Giant from the Unknown (1958)

A 1950s monster movie with a difference, well a little bit of difference anyway.

Something monstrous is killing animals in the Californian woods, local scientist Wayne (Ed Kemmer) has discovered a living example of an extinct lizard which was kept alive in a rock for millennia so something odd is going on. Dr Cleveland (Morris Ankrum) and his daughter Janet (Sally Fraser) have meanwhile arrived to look for evidence of a Conquistador giant. With the help of Wayne they find Conquistador remains but the giant himself is not quite as dead as might be expected...

A standard and perfectly reasonable monster film, though the monster is not from outer space but Renaissance Spain (someone should have told the poster maker that). However, the film has a rather gaping plot hole. We see Vargas the giant (Buddy Baer) seemingly coming back to life but if that is so then what was killing and mutilating the farm animals mentioned earlier in the film? Vargus has the typical motivations of a Spanish officer bought back to life after centuries in suspended animation: kill everyone or find something to have sex with!

Hands of a Stranger (1962)

An interesting premise but drowned in a sea of overacting.

A man is gunned down in the street, later that night a rising young pianist called Vernon (James Noah) is being taken home after a concert when his smugness is interrupted by a terrible car crash leaving him with mangled hands. Dr Harding (Paul Lukhather) decides he can save the young pianist's hands and career by transplanting the hands from the man killed earlier. Afterwards, the operation appearing to be successful, both Vernon and his creepily close sister Dina (Joan Harvey) both react bizarrely when told about the transplant...

They act like Dr Harding cut Vernon's hands off and stuck them on his head! Later on is when the trouble really starts though, and the killings and revenge begins. Has Vernon been given the hands of a killer? 

This could have been a decent film, it has a Noir look and a decent (if unoriginal) story. However, the acting is awful and the film spends too long getting going with too much conversation and not enough action (baby).

The Power (1984)

Low wattage horror thrills.

A mysterious idol, which gives the holder demonic power, and also tears the holder apart ends up in the possession of a bunch of American High School kids (naturally!) They witness mysterious goings on in a crypt while using an Ouija board. Later on the guard at the crypt is mysteriously killed. Journalist Sandy (Suzy Stokey) isn't really interested in the kids' story though her ex Jerry (Warren Lincoln), who for some reason is in town, becomes really interested...

Jerry becomes the next person to possess the idol, and become transformed into a deranged beast while life around him is torn apart...

Not a bad horror film though somewhat disjointed. The start of the film, setting up the story of the idol, is like three separate films or the film makers couldn't decide how to start the film so filmed all three ideas. The horror is good, with plenty of poltergeist action and some average prosthetics. The story doesn't make a lot of sense (of course).

Safety Last! (1923)

An iconic film, even if you are normally unfamiliar with silent movies you probably have seen the scene of Harold Lloyd hanging off the side of a tall building holding onto the hand of a clock!

Lloyd is a country boy who heads off to the big city. He gets a job as a clerk at a department store. In love with Milfred Davis, he needs plenty of money to get married. To get a big reward from the boss for promoting the store he ends up climbing the side of the building with some truly death defying stunts...

There is more to the film than the building climb but that is what you will remember (the earlier parts of the film can be a bit run of the mill at times) and the stunts are extraordinary. The scene where Harold tries to trick Milfred that he is a store manager though is also a delight.

The Magnetic Monster (1953)

A strange but enjoyable sci-fi thriller.

Dr Stewart (Richard Carlson) is called to a mysterious case of magnetism at a home appliance store, even lawn mowers moving about on their own. He and his team discover a deadly radioactive substance was in a lab above the shop (was that a thing in the 1950s? Science labs above shops?!) Another scientist called Denker (Leonard Mudie) has accidentally created a terrible new radioactive substance which requires huge amounts of energy every few hours and will reach out with magnetic claws to get it...

Dr Stewart and team decamp to Canada where a huge dynamo exists underground, the plan is to overfeed the substance before it grows powerful enough to destroy the world...

The underground dynamo footage comes from the 1934 film Gold, a decent job is made of integrating the footage though it is pretty obvious. This is a good sci-fi horror, the "creature" is a faceless unthinking substance, this film reminds me of Quatermass to some extent. The film tries to keep a degree of scientific realism, including a narrator going into detail about various scientific and computational activities. Maybe this kills the film of a bit of drama though it does add to the historic interest.

Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)

Feature length movie versions of popular British sitcoms were popular in the 1970s, this indeed was the second film based on Steptoe and Son and unfortunately they should have quit while they were ahead.

Steptoe (Wilfred Brambell) and his son Harold (Harry H Corbett) are rag and bone men in London, trying to turn people's trash into treasure (and unfortunately usually failing). With money running out and bills mounting, Steptoe and Harold are in trouble. Things are made worse when their horse becomes lame and needs to be retired. Harold is given his Dad's life savings to buy a new horse, he comes home drunk with a greyhound instead!

Harold claims the greyhound will win them enough money to turn their business and lives around. Naturally things do not go to plan. In desperation Harold concocts a plot to fake Steptoe's death and claim the insurance...

The film is a reasonable watch but it just doesn't seem to be that funny. The situations are comical, and there are some good guest stars including Diana Dors, but the magic just seems to be missing and, with most sitcom movie conversions, the ideas just get overstretched. That is not to say the film isn't worth a watch, the view of a soon to vanish London is fascinating and the greyhound is a lovely dog.

Fatty Joins the Force (1913)

Fatty Arbuckle thinks joining the police will sort him with his beau.

Fatty's girlfriend Dot Farley likes a man in uniform. When a child falls into the lake she encourages Fatty to save it, by pushing him in after it! Happily Fatty does save the child after much splashing about and it turns out that the child is the daughter of the Police Commissioner (George Nichols). Fatty is rewarded by being made a police officer. However, he soon finds out that being a police officer and tackling criminal types isn't that much fun...

A perfectly fine if unexceptional little slapstick comedy film. Not all the gags work but Arbuckle does a decent job with the material he is given.