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Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg and Us Paperback – 30 May 2018

by Mark O'Connell (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
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Mark O'Connell didn't want to be Luke Skywalker, He wanted to be one of the mop-haired kids on the Star Wars toy commercials. And he would have done it had his parents had better pine furniture and a condo in California. Star Wars, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman didn't just change cinema – they made lasting highways into our childhoods, toy boxes and video stores like never before. In Watching Skies, O'Connell pilots a gilded X-Wing flight through that shared universe of bedroom remakes of Return of the Jedi, close encounters with Christopher Reeve, sticker album swaps, the trauma of losing an entire Stars Wars figure collection and honeymooning on Amity Island. From the author of Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan, Watching Skies is a timely hologram from all our memory systems. It is about how George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, a shark, two motherships, some gremlins, ghostbusters and a man of steel jumper a whole generation to hyperspace.

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  1. Print length
    376 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    30 May 2018
  4. Dimensions
    15.6 x 2.79 x 23.39 cm
  5. ISBN-10
    0750970197
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0750970198
  7. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book a great read and an enjoyable heartwarming nostalgia ride. They also mention that the book reminds them of the past.

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Reading experienceRelatability
5 customers mention ‘Reading experience’5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great read.

"...It’s an enjoyable and easy read for any 70s and 80s film fan, and a good companion to Catching Bullets...." Read more

"Took a punt on this and glad I did.Great read, and it could’ve of been written by me as a lot of the authors stories are similar, if not the..." Read more

"...Offten funny, warm, interesting and enjoyable." Read more

"Great book made all the better by interaction with the author over Insta whilst I was reading it, made my day and week and holiday, will def read..." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Relatability’4 positive1 negative

Customers find the book relatable, heartwarming, and charming. They also say it's an enjoyable nostalgia ride.

"...of trolling Youtube haters, the film analysis is refreshingly upbeat, charming and balances the film facts with personal childhood recollections so..." Read more

"...Warmly nostalgic, this looks at the film with a fairly critical eye and that’s my only real gripe with the book, that it occasionally feels over-..." Read more

"A blissful nostalgia trip and thoroughly engaging examination of the films that us Generation Xers hold so dear...." Read more

"...There’s much enjoyment to be had as the sly wit and charm is still there but it’s also a little more shambolic, occasionally overegged..." Read more

Utterly Charming - I'm glad I discovered this book!
5 out of 5 stars
Utterly Charming - I'm glad I discovered this book!
I was born in the UK in 1978 so immediately identified with Mark's hilarious and touching recollection of childhood in the early 80's and the impact of beloved films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters, Ghostbusters and Superman. I had a head full of fond memories and a smile for every single page whilst reading this book and will be sure to pass it on to my son when he's old enough / or should he ever choose to ever ask me what it was like growing up in the last days of the 20th Century.In a World of trolling Youtube haters, the film analysis is refreshingly upbeat, charming and balances the film facts with personal childhood recollections so that you experience the sense of wonder that these films bestowed upon us back in the day at local cinemas or on flickering VHS tapes. Mark doesn't just cover the 'Critics' choice of 80's era movies either, instead he gives us forgotten details about Supergirl, Superman III, Krull and Jaws 2 which are often considered guilty pleasures at best. The result is a fantastic book about an era packed full of American film imagery and influence that refuses to be forgotten. 5/5
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

