loot (1970)

"I'm a professional. I only marry for money."
Two friends, Dennis (Hywel Bennett) and Hal (Roy Holder) execute a bank robbery, hiding the money in the coffin of Hal's recently deceased mother. Things get complicated when Inspector Truscott (Richard Attenborough) starts to sniff around, as does Nurse Fay (Lee Remick), a gold-digger who gets wind that the boys may have come into money!
Based on the play by Joe Orton and adapted by Galton and Simpson, this is a wonderful, and blackly comic farce, chock full with a number of wonderful characters.

the brain from planet arous (1957)

"Don't expert me Sally, I'm alright!"
Gor, is a criminal brain from the planet Arous, takes over Steve March (John Agar). Steve is a scientist and Gor uses him to threaten the world, in an attempt to take it over. Fortunately for the world Val, also from Arous, comes to our aid, and with the help of Steve's wife Sally (Joyce Meadows), they try to defeat Gor.
A film that quickly dispenses with any attempt to play it straight, in favour of campy fun in this 50's sci-fi, and is all the better for it.

piccadilly third stop (1960)

"It's the challenge that fires me."
Dominic (Terence Morgan), a Playboy and wannabe criminal mastermind, seduces Fina (Yoko Tani) and persuades her to help him rob her father's embassy. To pull of his plan he recruits a gang of old lags to open the embassy's safe, but inevitably things start to go wrong and the plan begins to unravel.
A fine cast including Dennis Price, Mai Zetterling, and William Hartnell, pack out this journey through the playboy world of London's wealthy Mayfair. A standard thriller like many similar such fare made around this period.

remember me this way (1974)

"You don't think of yourself as a sex symbol...but if someone thinks of you in this way, then fine."
A documentary that looks into the preparations for a Gary Glitter concert and the daily routines that Gary and his management team have to go through to maintain his pop star status, from photo shoots, record company meetings, sound checks and finally the recording of a live concert.
Filmed when Gary was at the height of his stardom, this doesn't delve too deep into the process or Gary himself, but does show the mundane routines that go into making a pop star. Glitter had become an institution in Britain, having survived the industry since the 60's, but then in the late 90's he took his laptop to get fixed and his downfall was swift. The title of this then became very prophetic, I'm sure he would rather us remember him this way.

ebirah, horror of the deep (1966)

AKA Godzilla vs The Sea Monster. Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas. Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daiketto. Big Duel in the North. Big Duel in the North Sea. Ebirah, Terror of the Deep. The Great South Seas Duel.
"It could be Mothra's asleep at present. Our prayers will reach its source and it will arrive. Yes, I'm sure Mothra is soon going to hear us!"
A man is lost at sea and his brother with some friends tries to find him, but their lucks not in as they encounter Ebirah, a giant lobster, who smashes their yacht. They wash up on an island, where some terrorists are making heavy water, and have enslaved the local islanders to do this. To avoid capture the friends team up with an escaped native girl and hide in some caves. There they stumble on a sleeping Godzilla and they devise a plan to awaken in the hope that the monster will help them defeat the gang and free the slaves. Que monster fight number one, before Godzilla then takes on Mothra in the second bout of the evening.
One of the lesser Godzilla adventures, mainly because it takes some time to get to him, but once he arrives the film livens up considerably, with some great fight sequences.

hang 'em high (1968)

"When you hang a man you better look at him."
A band of vigilantes hang ex-lawman Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood), believing him guilty of cattle rustling and murder. They leave him for dead, hang him and leave him for dead. Found by a marshall he takes up with Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), and becomes a Deputy Marshall to exact revenge. But once on the trail he comes to believe the judge is too quick to hang a man and learns to difference between revenge and justice.
Whilst not in the same league as the Dollar trilogy, this is nevertheless a fine western, which brings to the fore the morals of an eye for an eye.

holiday camp (1947)

"I want to her to have a good holiday."
The Huggett family, (Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Peter Hammond and Hazel Court), go on holiday to a Butlins style camp. There they make friends with a variety of people and various members of this extended party have fun, fall in love, get scammed out of money and even fall in with a murderer!
A genial and likable entertainment that now acts more as a look at the general activities and what passed for a good time following the war.

