Reviews

To start with i thought this film was brilliantly acted,the main leads played by Peter Mullen and Olivia Colman were so realistic and their different type of living conditions says a lot about modern England today.She lives in a nice home in a nice part of town but has an abusive husband,her dilemma is it worth putting up with him?as she has nowhere else to go.He on the other hand lives in poverty because he has in a way just given up,he knows its to late to better himself and to change his life style.So when the two opposite characters meet each other they form a sort of bond and give each other a sense of hope. However the negatives i had with this film was with the Peter Mullen character,in the films opening scene he gets angry and takes his spite out on his dog who he brutally kicks,he then leaves his dog to die alone in a cold shed over night.I was disgusted with this scene and thought he should have been arrested and charged.Also later on in the film he kills the neighbours staff who i don't think was entirely to blame for what happened to the little boy. Why does the film have to use a Staffordshire Bullterrier as the bad dog?this breed is already misunderstood ,on an average week the statistics of Staffordshire Bullterriers who get put to sleep in pounds across the UK is as high as 80,most are very loving dogs that mix well with others and generally love people.Unfortunately they have been overbred and a lot end up as strays and dumped before they reach aduldhood.This film has not done their breed any favours so for this reason i am giving the film 5 out of 10

I've always been a big fan of the film Freaks and think it was very ahead of its time although in its day it was thought disturbing. Freakshow stays near to the originals plot but as a story it loses its moral,in the original you care for the unfortunates of the title and they are the heroes of the film.In Freakshow there is very little character development and you really couldn't care less about them,as they are neither likable or admirable and towards the last 10 minutes of the film they turn out to be bigger sadists than those who portrayed the villains,so i really couldn't see the moral of the story,it all seemed more like a film of revenge and sadism. The last 10 minutes of the film was so unnecessary with the girl Lucy {baring in mind she hadnt actually killed anyone herself}being gruesomely hacked at so that she could be turned into a freak,i thought they were just going to cut her tongue out but oh no that was only the beginning,i couldn't believe how long this scene went on for or what they were going to stop at.It was also silly really as no one would survive all that blood loss. Very pointless

Very entertaining western from the late 50's ,Audie Murphy stars as a Texan who joins the Union side during the American civil war,much to the annoyance of his fellow Texans. The Union army then go on to attack a peaceful Indian settlement which he is very much against and because of this he deserts. Because he believes the Indians will want revenge he quickly goes back to Texas to warn the homesteaders of future Indian attacks.When he arrives home there is only women left as the men have all gone away to fight in the Civil war,the women all distrust him because he is wearing the Unionists colours and they only see him as a traitor. After the body of a young woman is found killed by an arrow he manages to finally convince the women that what he has been saying is true. They then all take refuge in an abandoned mission where he trains them to fight and shoot in anticipation of an attack,they also learn how to make bombs.The only other man at the mission runs off and joins up with a gang who after they kill him lead the Indians back to the mission. The women end up surrounded and outnumbered and very bravely fight off the final Indian assault with Murphys help of coarse.

The Guns Of Fort Petticoat is a sort of what-if film thats very ahead of its time ,its the sort of storyline that you would expect to be made today and not back in the 50's.It has its amusing moments and it also has romance and some pretty interesting fight scenes.It may all sound a bit far-fetched but it does work especially when quite a few of the women get killed,which under the circumstances is bound to happen. The characters are interesting {if not a little clichéd}and Audie Murphy does give a very good performance and convinces us that this could have happened. This is a very entertaining little film that im glad has been forgotten.

I saw this movie once years ago and always thought it had been made in black and white,which shows how long ago it was it was when my parents still owned a black and white set.I do remember really liking it though and had always wanted to see it again,finally i got the chance a couple of days ago and it was as good as i remembered . The Wild And The Innocent is an unusual little western and i cant say its like anything else I've seen before or since.Its a sort of tale about morals and the decisions that people might make in life and how easy it is to make the wrong ones,there is always somebody corrupt around the corner who will prey on those that are naive and will use them for their own advantage. Audie Murphy plays a young fur trapper named Yancy who goes to town reluctantly with a young runaway girl named Rosalie{Sandra Dee},and together they get into all sorts of trouble through their naivety towards town life.He wants to help Rosalie find a job,and then he can go his separate way,but its not that simple.

