The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

The 1970s saw many disaster movies and this is one of the best of them.

The Poseidon is an elderly ocean liner on it's last trip across the Mediterranean when it is hit by a massive tidal wave. The ship is literally turned upside down. Preacher man Scott (Gene Hackman) takes charge of a group of survivors trapped in the ball room. He says that the only way out of the ship will be via the bowels of the ship, which are now above them!

With a motley collection of survivors including arrogant policeman Rogo (Ernest Borgnine), elderly couple Belle (Shelley Winters) and Manny (Jack Albertson) and teenager Susan (Pamela Sue Martin) and her annoying little brother Robin (Eric Shea), Scott leads his team through many dangers, not all of them surviving...

A well paced drama with just the right amount of human conflict to add to the series of dangers our heroes face. The set designs of the upside down ship are superb. An excellent film, any 1970s corniness cannot compete with the sheer adventure.

Fear (1946)

A reasonable but ultimately frustrating crime drama based on Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Larry (Peter Cookson) is a university student down on his luck, he hasn't got any money, he can't even pay his landlady never mind next year's course fees. He pawns a watch to Professor Stanley (Francis Pierlot) though only gets a pittance. Larry begins to consider a way out of his predicament. No one likes Stanley, maybe he could take the money from him...

Larry kills Stanley but panics and flees before he can take any money. Then he receives an unexpected windfall, but Police Captain Burke (Warren William) is on the case and is suspicious of Larry (who to be honest looks like the embodiment of guilt). To his girlfriend Eileen (Anne Gwynne) he confesses and decides to come clean to the police, but there is a last final twist to come...

Not a bad film though the ending does ruin things somewhat (and we won't spoil that). Larry starts off entitled but soon collapses into jelly. For a low budget crime film its fine, except the ending.

The Bloody Brood (1959)

Just how annoying were the Beatniks frequently in film?! The annoyance factor is high in this one.

Drug dealer Nico (Peter Falk) and his band of Beatniks are bored daddy-o, they want some action. Nico decides that that action is murder. He arranges the horrific death of a young telegram messenger just for the kicks. The kid's brother Cliff (Jack Betts) begins to investigate what happened. He infiltrates the Beatnik scene, but soon finds himself in peril...

This film is short but is a bit of a drag. If you can get past the annoying Beatniks (not the easiest task to be honest) then this is a reasonable enough crime drama. It also is interesting to see Peter Falk in an early role.

The Last of the Clintons (1935)

Not the most exciting Western in the world though with an interesting twist.

Trigger Carson (Harry Carey) is enlisted by the sheriff (Slim Whitaker) to infiltrate the cattle rustling gang of Luke Todd (Tom London). He is helped by gold prospector Jed Clinton (Victor Potel) and manages to join the gang. However, Trigger is given the task to kidnap the sheriff's daughter Edith (Betty Mack) who is romantically involved with Todd's younger brother Marty (Del Gordon), who ends up in the jail. Jed meanwhile has captured a rattlesnake, which he threatens to turn into a stew but really it becomes the film's most notable plot device...

A decent if not unspectacular Western, the leads pull off a reasonable job. Aside from the initial gunfight there isn't a lot of action though there is some humour. Interestingly this was the first ever film shown on British TV by the BBC in 1937. The next day it also became the first ever film to be shown on British TV twice!

Kill or Be Killed (1976)

Quite possibly the most confusing and random film ever made.

A Nazi, Baron von Rudloff (Norman Coombes) was humiliated before his beloved Führer during the war when his German team of karate masters were defeated by the Japanese team of Miyagi (Raymond Ho-Tong). Now several decades on von Rudloff has built a castle in the South African desert (which looks like he built it out of styrofoam) and a private army. Now he wants to hold a rematch of the karate contest...

He bribes Miyagi to bring a new team of the best karate masters (none of which are from Japan weirdly) while von Rudloff's henchman Chico (Danie du Plessis) recruits other best karate masters for the Nazi's new team. One chosen is Steve (James Ryan) but he doesn't want much to do with von Rudloff's crazy plan and makes off. Unfortunately Steve's girlfriend Olga (Charlotte Michelle) is kidnapped forcing Steve to take part in the bizarre karate contest...

A very strange film full of random plot tangents and just sheer weirdness. This film definitely feels like one where filming in some scenes began with a half-written script (or even none at all). Some of the fighting scenes are not that bad at all and the film is, of course, unintentionally hilarious. And just so so odd.

The Walking Target (1960)

A decent Noir-ish crime drama about an ex-con who is still after his money.

Nick (Ron Foster) comes out of prison after a five year stretch for armed robbery, however as the loot he stole was never recovered everyone is on Nick's tail. The press, the police and some gangsters who want the loot for themselves. Nick hooks up with his old flame Susan (Merry Anders), not knowing that she has already moved on but it keeping up appearances for the money.

Where is the money though? It seems he left it hidden in the car of his old partner's widow Gail (Joan Evans). He turns up to see Gail to get the money but can she persuade him to give it up and go straight for good?

Taut, tough and straight forward crime drama with some good performances. Not the most original storyline but very competent in all areas.

Suds (1920)

Rags to riches to rags romantic tale, but set in a laundry so at least the rags are clean.

Amanda (Mary Pickford) works in a rather rough laundry but has a romantic imagination. She spins a yarn to her fellow workers that her fiancé is Sir Horace (Albert Austin) who she met when he bought his shirt to the laundry (which is true he did) but his father objected to her and threw her out of their castle (which isn't true). She insists that one day Sir Horace will return for her. Meanwhile, Amanda saves a horse from the glue factory, this results in her becoming homeless but her kindness results in the horse being saved and being taken to live at a rich man's estate.

Horace finally returns to the laundry for his shirt, Amanda asks him to pretend they are a couple, spurning the love of laundry cart driver Ben (Harold Goodwin). Horace isn't too keen on her after all, leaving Amanda (and Ben) distraught. But is this the end of the romance?

A fun film with some interesting effects and film techniques. A decent story with some welcome whimsy.