The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
Directed by Robert Wiene

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young man tells the story of his encounters with the mysterious Dr. Caligari and the somnambulist he exhibited at a local fair, and how a series of murders took place after their debut.

A landmark film in German cinema, Wiene's production is best known for its painted backgrounds and unorthodox sets, featuring weird angles and curves and skewed shapes, creating a strange world for the characters to inhabit.  The true meaning of all of this becomes clear at the film's ending, but Wiene and crew establish a unique mood through their art direction and Willy Hameister's photography on the way there.  Krauss, as Caligari, and Veidt, as the somnambulist Cesare, are the standout performers, with visual personas that have become iconic- Krauss with his ridged glasses and stovepipe top hat, and Veidt, clad all in black, with heavy-lidded eyes.  It's a credit to all involved that the actors become believable inhabitants, visually and narratively, fitting in naturally with the sets and backgrounds.  This is one of silent cinema's treasures, worth revisiting often.

The Sphinx (1933)

Starring Lionel Atwill, Sheila Terry, Theodore Newton, Paul Hurst, Luis Alberni
Directed by Phil Rosen

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A reporter tries to find a way to prove a philanthropist's guilt in a series of murders, but the man is proven to be a deaf mute, contradicting the fact that he spoke to a witness after the killing.

A rather clever plot distinguishes this effort from poverty row studio Monogram, aided by a fine performance by Lionel Atwill as the suspected murderer.  Most of the film focuses on Newton and Terry, playing newspaper reporters, with Newton, while attempting to woo Terry, pushing to prove Atwill guilty, while Terry, refusing Newton's advances, wants to stand up for Atwill and interview him for a series of articles.  Also in the mix are a gruff police inspector and his boastful assistant, as well as the janitor witness in Atwill's trial, played as a somewhat over-the-top Italian by Luis Alberni, who has some funny lines.  Rosen does a fine job directing, sustaining the mystery for most of the picture, and it's a memorable showcase for Atwill.

The Year Of The Sex Olympics (1968)

Starring Leonard Rossiter, Suzanne Neve, Tony Vogel, Brian Cox, Vickery Turner
Directed by Michael Elliott

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a future where a controlled society has led to sex becoming a sport covered by television, a program director becomes obsessed with discovering the thoughts and feelings that existed in the past.

Acclaimed screenwriter Nigel Kneale, known for the Quatermass productions and other British teleplays, wrote this television movie with parallels to Brave New World, concerning a future society where imagination and personal achievement has been curtailed, and a television network airing sex programming is what remains to entertain the masses.  Drinking a beverage called "lightener" to keep their moods under control, the men and women behind the programming have forgotten or never learned many of the thoughts and words integral to the society's past existence.  That changes when program director Nat Pender (Vogel) meets the boyfriend of his ex-partner, who has been creating horrific pictures, a media that no longer exists, and spurs Pender's desire to learn about the past.  Vogel gives a distinctive performance as our protagonist, using a wide-eyed stare whenever his obsession overtakes him, and his supporting cast are fine as well.  Eventually Pender and his old flame Deanie (Neve) commit to a new kind of TV program, and as my friend Troy Howarth mentioned to me, it's rather prescient on Kneale's part in anticipating our current reality TV cycle, although the stakes are much greater and ultimately more tragic. In truth, the sexual content of the story serves as a hook to pull the audience in, but it's not what the tale is about at its heart.  That makes the production all the more worthwhile.

Captain Video: Master Of The Stratosphere (1951)

Starring Judd Holdren, Larry Stewart, George Eldredge, Gene Roth, Don Harvey
Directed by Spencer Bennet & Wallace A. Grissell
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Captain Video and his partner the Video Ranger use their wide array of scientific inventions to battle the schemes of Vultura, alien dictator, and his agent on Earth, the scientist Dr. Tobor.