Towards the end of the film he wisens up when he finally realises that the job Rosalie has been offered is more than what the job description says,and he must try to save her before its too late. The Wild And The Innocent is a charmingly romantic film which seems to be sadly forgotten,i think it needs to be shown more as I'm sure there are a lot of viewers out there who would really appreciate this little movie if they only knew about it.As one reviewer on here as commented you need to look at the era it was made in to really appreciate it. I love this movie and the ending makes it all worthwhile,ill give it 9/10

No Name On The Bullet is a very good psychological western.It stars Audie Murphy in one of his many westerns,here he plays a hired assassin by the name of John Gant,who has been payed to go into a town and kill somebody,but who has he come for?this is the question all the local towns folk are asking and so do you the viewer. Naturally all the locals are on edge and are paranoid as they all have their secrets and they all have their enemies,before long they all start turning against each other and making accusations. The biggest problem is that although Gant is a known hired killer he always gets his victims to draw first so that it looks as if he has killed in self defence,therefor he can not be arrested,he is cold and calculating and has all his plans worked out.So how can he be stopped?The real intended victim comes to light towards the last fifteen minutes of the film but you may have already guessed before then.

The tension in this film is almost claustrophobic as you feel the over bearing pressure on the towns people.Its brilliantly directed and although Murphys performance is good the supporting cast is excellent. No Name On The Bullet is a good tense thriller,which instead of being a Whodunnit is more of an Whos gone a get it?

The Dual At Silver Creek is a very entertaining western from the early fifties,the main stars are Stephen Mcnally and Audie Murphy. The story is about a Marshal{Mcnally} who is out to stop a murderous gang who have killed one of his friends and are also terrorising and killing local miners.Because the Marshal has lost the use of his trigger finger he hires the help of a sharp shooter named the Silver Kid{Murphy}.Along the way the marshal has fallen for a classy but treacherous new lady in town named Opal who is really working for the bad men,she makes out she loves the marshal,but we all know different and will he see through her in time? For a B movie Dual At Silver Creek is highly entertaining,its one of those films that id seen years ago as a kid but couldn't remember properly,and viewing it today it actually seems better. Some of the scenes are actually seem quite campy now days especially whenever the bad character Johnny Sombrero and chums appear,and then there's Audie Murphy{who does look very attractive}is dressed in black leather,say no more. I've often read reviews on Audie Murphy films and people often describe his acting as stoic,wooden,bland etc which i think is a bit harsh,{okay he wasn't Bogart or Tracy}but i feel he was competent enough for these sort of films and he more than holds his own in this one, viewed today he doesn't seem any worse than a lot of other actors who by todays standards over acted. One of my favourite scenes in the film is between Murphy and Lee Marvin at a poker table, where Marvin makes some rather insulting and bitchy remarks to Murphy and its really quite funny to watch.You don't see much of Marvin but when you do he more than makes you aware that his in this film he did have a strong screen presence and you wonder why he wasn't given bigger parts earlier on in his career.Faith Domergue is also very good as the treacherous and scheming Opal or Brown Eyes as the marshal calls her. Dual At Silver Creek is a good way to waste about 80 minutes its a fun movie.

Dead of Night is a classic ghost{horror}film from the mid 1940's and it still has the ability to give you chills down the spine sixty years on. There are five different stories in this film all to do with ghosts they are all excellently told and superbly acted in fact i think the acting makes this film what it is,there's no ham performances here,the characters are believable. I know most people who have watched Dead Of Night will talk about the ventriloquist story as being the most eerie and in some ways it is,especially when the dummy comes to life and starts walking across the room to strangle his master.But for me i always found the creepiest story is the one about the mirror as its the story i always remembered the most and for a while made me a bit wary of looking in mirrors{ha,ha}. This film is hard to find and is rarely on TV these days i was lucky enough to find it on Youtube as someone has kindly downloaded it.Great stuff i thought and i couldn't wait to see it.Its as good as i could remember it to be.