SkyeMovies
5.0 out of 5 stars A blissful nostalgia trip and thoroughly engaging examination of the films that us Generation Xers hold so dear.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2018
Verified Purchase
Author Mark O’Connell has created a book that will be a soothing balm to the soul for film loving Generation Xers. He examines what was so unique about a period of film spanning roughly a decade or so from arguably the very first big summer blockbuster, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, through to the creation of George Lucas’ phenomenally successful Star Wars saga and beyond. Individual films from this period, such as Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist, Gremlins, and many more are given a thoughtful and detailed examination and Mark’s vast knowledge of film, not of just what he calls the Watching Skies Generation, but beyond, is immense. Mark’s book is both informative and well researched but more than that it’s an incredibly personal journey as Mark recalls how movies and the quest for the merchandise that came in their wake helped him through some tough times growing up. For anyone who loves not just the films of the ‘70s and ‘80s from the likes of Spielberg, Lucas, Richard Donner, Joe Dante and more, but also the general pop culture of the time, this book is an absolute must-read. It’s told from a British perspective but Mark, in his adult life, has also visited many of the American locales that were made famous by the likes of Jaws and Superman and he tells of how his love of film led him to seek out these iconic places. It’s a loving ode to those heady days of VHS rental stores, thumbing through the Toy section of the Christmas Argos catalogue and trips to the local cinema that Generation Xers seem to have an endless nostalgia for. Watching Skies gets my absolute highest recommendation.
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ROSCOE
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Charming - I'm glad I discovered this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2019
Verified Purchase
I was born in the UK in 1978 so immediately identified with Mark's hilarious and touching recollection of childhood in the early 80's and the impact of beloved films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters, Ghostbusters and Superman. I had a head full of fond memories and a smile for every single page whilst reading this book and will be sure to pass it on to my son when he's old enough / or should he ever choose to ever ask me what it was like growing up in the last days of the 20th Century.
In a World of trolling Youtube haters, the film analysis is refreshingly upbeat, charming and balances the film facts with personal childhood recollections so that you experience the sense of wonder that these films bestowed upon us back in the day at local cinemas or on flickering VHS tapes. Mark doesn't just cover the 'Critics' choice of 80's era movies either, instead he gives us forgotten details about Supergirl, Superman III, Krull and Jaws 2 which are often considered guilty pleasures at best. The result is a fantastic book about an era packed full of American film imagery and influence that refuses to be forgotten. 5/5
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ROSCOE
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Charming - I'm glad I discovered this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2019
I was born in the UK in 1978 so immediately identified with Mark's hilarious and touching recollection of childhood in the early 80's and the impact of beloved films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters, Ghostbusters and Superman. I had a head full of fond memories and a smile for every single page whilst reading this book and will be sure to pass it on to my son when he's old enough / or should he ever choose to ever ask me what it was like growing up in the last days of the 20th Century.
In a World of trolling Youtube haters, the film analysis is refreshingly upbeat, charming and balances the film facts with personal childhood recollections so that you experience the sense of wonder that these films bestowed upon us back in the day at local cinemas or on flickering VHS tapes. Mark doesn't just cover the 'Critics' choice of 80's era movies either, instead he gives us forgotten details about Supergirl, Superman III, Krull and Jaws 2 which are often considered guilty pleasures at best. The result is a fantastic book about an era packed full of American film imagery and influence that refuses to be forgotten. 5/5
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Film fan
4.0 out of 5 stars The Man with the Golden Gun to Catching Bullets’ Live and Let Die…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2018
Verified Purchase
Mark O’Connell follows up his Bond debut ‘Catching Bullets’ in much the way Sir Rog segued into his second Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. In their second outing there’s more experience in the leading man having now gotten their debut accepted by critics and fans alike. There’s much enjoyment to be had as the sly wit and charm is still there but it’s also a little more shambolic, occasionally overegged (much like a Sheriff JW Pepper cameo going on just a bit too long…) and slightly lacking in the structure then the previous adventure.

Watching Skies is an enjoyable heart-warming nostalgia ride, in which Mark reminds us of the times of petrol garage VHS rentals (and the dreaded 1 single copy of a classic movie to wait for days or weeks to rent), small plastic action figures that took all manner of battering (and occasional swallowing from dogs, vacuum cleaners and school kids alike) and the heady days of (generally) standalone, enjoyable, fun Hollywood blockbusters.

Whilst not quite as structured or tightly edited as Catching Bullets, which had a very clear through line following all the Bond films in Mark’s order of viewing, this piece starts out following a bunch of 70s and 80s classics, but slightly jumps around.

It has a chapter on a bunch of classic Hollywood films of the 70s and 80s (Superman, Star Wars, Close Encounters, Ghostbusters etc), and some fun stories of how Mark watched them or became aware of them (or the toys/games that surrounded them) as a child (and occasionally interrupted by adult Mark’s American road trip). Sometimes these chapters felt a little too baggy, especially when the conversation often became about ‘strong women’ in the films/film industry which is such a hot topic at the moment, it felt a bit shoe-horned in and out of place, which took away from sense of fun and lightness.

Towards the end of the book we get less of the witty observational breakdown of classic 70s and 80s Hollywood fan favourite movies, and it becomes more about Mark’s honeymoon trip to Martha’s Vineyard, a breakdown of (some of) the new Star Wars films and photo ops at Lucasfilm offices. Enjoyable, but not very relatable and seemed a bit bolted on. I found myself enjoying and relating to the earlier parts of the book, the joy of childhood Star Wars toys (and the trauma when they would be lost or damaged), settling into cinema seats covered in cigarette ash and chocolate stains, or desperately trying to convince a parent that renting a 18 certificate violent action shoot-em-up on VHS would be absolutely fine for the psyche of a 9 year old…

Featuring less of the caustic wit of the Bond fan in Catching Bullets, this is a warmer, concoction but with a slight sense of the familiar trod path. The book is a hot chocolate after a cold day playing in the snow. But the warm comfortable cardigan is a bit looser this time around, a bit more stretched and the occasional hint of wear and tear in the elbows if one looks too closely.

