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Queen Of Spades Review

By Rich Cline

Excellent

Based on a short story by Pushkin, this drama has echoes of Wilde and Dickens in its tale of supernatural temptation in 19th century St Petersburg. It's also been given a lush digital restoration to show off the stunning direction and cinematography.

Herman (Walbrook) is a German captain in the Russian army who is frustrated when he loses his entire year's salary in a card game. So when he hears the legend that an ageing local countess (Evans) traded her soul for the secret for winning at cards, he plots to learn the trick. To get into her house, he woos her ward Liza (Mitchell), who is also the object of affection for another officer (Howard). And when Herman confronts the countess, her reaction is seriously haunting, in every sense of the word.

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Dr. No Review

By Christopher Null

Excellent

Bond #1 laid the groundwork for one of cinema's most enduring franchises, with 007 (Sean Connery) and his mean streak, sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of another double-O agent. Here he hooks up with CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and a gaggle of sexy ladies who either need dispatching or romancing. Naturally there's a super villain with an impossibly expensive lair to be infiltrated (the first of at least a dozen of these that he'll do time in) and a take-over-the-world plot to be foiled. Unfortunately the plot is not one of Bond's absolutely most memorable (the title sequence is particularly tragic), though it has all the elements we've come to expect. Entry #2, From Russia with Love, would refine the formula a bit, leading up to the series' most memorable entry of all, Goldfinger. Still, essential viewing for any Bond fanatic.

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Dr. No Review

By Christopher Null

Excellent

Bond #1

Bond #1.

The Curse Of The Werewolf Review

By Christopher Null

Weak

You know your monster movie's in trouble when the villain isn't even born until the 30 minute mark. This minor horror flick is notable for Oliver Reed's appearance as the title creature, but the adaptation of The Werewolf of Paris (which moves the action to Spain) never amounts to much, because little ever happens in the story. Our antihero starts hunting goats during full moons when he's just a kid. Later he moves on to the residents of his village. Naturally this leads to a lynch mob, but even that doesn't raise the temperature more than a few degrees.

Continue reading: The Curse Of The Werewolf Review