Something seems to be wrong with multiplex films, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I did wonder whether it was my march through to the middle of my thirties doing it to me, but no, as this rather splendid book lays out very clearly, it's the films that are getting worse, and through lowered expectations, audiences are accepting that as the norm.
As with his previous (and just as great) book, It's Only A Movie, I disagree with Kermode on a number of points regarding various flicks and points, but that's a matter of taste more than him being wrong in any way.
The arguments he puts forward throughout these highly entertaining 313 pages are all very valid, and I implore any serious fan of film, and indeed anyone who suffers the obscene prices and substandard films at multiplexes, to buy a copy and rage alongside him.
His well-thought-out rants against the overuse of 3D, tosh like Sex And The City 2 and the fact that no so-called flop actually loses money for studios are engrossing, entertaining and above all, absolutely spot on. Laid out with an epic amount of humour from the moment the lights go down until the credits roll, this is a fantastic book for anyone who is passionate about film and wants more than just diluted Hollywood fare in their cinematic diet. Excellent.
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