Oldie mouldie DVDs

Creature from the Black Lagoon - A bit seminal this one, influencing everything from Alien (hide and seek with an otherworldly monster), Evil Dead (strange POVs) and Jaws (underwater mayhem)to starting a B-movie genre taken up by the likes of Anaconda and Lake Placid. A bit draggy but in its last moments, becoming, dare I say it?, exciting. And what's with the creature kidnapping the gorgeous lead anyway. Is it gonna make her eject her ovaries in the water then jacknifing its sperm over it? And what's with diving in the Amazon? Heard of piranhas?

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - On the whole more satisfying than the prequel. The addition of vaudeville actors injects some much-needed humour into the series. Still, I prefer the loquacious monster of the book, here, he's some sort of proto-Incredible Hulk. Elsa Lanchester's bird-like movements are no doubt a big influence on Jennifer Beal in the oft-forgotten remake with Sting.

West Side Story - Not much of an opinion on this, except that turning gang-fights into song and dance routines diminishes the edge somewhat. Some risque lyrics about heroin and grass probably got the moral right fuming. The songs are mostly good, though I like the non-romantic ones better. such as "America" and "Crazy Boys".

The Thief of Bagdad (1941) - Was still anticipating the 1925 version. But this is not too bad. Mostly ripped-off from Aladdin, there is a naivete and innocence about the whole thing, so much so that I doubt the current climate will allow such a movie to be made now. The songs are pretty crap, though, 40s pap with bits of Middle Eastern instruments.

Fury - Pretty much a document of its time, as mob lynchings are hardly topical these days. Not much of the Fritz Lang touch although the courtroom drama is gripping. Spencer Tracy also throws in a pretty decent performance as an anguished man wrongly accused and left for dead.