Starcrash (1978)

Hilariously camp space opera. Akton (Marjoe Gortner) and Stella (Caroline Munro) are smugglers on the run from imperial forces. Their luck finally runs out and they are captured but then they are given a secret mission by the Emperor (Christopher Plummer), they must discover the secrets of the usurper Count Zarth (Joe Spinell) and rescue the Emperor's son Simon (David Hasselhoff).

Assisted by the robot L (Judd Hamilton) - who speaks with a Southern drawl - their adventures take them from planet to planet, encountering Amazons with a giant robot and cavemen. The final showdown takes them into battle with Zarth to save the universe...

So, a deliciously cheesy romp with cardboard sets and dodgy special effects. The story shamelessly plunders Star Wars for inspiration (as well as a few other films, the Amazons' giant robot is straight out of Jason & the Argonauts for example). The dialogue is often ridiculously banal and awkward. The acting, indifferent. The result is, somehow, superb.

The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961)

A delightful and silly children's film. Uncle Dick (Ronald Howard) has bought back some eggs and other specimens from Malaya. One huge egg is not labelled so naturally and he doesn't know what it is... so naturally he gives the egg to his nephews to look after! 

David (Michael Wade) takes the egg to school where it hatches a small reptile which resembles a dragon. As the creature is growing very quickly, David and his friends Sophie (Rachel Clay) and Chris (Terry Raven) are forced to release the creature into the lake on Hamstead Heath. Trouble comes when a couple of crooks try and steal it...

A fun little film with some decent stop motion animation. Scientifically implausible maybe but certainly a novel 1960s monster film, one that doesn't involve crowds of people running in terror from a rampaging beast for a change.

Switching Channels (1988)

A hilarious comedy involving the crazy world of cable news. Christy (Kathleen Turner) is a top reporter for SNN, which is run by her ex-husband Sullivan (Burt Reynolds) and they have a love-hate (to be honest mostly hate) relationship. On holiday, Christy meets rich fitness goods tycoon Blaine (Christopher Reeve) and decides to quit the news business and marry Blaine. 

However, there is a huge story developing in Chicago. Ike Roscoe (Henry Gibson) is due to be executed for killing the drug dealer who caused his son's death, unfortunately that dealer was also a cop and eccentric DA Ridnitz (Ned Beatty) is detirmined to have Roscoe go to the chair as part of his campaign to become the governor...

Christy agrees to do one last report for SNN and this sets off a chain of crazy and madcap events involving a pardon, a prison escape and a hunt through government offices while poor Roscoe hides inside a photocopier...

A high energy film with a good quality cast. Turner and Reynolds have great chemistry together and the film is full of good gags sending up the rolling news industry (a well deserved target after all).

The Hostage (1956)

A very uneven, and often quite amateurish, film though ultimately worthwhile. In London a group of terrorists kidnap Rosa (Mary Parker), the daughter of the President (Carl Jaffe) of a South American country. The terrorists led by Main (John Bailey) want to try and stop the execution of one of their faction, they warn the President that unless the execution is stopped his own daughter will also die...

Meanwhile an American pilot called Trailer (Ron Randall), who seems to dislike opening his mouth that wide when he speaks, is used by the terrorists to gain some publicity (and enters the suspicion of the police). They also kidnap him to try and persuade Rosa to talk to her father. As time runs out Special Branch try and discover where Rosa is by sending radio detection vans around London...

The film starts off rather slow though the last act is action packed. The police seem rather clueless, they know the terrorists plan to hang Rosa publicly in London somewhere and yet just put a single PC outside the embassy (after all, publicity hungry terrorists would never choose there!) The action scenes are rather cheap, the film suffers from a low budget throughout and the acting often rather stiff and strange. Despite all of that (or maybe because of it), the film is enjoyable and, once it picks up the pace, resembles a movie serial at times.

Odd Man Out (1947)

An epic Noir. Johnny (James Mason) is a separatist (a.k.a. in the IRA) who is planning a wages snatch on a mill. Everyone is going fine until his gang make their getaway when Johnny is dazzled by bright light and he ends up both killing a guard and being shot himself. As his gang make their escape Johnny is left in the streets of Belfast. Now wounded, the police (Denis O'Dea) after him, and Kathleen (Kathleen Ryan), the woman who loves him, also hunting for him...

But others are also after him, for their own selfish ends. Lukey (Robert Newton) the painter wants Johnny so he can capture his face. Shell (F.J. McCormick) just wants some reward. Fencie (William Hartnell) just wants Johnny out of his pub as soon as possible! Johnny moves from hiding place to hiding place while the Belfast police conduct a huge citywide manhunt. Kathleen has a plan to get Johnny out of Belfast, but as the snow falls on the city and then police close in, their plans and dreams are doomed to fail...

An incredibly tense and atmospheric film. Despite the fact Johnny is in the IRA this isn't really a political film, it is a film about the struggle for life in all it's many facets. A film about characters (the supporting characters nearly overshadow the lead but that doesn't matter in this film, its a strength). A film of magnificent performances, direction and photography. One of the finest films of the period.

Carry on Regardless (1961)

An early Carry On film centred around the Helping Hands agency who provide manpower for any possible task from beauty salon demonstrations to translations. Bert (Sid James) runs the agency with the help of the Carry On crew including Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey.

Things never run smoothly though, most jobs the agency take on end in disaster. For example a request for a fourth at Bridge sends someone to the Forth Bridge instead! The landlord (Stanley Unwin - speaking Unwinese gobbledegook) wants to put up their rent to a level beyond their ability to pay. However, they come to agreement: if they can clean the landlord's newest property they can stay, unfortunately its the dirtiest house in London!

There really isn't much plot to this, it is more a series of funny comedy situations vaguely held together by the thin glue of the employment office. It is very funny and silly with many comedy highlights, not the best Carry On but certainly very worthwhile.

The Terrorists (1974)

An engaging tale of terrorism and hijacking... and political intrigue. The head of security in a Scandinavian country (Norway basically but this is not mentioned for some reason) Tahlvik (Sean Connery) is called in to deal with the kidnap of the British ambassador. The kidnappers, linked to a terrorist cell in the UK led by wanted man Shepherd (John Quentin), have an ace up their sleeves though. At that moment a Boeing 737 is landing at the nearby airport (Oslo) and is hijacked on landing by Petrie (Ian McShane)...

Tahlvik's attempts to defeat the hijackers are foiled at every attempt, they must have some inside information. As the exchange of the ambassador for the aircraft passengers takes place Tahlvik suddenly realises that there is far more to this than meets the eye...

Although not the fastest paced film, this is an enjoyable enough thriller. Everything is a bit too low-key but the Norwegian scenery looks superb, if rather chilly. The twist, when it comes, doesn't make complete sense but does give the film a suitably exciting action finish.