For more than forty years, readers of Melbourne newspapers and journals - and radio listeners - have learned about the latest films through the interpretations and judgments of Brian McFarlane. Over that time McFarlane's reviews of and articles on film have featured in The Age, Australian Book Review, Cinema Papers, Inside Story, Meanjin, Metro, Screening the Past, Senses of Cinema, Sight & Sound, and many other sources online, on air and on paper. This selection of McFarlane's writings on film, taken as a whole, tells a story about what has brought us back to the cinema again and again, from recent times to a now more distant past. In his attuned but easy style, sprinkled with wit and insight, our guide brings back memories, fills gaps in our knowledge, triggers conversations, and inspires delight and enthusiasm. Making a Meal of It is a first-rate resource for film buffs and excellent dinner-table company.