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Editorial: Mark Kermode vs. The Chick Flicks


Mark Kermode is a film critic for The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5. He began his career as a print journalist, but transitioned to radio in 1993, when he became a film reviewer for BBC Radio 1. He is one of my favourite film reviewers, due to clear experience and thoughtful arguments regarding film. Today I thought I would share my top five favourites of his rant reviews on chick flicks.

5. Austenland

Favourite quote: "The only thing it appears to understand about Jane Austen is bonnets, and you think 'You know, there is a lot to Jane Austen and it is not just bonnets.' Really."

4. Sex and the City 2

A note on this one: this is Kermode's most viewed review, and once you see his pure frustration with this film, I think you will see why. It is the only film on this list that I have not yet seen.

Favourite quote: "I should say right at the beginning of this that you're not going to get a rant about this." **Ten minutes and four seconds of rant later** Co-host Simon Mayo: "You did say 'I am not going to rant,' and that was about ten minutes ago."

3. Bride Wars

Favourite quote: "I make you this promise now: if Bride Wars isn't in my top ten worst films of the year, if there are ten films WORSE than Bride Wars, then I quit."

2. Leap Year

Favourite quote: (to co-host, Simon Mayo) "I'm going to give something away. You laughed at the suggestion that Amy Adams was about to throw herself to death [off of a cliff] because [the film is] so terrible."

1. The Holiday

Favourite quote: "It's very long. I mean, it's over two hours long, and it really should have only been at tops, at absolute tops, eighty-eight minutes, because then it would have only been vomit-inducingly ghastly, but as it is, it's probably a threat to your bodily health. It says on the poster '12a: contains strong language and moderate sex references', but it doesn't say it's likely to make your intestines jump up your throat and strangle your head so that you can stop to enduring this absolute ghastly nonsense."

This review is a real gem of a rant, I highly recommend.

There are actually some chick flicks he likes, but they aren't his key focus. He has reviewed many films over the years, and continues to release new reviews on the latest films weekly. If you would like to hear any more of Mark's reviews, you can find them here: https://www.youtube.com/user/kermodeandmayo

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