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It's Only a Movie

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It's Only a Movie

By: Mark Kermode
Narrated by: Mark Kermode
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Summary

To avoid fainting, keep repeating it's only a move ..only a movie ..only a movie ..only a movie

If 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’.

©2010 Mark Kermode (P)2010 Random House Audio Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Entertainment Witty Funny Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

‘Film criticism is rarely as much fun as Kermode, whether on the radio or in this hugely entertaining book.’ ( Empire.)
‘Kermode is interesting on the topic of how we remember (and misremember) key cinematic scenes, and how the grammar of cinema reflects the way our thoughts flow…Fans of Kermode’s television and radio work will love all of his complaining about Pirates of the Caribbean, and his repeated references to the magazine Fangoria and celluloid curious such as Slade in Flame’ ( Telegraph)
'His boundless affection for everything that cinema has to offer, from the people behind the scenes to everything from the good, the bad and the ugly that he has had to sit through over the decades is voiced brilliantly in his new autobiography, It’s Only A Movie’ Full page interview in the Leeds Guide.
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Most of the time, Kermode writes as he broadcasts, which will amuse or infuriate you depending on your preferences. Read by anybody but the author this would be a waste of money and almost eight hours of your life. Read by the author it will make you laugh more than six times and understand why Google says "hello to Jason Isaacs" when you type his name in. Kermode is probably currently one of the top ten of Britain's ex marxist, vegetarian, former feminist, Christian film critics, and this book amply explains how he achieved this, unless you are Ukranian, when it will offend you.

A Critique of Pure Unreasonableness

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A wonderful insight into the man behind the quiff "It's only a movie" snapshots the life of Kermode in such a way that's engaging, entertaining and rather insightful. in particular his chapter relating to his travels in Russia left me both laughing out loud and feeling deeply sympathetic.

It's definitely Inspired me to read more of Kermodes work and as a film maker and critic myself it was a really inspiring read that I can highly recommend.

A tiny bit rambly but all the more human for it :)

Movie Macarbre

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Really enjoyed this - as others have reported its a strange mix of autobiography and general thoughts/anecdotes but all entertainly narrated by the man himself. He does it with a real sense of passion and enthusiasm that for me made this a far more engaging experience than I suspect the book counterpart would be. If you're a fan of the good Dr. then this is a really entertaining listen with some fascinating insights into the life and thoughts of the country's best film critic.

It's only a review but...

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I’m not at all sure what I expected this to be like, but it wasn’t this. This does have a fair sense of humour and self-deprecation, even if at times it’s a bit over the top. Having heard clips of his other books since, this seems to be his style. I’m left asking myself why I didn’t expect this. The view of the film industry offered is definitely ‘backstage’. There are few celebrity tales here, so don’t come looking for gossip. The closest is an interview with Werner Herzog in Hollywood when they were shot at. If I knew of this event, then I’d forgotten it. There is a story about a trip to Russia for an interview which becomes a shaggy dog tale. What I learned is the rather haphazard start that Dr Kermode’s career had. If we are to believe the events, it might just have not ended as it did.
There is undoubtedly entertainment to be had listening to Mark Kermode who tells his own story well enough. On occasion he has tried a tad hard to be amusing or maybe it’s the tone of voice which he’s chosen. If you like the personality you’ll not be far off what’s here.

What did I expect?

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A lot of the books on Audible are read by session readers who sound like they're just trying to get to the end and collect their cheque but Mark Kermode really does his literature justice, and it does feel like he is speaking to you personally. Stephen Fry is the only person I've heard who pulls this off as well. Highly recommended.

Not just a great book, but a worthy audiobook

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