Murder by Invitation (1941)

Played light, maybe too light as it is frequently ridiculous, but this is yet another dark house murder mystery... and its pretty good!

Wealthy aunt Cassandra (Sarah Padden) sees off an attempt by her relatives to have her declared mentally incompetent so they can get their hands on her cash. She invites them to spend the night at her isolated country house. When one of them is murdered, radio reporter Bob White (Wallace Ford) comes in to investigate. 

More murders take place in a house riddled by hidden passages and tunnels. One of the relatives is suspected to be the culprit (though the field is gradually being narrowed down), while Bob and his assistant Nora (Marian Marsh) are struggling to work out what is going on amid all the nonsense and red herrings, Aunt Cassandra has a cunning plan...

This is objectively not a good film, it is a bit too chaotic and many of the actors mill around without much to do (and not doing that well). However, i loved it! It is a fun film, the goofiness makes it hard to take seriously as a crime drama, but if it is approached with an open mind then it certainly is entertaining.

Cuban Rebel Girls (1959)

A mysterious piece of sometimes sleazy propaganda that was Errol Flynn's final film.

Errol Flynn heads over to Cuba to be a war correspondent documenting Fidel Castro's revolution against Batista. An American girl (Beverley Aadland) heads to Cuba to join her boyfriend who is fighting for Castro. Flynn follows her and other teenage girls fighting for Castro...

This is a very strange and poor little film, the fact it exists seems very strange these days and was probably a bit odd back then too. The production values are very cheap, the film looks more like a grainy home movie and often is pretty tawdry, along with the obvious propaganda.

Worth watching for the curiosity value only to be honest.

Stingray (1978)

Hapless hoodlums desperately try to get their loot back which has been hidden in a hot (in more ways than one) car...

Drug dealers Tony (Bert Hinchman) and Lonigan (William Watson) kill two cops who try to frame them and hide a stash of cash and drugs in a Stingray that is on sale on a used car lot (well why not?) 

After they link up with their violent boss Abigail (Sherry Jackson) - who is also dressed as a nun - they discover the car has been sold to Elmo (Les Lannom) and Al (Christopher Mitchum). Soon, a mad chase is going on as both the police and the criminals are after them...

This is an enjoyable watch, its a bit of a romp with plenty of car chases, violence and comedic nonsense. Fast moving, especially in the Stingray, and quite ridiculous but a lot of fun.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

An excellent Sherlock Holmes film.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) are called to help to investigate a mysterious beast which is stalking the foggy moors. Young heir Sir Baskerville (Richard Greene) is in danger from this beast, but is the real danger from someone a bit more human...

Before the Rathbone-Bruce films entered the present day (well the 1940s), they did a couple of official Sherlock Holmes stories set in the correct period, of which this was the first. Their characters arn't quite set yet but they do a very good job with a classic story. 

Its a very atmospheric story though the foggy (and presumably chilly) moors reverberate with the sound of crickets for some reason.

Thunder in Carolina (1960)

High octane track action makes up for a bit of a stall in the plot department.

We are in the early days of NASCAR and top racer Mitch (Rory Calhoun) is out of action for awhile following a bad crash in a race. 

Mitch takes young hotshot Les (Race Gentry) under his wing, unfortunately he also takes a shine to Les' wife Rene (Connie Hines) though this only one way. Success on track goes to Les' head and he begins to make some risky choices...

This film will be a bit more enjoyable if you like watching motor racing as these scenes are pretty good, the rest of the film could do with being in a higher gear. Not that bad but could have been more.

Fighting Ace (1979)

A generic revenge kung fu story is enlivened by some top notch action.

As a boy Kao Che (John Liu) witnesses a madman kill his father (for a book), and then rape and kill his mother (just because). 

Twenty years later he learns kung fu from a number of teachers including Kwan Yeung Moon who does an incredible action set piece, and accompanied by a comedy sidekick (of course) he sets out for revenge...

Well the story isn't very original but that doesn't really matter. People watch films like this for the action and that is very good. A great film for kicks for sure and some innovative fights.

Show of Shows (1929)

It is 1929, sound films have quickly revolutionised the cinema industry and there is a hunger by audiences to hear as well as see the stars of the silver screen...

Warner Brothers created this film as a showcase of it's stars which isn't a film as such but a musical-comedy revue hosted by Frank Fay. We see top stars of the day like John Barrymore, also performances from Broadway acts and even Rin Tin Tin!

It is a lavish period piece, the comedy often falls a bit flat but the large scake spectacle is very impressive. It is worth watching for the historic value alone, but it is also pretty entertaining at times.