here we go round the mulberry bush (1967)

"That's the fun of living today, everything's fast, zoom zoom."
Jamie McGregor (Barry Evans), is an everyday 17 year old, growing up in the midst of the promiscuous society. He relates his growing frustration as he tries to click with women. The one woman he is desperate to get together with Mary Gloucester (Judy Geeson), only has eyes for older men with cars. So he chases a number of other girls in the meantime, with varying results, but no matter what happens he's always thinking of Mary.
A somewhat episodic work, that manages to create a charming nievity around itself.

the tingler (1959)

"Ladies and gentlemen, just a word of warning. If any of you are not convinced that you have a tingler of your own, the next time you're frightened in the dark... don't scream."
Scientist and coroner Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) is researching the nature of fear, and believes that he has found a creature that exists in our spines that feeds off this emotion, but is rendered harmless by screaming. In the course of his research Warren comes to know Ollie Higgins (Philip Coolidge) and his deaf-mute wife Martha (Judith Evelyn). Shortly after getting to know her Martha dies. Dr. Warner undertakes the autopsy and finds in her spine the creature. He believes as it is controlled by screaming, and that Martha being mute could not scream and render it harmless. Instead it grew and grew until it killed her. Then the creature escapes and Dr. Warner and Ollie have to try and recapture it before it strikes again.
Another classic from director William Castle, an entertainingly campy romp.

the beast with five fingers (1946)

"I wish you would keep your hands off my books."
A pianist (Victor Francen) in a small Italian village makes some associates certify he is not insane, but he clearly is when he tries to strangle Hilary Cummins (Peter Lorre). Following this incident he dies in a accident and his relatives gather for the funeral and the reading of the will and they throw Cummins out, calling him a freeloader. Then the murders begin and the villagers come to believe that the pianist's severed hand is responsible.
A old style classic horror, with a twist ending for those who want to play detective. What would be a run of the mill horror is enlivened by Lorre's performance as he runs away with the film.

the nutty professor (1963)

"Have no fear Buddy's here."
A timid school teacher (Jerry Lewis) concocts a formula that turns him into a swarve Don Juan type called Buddy Love, in order to get the girl of his dreams Stella Purdy (Stella Stevens). What he unknowingly unleashes is a lounge lizard with an ego that knows no limit, but still the girl falls for him. But the professor whats the girl to like him, not Buddy Love?
Jerry Lewis directs himself in this classic comic twist on the Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde story.

creatures the world forgot (1971)

"Takk!"
A tribe of pre-historic people try to eak a living out of an unforgiving landscape. A mountain tribe moves from its hunting grounds following a volcanic eruption. They move across the desert and come across a blond haired tribe, who they join forces with.
One Million Years BC this isn't. No stop motion dinosaurs, just primitive man fighting themselves and the elements, with nothing more than grunts in lue of language. A curio which tries to bring a realism to early man's struggles, even the beautiful actresses that normally grace such Hammer fare (such as Julie Ege) are dressed down here. Not to most people's taste, but I found the human struggle more than enough to not miss the dinosaurs!

doctor blood's coffin (1961)

"Noone's going to hold me back."
Dr. Peter Blood (Kieron Moore) is dismissed in disgrace from the hospital he is working at, for undertaking unsanctioned and morally questionable experiments on patients. He turns up at his fathers surgery in a remote Cornish village and immediately people start mysteriously disappearing, along with the Dr's supplies. Then Peter starts to take an interest his father's nurse (Hazel Court)...
Despite the gory sounding title, this is actually a more thoughtful take on the Frankenstein story, with a scientists dedication to finding a cure for death driving him beyond ethical practices.

the magnificent seven deadly sins (1971)

"Why can't I get any help..."
Comedy that guides you through seven short stories based on the Seven Deadly Sins.
Features the cream of British comedy talent at the time, from Bruce Forsyth to Leslie Phillips.
As with most anthology films there are good, bad and indifferent stories, but no matter who the talent is and who wrote the script, overall this is still a lame 70's comedy. Why couldn't we do film comedy, when we created so much good TV comedy at the time?

the colossus of new york (1958)

