Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode is a rare individual. It is impossible to predict his film reviews: a work comes out that has all the hallmarks of being anathema to him, and he'll praise it; another will have garnered praise from all quarters and MK will deflate it. Were this to be sheer perversion, it would soon become tedious but, he manages to argue his case eruditely and, even if one disagrees, his words cause healthy reflection.

It is, therefore, interesting to see the manner in which the mind behind show more these pronouncements works. Kermode, it transpires, is a small 'c' conservative. He rues the passing of projectionists, argues for the silent black and white films original purity of genre and claims the Exorcist to be the greatest film ever made.

I'm not sure that I agree with any of that but, it was interesting to take the trip and Mr Kermode puts his case well. He also writes well: it is rare for a book to cause me to laugh out loud, but his description of sneaking into adult films (no, NOT that sort of adult film!) as a youth are genuinely laugh out loud funny.

If one has any interest in modern film, Mark Kermode is a figure that cannot, and should not be ignored. Thank you, sir; I look forward to reading more of your work. show less

'You sub?' said Geoff, his interest marginally piqued.
'Oh yes, I do everything. Subbing. Listings, driving the van. Or crashing the van ha ha ha - only joking. But what I really want to do is write and —— '
It was Geoff's turn to cut in.
'You've done listings?'
'Oh yes. But I really want to write . . .'
'But you can do listings. You have experience?'
'Yes I have experience in listings. And Writing.'
'But listings?'
'Yes, listings. And writing'
'But listings?'
With my highly trained show more super-perception journalist skills I had started to detect a subtle undercurrent in our conversation which may not have been obvious to the untrained ear. Through some uncanny sixth sense I began to divine that Geoff may have an interest in someone with skills in the area of listings'. Without realising it, he had unwittingly allowed me an entry into the otherwise impenetrable fortress of the Time Out Film Section which I would now subtly exploit to my own advantage.

Mark Kermode begins by saying that this book should be read as if it is a movie 'inspired by real events', since some of the other people involved remember events quite differently. Oh, and to get into the spirit of things, you should imagine that Jason Isaacs is playing Mark. It is the story of his life with films, from childhood trips to the cinema, through his time at university in Manchester where he writes his first published reviews for a local magazine, and on to London as an adult where he somehow manages to blag a paying job at at Time Out.

Some of the stories in this book that had me laughing out loud, such as the 'job interview' quoted above and Mark's first disastrous attempt at reviewing films on radio. I am a long time listener to the Kermode and Mayo film podcast and Mark's voice comes across loud and clear in this very enjoyable book. show less

‘Hatchet Job’ contains Kermode’s hilarious and digressive meditations on film criticism as it was and as it is now. The chapters proceed in a rambling form, structured through lengthy and artfully articulated anecdotes. At the outset, Kermode comments that his best-known and most popular reviews are deeply negative ones. This accords with my tendency to seek out his views on anything made by Michael Bay. Moreover, my favourite review of his has to be the magnificent rant about Sex and show more the City 2, in which he sings the Internationale. I’ve previously read his book [b:The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What's Wrong with Modern Movies?|10304270|The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex|Mark Kermode|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314260518s/10304270.jpg|15206276] which critiques chain cinemas and 3D. This one is very similar in tone and structure, although perhaps not quite so entertaining. Probably because I have stronger (mostly negative) feelings about 3D than I do about film reviewing in the 21st century. Still, the comparisons between book and film reviewing were interesting, as they made me wonder how much more effort I’d put into goodreads reviews if they were my job rather than a tool of procrastination.

Overall, this book was entertaining and fun. I am still not ready to rediscover ‘AI Artificial Intelligence’ as a hidden gem, though. As far as I’m concerned, that film was too long and excessively schmaltzy. show less

After reading two of Mark Kermode's books (and thoroughly enjoying both of them), I was really looking forward to reading this one - where Kermode discusses (or rants) about the state of cinema today, or at least the state of Hollywood blockbusters today. I wasn't disappointed - when it comes to film criticism or film discussion, Mark Kermode is pretty much my go-to author. He's funny, honest, self-deprecating, and makes a lot of valid points.

In various chapters, Kermode talks about how show more blockbusters basically cannot fail to make a profit, no matter how bad they are, and crucially, no matter how bad their reviews are. He uses the much maligned film Pearl Harbor as an example - as much as it was trashed by critics and the public alike, it still turned a profit. Basically if a film has a big name star, and appears in cinemas even if only for a short time, it will make money - if not on the big screen, then certainly on DVD. So, if blockbusters can't really fail no matter how bad they are, then why not make a really good one?

In other chapters, Kermode discusses 3D, which has been trialled and trashed several times before, but which keeps rearing it's ugly head (thanks for that James Cameron), and even questions what use film critics actually are to the industry. The most entertaining chapter for me was where he discussed the recent trend for Hollywood to remake foreign language films - often drastically changing characters, setting and indeed storylines - and why the often vastly inferior remakes still do better in cinemas than the original 'source' movies.

Anyone who has listened to Mark Kermode will be able to hear his voice in their head while reading this book - he is an intelligent and passionate narrator, and makes his points eloquently, and with a lot of humour. He is clearly in love with his subject, despite all his complaints about the current state of cinema, and this makes for an engaging, entertaining rant, all in the style of a conversation which you could imagine having in a pub while downing a few pints.

In essence - if you like Mark Kermode's radio show, or have enjoyed his previous books, or indeed just enjoy reading about cinema or Hollywood in general, then I would definitely recommend this book. show less