I seem to remember this being something of an Xmas TV staple when I was younger. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang originated as a children’s book by James Bond author Ian Fleming. I once had an illustrated copy when I was a kid. Its a fantasy tale of an inventor who restores a broken down old…
Creature From The Black Lagoon
The Creature From The Black Lagoon was the last major Universal monster. Released in 1954, the movie was shot and originally released in 3D. It spawned two direct sequels and the Creature (aka ‘The Gill Man’) has become a beloved horror icon. He was played for the underwater sequences by champion swimmer Ricou Browning. The…
Mutiny On The Bounty
There have been at least 3 movie versions of Mutiny On The Bounty. The 1962 version is arguably the most famous, and stars Marlon Brando as leader of the mutiny against captain Trevor Howard. The film is (very) loosely based on a real life muting of 1789. It was shot on location in Tahiti, and…
The Birds
Hitchcock himself coined the advertising slogan for this late career classic: “The Birds is coming!” He also (allegedly) took pleasure in torturing leading lady Tippi Hedren by arranging for live birds to be thrown at her face after she had rejected his sexual advances. So it may be that some of her apparent terror at…
Goliath And The Vampires
This is not a movie I’ve seen – but what a title! Goliath And The Vampires is a 1961 Italian peplum starring American actor and one-time Tarzan Gordon Scott. The character was called Maciste in the original Italian version but was changed for US audiences. I know nothing much about this movie, and this…
A Nightmare On Elm Street
I saw A Nightmare On Elm Street at the cinema when it first came out and I thought it was a pile of crap. Not only wasn’t it scary IMHO, but the dream format was basically an irritating excuse for a load of silly things to happen without having to even pay lip service to…
Roman Holiday
If you’ve ever dreamed of zipping around Rome on a Vespa (hello, Emily In Paris), you are probably consciously following in the tracks of Audrey Heburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. That’s probably the most famous scene in this classic 1953 love story, as a spoiled princess escapes to explore the city incognito with…
Get Carter
Get Carter is one of the most iconic of all British crime movies, and one of Michael Caine’s most famous roles. Its unremittingly gritty, as London gangster Carter travels North to right various wrongs and encounters a range of shady characters from his past, few of whom end up alive at the end of the…
The Manchurian Candidate
The 1962 original version of The Manchurian Candidate is one of my all-time favourite movies. (The less said about the 2004 remake the better). Star Frank Sinatra has never been better and Laurence Harvey is incredible as his poor doomed military colleague, brainwashed to be a political assassin. The movie has many great scenes, none…
New York New York
I was hugely disappointed when I finally saw Martin Scorcese’s New York New York on DVD last year. Scorcese’ reputation proceeds him, and a combination of Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli, plus the show-stopping title track had to be a winner, right? Turns out its all a hot mess, with many lengthy (and seemingly…