About the Book
A unique and timely memoir, full of '80s nostalgia, that explores the golden age of Hollywood cinema. With 2017 marking the 40th anniversary of both Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as well as the release of the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Watching Skies is a timely, personal and sharply observed reappraisal of the wave of late 70s/early 80s Hollywood movies that redefined the movie-going experience for Mark O'Connell and his generation of young cinephiles. From the untold magic (and fear) of an uncle's VHS recording of Close Encounters of The Third Kind to childhood crushes on Christopher Reeve, bedroom remakes of Return of The Jedi, meeting Darth Vader in a department store, the profound trauma of losing every Star Wars figure on the island of Crete, and the terror of watching Poltergeist way too young, Watching Skies is about how Hollywood helped a kid from the frozen planet of Britain come to terms with a broken home and a lack of siblings, and how that 1980s Californian galaxy of BMX bikes, MandMs, Atari arcade games and a backyard full of Star Wars toys was ultimately just too far, far away?... AUTHOR: Mark O'Connell is the author of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Polari First Book Prize. SELLING POINTS: . The Force Awakens has introduced Star Wars to a new generation of fans . Stranger Things has brought '80s nostalgia back in a big way . Amidst the plethora of official guides, spin-off fictions and tie-in publications, this is the first Britishskewed look at those films and their cinematic siblings 20 colour images
About the Author :
MARK O’CONNELL is a writer, author and pop culture commentator. His books Catching Bullets and Watching Skies earned critical acclaim, prize nominations, and LGBTQ media recognition. A frequent voice across BBC, SKY and major outlets, he has written widely and headlined London’s Southbank Centre. Recently, he was a consultant producer on the recent Bond documentary The Other Fellow (2023).
Review :
‘Mark O’Connell brings alive those wonderfully heady days when American cinema was young again – exploding with the fun, colour and imagination that illuminated our own frozen shores and fired the imaginations of children – and grown up children – everywhere. So take your mashed potato Devils Tower to the lost city of Tanis – via Krypton and, of course, a galaxy far, far away – and indulge in this fantastic personal account of one of the greatest chapters in movie history. An unmitigated delight.’
‘Love the era of Jaws, Star Wars and Ghostbusters? This book is for you. Remember Look-In, CHiPS and the Why Don’t You gang sitting awkwardly on hay bales? This book is so for you.’ ★★★★
‘I thought I was the only person obsessed with every single thing written in this book, but fortunately for the rest of us Mark O’Connell is too. This is the ideal Christmas gift, even if you’re browsing at Easter.’
‘It’s a wonderful rallying point for the Star Wars generation, a book dripping with nostalgia for a genuine golden age of movies. And Superman IV.’
‘We rather liked Mark O’Connell’s Bond-fan memoir Catching Bullets. Watching Skies does much the same for the likes of Star Wars, Close Encounters and E.T. reminiscing about toys, videos, sticker album swaps and so on.’
‘Watching Skies is a book full of joy, admiration and respect. It manages to both be an insightful, fascinating analysis of one of the most interesting points in American cinema and culture of the 20th century while at the same time feeling at times almost like a personalised diary, a stroll through the life and memories of a burgeoning cinephile and geek. For anyone who grew up in this era, with all its unique quirks (particularly as a Brit) and trends, Watching Skies will feel like you’ve been transported back to the era of Spandau Ballet, the Test Card Girl shutting you down at night, and E.T phoning home. Embrace it.’ ★★★★
‘O’Connell brings readers to a prequel … a prelude of enviable and commendable prose typifying the importance the films of Lucas and Spielberg held on a generation … Watching Skies is another love letter to the cinema of the Seventies/Eighties, written with O’Connell’s excellent command of the English language. He writes with wit and repartee, even managing to connect Bond to Superman through the means of another writer, Tom Mankiewicz, who O’Connell highlights is “the master of cutting to the chase, affording tight exposition to otherwise sprawling capers and the barbed retort”.’
‘Mark O’Connell – whose first book, Catching Bullets, described his life as a James Bond superfan – revisits the other films and stories that so obsessed him during his childhood … tracing their impact not just on himself but on a whole generation of space-lovers and cinema-goers.’
‘This book is a finely researched and highly informative examination of Spielberg, Lucas and their associated projects. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Poltergeist, and despite film legend to the contrary, O’ Connell puts forward a very convincing argument that the film is as much Tobe Hooper’s as it is Spielberg’s… Balancing the biography and film criticism with ease, Watching Skies is a warm, witty and insightful love letter to all the lonely imaginative kids out there who brought the Forest Moon of Endor to life in their back gardens; built a lightsaber out of tape and toilet rolls, and looked up at the moon hoping to catch a glimpse of Elliot and E.T riding a flying BMX into the night.’ 5/5
‘I couldn't put it down. It invoked feelings of nostalgia in me that I thought were long since buried. It's easily the most enjoyable book I've read in the last maybe five or even ten years.’
‘Mark’s writing about his growing up with these films has given me the insight I was missing, the ability to share this childhood experience through someone else’s eyes, and I’m ever so thankful for that!’
‘But what made me a lifelong fan of Mark and his wonderfully magical book down 1980s movie memory lane is that Mark gave me… the feeling of belonging.’
‘This book is a terrific look at growing up geeky, with touchstones familiar to those of us of a certain age who grew up with the original Star Wars, Spielberg movies– you know. The good stuff. O’Connell encapsulates the joy of encountering all that stuff at an innocent age, and better yet, makes the case for its effect on him (and our generation) as we grew up into bigger kids. It’s poignant, but also joyful. It’s a cathartic look at a crazily creative time, and the author does a deep dive into the heart of geekiness.’
