The Falcon movies are generally really entertaining rip-offs of other films - one is even a remake of a Chandler movie, others channel The Thin Man ...this one clearly owes much to Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), but is none the worse for that. Oddly, for a production company famous (or infamous) for their cheap standards , this film has some really excellent settings, including the atmospheric , almost gothic girls' school and the climactic scenes on the cliffs. George Sanders' brother,Tom Conway , is always convincing and charming as the debonair investigator (very much in The Saint mould , the first story published in 1928 and the first film in 1938) who every woman falls in love with. There are some very 1940s attitudes to young girls here - including a spanking - and some may find these inappropriate...but they are a reflection of a very patriarchal time. Even so, there are some strong women in the film and they come across very effectively. There are some great themes here: obsession, madness, guilt, greed and (of course) dark secrets, and the Falcon wraps up the mystery very nicely. The film is great fun and thoroughly recommended - and seriously overlooked.
Reviews
43 Reviews
Planet of the Vampires
(1965)
Surprising and original
13 May 2024
This is a clever film with a real sense of isolation and weirdness. The planet is atmospheric and threatening and the aliens - a sort of cross between vampire and zombie - are quite disturbing. However, it's the design work and the photography which impresses. Whatever Ridley Scott says, it's difficult to accept that was not a strong influence upon Alien: the themes are remarkably similar. The ship and the tech are very convincing and perhaps influenced Star Trek which began only a year later. I felt that Quatermass, The Thing from another World and Forbidden Planet may have influenced the writer and director. The acting and the dialogue are just about good enough and the two twists at the end are excellent. It's a shame that the budget was so small - with better special effects and more development, this could have been a classic. Recommended.
The Alligator People
(1959)
Surprisingly good
27 April 2024
I am surprised by the low score on IMDB. There are lots of very good qualities in this film. Firstly, the cinematography is excellent - the film looks like a much more expensive film than it is, with lots of effective darkness and sinister tones. The sets are also highly effective - we really feel as though we are in the bayou. The acting is also impressive - I really have no idea why Beverly Garland did not become a major star. Lon Chaney only has a minor role but performs with conviction, especially in the potential rape scene. I was surprised by the use of real alligators in many of the scenes - they really did convey a sense of jeopardy: it really is astonishing how close they get to the actors. The make up for Bruce Bennett when humanish is very well done, and the special effects used on the almost robotic laser are years ahead of their time. The only thing which let's the film down is the final transformation and the sudden ending which was so typical of 1950s sci-fi/horror movies. It remains as a superior B movie and a really original film: thoroughly recommended.
Bodies
(2023)
Wonderful sci-fi/Crime/Romance hybrid
26 April 2024
Wow. My wife and I have just watched the whole series in 2 nights. Everything about this series oozes class. The storyline, from a best selling graphic novel, is brilliant: complex, gripping and unexpected. The acting is superb and the four timezones (1891, 1941, 2023 & 2053) are brilliantly realised. The events are unpredictable and often shocking and sometimes upsetting - very powerful and believable. I can't believe that some people wanted a sequel: this is a complete story with a totally satisfying ending...just like the graphic novel. I can't recommend this enough: watch it. I know we'll watch it again next year.
Royal Eagle
(1936)
A lost film
25 March 2024
Arnold Ridley - a well-known playwright and Daisy Ridley's (Star Wars) great uncle, wrote his first original film scenario and screenplay entitled Royal Eagle.
Arnold had already spent some time prior to this at studios, learning film skills such as directing,riptwriting and other production jobs.
The film was a crime drama, partly set and filmed on the real life 'Royal Eagle' paddle steamer, which ferried passengers fromndon Tower Pier to Southend, Ramsgate and Margate. Most of the action takes place on board the steamer and these location scenes were the first to be filmed, commencing the 16th September 1935. 'The Royal Eagle' was chartered, to enable scenes to be shot during a voyage. Studio scenes, including some on mock-ups of sections of the ship, were then filmed at British International Pictures, Borehamwood.
The plot involved a clerk (played by John Garrick), wrongly suspected of committing a murder and warehouse robbery.
