rat fink (1965)

AKA My Soul Runs Naked, The Wild And The Willing.
"He certainly has that animal magnetism you are always talking about."
'Rat Fink' Lonnie Price (Schuyler Hayden) is a mentally disturbed young musician who is determined to be a success no matter what it takes to get there.
A disturbing film, due to the casual sadism displayed by the psychotic folk-rocker, that was long thought lost.

corruption (1968)

"All we can do now is to wait."
Lynn Nolan (Sue Lloyd) is the model girlfriend of Sir John Rowan (Peter Cushing) who is facially scarred in an accident. Being an accomplished doctor Sir John soon develops a formula to restore her beauty. Unfortunately for all, this quickly wears off and they set about murdering to keep up the supply and her beauty.
A Hammer alike, using a dash of many similar stories such as Eyes Without A Face, with the twist that Lynn is no innocent, activly encouraging the murders so she can maintain her good looks.

kneecap (2024)

"Cowboys were proper cunts!"
Naoise (Móglaí Bap) and Mo Chara (Liam Óg) are two Catholic boys having fun growing up in post troubles Northern Ireland when they are brought together with music teacher JJ (Dj Próvai), and they form Kneecap, who rap in their native Irish.
A psuedo-history of the band Kneecap where it helps to be a fan or at least know some background history about Ireland.

the invisible man returns (1940)

"How does it feel to have a phantom boyfriend?"
Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent Price) has been framed and falsely imprisoned for murder when he is visited by Dr. Frank Griffin (John Sutton). Geoffrey subsequently escapes and the Police are baffled until inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) realizes that Griffin is the brother of the original Invisible Man. Could he have possibly given Geoffrey the formula to aid his escape? And can Geoffrey track down the real murderer before the drug's side effect drive him to madness?
Posited as a sequal to the popular Invisible Man, this entertaining thriller leans heavily on special effects, sometimes at the expense of the plot.

enys men (2022)

"I'm running out of Tea."
A volunteer (Mary Woodvine) is tasked with living on an uninhabited island, to observe a rare flower. But as she does so she is slowly forced to question her reality as she is vistied by what may be her child and other metaphysical apparitions.
The title, Cornish for 'Stone Island' gives little clue as to this slow building and pervasive folk horror.

what a whopper (1961)

"That could be the mating call of the monster!"
Tony (Adam Faith) is hawking around his book on the Loch Ness monster, with very little success. Until it is suggested that he fabricates evidence of the creature and he sets out to do so with his friends (including Terence Longdon and Carole Lesley).
The good and great of British comedy cameo throughout this breezy comedy.

apocalypse z: the beginning of the end (2024)

AKA Apocalypse Z: El principio del fin
"Come to the Canaries."
Manel (Francisco Ortiz) is caught up in a state-wide lockdown due to a virus that has zombie like effects on those infected. When the authorities evacuate the city he decides to stay, holed up with his cat. But inevitably he has to face going outside due to lack of food. But should he stay scavenging or flee?
A slow start builds to an entertaining exploration of a post-apocalyptical world.

the dog and the diamonds (1953)

"This is no time for playing!"
A gang of children are banned from owning pets by the council, but secretly do. And one hits on the idea of hiding them in a disused manor house, and set about making it into their private zoo. Unfortunately a gang of jewel thieves are using the house as their hideout and. The children and their animals do their best to defeat the villains and bring them to justice.
A wellmade adventure with some ingenious kids v crooks.

the high terrace (1956)

"Stephanie. Why do we always have to quarrel?"
American playwright Bill Lang (Dale Robertson) comes to the aid of leading actress Stephanie Blake (Lois Maxwell) when the show's producer is killed, with her scissors being the murder weapon!
A competant but standard B-pict mix from the time.

the crater lake monster (1977)

"You saw what?"
Some scientists uncover cave paintings depicting men fighting a dinosaur in a remote part of Oregon. Meanwhile a meteor crashes into a nearby lake. Then tourists and cattle start to go missing prompting a local Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) to investigate...
Hmmm....could be better.

the lost continent (1951)

"Sacred mountain taboo. No one ever come back from mountain."
Major Joe Nolan (Cesar Romero) leads an expedition sent to the South Pacific to recover a rogue atomic rocket only to crash on a mysterious island of dinosaurs and the unbiquitous native girl (Acquanetta).
Promises oh so much more than it delivers.

women without men (1956)

"Like most women in prison I'm here because of a man!"
Aka Blonde Bait
Statuesque Angie (Beverly Michaels) tells her story, about how she has ended up in prison and how she has promised her boyfriend Nick (Jim Davis) she will meet him at a certain pub at midnight on New Years. As the time approaches is Angie desperate enough to chance a break out?
So-so thriller, enlivened by Thora Hird as a wise old lag. Later he film was re-edited with a much altered storyline to become Blonde Bait.

