Go to Basket (0 items)
Home  > Arts & Entertainment  > Arts  > The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex (UNABRIDGED)
The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex | [Mark Kermode]
Play The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex

The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex

Two ways to buy!

  • Get this for
    £3.99
    Learn More
  • Get this for:
    £20.09

Publisher's Summary

In It's Only a Movie, the incomparable Mark Kermode showed us the weird world of a film critic's life lived in widescreen. Now, in The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex, he takes us into the belly of the beast to ask: 'What's wrong with modern movies?'

If blockbusters make money no matter how bad they are, then why not make a good one for a change? How can 3-D be the future of cinema when it's been giving audiences a headache for over a hundred years? Why pay to watch films in cinemas that don't have a projectionist but do have a fast-food stand? And, in a world in which Sex and the City 2 was a hit, what the hell are film critics for?

Outspoken, opinionated and hilariously funny, The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex is a must for anyone who has ever sat in an undermanned, overpriced cinema and asked themselves: 'How the hell did things get to be this terrible?'

©2011 Mark Kermode (P)2011 Random House Audiobooks

People who like this also like...

  • It's Only a Movie
    Written By Mark Kermode
    Narrated by 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 would have realised that there was only one career open to you - you'd have to become a film critic.
    UNABRIDGED 7 hrs and 52 mins
    product image
    Play It's Only a Movie
    It's Only a Movie
    UNABRIDGED
    Mark Kermode
    £19.49
  • A History of Horror
    Written By Wheeler Winston Dixon
    Narrated by Aaron Henkin
    Ever since horror leapt from popular fiction to the silver screen in the late 1890s, viewers have experienced fear and pleasure in exquisite combination. Wheeler Winston Dixon's A History of Horror is the only book to offer a comprehensive survey of this ever-popular film genre. Arranged by decades, with outliers and franchise films overlapping some years, this one-stop sourcebook unearths the historical origins of characters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman and their various incarnations in film from the silent era to comedic sequels.
    UNABRIDGED 8 hrs and 39 mins
    product image
    Play A History of Horror
    A History of Horror
    UNABRIDGED
    Wheeler Winston Dixon
    £15.19
  • The Crying of Lot 49
    Written By Thomas Pynchon
    Narrated by George Wilson
    Oedipa Maas discovers that she has been made executor of a former lover's estate. The performance of her duties sets her on a strange trail of detection, in which bizarre characters crowd in to help or confuse her. But gradually, death, drugs, madness, and marriage combine to leave Oepida in isolation on the threshold of revelation, awaiting The Crying of Lot 49.
    UNABRIDGED 6 hrs and 14 mins
    product image
    Play The Crying of Lot 49
    The Crying of Lot 49
    UNABRIDGED
    Thomas Pynchon
    £12.99
  • Them: Adventures with Extremists
    Written By Jon Ronson
    Narrated by Jon Ronson
    Them began as a book about different kinds of extremists, but after Jon had got to know some of them - Islamic fundamentalists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen - he found that they had one oddly similar belief: that a tiny, shadowy elite rule the world from a secret room. In Them, Jon sets out, with the help of the extremists, to locate that room. The journey is as creepy as it is comic, and along the way Jon is chased by men in dark glasses, unmasked as a Jew in the middle of a Jihad training camp, and more.
    UNABRIDGED 8 hrs and 16 mins
    product image
    Play Them: Adventures with Extremists
    Them: Adventures with Extremists
    UNABRIDGED
    Jon Ronson
    £14.99

What the Critics Say

"The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex by the reviewer, Mark Kermode is an angry blast about the state of cinema-going, from the cost if shepherding sweet-toothed children past overpriced confectionary to suffering through unfocused prints in unchecked auditoria. The scruffy cattle-pen experience will be familiar to anyone who has visited a mall cinema lately." (Christopher Fowler Books of the Year - Independent on Sunday)

"Kermode sits in the stalls peeking through his fingers at what we're served up on the silver screen and motormouthing about bad cinema in a frank and funny counterblast to all the Hollywood hype" (Iain Finlayson and Kate Saunders Saga Magazine)

"As listeners of his radio show know, the angrier Mark Kermode gets, the funnier he is. Good news then: his latest book is a collection of FURIOUS rants against the sins of modern cinema.... Elegantly lacerating wit." (Empire, Nov)

