Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema

This time it is the turn of the heist movie, with its unique combination of suspense and action. Whether it is the big bank job or netting a fortune in diamonds, why, asks Mark, do otherwise law-abiding audiences find themselves rooting for robbers and even killers? More than any other genre, the heist movie plays with our sympathies, encouraging us to identify with characters we would run a mile from in real life.

Mark explores the most visionary of all genres - science fiction, and shows how film-makers have risen to the challenge of making the unbelievable believable. Always at the forefront of cinema technology, science fiction films have used cutting-edge visual effects to transport us to other worlds or into the far future. But as Mark shows, its not just about the effects.

From flying saviour figures in primary-coloured costumes to brooding nocturnal vigilantes, the superhero movie has spawned many record-breaking global hits. It has also provoked a backlash from some leading film-makers, yet superheroes have had a relationship with cinema that stretches back to the first half of the 20th century, and the genre taps deeply into timeless themes and storytelling traditions. Drawing on a range of films, past and present, Mark Kermode explores the key elements of superhero movies, including origins, superpowers, costumes, secret identities, villains and sacrifice, to show why they resonate with audiences across the world. Mark also addresses criticisms of the genre, and offers his own thoughts on how superhero movies must adapt for the future.

Mark Kermode explores one of the most distinctive and popular genres of all. The spy movie plays on our paranoia and feeds our fears as well as fulfilling our fantasies of secret missions and special skills. It has also given us perhaps the most famous hero in all of cinema – James Bond. Spy movies capture a world not of black and white but shades of grey. But if the morality is often ambiguous, the genre is full of tried and tested conventions. Mark opens up the cinematic agent’s essential toolkit, from the spy boss to the mysterious McGuffin, surveillance techniques to a striking set of opening titles, and he traces the development of the genre from its earliest days. Whether you’re a blockbuster superspy or a compromised cold warrior, Mark reveals all you need to survive in the murky yet thrilling world of big screen espionage.

Mark looks at a genre combining his twin passions; music & movies. Pop movies encompass many forms, from drama and comedy to fantasy and documentary, producing some of the most potent, emotive moments in popular culture. There’s the classic pop star vehicle, where the biggest acts play themselves, or a version of themselves, in exuberant films promoting their brand and help sell their music. Then theres pop biopics, dramatised accounts of the stars’ lives, dazzling us with musical set pieces while playing on our fascination with fames darker side. Even rock documentaries, or rockumentaries, feature recurring themes and situations, both on and off stage. We also see what happens when actors play musicians, or when musicians take on acting roles, and celebrate some of the true cinematic oddities coming from pop stars putting their wildest ideas on screen. Rebellion, romance, anarchy, excitement. Mark shows how the fusion of pop music and movies has been a double act like no other.