Dead of Night (1974)

A superb horror film exploring some really dark territory.

The Brooks family is torn apart when their son Andy (Richard Backus) is reported killed in action in Vietnam. However, a few days later he turns up alive... and well? Well physically he seems fine but personality wise he seems to have completely changed, much to the concern of his father Charlie (John Marley). 

Andy seems to want to have nothing to do with his family or friends, he even kills the dog! He also seems likely to have killed a truck driver in a brutal attack. Well his mum (Lynn Carlin) is still happy...

A deliciously dark horror. Although there is some gore much of the menace is implied and laid on thick. Andy's descent into a blood drinking decomposing zombie is brilliantly portrayed with some great acting and great make-up. 

Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936)

A decent amateur detective caper set almost entirely on an ocean liner.

Haines (William Boyd) is the kind of reporter almost compulsory in 1930s and 1940s cinema: cocky, breezy and wise cracking! He is hunting after a business tycoon who has caused the ruination of many investors. He follows the man onto an ocean liner where he presumably is making his get away.

When the tycoon is killed in an amateur dramatic performance (don't ask), Haines is granted, despite not being an actual policeman, full rein by the captain (Lloyd Ingraham) to investigate and uncover the murderer. His investigation involves an awkward drunk, shifty crewmen aboard the liner and a love interest (Sheila Terry) of course.

This is typical of crime murder mysteries of the 1930s and 1940s. A mess of styles driven by a couple of charismatic leads. It doesn't really make a lot of sense with it's various red herrings and false starts but somehow works. Although its not that original, if we are to be honest, it has good performances and is light and very enjoyable.

Alice the Whaler (1927)

Another of Walt Disney's early Alice animation / live action hybrids.

Alice (Lois Hardwick) is dancing aboard a ship with a crew of animals. The chef is a cat, for example, with a mouse as his sous chef tasked with peeling the potatoes! To be honest there isn't much plot in this film, it mostly consists of animals dancing and the occasional hijinks. The mouse plays the biggest role and isn't a very sympathetic character.

Ultimately there isn't a great deal to this short film and it isn't really that good. The Alice series of films was running out of steam but fear not, Mickey Mouse was about to make his screen debut for Disney and that changed everything.

King Solomon's Mines (1985)

With a great cast, this film ruthlessly and hilariously sends up Indiana Jones.

Jesse's (Sharon Stone) father has gone missing in Africa, and she has hired Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain) to help her find him. In fact her father has discovered the location of King Solomon's fabled mine and massive diamond wealth. Unfortunately the unscrupulous Colonel Bockner (Herbert Lom) and Dogati (John Rhys-Davies) have captured him and are trying to get the information out of him by fair means or foul (actually no just foul)...

Their adventure becomes a series of exciting though somewhat improbable action set pieces across Africa including on a train and in the air. All the time our heroes are trying to avoid getting eaten by wildlife and the natives...

A very silly film, a well done parody of Indiana Jones and the like. The jokes are corny and the action frequently improbable but that is the point. Very entertaining.

Prophet (1999)

High octane action nonsense though most people are really terrible shots!

Maddox (Don Wilson) is a CIA operative who has a mysterious ability to see the near future in flash forwards. He is tasked to arrest some members of a terrorist organisation, however they keep getting killed before he has the chance to make the arrests! Some of the people also do not seem like terrorists, they also seem to have mysterious abilities...

Maddox discovers that he and the others were used as children by the CIA for their psychic powers during the Vietnam War. He also soon realises he can't trust anyone, especially when the CIA led by Barbara Steele are turned on him...

The story is quite basic and doesn't make a lot of sense but that probably doesn't matter too much. The action is what the film is all about, and there is a lot of that. Much of that doesn't make sense either, supposedly highly trained CIA operatives aim as badly as Imperial stormtroopers, spraying fire with assault rifles but never hitting our hero! A fun film as long as you don't take it very seriously.

Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941)

A silly but very watchable comedy, billed as the first ever feature length comedy with an all-black cast.

Jones (Mantan Moreland) and Wallingford (F.E. Miller) are in gaol. Wallingford discovers from the newspaper that Jones may have inherited a hotel from his uncle. Jones begins to dream... and the hotel in his dream is rather odd. The guests include a man who keeps turning invisible, a magician, a man with a detachable head and a gorilla! 

Meanwhile, the mortgage owner of the hotel wants to get rid of Jones and Wallingford so he can search for the uncle's fortune which is hidden in the building somewhere...

This is a film packed full of gags, many don't work or fall fairly flat but it doesn't matter because another joke will be around in a few seconds! It is frantic and energetic and great fun.

Look Out Mr Moto (1938)

Mr Moto investigates rebels planning an insurgency in the Cambodian jungle.

After aviatrix Victoria Mason (Rochelle Hudson) is forced to abandon her plane over the Cambodian jungle she is found by the men of the Rajah (J Edward Bromberg). She is also seen by some American filmmakers (Robert Kent and Chick Chandler) and Mr Moto (Peter Lorre) who is an archaeologist (well we know he isn't really but it is interesting how he is undercover using his real name!)

After Victoria becomes a virtual captive by the Rajah who wants her for his wife, plus the Americans are condemned to death by the unscrupulous priest Bokor (George Regas) who has plans of his own to take power. Mr Moto poses as a holy man to save their lives but can he uncover the separate plots by both Bokor and the Rajah to rise in rebellion against the government?

So, this is a decent jungle adventure, though has little not seen before. It has the usual characters in films like this, including some needless comic relief and the "jungle" is padded out with some stock footage of wild animals. There are some surprises though including the real purpose of one of the main characters. A fine entry in the Mr Moto series.