smart alec (1951)

"Any message for Sylvia"
Alex (Peter Reynolds) is a bounder who develops a plot to literally get away with murder, and everyone is stumped as to how he has done it. Especially after he is brazen enough to reveal his masterly plan after he is cleared of the murder.
Intreging crime drama quickly disolves into a slap-stick comedy once the crime comes to be investigated as the likes of Charles Hawtrey get involved. A truely oddball how-done-it.

the first omen (2024)

"I can't do this anymore."
Maggie (Nell Tiger Free) is a young American woman arriving in Rome to take the veil. But she soon starts being led astray by another novice (Maria Caballero), starts to question her faith as she brefriends a child in the orphanage she works in and terrible events start occuring.
From its first moment you know this is no mere cash in and as a prequel to The Omen develops in the same unsettling way.

the halfway house (1944)

"You would do well to get ready now"
A mixed bag of travellers, an ex-sea captain, a classical music conductor, a war profiteer and others, find themselves in a rural Welsh Inn, and it soon becomes obvious that there is something off about the place and the Innkeeper and his daughter (Mervyn Johns and Glynis Johns).
A supernatural tale that weaves real wartime events into its story including neutrality, profiteering and life after death.

wingwoman (2023)

"He's a bad guy and kind of dangerous."
AKA Voleuses
Carole and Alex (Mélanie Laurent and Adèle Exarchopoulos) are expert thieves who have tired of their life of crime, but their boss is reluctant to let them leave. So she pursuades them to do one last job and use Sam (Manon Bresch) as their driver...but will Marraine (Isabele Adjani) really let them move on?
French buddy comedy/crime drama, features lots of action, and lightning dialogue.

the big gundown (1966)

"I guess that even animals have to eat."
AKA La Reza Dei Conti
Lawman Corbett (Lee Van Cleef) is put into the trail of Cuchillo (Tomas Milian), a Mexican thief, having been told that the bandit has raped and murdered a 12-year-old girl. But as the cat and mouse chase goes on we find out that things are not so black and white...
An entertaining story with political undercurrents, delving into society, economics, morality and how perceptions can twist reality and justice.

underwater (2020)

"Mayday. Mayday.
A deep sea drilling station's workers (Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie) survive a mysterious earthquake that devastates their facility. Now they have to figure out how to get out of a compromised platform situated at the bottom of the Mariana Trench before they run out of oxegen, never mind what the earthquake has disturbed...
With no plot development, it is straight into the action, in this entertaining thriller.

godzilla minus one (2023)

"Is your war finally over?"
The dying days of WWII and Kamakazi pilot Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on Odo island stating his plane is faulty, only to be attacked by Godzilla, who destroys the base and killing most of the engineers there. Back in post-war Tokyo Shikishima, suffering PTSD, ends up looking after Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and an unrelated baby she has promised to care for. Together they struggle to survive, until he gets a job on a minesweeper clearing up deep sea mines. Things start to look up, unfortunately he then comes into contact with an atomically enlarged Godzilla and involved in a plan to kill the monster once and for all.
Mixing real drama with an enhansed monster producing a poignant and enjoyable film.

messiah of evil (1974)

aka Dead People. Revenge of the Screaming Dead. Second Coming.
I'm interested in the story about the blood moon.
A young woman (Mariana Hill) travels to a small seaside town to meet her estranged father, but finds him missing. Her search for him brings her into contact with the enigmatic Thom (Michael Greer), who is travelling with two women, Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford), and they start to uncover various weird happenings as they explore the town.
A low budget, but effectively atmospheric chiller with a number of stand out scenes.

the strange love of martha ivers (1946)

"Don't look back, baby"
Three children are involved in a tragedy that changes their lives irrecuably. The streetwise Sam Masterson (Van Heflin), the timid Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas), with an ambitious father, and Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck), an orphaned heiress. All are present when Martha finally breaks at the incessent taunts of her Aunt, causing her to fall to her death. Walters father takes control, forcing Martha to marry Walter, whilst Sam runs away. Eighteen years later Sam reappears creating a highly charged atmosphere, as Martha and Walter fear he is there to blackmail them, and Walter further fears that Martha and Sam still carry a torch for each other.
A melodramatic film-noir centered on Barbra Stanwyck's ruthlessly controlling business woman, in this debut appearance of Kirk Douglas.

the cabinet of caligari (1962)

"We are none of us masters of our own fate."
Jane Lindstorm (Glynis Johns), a lone girl on vacation, suffers a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. She eventually finds a large house and appeals for help. After recieving a charming welcome from Caligari (Dan O'Herlihy) Jane soon becomes uneasy about here host.
A homage to the silent classic, rather than a remake, this Robert Bloch scripted horror feels more like a Twilight Zone episode than a film, in this lesser psychological terror.

