Unknown World (1951)

Low wattage thrills deep underground.

Dr Morley (Victor Kilian) is convinced the world is heading towards atomic annihilation and thinks mankind needs a new home deep underground to keep safe. He forms a foundation and raises funds to build a machine that can explore deep underground. With a team of scientists and rich playboy financier Wright (Bruce Kellogg) the mission begins...

Of course, deep underground is a dangerous place (though also unfortunately a bit dreary). However, finally they discover a huge cavern underground with a mysterious life source and a sea. The rabbits which Joan (Marilyn Nash) has bought with her prove to be sterile in this new world though, which dooms Morley's hopes...

This isn't a bad film, it's just a bit dull. It has the usual perils and personality clashes and a reasonably cool drilling machine but lacks a spark somewhere, the low budget didn't help. 

Cyborg 2087 (1966)

It is the future and mankind is under the control of deranged technology. A cyborg is sent back to the present day to prevent the invention of this technology and change the future. No, this isn't Terminator!

Garth A7 (Michael Rennie) is sent back to groovy 1960s Earth to prevent Professor Marx (Eduard Franz) from developing a mind to mind communication system which in the future is used to enslave humanity. Unfortunately he only has a short time period to do it before sentinels from the future are sent to capture him. He enlists the help of Marx's assistant Dr Mason (Karen Steele) and her friend Dr Zellar (Warren Stevens) but the sentinels with their zap guns are already on the case...

A low-budget science-fiction film that makes the clever decision, budget wise, to base most of it's action on present day non-SF film sets and locations. Although the film's plot does plod a little at times, and can be a little cheesy, this is not a bad film at all. The idea behind the film is very good, no wonder it was later used again.

Our Miss Fred (1972)

Danny La Rue versus the Nazis, so awful it's brilliant.

Fred (La Rue) is an actor who is called up by the British Army to entertain the troops in early 1940. However, while Fred is on stage in drag, the Germans launch a surprise attack and capture everyone. Fred is told he must stay in drag otherwise he'll be shot as a spy! Unfortunately for Fred, General Brincker (Alfred Marks) takes a fancy to them!

Fred soon finds themself involved with Miss Flodden (Lally Bowers), Miss Lockhart (Frances de la Tour) who are leading a bunch of English schoolgirls trapped in France (and as this is a 1970s comedy the girls are of course saucy and oversexed), and a shot down RAF pilot (Lance Percival) whom they are hiding...

So, this is a typically British piece of whimsical nonsense, containing so many innuendoes and obvious jokes. It is terrible but incredibly funny at times. The charisma and charm of La Rue holds the film together and somehow makes it work.

Charlie Chan in London (1934)

Charlie Chan tackles a complicated crime in an English country house, How could this be anything other than brilliant? Let's find out.

A young man (Douglas Walton) is due to go to the gallows for murder in a few days but his sister Pamela (Drue Leyton) is still desperately trying to prove his innocence. Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is in London on another case but Pamela persuades him to help. Charlie heads up to the country house where the murder took place. 

He encounters some resistance from the upper class stereotypes assembled there for a hunting party. While they hunt foxes, Charlie hunts clues. But soon his own life is in danger...

This is an excellent instalment in the Charlie Chan series, though Charlie is on his own this time with no sons to help. Charlie expertly unravels the plot and ends up tricking the real murderer into unmasking himself. Great film indeed!

The Panther's Claw (1942)

An excellent crime drama that makes heavy use of red herrings.

Wig maker Digberry (Byron Foulger) is arrested acting suspiciously by a graveyard. He claims he is the victim not the crime and he was paying a blackmailer called the Panther. However, the police in the form of Commissioner Colt (Sidney Blackmer) soon unravel the blackmail plot and find it was fake, set up by Digberry himself to cover the use of money for another reason...

Then opera singer Nina (Gerta Rozan) is found dead and the evidence points to Digberry. The DA (Herbert Rawlinson) wants Digberry arrested by Colt, but the Commissioner isn't so sure...

A great crime drama with some solid police detective work, including typewriter forensic analysis which i particularly enjoyed. Everything points to Digberry but it is fairly obvious that that would be too easy, the question is just who is the real culprit and this film very cleverly shows us. Not many films have the creator and owner of a wig as a vital plot point.

The 27th Day (1957)

Usually, science-fiction films with low budgets means bad (though often very watchable) films, however it isn't always the case such as with this one...

Five strangers are plucked seemingly from the world at random by an alien (Arnold Moss). Onboard his flying saucer, they are each given a capsule containing a terrible weapon (which only they can use) that can wipe out millions. The alien tells them that they have twenty seven days (once they are returned to the world) to decide what to do with the weapon before it becomes useless.

The five strangers including reporter Jonathan (Gene Barry) are in shock and not sure what to do, though their terrible secret is soon out. Jonathan goes into hiding with Englishwoman Eve (Valerie French). German scientist Professor Bechner (George Voskovec) lies ill in hospital. In the Soviet Union, poor unfortunate soldier Ivan (Azemat Janti) is encouraged to give up his secret by the various robust methods of the KGB. As the deadline approaches can Bechner, Jonathan and Eve find a way to stop the weapon being used by the Soviets?

When you have a low budget and want to make a science-fiction film you can blow your budget on terrible special effects and various genre nonsense. Alternatively you can invest in a very good story and plot, happily this film takes this second option. A very interesting and thoughtful film, it probably did not score too well with people who did want cheesy monsters in rubber suits but you can't win them all.

Mind Ripper (1995)

Attempts to create a genetically engineered super soldier go wrong (what a surprise!)

At a secret government laboratory in the desert, scientists attempt to bring a corpse back to life. Finally their attempts work, unfortunately Thor (Dan Blom) has become an uncontrollable crazed beast augmented by genetic mutations. Alex (John Diehl) calls the project leader Stockton (Lance Henriksen) back to the lab. Naturally Stockton brings his young family with him to a remote desert laboratory where human experiments are carried out...

Meanwhile Alex, Joanne (Claire Stansfield) and Rob (Gregory Sporleder) are desperately trying to stay alive. Joanne discovers that Thor needs a certain chemical to stay alive, unfortunately Thor gets this chemical by growing a phallic appendage out of his mouth and then stabbing it into his victim's brain! 

This film has a lot of claustrophobic mayhem and running about into a barely lit underground bunker. The gore content is pretty high and the film does have the odd bright spot in it's plot though these are unfortunately largely lost in the gloom of stilted dialogue and repetitive nonsense. Not that a great film though fun to watch.