"...your father has just become a famous man."
Dr Jeremy Spensser (John Baragrey), a genius and humanitarian, dies in an accident. His father (Otto Kruger) being a brain surgeon, decides to save his brain and places it within a robot body. But not just any old body, one that is 12 feet tall and possessed of enormous strength! Initially things go well, until the robot reveals it has developed ESP and predicts a number of catastrophic accidents and wants to go out into the world, but is prevented by his father and brother. What lengths will the robot go to to end its seclusion?
An interesting take on the Frankenstein story, with the mind of a gentle genius being warped by its seclusion and deprevation. Entertaining, but talky sci-fi.

cronos (1993)

AKA La invención de Cronos.
"I don't care about eternity."
An elderly antiques dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), stumbles upon a mechanised scarab, hidden inside a statue. On examination it takes a bite out of his hand. Then he finds himself revitalised, younger looking and feeling, but with a craving for blood and to use the scarab again. Then his real problem rears its head, in the form of Angel de la Guardia (Ron Perlman) who has long been looking for the fabled mechanism, built by an alchemist in 1535 to convey eternal life on its user.
A unique take on a simple question; what would you do if you had the chance at eternal life literally in you hand? A quiet story plays out in a sympathetic way, unveiling the decisions and consequences that these bring.

project x (1967)

"we only have 14 days..."
In the year 2118 Hagen Arnold (Christopher George), a spy is involved in an almost fatal plane crash and is crogenically frozen. The authorities need to know what he found out about a deadly new weapon the East are developing and only have ten days to do so. Desperate they decide to use new and untested technologies to move into his brain in an attempt to recover the supressed memories.
Mixing genetics, biological weapons and subliminal messaging, this is a weird, psychedelic, and rather talky sci-fi.

the house of dracula (1945)

AKA The Wolf Man's Cure.
"The evil he creates he can also destroy."
Dracula (John Carradine) arrives at Dr Edlemann's (Onslow Stevens) house seeking a cure for vampirism, but on meeting the Dr's beautiful assistant Miliza (Martha O'Driscoll) he pursues her and seems to decide against the treatment; instead infecting the dr with his own blood. But Miliza only has eyes for another patient Lawrence Talbert (Lon Chaney Jr.) who is a werewolf. Meanwhile as Hyde the Dr's only concern is to bring Frankenstein's monster back to life. Cue the vengeful torch bearing townsfolk!
Due to the amount of monsters that have to be crammed into the plot, this is an almost comically quickfire film, with barely time to breathe between the various events. A film that you cannot get bored watching as you have very little time to. Entertaining if convoluted. It is also interesting in its sympathetic portrayal of all concerned. Even the hunchback character is now a beautiful nurse, who serves only to help others.

homicidal (1961)

"Take this woman for your lawful wedded wife?"
A mysterious woman Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin), offers a hotel porter Jim Nesbitt (Richard Rust) some money to marry her. Once married she then turns on the justice of the peace and brutally stabs him before fleeing. Enter the elderly Helga (Eugenie Leontovich) and an $10 million inheritance.
An entertaining film with more than a passing resemblance to Psycho, this is a thriller with its own twists and turns, and a trademark Castle gimmick, this time a 'fright break'.

the return of count yorga (1971)

AKA Curse of Count Yorga. The Abominable Count Yorga.
"When you've lived as long as I you gather a little knowledge along the way."
Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) has purchased an old Gateway Mansion near an Orphanage, and the vampires waste no time in using this food source. They are helped by Tommy (Philip Frame) one of the children who covers for them. When the orphange has its annual fund raiser Yorga turns up and is immediately taken with teacher Cynthia Nelson (Mariette Hartley) and kidnaps her. After the fund raiser the vampiresses arrive to have their own party, leaving only Jennifer (Yvonne Wilder) and Tommy alive, but with Tommy covering for them and no bodies Jennifer cannot convince the authorities anything happened. Dr Baldwin (Roger Perry) viewing the evidence, slowly starts to believe that there is a vampire about, but can he save Cynthia?
An entertainingly 70's take on the vamp film. It dips a little at times as Yorga 'romances' Cynthia, but livens up for the usual end chase. This is helped enormously by the character of Yorga who is at times swarve and urbane but also scarily feral when the blood lust takes him.