Casino Royale is fantastic. I'm inclined to leave it at that until you've seen it, although it was good enough to inspire a full review too. The November release date is perfect as it is far cry from the vacuous summer blockbusters we have been treated to in recent years. In some ways it harks back to the days of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but the new grounded, gritty style is all new and very welcome. The only downside is that you may have noticed the lack of a high profile theme tune being released alongside the film. That's because it's rubbish. Aside from that, this is finally nigh perfect action film-making for the 21st century. What the future holds for Bond has me grinning in anticipation.

We all knew the government's proposed ID cards would inevitably end up a ruse for visibly heightened security with no actual substance. As it turns out these "secure" cards are even more hopeless than we feared asThe Guardian announce they have already been cracked. An expert reveals that, in remarkable display of ignorance, arrogance or stupidity (and quite probably all three) the encryption keys are based upon information actually found within the passport.

Returning to film news the first footage of Venom is floating around from a leaked Spider-man trailer. It looks a little rough with many of the special effects unfinished but it closes with a completed sequence showing a figure on all fours transforming in Venom, growling and then lunging forward. I have reservations about the quality of the digital effects in the film with much of it seeming too fluid and lacking any solidity. However even from just a few seconds, Venom looks just as comicbook fans will have hoped. It is wise to limit how much we see of him before the film's release, and I assume the final trailer will include just the same few seconds. Look forward to seeing it in high definition around a month before the film's release next year.

Finally, I mentioned Ciao! recently, and in less than a week I've earned a few quid through the site, so if you haven't checked it out yet I do recommend signing up.