BOOK 230: IT'S ONLY A MOVIE: REEL LIFE ADVENTURES OF A FILM OBSESSIVE: MARK KERMODE

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 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'.

(From Goodreads)

MY VERDICT: I’d heard some of the stories and information told in this book before but I did enjoy it overall, it was a very quick read and it gave me a few films to check out I’d never seen.

Below I have added some of the films referenced in the book if you’re interested in them you might like the book but they will also give you some idea of the variety of films covered, as well as personal stories from Kermode’s life.