I saw this on TCM last week usually its shown at a really awkward time for me such as 11am in the morning when I'm at work,the only chance i had of catching it was to view it at 5am on a Sunday which was my only chance,i wasn't disappointed. The story is about the early days of The Brothers Grimm and how they got inspiration to wright so many wonderful stories.Laurence Harvey gives a good sensitive performance as the brother Willhelm who was more of the dreamer of the two and who almost gives up when he becomes ill during the latter part of the film only to get better when his invented characters come to him in dream form and urge him to get better and continue to wright,which he eventually does. Also in the film are three separate fairy tales my favourite being the first one The Dancing Princess which contains a lovely dance routine between Russ Tamblyn and Yvette Mimuex, Mr Tamblyn is full of charm and shows off his clever gymnastic skills in a story which is also humorous and has some clever special effects such as the invisible cloak.The Singing Bone starring Terry Thomas is also very humorous although the dragon doesn't look scary in the least,but then this was probably intentional as the story is made for children. The three stories are all very colourful and not overlong and would suit a young child's attention span.This is definitely a film that can be enjoyed by all ages,I've often heard that this film was so much better on the big screen,that i can well believe although i think the TCM version is good ma by not as good but it will do. I along with a lot of other people am wondering when they are going to release this on DVD,as i wouldn't mind a copy.

Tom Thumb is a film that can be enjoyed by all age groups its harmless fun and the special effects are really state of the arc for 1958,especially when the toys come alive the puppetoons are really fascinating to watch and should even by todays standards keep children amused.George Pal went on to direct The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm which I've never been able to get round to seeing as i keep missing it on TCM,but i know its suppose to be just as good. Russ Tamblyn was the perfect choice to play the title role as he really does come across as a little boy even though he was 24 years old,his dance routines are amazing especially with the added acrobatics you cant tire from watching him he makes his routine look so easy when obviously its not. Also another great bonus is the pairing up of two of my all time favourite comedians Peter Sellers and Terry Thomas as the two dastardly villains Tony and Ivan who greedily cheat and use Tom to steal a bag of the Kings gold and let Toms parents take the blame. They weren't very often teamed up in films together but if you ever want the chance to see them paired up then this is a good opportunity. Tom Thumb is a very simple story its easy to follow and this probably makes it all the more enjoyable and suitable for young children,there's no complicated plot its just pretty basic. Also Toms theme song 'This is my song '{DOO DEE DOO DEE DOO}is very catchy and your sure to start humming it before the end of the movie.

The Haunting is a very good psychological paranormal drama from 1963 and is very ahead of its time,when most horrors of the time relied on daft special effects which don't hold up well today,The Haunting relies on atmosphere .Robert Wise decided to shoot the film in black and white to give added atmosphere,and it works,i don't think colour would have worked as well.I was watching The Haunting the other night and felt really cold as if the atmosphere came into my living room {spooky}ive never felt that before,i wondered if anyone else has felt this way.What also makes this film powerful is that the mansion house you see is real and has a graveyard nearby,the mansion stands in Stratford upon Avon just outside of London so everything you see in this film is real which i think makes it more authentic,i would imagine the house did feel cold and damp inside. The Haunting is a very well written intelligent thriller its slow paced most of the time and not a film you can afford to miss any of as you may find it hard to get back into and follow the story,so you need to watch it from the beginning all the way through to get the best out of it.There is no blood guts or gore no real violence just suspense and a few jumpy moments. The acting between the four actors is excellent and convincing. On the DVD i have there is added commentary from the four actors and the director and screen writer,talking about their experiences while filming The Haunting which is at times very interesting. I give this film a 10 because as a paranormal drama i don't think they get much better than this,and this one in particular was the first of its kind.

