The finest film critic in Britain at the absolute top of his form' Stephen Fry

'Entertainingly incendiary stuff' Empire

A hatchet job isn't just a bad review, it's a total trashing. Mark Kermode is famous for them - Pirates of the Caribbean, Sex and the City 2, the complete works of Michael Bay.

Beginning with his favourite hatchet job ever, Mark tells us about the best bad reviews in history, why you have to be willing to tell a director face-to-face their movie sucks, and about the time he apologized to Steven Spielberg for badmouthing his work.

But why do we love really bad reviews? Is it so much harder to be positive? And is the Internet ruining how we talk about cinema? The UK's most trusted film critic answers all these questions and more in this hilarious, fascinating and argumentative new book.

'A wry, robust and developed defence of accountable critical voices' Total Film

'Very accessible, entertaining and relevant . . . warmly recommended' Den of Geek

'The finest film critic in Britain at the absolute top of his form' Stephen Fry

About the Author
Mark Kermode (@KermodeMovie) is resident film critic for BBC Radio 5 live, where he co-hosts the Sony Award-winning Kermode and Mayo's Film Review (@wittertainment). 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.

Reviews
The finest film critic in Britain at the absolute top of his form -- Stephen Fry
A passionate defence of criticism in the time of Twitter . . . Kermode's sprawling style is engaging and, frequently, spot on * Sunday Times *
Mark Kermode puts up a spirited argument for honesty, integrity and individuality. An opinionated, funny and meandering study of films and their critical reception, it reminds us of the importance of standing by your view * Daily Mail *
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 Magazine *
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 *
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 *
Kermode's . . . forte, in the eyes of many, is the scathing put-down . . . The best hatchet jobs are funny as well as nasty . . . He has never lost his enthusiasm for his main task: to tell us, in no uncertain terms, what films to see and what to miss . . . [his] passions are heartfelt . . . Kermode remains touchingly nostalgic for the old movie-house experience. * Times Literary Supplement *
Insightful, erudite . . . relaxed and witty * HeyUGuys *
Puts a populist, accessible front on concepts that lesser authors turn into psychobabble * MangaUK *
Uproarious . . . With digressions worthy of Ronnie Corbett, Kermode [is] a good-humoured and self-deprecating companion throughout this book, doing his best to undercut his own pomposity while bowing to the logic that savagings tend to be pithier, more concise and better-honed than praise. * Herald *
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 *
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 *
A riveting read . . . essential for anyone who is even remotely interested in movies * I'm With Geek *
Avoids the trainspotty airlessness of film criticism by pulling focus on the reviewers * Independent on Sunday *
Hatchet Job's most valuable sections go beyond the generalised terms . . . Indeed, in explaining how Amazon's system can be cheated, Kermode reveals a parallel world where names and reputations matter, even if there isn't any money in it. * Sight & Sound *
Annoying, irritating -- Will Self * Guardian *



Book Information
ISBN 9781447230533
Author Mark Kermode
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Picador
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 218g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 130mm * 21mm