Once upon a time there were professional film makers and professional critics. They didn't always agree, but there was a mutual respect. It is very different now.
Starting with the celebrated TV fight between Ken Russell and Alexander Walker (the former hit the latter with a rolled up copy of his Evening Standard review!) and ending with his own admission to Steven Spielberg of a major error of judgement, Mark Kermode takes us on a journey across the modern cinematic landscape. We are all critics now and, as the professional role diminishes, the democratic opportunities of the internet have created a new monster. Relying on speed of response, rather than considered reaction, these new critics have stolen the thunder of their paid up counterparts. But there is a dark side, the shocking deceptions hidden behind the facade of our digital world's new and supposedly democratic alternative, "the honest, unmediated audience response". Mark questions the future of any and all genuinely impartial criticism when reviews are systemically corrupted by bribery, vote-rigging, cyber-stalking, and sock-puppetry. And he asks that crucial question, what kind of films would we have if we listened to what the audience thinks it wants?
Like its predecessor, The Good, The Bad & The Multiplex, Hatchet Job blends historical analysis with trenchant opinion, bitter personal prejudices, autobiographical diversions and anecdotes, and laugh-out-loud cynical humour. It's the perfect book for anyone who's ever expressed an opinion about a movie.
Industry Reviews
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 * 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 * 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 *