robot overlords (2014)

"I'm a boy... and I can prove it."
Robots take over the planet, with everyone given an implant to keep them under curfew. That is until a group of kids led by Sean (Callan McAuliff) stumble on a way to disable the tag, and then set off to find Sean's dad.
A rather simplistic plot that works OK as a family adventure film.

our miss fred (1972)

"We must stop meeting like this"
Fred Wimbush (Danny La Rue) is a drag act playing to the troops during WWII and is captured by the Germans in France. He then has the good fortune to be released as they think he's a girl, and remains in character whilst trying to escape back to Britain.
Vaguely comic slapstick overplayed for all its worth!

deathsport (1978)

"Take away my body and my soul will still be mine."
A distant post-apocalyptic future sees Lord Zirpola (David McLean) capture the Desert Range Guides Kaz (David Carradine), and Deneer (Claudia Jennings). He then forces them to fight to the death in a savage motorcycle race called Deathsport.
The best thing about this film is the poster! A weak and cheaply made b-movie that lacks the humour of much of Corman's output.

red sun (1970)

aka Soleil Rouge
"I don't care who he is"
A Japanese diplomatic mission delivering a sword to the U.S. president, is causght up in a robbery by the notorious outlaws, Gauche (Alain Delon) and Link (Charles Bronson). During the attack Link is double-crossed by Gauche, who makes off with the sword. Part of the delegation, Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune) is tasked with retrieving the artifact, with Link forced to team up with the samurai and along the way encounter a couple of beautiful women (Capucine and Ursula Andress).
A culture clash western with a sprinkling of buddy comedy, and an unusual amount of gore.

guns, girls and gangsters (1959)

"She may not be bult in, but she's sure built."
Chuck Wheeler (Gerald Mohr) is an ex-con planning to heist an armored car. Included in his plans are shady club owner Joe Darren (Grant Richards) and his lounge singer girlfriend, Vi (Mamie Van Doren). Unfortunatelty Vi's husband (Lee Van Cleef) is a trigger happy con, who breaks out of jail, and is likely to cause trouble!
The script keeps a fast pace helped along by Mamie's two show numbers in this slick noirish drama.

visiting hours (1982)

"He's created a death mask"
Journalist Deborah Ballin (Lee Grant) is assaulted by the deranged Colt Hawker (Michael Ironside), triggered by her defence of a woman who subsequently killed her abusive husband. On finding she is still alive , Colt is determined to finish the job, pursuing her to the hospital she is being treated in, and manages to attack a few others along the way, including Deborah's nurse (Linda Purl).
Slasher that is lifted by a script that manages to build some suspense.

journey to the center of the earth (1988)

"Brian!"
Crystina (Nicola Cowper) is a nanny who travels from London to Hawaii to take up her new post, but ends up discovering Atlantis when she explores a cave with a couple of brothers Richard (Paul Carafotes), Brian (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) and their younger sister Sara (Jackie Bernstein). There they come into the hands of villainous General Rykov (Janie du Plessis), who plans to invade the Earth's surface...
An incoherant film, which takes on the look of a high school version of Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. Actors disappear, and the narrative shifts violently with no rhyme or reason, and ends abruptly with no conclusion! I've finally seen a truely z-list film!

penny serenade (1941)

"She's yours, dear. Ours, now and forever. Nothing can ever take her from us now."
Roger Adams (Cary Grant) is a newspaper journalist, who falls for and spontaneously marries Julie Gardiner (Irene Dunne) just as he gets his big break and moves to Japan. The couple reunite in Tokyo, and just as Julie is about to announce she is pregnant, the region is hit by an earthquake, resulting in a miscarriage. Back in the US, the couple struggle to move forward, until a friend suggests they adopt...
A treacly melodrama following the many twists and turns in the couples relationship.

rich and safe (1931)

Aka East of Shanghai
"No sense in being suburban"
A young couple (Henry Kendall and Joan Barry) have hit an inpass in their relationship, but finding out they have an unexpected inheritance, decide to revitalise their marriage by heading abroad for adventure, but find it tests their partnership.
Unusual early Hitchcock, with him experimenting with his editing whilst creating some disturbing humor that plays on the 'there's no place like home' theme.

medusa 2021

"Bad company ruins good morals"
Good Christian girl Mariana (Mari Oliveira) and her friends see promiscuous and sinful lives all around them so by night they don masks and set out to rid their town of such evil. But then one girl fights back and Mariana now scarred starts to question her life.
Stylish but ponderous satire on organised religion, that may test your patience at over two hours.