D. Sheridan

Riveting Stuff, 4 Feb 2011

Amongst the wealth of good films released in 2010, this was arguably the one with the toughest assignment - how to make a film about an unlikeable, standoffish IT whizz confined to a messy legal battle interesting, engaging and captivating? Perhaps in anticipation of such a challenge, director David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven) enlisted the help of Aaron Sorkin - arguably the best screenwriter on the planet and the literary brains behind The West Wing and the hugely underrated Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The result is a gripping combination of quick-fire, quick-witted dialogue combined with some stand out performances - especially from lead actor Jesse Eisenberg. It's suggested in some… Read more

What do they take us for?, 17 Mar 2010

I really, genuinely hope that someone has pointed the decision-making executive suits at Warner/Entertainment in Video in the direction of this page and these reviews. Anyone who shares the slightest affection for this trilogy will know that the cinematic releases effectively became defunct once the special editions hit the shelves, and this box-set is nothing more than a profit-orientated release shoved out with little or no regard for its audience. It also displays an embarrassing lack of research and understanding on Warner's part when it comes to the current, Blu-ray buying public. Really, what do they take us for?

A sort of homecoming, 5 July 2006

Autobiographies from so-called celebrities have flooded the market with nauseous monotony of late, but welcome relief comes in the shape of this stirring account of Elaine Whitesides childhood in 1950s, post-war Cullercoats on the North East coast. Whitesides, a retired teacher, writes in a way that never over-sentiments her upbringing and is, at times, uneasily honest, but it is done in a way that lends The Bairn authenticity at every turn. The author has pulled the books entirety from memory, and the further in you go, the more you can sense her enthusiasm and momentum gathering as those memories come flooding back. The scene setting and detail is specific without ever being monotone… Read more