I have never read the book of Peyton Place so i cant really comment on whats better and i very vaguely remember the TV series as my mum and aunts used to watch and discuss it all the time,all i knew was that it was a very big soap in its day and probably still is. Having said this i am really glad i bought a copy of the 1957 version on DVD as i think its great for its day whether its accurate to the book or not i still think its a great drama to study.Peyton Place has everything from incest,rape,murder,suicide all the strong ingredients that make you watch and want to know whats going to happen next,this is what soaps are all about and this version does contain all these story lines and portrays them in a sensitive way,so that it doesn't lose any class,and it is a classy film.The location is beautifully shot you see lots of beautiful scenic views from the tops of mountains,you see the sea,countryside forests etc,even though I'm not American i can fully understand the nostalgia a lot of people get out of watching this film as its a look back into the past and how places and people change sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse,not many places in my country look or resemble anything how they looked fifty years ago,which is a shame,but thats how it is. The only flaws i can find in this movie is Mr Rossi's grating voice which does go straight through me although his acting was okay,also the character Alison{Diane Varsi}does come across as a bit sugary and not very believable in the first half of the film,she tends to have the exact same blanc expression in most of her scenes,her acting improves further into the film and i think its only because her character is quite likable that you tend to overlook this.Her acting was much better in 'Johnny Got His Gun' where she plays a sympathetic nurse. Most of the other actors give a fine performance especially Hope Lange{Selina}and Russ Tamblyn {Norman}i particularly love the scene on the train where he has changed from a boy to a man and in my opinion is behaving in a rather suggestive way which you don't usually see in films made in this era,just watch the change in body language and facial expressions,its so realistic,and what also helps is that they are genuinely young actors and not the usual 30 year olds playing teenagers I'm glad they didn't edit this scene out as it is very good,and as i work for paras anyway i found his portrayal of a Sgt very good. Anyway i don't want to give away any more of the story as there is such a lot going on in this movie and the court case towards the end is well worth watching.

The Collector is a very well made thriller made in the mid sixties,it tells the story of a lonely young man who is a butterfly collector,one day he wins the football pools a massive £70.000 pounds(a lot of money then}he buys a big house in the country and decides to settle there. The only difference is now he no longer wants to collect butterflies he wants to collect a young woman instead. He stalks her for a while gets to know everything about her then kidnap's her,he takes her to his new home and puts her in a newly prepared basement.She eventually wakes up and is shocked by her unknown surroundings and tries to work out why she is there. The rest of the film sees her either trying to escape or trying to bargain a release with her kidnapper,who has no intention of releasing her.The ending is tragic,i don't want to give the whole story away but i highly recommend this film.This film was almost forgotten and hasn't been shown on UK TV for years,where to my knowledge it was only ever shown once ma by twice and that was back in the 70,s. The two leads in the Collector are Samantha Eggar and Terence Stamp and they both give excellent performances.Terence Stamp acts creepy most of the time although you do feel sympathy for his character to a certain extent,Samantha Eggar acts exactly how you would believe you would act in that situation,she doesn't try any heroics as she doesn't know how far he would go,so she tries the sensible approach,tries to reason with Stamp and towards the end gets desperate when every idea she tries fails. It would be good to see this film back in circulation on DVD in Britain in the future. If your a fan of 'What ever happened to baby Jane'and 'Misery'then you would like the Collector,its gripping, thought provoking and full of suspense.

I watched this as part of a double bill on a DVD the other film being Frankenstein reborn.Werewolf Reborn is the better film,although the other is more unintentionally funny,this one isn't funny at all. In fact its not at all bad,the acting is quite good and at least the story sticks to the traditional werewolf legends in that the werewolf can only be killed by a silver bullet or silver sword.These films are rated 12 and are therefore suited for this age group as there not at all scary.The biggest problem i had with this film is that the girl definitely looked older than 14 years old,if she was only 14 my son would love to meet her he'd be wanting to change schools. There is nothing really special i can add about Werewolf, as there are no special effects no suspense no clever twist in the plot or nothing else that really stands out and make it memorable.On the other hand its not a bad film its just pretty average,I've seen a lot better and seen a lot worse.

Like the previous reviewer i bought this film for a laugh and was expecting the film to be really cheesy, bad acting etc and to an extent it was but not as much as i had hoped the funny points were---- 1,The girl Anna who was staying with her uncle Victor was definitely older than 13.

2,Uncle Victor and his assistant both have annoyingly long hair which keeps getting in their faces and feels like it is getting in yours as well.

3,Uncle Victor and assistant look like they belong in a porno movie.

4,The girl Anna was not the slightest bit shocked by her uncles experiment of making a monster.

5,Now wait for it {this is the really amusing part}Anna is not in any way frightened by the monster and calls him friend,and wants him to do the same.Despite the fact he has already killed someone.

6,In front of the castle is a big sign worded Frankenstein which looks really cheesy and isn't set firmly in the ground,because it wobbles.

The film is what i expected more or less and is good for a nights viewing over some wine or beers as its guaranteed to raise a few laughs all though not intentionally.