The real crooks (Edmund Willard and Lawrence Anderson) escape to sea, but are surrounded by a police cordon.
The film garnered good reviews and did well at the UK cinema, apparently. Ridley went on to write more plays but his second film screenplay was mired in financial problems and filming was never completed.
Arnold later became the completely unforgettable Private Godfrey, in Dad's Army.
No footage of Royal Eagle has ever been found.
Arnold had already spent some time prior to this at studios, learning film skills such as directing,riptwriting and other production jobs.
The film was a crime drama, partly set and filmed on the real life 'Royal Eagle' paddle steamer, which ferried passengers fromndon Tower Pier to Southend, Ramsgate and Margate. Most of the action takes place on board the steamer and these location scenes were the first to be filmed, commencing the 16th September 1935. 'The Royal Eagle' was chartered, to enable scenes to be shot during a voyage. Studio scenes, including some on mock-ups of sections of the ship, were then filmed at British International Pictures, Borehamwood.
The plot involved a clerk (played by John Garrick), wrongly suspected of committing a murder and warehouse robbery.
The real crooks (Edmund Willard and Lawrence Anderson) escape to sea, but are surrounded by a police cordon.
The film garnered good reviews and did well at the UK cinema, apparently. Ridley went on to write more plays but his second film screenplay was mired in financial problems and filming was never completed.
Arnold later became the completely unforgettable Private Godfrey, in Dad's Army.
No footage of Royal Eagle has ever been found.
Mrs. Davis
(2023)
Profound....probably.
10 January 2024
Weird, absurd, silly, rambling, incoherent, obfuscating, unpredictable.....
And yet also... witty, wise, hilarious, shocking, unique, moving, wonderful...
Mrs Davis is amazingly well acted. Gilpin should have got an Emmy for her truly brilliant performance but the supporting cast were excellent, too. The series is sci-fi comedy but clearly wants to say something about social media, about AI and our freedom to think for ourselves. It had something profound to say about faith, love and our relationships with others - especially our parents. I'm not religious and I don't think the truths in this stunningly well-written series are simply about religious faith - it's more about a philosophy to live by. The last fantastic episode makes this very clear in a truly uplifting and thought provoking way. One episode was a little too rambling for me, but overall this was a great, and truly innovative show. Recommended.
Murder Is Easy
(2023)
An abomination....
5 January 2024
I could write a 3000 word review on what was wrong with this terrible version of a classic Christie novel. Let's start with the good things: the cast were generally excellent. David Johnson was convincing and the supporting cast of Penelope Wilton, Matthew Baynton, Doug Henshaw, Mark Bonner we're all very good indeed. The cast is why I gave 4 stars. The setting was very well chosen and right for the period and the novel. Now for the bad. The whole colonialist stripping of African culture was appallingly written: it didn't belong in the story and felt shoe-horned in, having absolutely no relevance to the plot. Even in the last 5 minutes, when Fitzwilliam has another 'vision ' of his dropped African totem, there was no reason for it to be there: the murderer's motive was entirely divorced from this terrible subplot. If you want to write a political drama about African, then don't steal Christie's work : write your own! And then there was the direction. Sub-GCSE Film Studies cut-aways to spiders on wall, birds flying, dead plants etc were entirely unrelated to the tone or genre of the story. Some actors were clearly directed to behave like stereotypes, with stilted and unbelievable mannerisms...although the clunking, unrealistic dialogue can't have helped them to get immersed in the role. Even the plot had unsubtle elements added, such as the Doctor's reading material. There were some factual errors too....the writer clearly didn't understand how cheque books work! All-in-all, a clunking, obvious and unexciting version of the story.
