Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943)

The second instalment in the Crime Doctor series, in this one he gets involved in a murder case involving poison.

A retired businessman dies due to poisoning, the man's secretary Jimmy (Lloyd Bridges) fears he will be accused of the crime as he has a reputation for experimenting with poisons, having being accused of poisoning someone before. He enlists the help of criminal psychiatrist Dr Ordway (Warner Baxter) who uses his analytical skills to unravel a complicated plot which is linked to the disappearance of the victim's business associate years ago and embezzlement. 

An early example of criminal psychology being shown on screen. This makes what is otherwise a good but fairly standard crime B-movie a bit different and very watchable. Good performances, especially from the smooth Baxter add to the joy.

High Desert Kill (1989)

Something mysterious is lurking in the woods, luckily for the low budget it is invisible.

Three friends, Brad (Marc Singer), Jim (Anthony Geary) and Ray (Micah Grant) head into the woods for their annual hunting trip. 

However, they find the woods are bereft of any game. Two female campers they encounter mysteriously vanish, and then they start to behave strangely. Its almost as if some weird alien intelligence was conducting psychological experiments on them!

Not a good film though frequently unintentionally hilarious. The acting is rather basic and the story strange at times, though ultimately pretty interesting. You could not call this TV movie "good", it is still worth watching.

Richard III (1912)

A superb looking Shakespeare adaptation, one of the oldest known surviving US feature films.

The hump-backed Duke of Gloucester (Frederick Warde) wants to be the King of England. Unlike the more sedate accessions these days, the Duke will rise to the throne with a trail of murder, treachery and scheming. 

However, things do not end well for the King of course, though when this film was made it was not even considered that the King would end up buried under a Leicester car park.

This isn't a filmed play though some of the actors think they are playing to an audience. The film looks pretty good throughout with no expense spared on sets or costumes, though the filming and direction is a bit static and basic. The main problem with a Shakespeare film adaptation from this time is that it is hard to portray the rich dialogue in a silent movie with occasional inter titles! Historical and interesting to watch, though probably only once.

The Big Bluff (1955)

A gigolo's scheme to get his hands on a dying rich woman's cash doesn't go to plan in this tasty Noir.

Rich widow Valerie (Martha Vickers) has been diagnosed with a heart condition and is sent away to relax on doctor's orders, however she meets latin lover Ricardo (John Bromfield) and falls in love. Unfortunately, Ricardo loves exotic dancer Fritzie (Rosemarie Stack) who wants to leave her husband (who plays the bongos!) Ricardo learns of Valerie's medical condition and marries her, hoping she will soon die and then he will get her money and then he can run away with Fritzie.

Sadly for Ricardo he proves to be too good for Valerie and her heart improves. Under pressure from Fritzie, Ricardo forms a plan to kill his wife and use Fritzie for an alibi...

An enjoyable film though at times the acting and direction is a bit shoddy, but the film is worth persevering with and has a suitable dark ending.

The Great Air Mystery (Serial) (1935)

A superb follow-up serial continuing the adventures of daredevil aviator Tailspin Tommy.

Tommy (Clarke Williams) and Skeeter (Noah Beery Jr) head to Nazil in Latin America to help Betty Lou (Jean Rogers) and Inez Casmetto (Delphine Drew) with the setting up of infrastructure for oil extraction in country. 

However, Inez's father Manuel (Herbert Heywood) and Raymore (Matthew Betz) are two unscrupulous businessmen who want that oil wealth for themselves and concoct a series of schemes to stop Tommy and Skeeter with the help of his rogue squadron of fighters. Luckily, a mysterious aviator in a condor painted plane is often on hand to help Tommy out.

This is a great serial with a lot of amazing aerial stunts (including a crashing airship in episode 1). The serial is based on a comic strip (indeed the original Tailspin Tommy serial from 1934 was the first serial to be based on a comic strip. 

Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940)

The first of a series of Michael Shayne films starring Lloyd Nolan in the lead role of the tough private detective who is often short of cash.

Indeed, Shayne is literally having his office stripped bare by debt collectors when he is engaged by Brighton (Clarence Kolb) to keep an eye on his daughter Phyllis (Marjorie Weaver), who is overly fond of a flutter. Shayne manages to get her away from the clutches of a crook. 

When that crook is found dead in Phyllis' car, Shayne has to work fast to clear the girl but he ends up being put in the frame himself by the police chief Painter (Donald MacBride). Shayne works with Phyllis and keen amateur detective Aunt Olivia (Elizabeth Patterson) to find the real culprit...

A fine crime B-movie with the usual fast changing action and maybe a little too much plot squeezed into the movie length. Nolan is an excellent Michael Shayne with the right amount of good humoured toughness and wise cracks.

Xtro (1982)

A grisly and incredibly bloody 1980s video nasty, this certainly is science-fiction horror.

Several years ago Sam (Philip Sayers) was abducted by aliens to the horror of his little son Tony (Simon Nash). Now... something has returned to Earth. A horrific looking alien that kills an innocent couple, rapes and impregnates a woman, who then dies giving birth to... Sam!

Sam returns to his family, which is a bit awkward as his wife Rachel (Bernice Stegers) has moved on, though Tony is delighted. But is Sam quite the same as before, and how is he affecting Tony (for the worse...)

After an incredibly gory start, the film does bog down a bit in the middle act as it turns into a bit of a domestic drama (with added menace). A low budget is used well, some of the scenes look amazing. It doesn't really make a lot of sense but with a film like this it probably doesn't matter too much.