clownhoue (1989)

"How could something so awful be so near?"
Casey (Nathan Forrest Winters) is scared of clowns, and soon finds out he has reason to be.
Nothing much to see here that you've not seen before, apart from an early appearance of Sam Rockwell.

salò, or the 120 days of sodom (1975)

"All's good if it's excessive."
Sixteen perfect boys and girls are rounded up by a group of fascist's, in Mussolini's Republic of Salò. They are taken to a mansion and brutally subjected to four months of physical, mental and sexual torture, for the pleasure of three degenerate leaders and a bishop.
Pasolini uses Dante and the Marquis De Sade to explore the human condition, its ability to inflict pain and suffering, and the debasement that is fascism, through the medium of exploitation cinema.

the giant of marathon (1959)

aka La battaglia di Maratona.
"You are as beautiful as a statue of a god."
Phillipides (Steve Reeves) is having a good time winning Olympic wreathes and being a hero. But he has to battle politicial intrige whilst falling for Andromeda (Mylène Demongeot), and then Darius invades with his mighty Persian army.
Above average Peplum, that plays fast and loose with the legend.

roadie (1980)

"The world don't end at the county line!"
Engineering wizard, Travis (Meat Loaf), leaves his dead end Texas life for a job as a roadie, when he falls for groupie Lola (Kaki Hunter).
Should be cult film, wraps a quirky story around performances from Blondie, Roy Orbison and Alice Cooper, amongst others.

carrie (2013)

"These are godless times."
Carrie (Chloë Grace Moretz), is an innocent in an unforgiving world. Born of a mother (Julianne Moore) who sees sin around every corner, and is more than willing to punish it, and especially her daughter. Treated badly by her mother, and especially her peers at school, she eventually lashes out, using the only power she has, telekinetic.
Third re-imagining of the 1976 classic, is well made, bringing the story into the modern day, but adds nothing new to the mix , to truly stand out from the original.

charlie chan in black magic (1944)

aka Meeting at Midnight. Black Magic.
"I heard he died Mr. Chan."
Francis Chan (Frances Chan) is at a seance when a man is murdered, and naturally her father Charlie (Sidney Toler) is anxious to get to the bottom of the crime. Whilst Charlie set about finding the killer, Birmingham (Mantan Moreland) provides the comedy, as he lives in fear of the spirits let loose.
The interesting opening scenes are soon overwhelmed by a stilted script, leading us into a rather routine comedy thriller, lacking much of both.

charlie chan in the secret service (1944)

aka Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
"Detective without curiosity is like glass eye at keyhole - no good."
Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) becomes an agent for the U.S. government, and is assigned to investigate the death of an weapons inventor. Whilst number three son Tommy (Benson Fong) and daughter Iris (Marianne Quon) tag along.
The first in the series to feature Mantan Moreland as Birmingham, in this formulaic whodunnit, but one that has some entertaining characters.

the adventures of buckaroo banzai across the 8th dimension (1984)

aka The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. Buckaroo Banzai. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension.
"Hey man, nice jacket!"
Buckaroo (Peter Weller), a surgeon, rock-star, and scientist, develops a method of traveling through solid material at a molecular level, in an attempt to prove that other lifeforms live on earth, in other dimensions. In doing so he accidentally releases some aliens, (including John Lithgow & Christopher Lloyd), imprisoned in the 8th dimension. He and his team (including Geff Goldblum and Ellen Barkin), are given an ultimatum by the rulers of the 10th planet - recapture them within 24 hours or they will nuke them, potentially starting a world war.
Tongue in cheek, and complex adventure, that rattles along at a breathless pace. One for the 80's sci-fi fanboys.

lord of the flies (1990)

"We can't have kids stealing and running wild."
Following a plane crash a group of school boys have to learn how to survive on a deserted island, but the more able they get at surviving, the more savage they become, until all semblance of civilisation breaks down. Led by Jack (Chris Furrh), his group becomes ever more feral, until his boys resort to a savagery, resulting in murder.
Hook's adaption jettisons some of the book, and makes for a less interesting film than the 1963 version.

death rides a horse (1967)

aka Da Uomo A Uomo. Viva Django, Man to Man. Two Deadliest Guns Alive.
"hates hate, there is no two ways."
Bill (John Phillip Law), witnesses the murder of his family as a child. Now an adult, he sets out to track down the outlaws who did it. Meanwhile, newly released from prison, Ryan (Van Cleef) is also on the trail of the same gang, after being robbed and double-crossed by them. Initially wary of each other, they eventually come together due to their common cause.
A notable western, not because it does anything new or different, but because it seems to care about the characters.

