It's Only a Movie cover art

It's Only a Movie

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

It's Only a Movie

By: Mark Kermode
Narrated by: Mark Kermode
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

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

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.
All stars
Most relevant  
If you are reading this review, you are probably aware of Mark Kermode who, along with Simon Mayo, hosts the BBC's "Flagship" movie review show.

In this book Mark charts his journey from be-coiffed lovable radical feminist Bolshevik student agitator, to be-coiffed ranty radio review royalty. And what a journey it is, culminating in a disastrous trip to the set of "Dark Waters", a low budget horror film shot in the former soviet union.

Along the way we get enough anecdotes about actors, film-makers and musicians to keep the book rollicking along, and the fact that the material is read by the author himself in his most dulcet radio presenter tones is a bonus.

So is it any good? Well, it's way better than "Sex and the City 2", but still not quite as good as "The Exorcist" (which Mark believes is the greatest film of all time).

How a film critic is made.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.