Hatchet Job: Love Movies, Hate Critics - Softcover

Annoying, irritating -- Will Self * Guardian * 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 * Avoids the trainspotty airlessness of film criticism by pulling focus on the reviewers * Independent on Sunday * A riveting read . . . essential for anyone who is even remotely interested in movies * I'm With Geek * Brilliantly puts the shifting sands of contemporary film criticism under the microscope * Digital Spy * His enthusiasm for film and film criticism is infectious * The List * 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 * 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 * Puts a populist, accessible front on concepts that lesser authors turn into psychobabble * MangaUK * Insightful, erudite . . . relaxed and witty * HeyUGuys * 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 * 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 * A passionate history of his craft [from] Britain's premier film critic * Sp!ked * 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 * Engaging, informative and funny . . . a thoroughly enjoyable and accessible book . . . buy it now * Vada Magazine * Very accessible, entertaining and relevant . . . warmly recommended * Den of Geek * Entertainingly incendiary stuff * Empire * A wry, robust and developed defence of accountable critical voices * Total Film * 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 passionate defence of criticism in the time of Twitter . . . Kermode's sprawling style is engaging and, frequently, spot on * Sunday Times * The finest film critic in Britain at the absolute top of his form -- Stephen Fry

'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