The Last Journey (1936)

An interesting little film which is half action-drama half advert for the Great Western Railway. It is also like a British railway ancestor of the Airport films: a collection of passengers with different back stories and skeletons in the cupboards all bought together on one trip and collective adventure...

Train driver Bob (Julien Mitchell) is on his last journey before he retires but he suspects his fireman (Michael Hogan) is having an affair with his wife (Olga Lindo). He decides to go out in style... by not stopping and crashing the train killing himself, the fireman and everyone else!

Meanwhile the train load of newly weds (Hugh Williams and Judy Gunn), small time crooks (Eliot Makeham and Eve Gray), a doctor (Godfrey Tearle) in a race against time to save a life, neurotics (Viola Compton) and police (Frank Pettingell) get up to various antics... And just who is the guy in the sports car (later aeroplane) chasing after the train?

Fast moving (literally), the acting is also rather fast and frenetic and often a bit overdone. However there isn't time to get bored. The 1930s railway footage alone makes this film well worth watching.

Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1956)

It seems in the 1950s everyone thought outer space would be fairly easy to get to and once they got there they would find it inhabited by either attractive young women or monsters...

The UK/US launch a mission on a nuclear powered V2 rocket to Jupiter's 13th moon which seems Earth like. The joint team of chain smoking astronauts including Blair (Anthony Dexter) and Larson (Paul Carpentier) make it to the moon...

There they discover young women in revealing outfits led by Hestia (Susan Shaw) and an old man Prasus (Owen Berry). He claims they are the last descendants of Atlantis. Oh there is also a rather strange mutant lurking in the forest in an unconvincing bodysuit...

It is very low budget, most of the film seems to be made in the local park. It is also very silly but has a lot of innocent charm. The main problem with the film is that there wasn't a huge amount of story so there is a little too much meandering filler. Happily there is just enough cheese to make it worthwhile.

Danger on Dartmoor (1980)

A Children's Film Foundation adventure with the usual mix mild peril and wholesome antics. Robin (Marcus Evans) and Justin (Simon Henderson) live on Dartmoor at their parents' farm. Their holidays though are about to be "ruined" by their cousin Louise (Debby Salter) who is visiting from the big city (and has a pocket calculator)...

However they arn't the only people on the moors. An escaped convict (Barry Foster) is also on the moors. His mum (Patricia Hayes) has left some supplies for him in the cattle shed on the farm leading the kids to head off on the moors to find out whats going on. They soon get lost in the mists, encountering a wild dog (who is soon tamed by a bit of chocolate), marshes and of course the convict...

A fun little film with a straightforward characters and story. Louise uses her pocket calculator at various parts of the film to make calculations and it ends up becoming a vital plot point of course.

Killer Dill (1947)

Johnny Dill (Stuart Erwin) is a downtrodden underwear salesman who always seems to be on the wrong side of life. He can't seem to ever get to propose to his lukewarm girlfriend Judy (Anne Gwynne) and his annoying attorney friend William Allan (Frank Albertson) is always borrowing money from him. Johnny's life takes a major turn though when he is mistaken for a brutal gangster to whom he looks identical. Johnny starts to mess with a crime boss and play the role of a hoodlum as he finds being a tough guy finally gets Judy excited...

The film is rather predictable and very cheap, it could be likeable enough but plods along a bit too much. Despite being a short film the lack of plot means it has a bit too much padding. The film is set in 1931 though everyone and everything looks like 1947 (which makes you wonder why they bothered with that point?)

Its not all bad, at times it is an amusing enough little comedy, just unfortunately not that many times!

The Gladiator (1986)

Drunk driving is a disease, The Gladiator is the cure. Rick (Ken Wahl) and his brother Jeff (Brian Robbins) are targeted by a deranged psychopath in a black Dodge Charger. He forces them to crash resulting in Jeff's death...

Rick decides something must be done about the scourge of drunk driving and soups up his truck with armour and even weapons like a harpoon. He then begins to take out drunk drivers and call on the police to arrest them. He uses the name on the radio, The Gladiator...

The Gladiator soon becomes a cult hero and comes to the attention of radio host Susan (Nancy Allen) - though she unwittingly already knows him as he is the mechanic who fixes her car and who has a thing for her. Meanwhile the guy in the black Dodge is continuing to target people. Obviously he and the Gladiator will soon meet...

It is ridiculous cheap fun and violent. A glorious load of tosh you used to find so often in the VHS video shop. The black Dodge Chargers were apparently once used in the Dukes of Hazard. This is altogether darker road adventure. The road scenes are not that bad at all. The reveal of the Black Charger Guy is somewhat disappointing though.

Held for Ransom (1938)

A rather confusing and frenetic crime drama. Rich tycoon Herbert Scott (Richard Lancaster) has been kidnapped. Despite the ransom being paid by his nephew Larry Scott (Grant Withers) Herbert remains a captive. The police suspect Larry may be in on the plot himself though the feds arn't sure and assign plucky agent Betty (Blanche Mehaffey) to tail Larry and find out what is going on...

Betty heads up country and soon finds out what is going on thanks to some cunning investigative work and a bit of derring do. The last act of the film ups the pace considerably and is not unlike the multiple set pieces and cliffhangers of a serial.

An enjoyable film despite the confusing plot early on, a female action lead was rare for the 1930s of course. The ambiguity of some of the characters also elevates the film, especially Larry Scott. We arn't sure whose side he is on until the last act.

Cloak Without Dagger (1956)

A modest and inoffensive, yet enjoyable little spy drama. During the war Felix (Philip Friend) and Kyra (Mary Mackenzie) were after an enemy spy but he escaped them. Now ten years later Felix is a waiter in a hotel and Kyra a journalist... and she has seen the spy again! Now he is apparently Peppi (John Heller), a dress designer. She has also seen a dead body... which quickly disappears.

Kyra enlists the help of the hotel detective Fred (Leslie Dywer) who suspects Felix is a wrong-un... much to Kyra's shock. Has Felix become an enemy agent? Everything seems to point to a secret nuclear base...

Although somewhat limited with a basic by the numbers plot the film is a decent enough watch with a fairly exciting helicopter chase as a climax. Look out for Frank Thornton in a small role as one of the spy ring, long before the days of Captain Peacock!