This has to be the funniest sci-fi films i have ever seen and the funniest part about it being is that the film takes it self really seriously.The Blob is a sort of well i don't know how to describe it really,a big red jelly thing it has no menacing features so why anyone in the film was frightened by it is beyond me I'm surprised they didn't try to find out if it was edible as it looks more like a strawberry jelly out for revenge,as this creature {if you can call it that }eats its victims.{i don't know how but they disappear anyway} The funniest part was when it crawls under a car and eats a mechanic it then goes on to terrorise the rest of the town. Most of the acting is really hammy and the dialogue corny but this only adds to the amusement.Steve Mcqueen is not bad though,although i did hear that he hated this film.I was watching the Blob on the Sci-fi channel the other day after having a few drinks and i found myself really laughing out loud at it.I highly recommend this film to any one who wants a good laugh at an unintentionally funny film.

High School Confidential is a very entertaining B Movie from the late fifties.I grew up watching films of this era so i wasn't surprised by the slang used in it,although i will admit a lot of what the character Tony says doesn't make much sense. In the seventies these teen films had become very dated where as now days they seem more authentic and interesting.If i wanted to watch a film about the 1950,s i would much rather see a film that was made then rather than view one which has been made today about this era,as they would never get it completely right.And whether this story is plausible or not the actors,cars,clothes, hairstyles are the real deal and the paranoia towards Marajuana is told from a 1950s point of view. The 1960s point of view was very different,so was the 70s and 80,s etc.I think most of the acting was very good especially from Russ Tamblyn whose character Tony Baker was invented by his real on screen character Mike Wilson so the character Tony Baker would be overblown and unbelievable because his not real.We are not supposed to take his made up character seriously,well i didn't anyway. The only real problem i had with High School Confidential is that his aunt Gwen is not his aunt Gwen as you find out later in the film,so who is she really?is she in on the confidentiality?its never explained.Any way other than that i found this to be a really fun film and the opening credits with Jerry Lee Lewis singing are great.

Hadnt seen this film for years so when i saw a copy on ebay i thought ill have to get a copy.My husband who loves viking films surprisingly had never heard of this one.He wasn't sure what to expect. I put it on the other night to watch and he loved it,we have never laughed so much.This film is not to be taken as a history lesson it is just a fun film and nothing more,most of the time its unintentionally funny,for instance the long distance swimming Richard Widmark does at the near beginning of the film.The amount of costumes Sidney Poitier goes through,the different accents the viking crew have and who they are{Gorden Jackson}is one of them,Lionel Jeffries plays a black Enoch,so you see what i mean,how can you take this film seriously. For me the funniest part of the film is when,one of the viking rowers moans to Richard Widmark about rowing and says ''My hands are sore'',arnt vikings supposed to be tough strong men,what was the script writer thinking of. The Long Ships has lots of strange script writing which only adds to the amusement of the film,also the viking outfits which is mainly leather make them look very camp.They look like they are going to a gay bar.And poitiers hair is all over the place. The mare of steel is as gruesome as i remember it,but i always wondered why there were spikes at the bottom,wouldn't the victim be dead long before they reached the bottom?And where did his body remains quickly disappear to,a bit of a puzzling device that one. But don't avoid watching this film because it is a fun adventure,and the musical score is great.

Im not usually a fan of musicals but this one is an exception,I've lost count of how many times I've watched it. The songs are enjoyable and are very well sung,Howard Keel had a powerful voice which was perfect for this musical and Jane Powells voice was pleasant the songs are not too long and fit in well with the storyline. But the main reason i love watching Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is the awesome dance routines,especially the main one at the barn when they first meet the girls. It must have took ages to get them dance routines right,the timing is spot on and the acrobatic skills very clever and put this altogether and you have a really enjoyable dance routine,that you cant take your eyes off.I've also noticed that there doesn't seem to be any cuts in the film{ma by there is}from when they first start dancing with the girls to when they are challenging the towns men on the wooden beams and you see lots of acrobatic skills. The film is also quite humorous and i like the way that Millie{Jane Powell} handles all the men,shes the wise one what she says goes,they don't cross her. Another reason for liking this film is that i have American relatives who are from Oregon and most still live there.It looks a bit too cold for me though. This is one of the few musicals i bother to watch,and i don't think they get any better than this one.

