Mark Kermode – författare

In It''s Only a Movie, the incomparable Mark Kermode showed us the weird world of a film critic''s life lived in widescreen. Now, in The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex, he takes us into the belly of the beast to ask: ''What''s wrong with modern movies?'' If blockbusters make money no matter how bad they are, then why not make a good one for a change? How can 3-D be the future of cinema when it''s been giving audiences a headache for over a hundred years? Why pay to watch films in cinemas that don''t have a projectionist but do have a fast-food stand? And, in a world in which Sex and the City 2 was a hit, what the hell are film critics for? Outspoken, opinionated and hilariously funny, The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex is a must for anyone who has ever sat in an undermanned, overpriced cinema and asked themselves: ''How the hell did things get to be this terrible?''

To avoid fainting, keep repeatingIt''s only a move..only a movie..only a movie..only a movieIf you grew up believing that Planet of the Apes told you all you needed to know about politics, that Slade in Flame was a savage exposé of the pop world, and that The Exorcist revealed the meaning of life, then you probably spent far too many of your formative years at the cinema. Just as likely, you soon would have realised that there was only one career open to you - you''d have to become a film critic.In It''s only a Movie, the incomparable Mark Kermode takes us into the weird world of a life lived in widescreen. Join him as he embarks on a gut-wrenching journey through the former Soviet Union on the trail of the low budget horror flick Dark Waters, cringe as he''s handbagged by Helen Mirren at the Bafta awards ceremony, cheer as he gets thrown out of the Cannes film festival for heckling in very bad French, and don''t forget to gasp as he''s shot at while interviewing Werner Herzog in the Hollywood hills. Written with sardonic wit and wry good humour, this compelling cinematic memoir is genuinely ''inspired by real events''.

''Wonderful - such a terrific read. Brilliantly captures the passion, commitment, searing self-knowledge and dizzy happiness that comes with loving music. An enchanting book'' STEPHEN FRY***Following a formative encounter with the British pop movie Slade in Flame in 1975, Mark Kermode decided that musical superstardom was totally attainable. And so, armed with a homemade electric guitar and very little talent, he embarked on an alternative career - a chaotic journey which would take him from the halls and youth clubs of North London to the stages of Glastonbury, the London Palladium and The Royal Albert Hall. Hilarious and blissfully nostalgic, this is a riotous account of a bedroom dreamer''s attempts to conquer the world armed with nothing more than a chancer''s enthusiasm and a simple philosophy: how hard can it be? *** ''At the heart of this entertaining memoir is a little boy in his back garden in Finchley, banging out a rhythm on saucepans with a couple of wooden spoons'' Daily Mail''A rocking whirlwind of a tale'' DANNY BAKER''Wonderful . . . will increase your zest for life'' RICHARD AYOADE''Entertaining . . . what comes through every anecdote is the author''s genuine enthusiasm for music'' Spectator