The film review can be a little work of art, not just a consumer guide--as is manifest in this collection by one of the United Kingdom's foremost doyennes of the contemporary silver screen. Covering more than thirty years of film releases, celebrated critic Adam Mars-Jones guides us through the most entertaining, most appalling, and most fantastic films of his viewing lifetime, interweaving his original film reviews with new insights and reflections.

Mars-Jones answers the questions that no other critic has even bothered to ask. What is Twister really about? How many Steven Spielbergs are there? (Spoiler: he counts thirteen). How many of them are worth anything? Who had the greatest slow-burn career in the movies? (Clue: he taught Montgomery Clift how to roll a cigarette.) And which science-fiction film features the most haunting use of slime? Funny, combative, and revealing, Second Sight is a celebration of the artform that maintains the strongest hold on the modern imagination.

Adam Mars-Jones is Research Professor in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. He was the first film reviewer for the Independent (1986-1997) and currently writes on film for the Times Literary Supplement. His books include the novels Pilcrow (2008) and Cedilla (2011), and the 2015 memoir Kid Gloves (2015).