Based on a popular television series aimed at children, this movie serial is fun and entertaining, with car chases, fist fights, spaceships, and explosions a plenty.  Put out by Columbia Pictures, the special effects are consistent with their other serials of that era, produced by Sam Katzman, meaning most of the spacecraft are animated, and some of that footage is lifted from past productions.  Holdren doesn't project much of a personality as the ultra-serious Captain Video, but Gene Roth is appropriately villainous as Vultura, and George Eldredge gives a good performance as the criminal scientist Dr. Tobor, trying to hide behind a respectable reputation.  Although it seems there is no danger or death trap that Captain Video can't escape with the aid of a device he happens to have, or that assistant Gallagher at his control center can produce, there's some clever cliffhangers in the serial.  It's not one of the great serials, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

The Beast With Five Fingers (1946)

Starring Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish
Directed by Robert Florey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a great pianist dies in an accident, his hand disappears from his coffin, and its trail leads to a murdered man, causing a small Italian village to suspect it's returned to life for revenge.

This dark tale was scripted by Universal horror veteran Curt Siodmak and directed by Robert Florey, who helmed Bela Lugosi's Murders In The Rue Morgue, the two bringing an impressive horror pedigree to the picture.  The special effects rendering the hand as it moves on its own are excellent, and there's fine performances from the entire cast.  Peter Lorre is especially captured well by the cinematography of Wesley Anderson, with many eerie closeups of his eyes and face as the actor speaks to us through his expressions as well as his voice.  An integral part of the film is the musical piece Francen's pianist and later his hand on its own performs, Chaconne in D minor BMW 1004 (per IMDB), which composer Max Steiner builds an excellent musical score around, incorporating its themes for dramatic effect throughout the story.  Overall it's an excellent and entertaining film in my view, and despite the period and provincial setting, it holds up well as a horror film today.

Lost Continent (1951)

Starring Cesar Romero, Hillary Brooke, Chick Chandler, John Hoyt, Acquanetta, Sid Melton
Directed by Samuel Newfield
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A search for a runaway rocket brings a team of military and scientists to a volcanic island where they discover a prehistoric world atop a tall mountain.

I'm very fond of this film, with a fine cast playing different character types including Romero as the no-nonsense major leading the party, Chandler as his cynical cohort, Hoyt as a cold-seeming Russian scientist, Sid Melton as the comic relief sergeant who talks to his plane and his parachute, and Hugh Beaumont and Whit Bissell as the other scientists.  The picture involves a long scale of the mountain and trek through the jungle in which their personalities and backstories are brought to light in an unobtrusive fashion, a credit to the script and the actors.  The film also showcases some stop-motion sequences in its second half which are well-done and look impressive.  Directed by Sam Newfield, who was working for Lippert, after many prolific years at the poverty row studio PRC, I believe this was his only science fiction film.

Night Tide (1961)

Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders, Marjorie Eaton
Directed by Curtis Harrington
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A sailor visiting a coastal town falls for a beautiful mermaid performer on the amusement pier, and they begin a relationship, but he's soon warned that she may be a danger to his life.

A terrific film written and directed by Curtis Harrington, the picture has an atmosphere and style all its own, well-photographed by Vilis Lapenieks, and featuring an eclectic almost experimental musical score from David Raksin.  There's a trio of good performances at the movie's center, with Hopper as the friendly and decent sailor, Lawson as the beautiful and enigmatic Mora, and Muir as her friendly but mysterious guardian with secrets to tell.  There's also some fine character turns from Anders and Eaton, supporting the absorbing story Harrington has built up.  I really enjoyed the environment of the amusement pier, which Harrington and Lapenieks take us through and make a fully realized setting instead of just a backdrop for the actors.  All this makes for a very well-assembled picture and a certainly entertaining one.

Castle Sinister (1948)

Starring Mara Russell-Tavernan, Robert Essex, Karl Meir, James Liggat, John Gauntley
Directed by Oscar Burn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A War Office agent is sent to investigate strange disappearances at a Scottish castle where a cloaked villain has been sighted.

A passable wartime programmer, the picture doesn't take full advantage of showcasing its creepy skull-faced phantom, but benefits from an atmosphere music score, and sustaining the mystery of its villain's identity for most of the film.  A bit too much time is spent at the start of the picture with an interview with a local tavern owner, establishing the plot and the characters in flashback sequences, but things pick up speed and the intrigue develops a bit better once we move on from that.  I wasn't familiar with any actors in the cast, but thought they gave capable performances, working from a script adapted from a play by Vance Youden.  The photography by Jeff Davies features a few too darkly lit nighttime scenes, but otherwise is utilized well enough to remove any staginess from the play.  So all in all, I think this was acceptably done for what it was, but could have used more quality touches.