KING SOLOMON'S MINES 1986 Animated Version

An animated version of H. Rider Haggard's famous novel from 1886 about African adventurer Allan Quatermain. They say the great Hebrew ruler, King Solomon, fell in love with the Queen of Sheba when she traveled across countries to visit him. Alas, she had to return to her own kingdom so it was a love that could not exist. So in her honor, he has hidden a treasure - a treasure that was far beyond anybody's wildest dreams - somewhere in the mines he used to own in Africa. Quatermain's brother went missing after he tried to find this lost legendary treasure. He was last seen somewhere beyond the great desert of a then unexplored mysterious Africa. Quatermain and his friends meet in England and decide to go on a quest to find his missing brother. On the way they will meet a strange man that may help them out, a lost tribe and a very wicked witch who desires the treasure for herself - at any cost.

At around 55 minutes long this piece of animation remains the most faithful adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's original work.

DEVIL'S DIARY 2007 Horror Television Film

Two teenage friends Dominique and Ursula, enter a graveyard and when lightning strikes a tombstone they discover a mysterious book lying on the grave. The book has a message inside, granting power to those who write into it wishes in exchange for the person's soul. Ursula keeps it, believing fate led her to find it, and decides to take revenge on those that have bullied and made her life hell at school. Have seen similar storylines in a few other films which in itself is no bad thing. Do not take this film too seriously and you will find yourself having a good time.

MINDER 1979 British Comedy-Drama Series Season 1 - Episode 1 Gunfight at the OK Laundrette.

The earliest episodes focus on Terry McCann (Dennis Waterman), a former professional boxer who has served time in jail and is determined not to return there. He finds himself in the employ of Arthur Daley (George Cole), a middle-aged car salesman and self-described entrepreneur working on the edge of (and often beyond) the law in pursuit of a quick profit. Terry works for Arthur as an assistant/bodyguard (known as a 'minder'), and is often loaned out by Arthur to work for others in a similar capacity.

Terry is caught up in an armed robbery at a laundrette owned by gangster-turned-successful businessman Alfie Cavallo. The robbery goes wrong, and all present are held at gunpoint. Alfie is shot and wounded. As police try to talk them into releasing the hostages, Terry tries to persuade the gunman to give himself up while he has a chance. Meanwhile, Arthur is trying to generate publicity for Terry's actions. (The episode title spoofs the 1957 film Gunfight at the OK Corral.)

THE LONE RANGER AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD 1958 American Western Film

The second of two theatrical features specifically based on and continuing the TV show The Lone Ranger (1949) it stars Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, reprising their roles from the TV series. The first feature film was 1956's The Lone Ranger. Three Indians were brutally murdered by a gang of hooded outlaws. Each one possessed a silver medallion, which were sections cut off from a large silver plaque which served as a treasure map to a secret location where a large amount of gold is reputedly stashed. Two more medallions are unaccounted for, and The Lone Ranger and his friend Tonto must use all their resources to intercept the gang, prevent further carnage and save the owners of the medallions.

Just a few notes, this film looked very fresh for 1958. The horses so well trained and Jay Silverheels performance as Tonto was impressive. That just leaves one last thing to say Hi-ho, Silver! Away!

THE HAUNTED CASTLE 1896 B/W French short silent film 3 mins.

A short film with many names Le Manoir du diable or The House of the Devil, released in the United States as The Haunted Castle and in Britain as The Devil's Castle. Directed by Georges Méliès. The film, which depicts a brief pantomimed sketch in the style of a theatrical comic fantasy, tells the story of an encounter with the Devil and various attendant phantoms. It is intended to evoke amusement and wonder from its audiences, rather than fear. However, because of its themes and characters, the film has been considered to technically be the first horror film. Such a classification can also be attributed to the film's depiction of a human transforming into a bat. The film is also innovative in length; its running time of over three minutes was ambitious for its era. The film was presumed lost until 1988, when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive.

Director Georges Méliès (above). Considering the time frame this short film was made in and for 3 mins in length the action is non stop. I have also read up a bit about the directors life story a man ahead of his time. Hats off too Georges Méliès.

LAUREL & HARDY - UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE 1929 B/W Comedy Film

This is the first sound film comedy starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, released on May 4, 1929. The title, Unaccustomed As We Are..., was a spoofing reference to the fact that its two stars had never before spoken in their films. In case the Talkies did not prove popular, and in order to be released in theatres which had not yet been converted for sound, Hal Roach hedged his bets by releasing it in both the new All-Talking format and in Silent format. As with the Laurel and Hardy silent films, visual gags remained the heart and soul of the picture: the characters were certainly talking, but the comedy was not yet in the dialogue, the film still relied entirely on sight-gags for its laughs.

Ollie brings Stan home for dinner and promises a big juicy steak, mushroom sauce, strawberries, whipped cream, a cup of coffee and a big black cigar. Despite the offer of such a delicious temptation, Stan still feels the need to ask if the meal includes any nuts. These two are pure comedy genius from their appearance to their online delivery of the gags really a pleasure to watch and it did make me laugh. Found it hard to believe the date of this their first talkie as they already had a substantial catalogue of silent films before this dating back to 1921.

ONE EIGHT SEVEN 1997 American Crime Thriller

This was the first top-billed starring role for Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a Los Angeles teacher caught up with gang trouble in an urban high school. The film's name comes from the California Penal Code Section 187, which defines murder. The original screenplay was written in 1995 by Scott Yagemann, a Los Angeles area high school substitute teacher for seven years. He wrote the screenplay after an incident when a violent transfer student had threatened to kill him and his family. Yagemann reported the threat to the authorities and the student was arrested. About a week later, he was called by the district attorney to testify against the student in a court of law, where the student was being prosecuted for stabbing a teacher's aide a year before. This annoyed Yagemann, who had not been told about it beforehand, and led to him writing the screenplay. He claimed that 90% of the film's material is based on incidents that had happened to him and other teachers in real life.

Trevor Garfield (Samuel L Jackson) is a high school science teacher at Roosevelt Whitney High School, a high school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Dennis Broadway, a gangster student to whom he had given a failing grade threatens to murder him, writing the number 187 on every page in a textbook. Garfield knows that this is a warning and tries to report his concerns to the administration with little affect. Definitely the highlight of my viewing this week. You can tell that Samuel L. Jackson has that something about him and commands his role perfectly. The closing narration of the film cites a 1994 MetLife-Louis Harris Survey stating one in nine teachers has been attacked in school and 95 percent of those attacks were committed by students. The film's soundtrack was released under the title Music from the Motion Picture 187 on July 29, 1997 and the music also blends well with the film.