The Bue Max stands up well for a WW1 film that was made in 1966,i don't think they could do much better now. I agree with other comments on here that the Ariel scenes are brilliant and also very entertaining,i find with many aviation films about war the dog fights get confusing and its hard to tell what is going on and you can easily lose interest.With The Blue Max the aviation scenes are more simply presented so you don't lose sight of who you are suppose to be watching and you can almost feel that you are up their with them,its as realistic as that. The battle scenes on the ground are also well done and are convincing,along with the street and hospital scenes.The film is told from a German point of view and gives a sympathetic view towards them,the characters are mainly likable apart from the lead characters Bruno{George Peppard}who will stoop to any level to achieve his desired goal{The Blue Max}.And also his love interest the arrogant and selfish countess played by Ursula Andress. Their acting isn't great and there doesn't seem to be much chemistry between them but this doesn't distract you from the film.There is plenty of good Ariel scenes to admire.

I think this has to be one of Hammers most famous films and is certainly high on most Hammer fans top ten list. I would say its as much a sci-fi film as it is a horror,or you could say it combines both. Some of the effects are funny by todays standards especially the bit when you see the alien locusts hoping about on the moon,this bit always has me in stitches,there are also similar flaws in the special effects department but then the film was made in 1967,40 years ago so what should we expect they were probably top notch at the time.Either way it doesn't distract from the clever storyline and only adds to the appeal.This film would still be scary for the under 12s,my son is 12 and he thought the film was great.When i was his age i thought it was really scary,shows how times change.

The plague of The Zombies is the only zombie film that Hammer studios made,which is a shame but then i suppose they specialised more in vampire movies.Even though this was there only one it probably makes it more memorable as it was the last proper zombie film which stuck to the true definition of what a zombie was supposed to be,which were people turned into the living dead so that they would be slaves and very cheap labour workers for a wealthy master.Zombies can kill but they don't live on peoples flesh as seen in the later and current zombie films.This is what i like about plague of the zombies,and why it seems to have become sought after. It was made the same year as Hammers the Reptile and uses the same location and sets,and even some of the same actors.Also like the Reptile ,Plague Of The Zombies has a very cold atmospheric quality about it,ma by this is to do with the location and sets,i don't know but they are genuinely creepy films,and if you have seen one you may as well see the other.Although i would say that Plague Of The Zombies does seem to have a lot more people in it,so was probably made on a bigger budget.Also like all Hammer films its entertaining and times a bit silly but thats Hammer.

This film really scared me when i was a 12 year old ,i hadn't seen it for years and thought it had been entirely forgotten,but then to my surprise found their were a lot of other people that could remember the film and were after copies too. You can buy it now in most DVD stores,i thought it was just me who sought these 1960s Hammer films. The reptile is in a way a very atmospheric horror,it has a eerie cold feel about it.The location seems very barren as if there's no life there this helps to make the film more convincing. The same location was used in Hammers Plague Of The Zombies which also starred Jacqueline Pierce and Micheal Ripper.Both films were made more or less the same year its hard to say which one is best,i like both. The acting is quite good,the Reptiles face is a little bit overdone for a modern audience but who cares,this is Hammer in its heyday. They are always entertaining films to watch and particularly best to view at night with the lights turned off and just candlelight's burning to get that really creepy effect.

I saw this film when it first came out and it did seem like a masterpiece, powerful often shocking and different to any other film that was made in the early to mid eighties.However watching the film the other day i could only notice its flaws and it didn't seem such a classic. 1,It seems far too long,pointless scenes with lots of talking are really dragged out and you wonder why? 2,Nearly all of the female characters have really shocking low morals to the point where their not believable and you feel its just where the film is trying to add sex to spice things up.And the only female who has any decency gets raped. 3,None of the characters are likable,so you don't really care what happens to them. 4,The music doesn't seem to fit the scenes and is played far too much to the point where it becomes annoying. 5,Deborah as a child had brown eyes then as an adult she develops blue eyes.And none of the other grownup members of the gang look anything like the teenagers they were supposed to be. I know this all sounds very nit-picky as on the whole it is a very well made film,the settings are good,the costumes are great and so is most of the acting.From a historical point of view its very interesting as it shows you how people lived back in the early 30's during the prohibition and depression years.But on the whole i don't feel its the classic i once thought it was.