killer's kiss (1955)

aka Kiss Me, Kill Me.
"It's a mistake to confuse pity with love."
Boxer Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) intervenes when he sees Gloria Price (Irene Kane) being beaten by her lover Vincent Raphello (Frank Silvera). This brings the two together, much to Raphello's displeasure. So much so, that Raphello tries to kill Davey, but gets the wrong guy. So changing tactics, he then kidnaps Gloria. Can Davey save her?
Kubrick, still finding his feet as a director, gives us a film noir, which looks good, but never engages you with the characters.

skyfall (2012)

"You see what comes of all this running around Mister Bond?"
Bond (Daniel Craig) is back, but then is shot, and is presumed dead. But when someone blows up the MI6 HQ, this prompts Bond's return. First to pass his physical and psychological evaluation, and then to find the computer hacker with the skill to infiltrate MI6 and toast their building! This involves bedding some women (Bérénice Marlohe & Naomie Harris), being tortured, shooting things, running around a lot and some fisticuffs. All in an attempt to find Silva (Javier Bardem), the nasty bi-sexual ex-agent with a grudge against M (Judi Dench). A man with the inability to just shoot people he dislikes, preferring to devise a convoluted plot, costing millions, and involving complicated computer hacking, lots of hired goons and hardware, which ends in him walking into a room and shooting at his victim! Why didn't he just hire a sniper and save himself all the money, time and effort! And to top it all off, he's a crap shot so he should have definitely hired someone else to do the job.
Big, flashy, overlong, full of inconsistencies and plot holes. Otherwise it's a fine re-version of the Bourne franchise.

cloudburst (1951)

"I'd hound them with as little pity as we hounded Zimmerman...my hatred would overwhelm me like a cloudburst."
When his pregnant wife (Elizabeth Sellars) is killed by a couple on the run for murder, Foreign office cypher expert, John Graham (Robert Preston), determines to find these killers, and devises a systematic plan of revenge when he does.
Reputedly the first film Hammer shot at Bray Studios, this is a fine understated thriller. The characters backgrounds in the resistance during the war are hinted at, fleshing out motivations and abilities.

species II (1998)

"I told him not to go!"
On a mission to Mars astronaut (Justin Lazard) is infected with alien DNA and on return runs amok. The only way to track him down is via the genetically engineered Sil (Natasha Henstridge), who seems to have a telepathic bond with the astronaut.
Just about anything is watchable if you are in the right frame of mind, this one needs a steady supply of beer, to mask any feelings that there may be plot holes, and bad acting ahead.

pumpkinhead (1988)

"He looked at me like he wanted to kill me."
When the 6 year old son of a rural storekeeper (Lance Henriksen) is accidentally killed by a biker, who subsequently prevents his friends from getting help, the boys father calls up a vengeful demon to destroy them. He soon realises his mistake, but can he call off the unstoppable beast?
Standard stalk and slash, that starts off well, then loses all sense of originality once the killings start.

city under the sea (1965)

aka City In The Sea. War Gods Of The Deep.
A small Cornish Coastal village in 1903 is plagued by some mysterious events and when Jill Tregillis (Susan Hart) goes missing, mining engineer Ben Harris (Tab Hunter) goes on the hunt for her. His search leads to the discovery of an underwater society, that never ages, led by Sir Huge (Vincent Price).
A boys own adventure with David Tomlinson along for comic relief, though an underwhelming one from the once master of the b movie horror.

burnt offerings (1976)

"The house takes care of itself."
Ben and Marion Rolf (Oliver Reed and Karen Black), their son, and his aunt (Bette Davis) take on an old secluded house as summer caretakers. Unfortunately for them the house has an interesting feature. For every death within the house, it rejuvenates a part of itself.
Well made, but underwhelming horror, that lacks for real thrills or suspense.

die another day (2002)

"that's a mouthful."
Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is compromised, considered a traitor that cracked under torture once captured by the North Koreans. Thus he has to escape his own people and find the man that put him in this position.
Brosnan plays a fine Bond, one that looks like he would have no compunction to kill, and as usual there's some eye candy, in this case in the very shapely figure of Halle Berry.

the fog (1980)

aka John Carpenter's The Fog.
"may the Lord forgive us for what we've done."
It's the centenary of the founding of a small Northern California fishing town, but unfortunately for the residents, (including Adrienne Barbeau & Jamie Lee Curtis), their ancestors weren't as nice as they think, and out of the fog comes some people hell bent on revenge.
An atmospheric ghost story, that delivers a few chills.

a kiss before dying (1956)

"I had such plans."
Bud (Robert Wagner) is confronted with his girlfriends desire to get married, after she discovers she is pregnant. He goes along with her plans, but we know he has other ideas. When her sister dies, can Ellen (Virginia Leith) find out the truth of her supposed suicide.
Focusing wholly on Bud takes the suspense out of what could have been an effective detective thriller. What we end up with is ok, but it's a film where details, that could have been explored, (such as Buds war experiences), are skimmed over rather than developed.