Last Christmas
(2019)
Wonderful Christmas film, destined to be a classic
10 November 2023
I share many reviewers' astonishment that the IMDB score is so low. What do people want from a Christmas film? This is beautiful film with a great message and a really uplifting ending. Above all, the acting is superb. Two Oscar winners (Emma Thompson and Michelle Yeoh) are brilliantly cast and Emilia Clarke makes the troubled central character real and hugely engaging. Henry Golding (who would make a great James Bond) is utterly charming in the romantic lead. However, it's the witty, clever script which makes the film - these are not going, shallow lines like most Christmas films - they are funny, clever and sometimes profound. I found myself laughing out loud...but perhaps some folks don't listen to fast-paced lines carefully enough! Some have criticised the glitzy London, but much of the film is concerned with the hidden, beautiful London - in line with the 'look up' theme. My wife any I believe this is destined to be a classic - after all, 'It's a Wonderful Life' bombed!. Watch, enjoy, and revel in the talent.
The Ship of Monsters
(1960)
A unique sci-fi film with singing!
4 November 2023
I couldn't help but like this film. It has a crazy plot about Venusians running out of men and sending two utterly gorgeous women to earth to capture some men. They already have some weird creatures on their ship, which presumably are also to mate with! They meet a singing cowboy, played with great charm by Eulalio Gonzalez, who has to teach them what love is. Cue monsters, a robot and a vampire ...and, of course, love. The effects are generally pretty awful but the ship is cool and there are some very nifty devices, including a computer which is a sort of Wikipedia, a zapper which freezes people, a ray gun (more like a fire gun) and a handy box carried on the hip which is a deadly weapon. Great fun, however ridiculous it is. The star is Gonzalez but Ana Bertha Lepe is extremely seductive...and the swimming costume pilot's uniform is a welcome addition to the plot!
Fiend Without a Face
(1958)
Ridiculous fun
10 September 2023
I remember watching this as a child and being freaked out by the brains (complete with spines!) creeping about and getting squished! As an adult, the ridiculous nature of the creatures is inescapable and the stop animation is clunking...but this all adds to the fun. The creation of the creatures is very reminiscent of the superb classic Forbidden Planet but lacks plausibility. Having said that, the actors do a great job of looking terrified when the house is under seige, and the scientists are suitably po-faced when uttering gobbledygook. It all builds up to an inevitable romantic conclusion, and the audience is happily entertained. Have a watch - I guarantee you'll remember it years later!
Tower of Evil
(1972)
Early exploitation slasher
10 September 2023
Quite clearly a precursor to films like Friday the 13th, this is quite a tense and exciting movie. It has all the necessary conventions - boobs, gore, slashing, isolation, madness and sex. The jump moments are well done and some aspects of the grotesque bodies are well done, with some suitably yuck aspects. The direction is taut and the acting is generally very good. I particularly enjoyed the dual narrative - as with many of these films, the gory history is a prerequisite. The ending is a little predictable, but at least there was an added twist in the last 5 minutes. Enjoyable and recommended!
Curse of the Fly
(1965)
Underrated minor classic
9 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is a film that has been unfairly castigated simply because viewers expected it to be like The Fly, and it has no resemblance to its apparent antecedents. Instead, it is well-acted Sci-fi/Gothic hybrid. If you compare it to Hammer films of the period, it is vastly superior, with some intelligent and quite provocative ideas about human experimentation. It's also fascinating from a 21st Century perspective : husband experiments on wife and then dumps her when he makes her ugly! To me, the parallel between this and the female protagonist who has escaped from an asylum is clever ... after all, husbands had their wives committed to asylums when they didn't want them any more for over a 150 years.
The ending needed development and the make-up is poor. A solid 6.5 which could easily have been 8.0 with a little bit more time and money.
The ending needed development and the make-up is poor. A solid 6.5 which could easily have been 8.0 with a little bit more time and money.
Wolf
(2023)
"Sub-Agatha Christie turd " says The Sunday Times - yes!
7 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Every trope, every cliche, every predictable idea is gathered together to create the mess that is 'Wolf'. What makes it unforgivable is the waste of a superb cast who have to try and make this smorgasbord of events somehow believable. Unfortunately no-one with any sense can suspend disbelief over this load of tosh. Even the ending is tragically bad - the villain dying in a totally undramatic fashion, falling out of the window. The last few seconds introduce an 'or did they?' notion, like some kind of child's conclusion to a particularly bad story. Such a waste: the lead detective is excellent, the pair of villains are truly villainous and Juliet Stevenson is superb. At first I though this might develop into a superior Grand Guignol story...but no, it just descended into utter farce.
