on either score though isn't that bad a film, it certainly looks superb with highly imaginative aesthetics and design but is let down by the overly meandering plot and frequently banal dialogue. The special effects maybe rely a little too heavily on CGI.

But it is a Star Wars film! Due to the massive fan base, the film was a success despite any misgivings, and these can be amplified by the highly engaged fans. Truthfully, the Phantom Menace is a perfectly watchable film, not a classic but an impressive achievement.

The Hat Box Mystery (1947)

A bright and breezy little crime drama with a good cast ensemble.

Russ Ashton (Tom Neal) is a private detective low on work and even lower on cash. His assistant Susan Hart (Pamela Blake) takes on a job to secretly photograph a woman using a camera hidden in a hat box. However, when she takes the photo she finds out the hat box really contains a gun and she shoots the woman who later dies! 

Russ works to prove Susan's innocence with the help of his rather dim assistant Harvard (Allen Jenkins). A criminal gang is behind the plot to kill the woman and now they are moving in to make sure nothing is directed at them...

A simple enough story, the hidden gun plot device is a not uncommon one in 1930s and 1940s crime films. The stupidity of the bad guys is a much more common plot device! An enjoyable film, it was set up with an introduction of the cast directed at the fourth wall, one wonders if a series of films based on the characters was planned at one stage.

City on Fire (1979)

Hot action (literally) as a city is set on fire by a disgruntled worker.

Stover (Jonathan Welsh) is denied promotion at work and doesn't take it well and now seeks revenge. Unfortunately, he works at a chemical refinery which has been built in the centre of town, due to the corruption of the Mayor Dudley (Leslie Neilsen). Stover pumps chemicals and gasoline into the town's sewers which soon catches light and sets the whole town on fire! It is up to fire chief Risley (Henry Fonda) to try and save the day...

A fairly standard 1970s disaster movie, with it's characters covering a number of stereotypes including Maggie (Ava Gardner) the fading alcoholic star news reporter. 

The film has a good cast (though many of them do not really seem to have their hearts in it) but it doesn't raise the film much above OK. The premise really demands a decent budget, unfortunately there wasn't one which makes the special effects rather laughable. But as the genre goes its fine.