Review of Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema

In this series film critic Mark Kermode analyses the construction of films in five genres; rom-com, heist, coming of age, Science fiction and horror. In each episode he breaks down the standards of the genre under discussion; illustrating it with examples taken from the days of silent cinema right up to films made within the last year. These include many classic examples as well as a few less familiar works.

I found this to be a really interesting insight into genre cinema; of course he only looked into five genres so some viewers may be disappointed that he didn't look into their particular favourite... of course that means there is plenty for a second series at a later date; I'd love to see a discussion of police/detective films, superheroes, war films, westerns and action movies to suggest just another five possibilities. Mark Kermode certainly knows his subject and his passion for film comes across without getting overly bogged down in technicalities. The choices of films to illustrate key points is interesting; some obvious choices, some interesting choices and inevitably there are some surprising omissions... there are only so many clips you can show in an hour. Overall this is definitely something for film fans to watch.