Mark Kermode examines the cinematic tricks involved in creating a classic romantic comedy.
Mark reveals the cinematic tricks and techniques behind classic heist movies.
Mark reveals the cinematic tricks and techniques behind coming of age films.
Mark Kermode reveals the cinematic tricks and techniques behind science fiction films.
Mark Kermode reveals the cinematic tricks and techniques behind horror films.
Mark Kermode unwraps a glittering selection of Christmas cinematic treats.
Is there a trick to making an Oscar-winning film?
Earthquakes, explosions, eruptions… since the earliest days of cinema, film-makers have understood that true spectacle lies not in building things up, but in bringing them crashing down. Mark Kermode grew up in the 1970s, the heyday of the all-star Hollywood disaster movie, and he has always been fascinated by the genre, which continues to thrive today. Mark shows how disaster movies use stunts and sound, editing and special effects to bring us jaw-dropping visions of destruction. But spectacle alone is not enough, and Mark reveals how film-makers rely on recurring story devices, themes and character types to build drama and maintain our sense of jeopardy. Mark also showcases the remarkable range of disaster movies, from claustrophobic solo survival stories to films that explore the ultimate catastrophe – the end of the world.
It’s the biggest genre of the moment, spawning record-breaking global hits. But as Mark explains, superheroes have a relationship with cinema that stretches back more than eight decades, and the genre taps deeply into timeless themes and storytelling traditions.
Sit back and enjoy a history lesson with a difference as Mark traces our national story as portrayed on the big screen. He’ll show why film-makers are repeatedly drawn to particular periods, themes and characters, whether it’s the frontier narrative of the Roman occupation, or the Mafia-like machinations of the Tudor court.
We’ll venture into a deadly world of jet-setting espionage, Cold War double agents and sinister conspiracies. Mark is the only person you can trust to share the secrets of surviving a spy movie, and to reveal the hidden forces that make this among the most thrilling of all cinema genres.
From side-splitting classics to overlooked gems, Mark Kermode shows how making fools of ourselves can make for seriously good cinema.
Rebellion, romance, anarchy, excitement. Mark shows how the fusion of pop music and movies are a double act like no other.
Mark Kermode invites you on an entertaining journey into the weird and wonderful world of cult movies, filled with some of the strangest, most truly original and unexpected moments in cinema.