I’m reading Mark Kermode’s latest book ‘Hatchet Job’ at the moment.  I really like Kermode’s film reviews which are lucid, well-informed and well thought-out, even when I strongly disagree with them (for example, he liked the Gary Oldman/Benedict Cumberbatch ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ which I thought was mediocre and missed the point of the source material) and I make a point of listening to his Friday afternoon BBC 5live film review show with Simon Mayo which is always thoroughly entertaining.

But blimey his books need editing!  This is the second of them I’ve tried to read and golly it’s hard work.  He really needs someone to tell him that long-form writing is not just an excuse for drivelling, blather and padding, but an opportunity to set out thoughtful ideas and opinions of real depth.  If he reviewed a film as flabbily edited as this, he would rightly rubbish it.  Ironically, it’s a rumination on the roles and responsibilities of the film critic.

I’ll blog again if I manage to finish it but if you’re really desperate to see what I’m on about, you can buy it here

Updated to add:

Nope, I’ve given up on this: it’s unreadably discursive.  The lovely Mrs Weale had a go last night too, but cast it aside after fifteen minutes with a disgruntled – though elegant – snort.