The Black Bird
(1975)
So much potential wasted..
21 July 2023
This could have been great. The original script was for a serious Spade sequel and the central conceit of the plot is excellent. The cast are superb and George Segal is perfect as the world weary, cynical and laconic Sam Spade. Some of the humour works in a sort of Pink Panther way...the runaway car long gag is genuinely hilarious but this could so easily have been a great move a la The Long Goodbye. The support cast, especially Lionel Stander , are really talented and would have been perfect for the serious incarnation. Such a shame, but I did enjoy this snapshot of the 70s, and San Francisco as it once was. Worth a watch, definitely.
Much better than most: 7.5
6 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I am a fan of American 1950s sci-fi and I know that most of these films have the simple premise that humans are good and aliens bad. This is often seen as a reflection of the anti-communist witch hunts following McCarthyism. This film has a slightly more subtle subtext, where the central alien (very well played by Ty Hardin) starts to develop human feelings, including the capacity for love - this lift the film into a different league to many sci-fi films of the period and makes the ending much more satisfying. Other than that, the wife's struggle to be acknowledged is also very gripping and seems to be a message echoing Second Wave feminism. All in all, this is a thoroughly entertaining, well-made and thoughtful film. Recommended.
Curse of the Demon
(1957)
An absolute classic
6 February 2023
7.4....7.4??!! Are you joking? This is one of the greatest horror films ever made. Superbly tense and with a wonderful central premise, taken from M. R. James' story 'Casting the Runes.' Having read the story, the film is great improvement. Tourneur creates a fantastic atmosphere of darkness and magic which pervades the whole film. Niall MacGinnis is stunning as the central wizard and a truly terrifying civilised psychopath. The chase which ends the film is thrilling and the device which brings about the great ending is a real treat. And for those idiots who criticise the demon...this is 1957, for goodness sake! The long shot of the creature, as it pursues the train, is a vision which will stick in my memory until I die. A truly wonderful, original film.
The Silent Partner
(1978)
Forgotten masterpiece
2 December 2022
I had never seen this before and knew almost nothing about it. Having just watched it, I think it is one of the very best films of the 70s. It's a tricksy, clever plot which starts as a bank robbery and turns into something else entirely. The star is brilliant (stick with it - his character comes alive about half way through) and Christopher Plummer is a superb villain. The film has several moments of violence which are shocking...and one which is absolutely gut-wrenching; truly ground breaking for 1979. Add to this a romantic subplot and a fabulous ending and you have a truly classic film which belongs in anyone's top 100 films. Brilliant.
Filled out and slow
22 August 2022
Worst episode in the series
17 August 2022
The Ipcress File
(2022)
Stop comparing....
21 July 2022
I loved Caine in the film but it's wrong to compare the series, which is equally brilliant in its own way. It's actually much more like a Bond movie, as the last few seconds of the last episode references with its John Barry-like riff. The two stars are excellent and the supporting cast are superb - especially Alice! I would love to an equally glamorous second series.
Under-rated gem
30 May 2022
I can't understand the gripes about this episode. TXF has ways had humorous episodes e.g. The Modern Preometheus or The Ghosts who stole Christmas. This is a lovely, musical episode , graced by the presence of Burt Reynolds. Watch it again and count the reoccurrence of the number 3 as you do so...it's addictive!
Sooooo bad.
27 April 2022
Brenda Fricker ...OMG!
22 April 2022
The series is solid - clever, subtle and charming. This episode, however, is exceptional. Brenda Fricker's monologue is a masterclass - literally Oscar worthy: powerful, moving and compelling. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Oh dear...
2 April 2022
King Solomon's Mines
(2004)
Good fun
21 February 2022
Surprisingly high production standards and some good acting lift this Hallmark film. I gave it an extra star for the superb music - as good as many much bigger budget films, with some great African themes and lovely romantic stuff too.
Worth the time!
Worth the time!
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