Uneasy Terms (1948)

A US style private detective tale but coming from Britain, and it just about works.

Slim Callaghan (Michael Rennie) is called to the country home of Colonel Stenhurst (Roy Russell) but he is murdered just before he can tell Slim why he wants him. There are a number of suspects including the Colonel's three daughters (including Moira Lester). The case involves inheritances, secret marriages and blackmail...

This is a decent enough crime drama though tries a little too hard to copy US hard boiled detective stories which sometimes fails to come across properly in a British setting. The story is complicated with plenty of sub-plots though the film can be a little static at times. The final fight scene is well worth sticking around, Slim knowing a bit of judo!

One Week (1920)

An early example of Buster Keaton's work, a taste of the greatness to come.

Buster and Sybil Seely have just got married. One of their wedding gifts is a prefabricated house which they have to build themselves. What could go wrong?! A love rival is out to sabotage things though, and switches the part numbers around so the resulting house, after many mishaps, is a bit odd...

Its a bit frenetic, maybe a little too much slap stick is squeezed in at times but this is a fun watch with a lot of sight gags.

The Phantom Light (1935)

Mysterious goings on at a lighthouse off the Welsh coast.

Sam (Gordon Harker) turns up for his new job at an important lighthouse on the coast of Wales. He learns that one of his predecessors has been murdered, and another one has one mad after seeing a phantom light. With a growing number of people turning up at the lighthouse including Alice (Binnie Hale) and Jim (Ian Hunter) all of whom are not quite what they seem. A plot is uncovered to disable the lighthouse and cause a ship to be driven onto the rocks by a phantom light, for insurance purposes.

A fine film which has a number of layers and, despite a short runtime, the story is given time to build. The lighthouse setting gives the mystery a claustrophobic edge.

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.