Biggles (1986)

The iconic World War 1 flying ace Biggles stories would seem to be perfect for a translation to the big screen, unfortunately this wasn't it.

New York advertising executive Jim (Alex Hyde-Wright) is working on a dreary advertising campaign when he is suddenly zapped through time and witnesses a plane crash, an old biplane. Later, he is visited by the mysterious Air Commodore Raymond (Peter Cushing) who tells Jim that he is linked to an aviator from the First World War, James Bigglesworth aka Biggles (Neil Dickson)!

Soon, Jim and Biggles are zapping to and fro each other's times. Biggles encounters the oddness of 1980s London, and Jim the trenches and aerial combat (so it seems Biggles got the better deal). Soon, they must work together to defeat a powerful German secret weapon which could win the war and change history...

If you have read a Biggles story you will wonder why they had to do the story this way, and turn it into a fairly generic time travel story. It isn't that bad a film, indeed the action sequences are often pretty good, but you can't help but feel a bit disappointed.

Split Second (1953)

A Noir with a plutonium twist!

While reporter Larry Fleming (Keith Andes) prepares to cover the latest nuclear bomb test in the desert, he is called away to cover the escape of two dangerous convicts from prison including the gang leader Steve Hurley (Steven McNalley). Larry, and young hitchhiker Dottie (Jan Sterling) are among the hostages taken by Hurley. Hurley takes them all to the ghost town which is due to be nuked in a few hours time! Will Hurley let them escape in time in the question and it isn't looking too hot on that score...

A wonderfully dark little hostage drama with the hostages knowing that they are mere hours from a dose of instant sunshine. The film has some good (if sometimes uneven) performances and plenty of tension. The film is let down a bit by the actual nuclear blast though, some details of the weapon and it's effects were probably still classified at the time.

The Thirteenth Hour (1947)

Part of the Whistler series, an anthology of crime stories.

Steve (Richard Dix) owns a trucking firm and is on top of the world after Eileen (Karen Morley) agrees to marry him. 

However, later that night a series of misfortunes befalls him including of a lorry crash which costs him his licence and later accused of murdering a policeman! Steve finds out he has been framed by a diamond smuggling gang and must capture the gang to clear his name...

This is a fine crime film with a Noir feel. The story is good and well structured and the film has a good atmosphere. The performances are pretty good too. What the film's title has to do with the actual story is another mystery though.

Equinox (1970)

A creepy horror, low on budget but high on nonsense.

Four college friends (including Edward Connell and Barbara Hewitt) head into the woods to visit their professor. However, they find his house has been destroyed and Dr Waterman (Fritz Leiber Jr) is missing. What has been left behind is a mysterious book, when they read the book they find it is an occult tome and Waterman may have opened a portal to Hell. Opps!

A demon is now loose in the woods, posing as the park ranger (Jack Woods), and wants the book. He is willing to unleash a wave of hellish horrors on the four young people to get ahold of the book. The story is told in flashback.

This isn't that great a film, though the demons are a tasty bit of stop motion animation. The budget was minute but the film makers did manage to make the most of it. 

The Cheyenne Tornado (1935)

A tale of sheep herders versus cattle men in the Wild West.

A wandering cowboy gets involved in a conflict between Mexican sheep herders and cattle men, however this is no ordinary cowboy, this is Reb Russell the Cheyenne Kid! The rich rancher Darnell has been killed and Reb tries to find out what is going on, fancied by women from both sides (Tina Menard and Victoria Vinton) and also accused of being involved in the murder. After much convoluted plot, and plenty of fine horsemanship and gunplay  the real culprit is found and Reb is revealed to be a US Marshal. 

A decent Western though the plot is slightly too complicated and wordy to suit the limited acting abilities of Russell, his athleticism and horse skills were very good though which is probably more important for the star of a 1930s Western!

Star Crystal (1986)

A very low budget science-fiction horror, it lacks much in the way of originality as well though isn't too bad a film.

Astronauts on Mars discover a strange object, when the object is bought back to the space station the astronauts are found dead and soon the space station as well is thrown into peril with mysterious technical faults. A murderous alien monster has hatched from the object found on Mars and is now running amok. What can stop the monster and save the human survivors, well you won't believe quite how that is achieved.

This is kind of awful is we are to be honest, the budget is tiny and the effects pretty terrible (the eagle eyed will see parts of a Millennium Falcon toy turn up on one model!) 

So, is this just yet another terrible Alien rip-off? Well yes but the ineptitude and cheese make it quite compelling. The abrupt change in tone and direction at the end is rather amazing.

Tempest (1928)

A classic late 1920s silent movie.

This film follows the story of Ivan Markov (John Barrymore), a soldier in the final days of Tsarist Russia. Despite heavy opposition, low born Markov rises through the ranks to the officer corps. 

He falls in love with the Princess Tamara (Camilla Horn) though she spurns his advances, however when he is found drunk in her quarters Markov's enemies have their chance to dispose of him. He is kicked out of the army and send to prison. 

However, the old regime soon falls and Markov has a new important role with the Communists who release him, will Markov seek revenge on the now non-aristocratic Tamara?

A fine film with plenty of drama and emotion and some great camera work, though some performances are a bit wooden and spoil things a bit. Barrymore is great though, the perfect silent movie hero.