Wissenswertes

His favourite films for the years 2004 onwards are Vergiss mein nicht (2004), A History of Violence (2005), Pans Labyrinth (2006), Die Ermordung des Jesse James durch den Feigling Robert Ford (2007), Of Time and the City (2008), So finster die Nacht (2008), Inception (2010), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), jointly, Berberian Sound Studio (2012) & Die Königin und der Leibarzt (2012), Good Vibrations (2012), Pride (2014), Alles steht Kopf (2015), Under the Shadow (2016), Raw (2016), Leave No Trace (2018), Bait (2019), Saint Maud (2019), Petite Maman - Als wir Kinder waren (2021), Aftersun (2022), Past Lives (2023) and The Substance (2024).

He believes that Der Exorzist (1973) is "the greatest film ever made" and considers Exorzist II - Der Ketzer (1977) to be the worst film ever made. He believes that Ist das Leben nicht schön? (1946) is the second greatest film ever made.

His ten favourite films of all time are: Irrtum im Jenseits (1946), Ist das Leben nicht schön? (1946), Das siebente Siegel (1957), Augen ohne Gesicht (1960), Mary Poppins (1964), Die Teufel (1971), Wenn die Gondeln Trauer tragen (1973), Der Exorzist (1973), Brazil (1985) and Pans Labyrinth (2006).

He known widely for expressing his dislike of 3D films that he has gone as far as listing the 3D converted re-release of Der König der Löwen (1994) as one of the ten worst films of 2011, which would be original 2D version, describing the conversion as pointless. The first film that he recommended to watch in 3D was Gravity (2013).

His reviews can be heard every Friday afternoon on Radio 5 live with Simon Mayo. Among other things, also writes for the Guardian. (Februar 2004)

He has seen The Exorcist (1973) over two-hundred times.

He considers the greatest film directors to be William Friedkin, Terry Gilliam and Ken Russell.

He was ejected from a screening of Die Idioten (1998) at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for heckling.

He frequently writes as well as presents his documentaries.

His worst films of each year from 2005 include: Last Days (2005), Der Glücksbringer (2007), Sex and the City - Der Film (2008), Transformers: Die Rache (2009), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Happy New Year (2011), Keith Lemon - Der Film (2012), Pain & Gain (2013), Transformers 4: Ära des Untergangs (2014), Entourage (2015), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Wolves at the Door (2016), Der Exorzist - Bekenntnis (2023) and Megalopolis (2024).

Kermode has been described as "a feminist, a near vegetarian (he eats fish), a churchgoer and a straight-arrow spouse who just happens to enjoy seeing people's heads explode across a cinema screen".

Kermode is sometimes critical of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the censor for film in the UK, calling for horror films from abroad to be shown in their uncut versions. However, in recent years, he has stated on numerous occasions that the BBFC do a good job in an impossible situation, and expressed his approval of their decisions.

He described Santa Clause 3 - Eine frostige Bescherung (2006) as "the cinematic equivalent of tertiary syphilis.".

He has signed autographs as actor Jesse Birdsall when stopped in the streets by fans who believed that it was the actor they were meeting.

Kermode was 75th on The Guardian's 2010 Film Power 100.

In the mid 1980s, Kermode was an "affiliate" of the Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG) and was involved in the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign, against the deportation of one of the group's members to Sri Lanka. This developed into a high-profile national campaign involving people from left-wing groups such as the RCG, local residents of Manchester, and extending to church leaders and Labour Party Members of Parliament. Kermode describes himself in this period as "a red-flag waving bolshie bore with a subscription to Fight Racism Fight Imperialism and no sense of humour.".

Kermode's strong family connections with the Isle of Man has led to him playing an active role in Manx culture and the arts. Part of this has seen him host various talks on the island including; An Evening with Mark Kermode at the Ballakermeen High School. He is also heavily involved with the annual Isle of Man Film Festival.

Kermode played double bass for a skiffle/rockabilly band called The Railtown Bottlers in the early 1990s. The Railtown Bottlers were also the house band on the BBC show Danny Baker After All for a series, starting in 1993, where he performed with Madness lead singer, Suggs. In 2001 he formed The Dodge Brothers, playing double bass in the skiffle quartet.

Kermode is a patron of the charitable trust of the Phoenix Cinema in North London, which was his favourite cinema during his childhood in East Finchley. The tenth anniversary episode of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review was broadcast from the venue as part of its relaunch celebrations in 2010.

He is a big fan of Bill Forsyth's Local Hero (1983).

He is a big fan of the Twilight (2008) film series.