Watching Skies is well worth your time and I read it very quickly. It’s an enjoyable and easy read for any 70s and 80s film fan, and a good companion to Catching Bullets. I wonder if a third Mark adventure will be bigger and more extravagant? His Spy who Loved me or Goldfinger? Or will he reboot the childhood nostalgia themes for a Casino Royale style back to basics shake up? Time will tell, and I for one will be interested in which direction it goes.
2 people found this helpful
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Dave Allum
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2022
Verified Purchase
Took a punt on this and glad I did.
Great read, and it could’ve of been written by me as a lot of the authors stories are similar, if not the identical to my experience of this time.
Great but if nostalgia.

If you are a fan of Spielberg, Lucas and many of the mid 80s movies, you will enjoy this book.
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Pats86
5.0 out of 5 stars Movie Memories
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2018
Verified Purchase
Nice nostalgic journey brings many memories back from my childhood, this book is not a review of the movies in question it is the impact it had on those of us who were young enough to see them through the eyes of excited kids.
Offten funny, warm, interesting and enjoyable.
One person found this helpful
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Danny R
5.0 out of 5 stars Keep watching
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2019
Verified Purchase
Great book made all the better by interaction with the author over Insta whilst I was reading it, made my day and week and holiday, will def read again..
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Top reviews from other countries

Kevin Kochanski
5.0 out of 5 stars No CGI was used in the making of this book!
Reviewed in the United States on 17 October 2018
Verified Purchase
Anyone who read Mark O'Connell's "Catching Bullets" (if you haven't, DO!) is familiar with his gift for acute observation re: movies. In "Watching Skies," he again uses his charming, amusingly self-deprecating voice to place a set of iconic films both in the context of his own life and in the context of Pop Culture. Part history, part criticism, and part travelogue (we get stories and photos of his own visits to film locations and movie studios around the US and the UK), "Watching Skies" is a great read for anyone who jumped off their front porch with a Superman cape on, anyone who ever had a Millennium Falcon sheet set as a kid, anyone who made their mom buy them Reece's Pieces in 1982, and anyone who just loves movies.
Mark O'Connell has this knack for acknowledging the place of even crappy movies among the greats, and not in some camp so-bad-its-good way. I dare you to read this and not want to take another look at Supergirl or The Phantom Menace, with a new appreciation of what they brought to the story of blockbuster movies.
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Kevin Kochanski
5.0 out of 5 stars No CGI was used in the making of this book!
Reviewed in the United States on 17 October 2018
Anyone who read Mark O'Connell's "Catching Bullets" (if you haven't, DO!) is familiar with his gift for acute observation re: movies. In "Watching Skies," he again uses his charming, amusingly self-deprecating voice to place a set of iconic films both in the context of his own life and in the context of Pop Culture. Part history, part criticism, and part travelogue (we get stories and photos of his own visits to film locations and movie studios around the US and the UK), "Watching Skies" is a great read for anyone who jumped off their front porch with a Superman cape on, anyone who ever had a Millennium Falcon sheet set as a kid, anyone who made their mom buy them Reece's Pieces in 1982, and anyone who just loves movies.
Mark O'Connell has this knack for acknowledging the place of even crappy movies among the greats, and not in some camp so-bad-its-good way. I dare you to read this and not want to take another look at Supergirl or The Phantom Menace, with a new appreciation of what they brought to the story of blockbuster movies.
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B. Abraham
5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC!
Reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2019
Verified Purchase
I roared through this one in only a couple of days and loved every page of it. With a lot of these "my childhood as viewed through the pop culture I loved" tomes you find the wistfulness on overload, the analysis lacking. Not here. O'Connell handles both with aplomb, pinpointing the whys and wherefores of these classic films and the once-in-a-lifetime era they arrived in and how they impacted his own life, at an age when he needed that fantasy to help navigate the rough patch pains of growing up. I can't recommend this one enough.
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Scott A. Redd
3.0 out of 5 stars Return of the Jedi?
Reviewed in the United States on 18 November 2019
Verified Purchase
I pretty much stopped reading the book when the author wrote that Return of the Jedi was the best entry in the original trilogy.
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