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"Ash, that transmission - Mother's deciphered part of it. It doesn't look like an S.O.S."
A routine mineral transporting job for the crew of commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, is interrupted when the Company intercepts a signal from a deserted planet and orders them to investigate. What they find is an alien spaceship full of eggs, and Kane (John Hurt) is attacked by one of the parasitic eggs they then realise the signal is a warning. With Ash (Ian Holm) overruling Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and letting the crew members who were attacked (and the alien) on board their ship, the hunt is then on to find and kill the alien. But then the crew find out that they are dispensable, and that the Company has plans for this alien lifeform.
A tremendous piece of work from Ridley Scott, brings a real sense of tension to the cat and mouse games. So much so it spawned three sequels.
"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid."
A nameless man (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small. distinctly hostile western town. After seeing off three gunmen, the towns folk decide he may be the man to help them defeat a gang of outlaws they know are coming to exact revenge. The stranger finds out that they have just been released having whipped the town's sheriff to death, whilst the towns people stood by, seemingly unconcerned for the fate of their lawman. Will the stranger stay and defend the town?
A ghost/revenge story with a difference, with Eastwood reveling in the chaos the stranger brings to the town as he drags it quite literally to hell.
"Who you looking at?"
Ruthless East-End gangland boss Vic Dakin (Richard Burton), plans a payroll robbery and blackmails various MP's over their kinky sex lives. Meanwhile Scotland Yard Inspector Matthews (Nigel Davenport), makes it his priority to bring Dakin and the gang down. He thinks he may have caught a break when gang member Ed Lowis (Joss Ackland) is found with clothes from the robbery. Matthews thinks he might be able to lean on him and make him talk, but will Dakin find out and get to Ed first, even if he doesn't sing.
A slight plot is fleshed out by Burton's meaty performance as Dakin, a thinly veiled version of real-life gangster Ronnie Kray. This attempts to show gangsters as vicious thugs, with little in the way of glamour and features graphic violence in order to do so.
"Major Cummings has the best explanation so far - mental vampires!"
An American airbase in Canada provokes resentment amongst the locals, who blame the atomic reactors they use for a spate of deaths. Major Jeff Cummings (Marshall Thompson) is assigned to investigate, and flirting with the sister on one of the victims Barbara Griselle (Kim Parker). Once he gets into the case he begins to suspect that a retired scientist Prof. Walgate (Kynaston Reeves), who lives by base, knows more than he is letting on about the unseen killer.
A low budget sci-fi thriller, that manages to hold itself together, and my attention, despite the obvious lack of cash on screen.
"Friday, you're gonna learn English if I have to sit on your chest for two months."
Commander Kit Draper (Paul Mantee) is surveying Mars when he has to eject and lands on the planet, along with a monkey named Mona. He quickly has to learn to survive, whilst hoping against hope that someone will come to rescue him. Then along comes some hostile aliens using slave labour to dig for minerals and a rescued slave becomes Draper's Friday (Victor Lundin).
An updating of the Robert Louis Stephenson book has our adventurer stranded on another planet rather than an island, and works just as well as a setting. Mantee equips himself well in the Crusoe part and seems suitably resourceful. All in all a solid performance makes this a good sci-fi.
"The best thing to do is be cunning and stay where you are. I'm going to let them think they've got me house trained, but they never will, the bastards. To get me beat, they'll have to stick a rope around my neck."
Sent to reform school for burglary, Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) is determined that the system will not break him. But his ability at long distance running brings him to the attention of the governor. Whilst he trains and is bullied by the other inmates, for being the governors favorite, we are privy to his backstory in flashback, and find out what brought him to this point.
Developed by Alan Sillitoe from his own short story, this is a gripping tale in the angry young man mould that was so prevalent at this time.
AKA Spooky Encounters. Encounters Of A Spooky Kind. Gui da gui. Ghost Against Ghost.
"I'm the bravest man in town!"
Cheung (Sammo Hung) is constantly bragging about being the bravest man in town. After spending a night in a haunted house, to again prove how courageous he is, he almost catches his wife in bed with Master Tam (Huang Ha). Tam decides that this is one close encounter too many and hires a sorcerer to get rid of Cheung. Now Cheung has a real test to his courage as Chin Hoi (Chan Lung) sends hopping vampires, zombies and ghosts after him.
As this is a Hong Kong film there is little doubt that we are in for much slapstick humour and acrobatic high jinx, and this film has it in spades, proving itself to be one of the best in the genre.
AKA Batman: The Movie
"Penguin, Joker, Riddler... and Catwoman, too! The sum of the angles of that rectangle is too monstrous to contemplate!"
Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) are called out to rescue a ship unaware that they are being lured into a trap set by four of Batman's most feared foes. The Catwoman (Lee Meriweather), The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) are working together to try and take over the world once and for all and have set their sights on the United World Security Council in order to do so. Can the dynamic duo save themselves and the world from their despicable plan?
A movie offshoot of the successful TV series, this combines the camp cartoon adventures with a greater budget to good effect. Sit back and remember a time when Batman was fun and not a psychotic full of neuroses! As Robin says its a "Holy costumed party!"
AKA Jiang shi xian sheng. Geung si sin sang. Mr. Stiff Corpse.
"If you feel pain you're alright."
Kau (Lam Ching Ying), a priest, performs a reburial for a deceased rich man, but discovers that the corpse looks alive. With his inept apprentices Man Choi (Ricky Hui) and Tsau Tsang (Chin Siu Ho), Kau tries to stop the corpse becomes a Jiang Shi (Chinese "hopping" vampire), but is too late to stop the vampire running amok. Kau and his disciples attempt to destroy it, but unfortunately they end up with more problems as Man Choi is bitten by the vampire and they have to prevent him turning into one. Meanwhile Tsau Tsang is seduced by a female ghost who attempts to take his soul.
An extremely successful mix of comedy and horror, that spawned numerous sequels and introduced the West to the hopping vampire. Great film even for those with no interest in Hong Kong cinema.
"Nobody fucks with the Baldies!"
Set in 1963 in a New York suburb, this is the coming of age story of Richie (Ken Wahl), an Italian American kid, and his pals who call themselves the wanderers. It chronicles his life in high school as he tries to get his girlfriend to put out, has some rumbles with other neighborhood gangs and keeps out of the way of his girlfriends father, who runs the bowling alley with is mafia like brothers.
What is essentially a light weight story manages to place some pathos in between the comedy and violence, giving an extra slice of life feel to this standard coming of age film.
"Ash, that transmission - Mother's deciphered part of it. It doesn't look like an S.O.S." 
