Hatchet Job

Mark Kermode is resident film critic for BBC Radio 5 live, where he co-hosts the Sony Award-winning Kermode and Mayo's Film Review. He also co-presents The Film Review on the BBC News Channel, and presents the bi-weekly BBC video blog Kermode Uncut. He is the author of several books on cinema, including The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What's Wrong with Modern Movies, and two BFI Modern Classics monographs, on The Exorcist and The Shawshank Redemption. He has written and presented a number of film documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, including Hell on Earth: The Desecration and Resurrection of The Devils, On the Edge of Blade Runner, Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man, and Alien: Evolution. He is a contributing editor to Sight & Sound magazine, and recently became chief film critic for the Observer. He plays bass and harmonica in the skiffle-and-blues band The Dodge Brothers, who regularly perform live musical accompaniment for silent movies such as Beggars of Life and The Ghost that Never Returns. He is a proud member of Bafta. His favourite movies include Mary Poppins, Silent Running and The Exorcist; his least favourite include Sex and the City 2, Pirates of the Caribbean and Exorcist 2.

A wry, robust and developed defence of accountable critical voices Total Film Entertainingly incendiary stuff Empire Very accessible, entertaining and relevant ... warmly recommended -- Den of Geek Engaging, informative and funny ... a thoroughly enjoyable and accessible book ... buy it now Vada Populist, entertaining ... A very personal examination of the usefulness and value of film criticism ... Will delight fans of Kermode's previous books, and offers a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain into the life of a professional film critic Verite A passionate history of his craft [from] Britain's premier film critic Sp!ked Mark Kermode, perhaps the UK's most prominent film critic and certainly one of its most respected, covers all the big issues involved in writing reviews: being honest and only saying things you actually believe, trying to get the facts right, writing well, being entertaining, and, sometimes, changing your mind ... It's funny, moving and angry Theaker's Quarterly Insightful, erudite ... relaxed and witty -- HeyUGuys Puts a populist, accessible front on concepts that lesser authors turn into psychobabble -- Jonathan Clements, MangaUK Entertaining ... lively ... valiant ... he still reacts to cinema with the open-minded enthusiasm of someone who sees going to the pictures as a treat New Statesman His enthusiasm for film and film criticism is infectious The List Brilliantly puts the shifting sands of contemporary film criticism under the microscope -- Digital Spy Annoying, irritating -- Will Self Guardian