"a spritely, spirited tome... with welcome doses of spicy self-deprecation and fascinating cultural history."(The Big Issue in the North)

"a joyously angry and very funny sustained rant" (Christopher Brookmyre, The Scotsman)

Customer Reviews

Showing: 1-7 of 7 results
  • 6 of 6 people found this review helpful
    "Most definitely 'The Good'"
    By Joseph (Camden, United Kingdom) Sep 9, 2011
    I was a fan of the previous book/audiobook ('It's only a movie') but this is definitely a step-up from that already enjoyable listen. Rather than the autobiographical format this is more a collection of thoughts and rants - some of which will be familiar to fans of the previous book, the 5 Live show or Mr Kermode's entertaining video blog. All delivered with passion by the man himself, this is an engaging listen and whilst fan's of the good Doctor will be unsuprised at some of the thoughts on offer, he delivers them in a passionate manner and proves as forthwright, erudite and witty as ever. A really enjoyable listen with a poignant end and a great sense of a considered narrative argument compared to its predecessor. A must for anyone interested in the state of modern cinema.
  • 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    "Very funny, very good!"
    By Leo (Shoreham-By-Sea, United Kingdom) Oct 1, 2012
    Very informative and very funny! I'm a film maker and I found useful information on the psyche and mentality of Hollywood. Also Mark is great!! Long live Mark!!
  • 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    "A whole new view on films, if a tad over-long"
    By Colin (WATFORD, United Kingdom) Jun 26, 2012
    I enjoyed this title very much and found Mark Kermode's observations on the modern film-watching experince very close to my own. Such a relief that I'm not the only one who gets testy at rustling sweet wrappers, chattering and use of mobile phones all through the film. Other people is largely the reason I no longer go to a multiplex, and instead enjoy the delights of The Rex in berkhamsted, a cinema for grown-ups.

    Kermode's knowledge and passion for film is clear throughout and he holds no punches. (Boy, did he NOT like 'Sex and the City 2'!)

    Only critisim would be that this same passion sometimes causes him to go on a bit. The opening chapter, where he recounts a recent cinema outing with his daughter, could've easily been a deal shorter and still made his point.

    That said I'd still recommend this for any cinema lovers out there.
  • 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    "Kermode Doesn't Disappoint"
    By Michael (Cheadle, United Kingdom) Nov 5, 2011
    As a regular listener of his radio show with Simon Mayo, as soon as I realised he was narrating his own book I knew it would be good. There are no surprises as to his rantings (3D, Sex and the City, etc) if you've heard him on the radio but they're still interesting to listen to.

    Overall, very entertaining, am now going back to his first book (which I am a few hours into and so far I prefer his 2nd book)
  • 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    "The best book I've heard in ages"
    By H J Mac (London, United Kingdom) Oct 15, 2011
    This is a great audiobook. Mark Kermode reads his words with the passion that he always displays with his broadcasts.

    It's incredibly interesting as well, lots of information that doesn't get too technical, but is detailed enough to feel like you have learnt a lot about the industry. It's a polemic, but he knows his stuff, and he's as funny as ever with his anecdotes.
  • 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    "King of the Rants!"
    By Marvin (Lincoln, United Kingdom) Sep 30, 2011
    For those familiar with the good Doctor's views that he expresses with his sparring partner Simon Mayo on the radio, there is nothing too new here. However this is a great listen and in my opinion must be much better being read by the man himself than reading it in a book. Although it is one big rant about the genuine concerns he feels for the cinema, he puts it in a way that is both amusing, interesting but above all correct. He made me quite rightly ashamed that I frequent my multiplex so much. Good on you.

    Recommended for all those passionate about going to the cinema and watching films.

  • 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
    "Not just for hardcore cinema fans, a good listen"
    By Mr (Jesmond, United Kingdom) Dec 23, 2012
    IIm a regular listener to the kermode film show, so was interested in hearing his views beyond the constraints of a two hour show. This makes for interesting listening and I would recommend this to cinema fans. If there are any criticisms it is that points can be slightly laboured, and you must bear in mind this is (albeit well-informed) opinion. Nontheless a good audio book delivered well by the man himself.

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.

Cancel

Showing: 1-7 of 7 results