What to Watch Right Now

Hard-boiled reporter Mike Kent investigates the murder of a prominent scientist and stumbles upon a sinister plot to steal a fortune in jewels.

This film is reminiscent of "Passport to Pimlico", as it concerns the battle between a local population against the powers that be. The RAF intends to commandeer a small island in the Norfolk Broads to use as a firing range. The locals are up in arms about this and stage protests. Then someone discovers an ancient act whereby Henry VIII had given the land to the church in gratitude for the town helping to quell a long forgotten rebellion (shades of the Duke of Burgundy plotline in "Pimlico"). Vampire jets based at the local RAF base have been equipped with new rocket firing apparatus and the firing range is required to train the pilots using the new systems. Whilst the residents' Henry VIII claims are being investigated, the RAF decides to carry on with the exercise. The residents decide to take to the boats and 'occupy' the island in order to deter the exercise. The climax of the film is when they occupy the island, but accidentally damage the telephone link from an RAF spotter on the island to the control centre. As the residents invade, he attempts to warn the commander to abort the exercise, but of course, he can't make contact. Low cloud cover means that the approaching aircraft don't see the ground until the last seconds. The occupiers wave frantically and just as the order to fire is about to be made, the lead pilot spots the danger and aborts the exercise just as the rockets are about to be released. The RAF base used in the film looks quite a major one, but sadly it is not mentioned in the credits.

Park ranger Steve Mitchell is torn between Lee, a beautiful sly political aide from Melbourne who supports the government's decision to turn the local grazing areas into a national park, and his old flame Joanna, a rancher who opposes it.

"Le Dabe" retired many years ago and now he lives in the tropics where he owns stables and horses. He is a very rich man. He was the king of all money counterfeiters. He is contacted from Paris to organize a new job. He says no. But when he finds out the the currency to be counterfeited is the Dutch florin, he accepts immediately. He retired after having counterfeited 100 florin notes just before the Queen Wilhelmina retired them from circulation. He flies to Paris. But the gang is not to be trusted, at least not all of them.

In the winter of 1868, Eben Frost goes to a Boston pawnshop and redeems a silver medal, inscribed to "Dr. W.T.G. Morton, the Benefactor of Mankind, with the Gratitude of Humanity." Frost drives to a country farmhouse and gives the medal to Morton's widow, Elizabeth Morton who explains to her daughter, Betty, that Frost was the first person given anesthesia by her father, Boston dentist Dr. W.T.G. Morton. The story flashes back 20 years to find Morton being wildly acclaimed by medical students as the man whose discovery of "letheon" had forever ended pain as, before that day, even amputations were performed with the patient fully conscious. "Letheron", unknown to everybody but Morton and Elizabeth, is simply highly rectified sulfuric ether - cleaning fluid - easily obtainable at a pharmacy. By keeping the secret, Dr. Morton could be rich, but he had rather be poor than see a girl strapped to an operating table under the knife of Dr. Warren, and he reveals his secret to a group of surgeons in the hospital operating theatre. With his secret out, and all hope of personal reward gone, with the possible exception of proceeds from his glass inhaler, he gets the news that Congress has voted him a reward of $100,000, and also learns that the patent on his inhaler has been infringed. President Pierce, under pressure from newspapers inflamed by jealous medical rivals of Morton, refuses to sign the bill until Morton has proven patient infringement.

An idealistic Dutch colonial officer posted to Indonesia in the nineteenth century is convinced that he can make the kinds of changes that will actually help the local people of whom he is in charge, but circumstances soon make him realize just how out of touch he really is, and it doesn't take long for things to go from bad to worse.

In Paul Mazursky's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story, young Larry Lapinsky leaves Brooklyn to seek out an acting career in Manhattan. From the clinging arms of a hysterical mother (Shelley Winters) he escapes to the bohemian, sexually liberated world of Greenwich Village in 1953.

A husband who has just cheated on his wife returns home in the early morning, in a daze. Another man is there, and the dazed man confesses his infidelity to this stranger--who turns out to be his wife's lover.

Mary is the single mother of a disabled child. She makes their living as an undercover cop, catching johns, muggers, and rapists.

Three social-media victims declare war on the tech giants.

A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn't have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.

Having moved to the city for work, a stressed-out young professional begins to fear that a jealous colleague is framing her as incompetent - but the truth is even more terrifying.

An unusual but affectionate story of a man's longing for his ideal of peace and serenity. A postman and part-time poet is inspired by the Greek legend of the two elderly guards at Jupiter's temple who are transformed into beautiful trees. His wife has him committed when he stands in his backyard awaiting the same metamorphosis to take place. With the help of a friendly librarian, he escapes in a milk truck during a violent storm.

A widow goes to her high school reunion and begins a relationship with an old boyfriend, now a successful doctor who has a much younger girlfriend.

The daughter of a Russian general arrives at Fort Ross American outpost with a slightly credible motive, hiding her true reasons which have to do with treason and blackmail. Yet she can not but fall in love with Captain Lawrence, right hand to the governor and an apparently incorruptible man.

Old Bill has grumbled his way through the First World War. Now it is the Second and, jealous of his son, Young Bill, he decides to enlist. He successfully enters the Pioneer Corps which is based near his son. Then one night Young Bill goes missing during a raid. Will it be up to Old Bill to save his son?

The Wiggs family plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in their rundown shack with leftover stew, without Mr. Wiggs, who hasn't been heard from since he wandered off long ago. Do-gooder Miss Lucy brings them a real feast. Her boyfriend Bob arranges to take Wiggs' sick boy to a hospital. Their other boy makes some money peddling kindling and takes the family to a show. Mrs. Wiggs is called to the hospital just in time to see her boy die. Her neighbor Miss Hazy wants to marry Mr. Stubbins, who insists on tasting her cooking. Mrs. Wiggs sneaks her dishes past Stubbins, who agrees to marriage. Mr. Wiggs appears suddenly, in tatters, with just the amount of money ($20) needed to save the family from foreclosure. Miss Lucy and Bob get married.

The awkward urban private eye, Benny Cooperman, confronts a murder mystery in the wilds of Algonquin Park. He stumbles into some interesting characters, including a famous evangelist on the lam, his put-upon mistress, a weird sexy woman, and a complex charming old lady. Naturally, Benny suffers some misadventures trying to navigate the bush country, much less solve the case.

A mad scientist injects his victims with a formula that turns them into crazed killers.

To land a rich husband, golddigger Marjory Stuart goes to Trinidad posing as a debutante. Beach boy Pete promptly unmasks her, but offers to help her catch his enemy, yachtsman Alfred Monroe. Marjory's pal Bubbles turns out to be the old flame of Pete's pal Wally. All the well-planned efforts to land Monroe end in slapstick; then Wally's voodoo priestess landlady gives him a love potion that works...