"2nd cover" (left) is the cover for subscribers,
before it is peeled
back to reveal the real cover.

Return To Middle-earth Part One

Peter Jackson and his team talk us through the story so far, the making of The Hobbit and how it felt to return to Tolkien's world.

Ian McKellen

Returning as Gandalf, Ian McKellen sits down to chat iPad difficulties, hanging with Stephen Hawking, his wizard buddy Radagast and much more, alongside an exclusive photo shoot.

The Characters

With a sprawling cast, you might have had trouble figuring out who's who and what's what in The Hobbit - but not with our handy character guide! You're welcome, world!

The Dwarves

There are 13 dwarves in Thorin's band, so here we profile each one individually so you can separate the Oris from the Noris and the Oins from the Gloins. Warning: contains some serious facial hair.

The Locations

Wondering what's left to explore in Middle-earth after the epic journey of Lord Of The Rings? Well here's your official guide book, with exclusive pictures of the pit-stops on Bilbo's route.

J.R.R. Tolkien

It's all very well talking about the making of the film of The Hobbit - but here we look at how JRR Tolkien wrote the book, and the earlier attempts to adapt it in myriad forms. We even look at the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins!

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett is the only major female star returning to the Rings world, so we figured that this was a good time to catch up with the Oscar winner about her career to date and her love of Elf ears.

Peter Jackson

How has New Zealand's biggest export changed over the years? We talk to collaborators old and new to bring you a complete oral history of Peter Jackson's career so far.

Slate

James Mangold talks Wolverine in this month's Slate, while we also look at the chances of River Phoenix's last film finally seeing the light of day, Werner Herzog faces the Pint Of Milk challenge and much more.

On Location

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer kick things off this month with a trek through the desert for The Lone Ranger, while Mark Wahlberg finds a Broken City and Paul Rudd learns that This Is 40.

In Cinemas

We give Argo very little aggro, master The Master, take a view on Sightseers and much more in this jam-packed reviews section.

Re-View

The Amazing Spider-Man kicks things off with a triple-back-flip (probably), but this month we also look at Men In Black 3, Singin In The Rain, E.T. and much more.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Interview

Our James went to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger and grilled the former Governor on Terminator, Predator, Commando and the rest of his extraordinary career - from his earliest days as a muscle builder to his upcoming return to the screen.


Working With Arnie

Where did Arnie get those one-liners? What were his most-used weapons? What does he have coming up now he's back? And what do other action stars really think of the Austrian Oak? Find it all out this month.


Exploring Predator

One of the greatest action movies of the '80s, we dissect the Predator step-by-step to explain what happened, where, to whom and why. Warning: may contain a mini-gun pointlessly firing into a jungle, homoerotic undertones.


Survining Commondo

The most OTT Arnie movie ever and a firm fan favourite, we go minute-by-minute through Commando to chart its excesses in full. And if you're the original Bennett, please get in touch.


Arnie Killed Me

How does it feel to be killed by Arnold Schwarzenegger onscreen? We asked the people who know: the brave heroes, villains and goons who were summarily dispatched by Arnie in his screen career. Essential reading just for the Miriam Margoyles quotes.


Elliott Gould

While a generation knows him best as Monica's Dad from Friends, they're missing out. Elliott Gould's back onscreens in Ruby Sparks, and we sat down with him to talk over a 50-year career.


On Location

Crime may not pay but it sure looks cool this month, as we report from the sets of Welcome To The Punch and Seven Psychopaths. We also have Byzantium's vampires and festival favourite Zeytoun to round out the line-up.


The Slate

We investigate the new Jack Ryan and the new Carrie, pay tribute to Tony Scott and Michael Clarke Duncan and check out the new Terrence Malick. We also ask Chris O'Dowd about Pints of Milk and much more.


The Master

A new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always something to look forward to, and The Master looks like the There Will Be Blood director is on blistering form. Our Damon Wise sat down with him to get the full story.


Room 237

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining has sparked more elaborate conspiracy theories than the JFK assassination, and new documentary Room 237 explores the most compelling of the lot. Ian Nathan got the full story on this brilliant film-on-film.


In Cinemas

Tim Burton's stop-motion horror tribute Frankenweenie kicks things off, while we salute three new 5-star movies Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Holy Motors and Room 237. Also: surprisingly strong teen comedies, indie road movies and Taken 2. Brace yourselves.


Re-View

Indiana Jones is out on Blu-ray, Once Upon A Time In The West gets the Masterpiece treatment, Girls leads our TV section and we get scared by Universal's Monsters collections and a new Hitchcock box set. OooOOOoooooh!

Winter Preview: Skyfall

He dived out of a helicopter with the Queen to open the Olympics but the real work is still ahead for James Bond. We talked to the entire cast and crew of Skyfall to find a few clues on the plot, some hints about the action and a good lead on what Q and M will be doing this time...


Winter Preview: Reacher

Lee Child is the author behind none-more-hard man Jack Reacher, who finally reaches the screen this year with Christopher McQuarrie directing and Tom Cruise starring as the ex-MP himself. We talked to Child, the real Reacher, about the character's origins and where he's headed.


Winter Preview: Django

This month we talked to Django himself, Jamie Foxx, about his iconic cowboy character, and learned that he dresses like Little Lord Fauntleroy, isn't necessarily a religious man and thinks before he speaks. That aside, expect some dark moments in Tarantino's Southern Western.


Plus...

Rounding out our Winter Preview, we take a quick glance at The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, don night-vision goggles for Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, brace for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, nod respectfully to Lincoln and reanimate Frankenweenie. These, and much more, in the only preview you need.


Winter TV Preview

In addition to talking to The Doctor himself, we have also previewed the best of the rest of winter's TV, from current favourites like The Walking Dead, Homeland and Game Of Thrones to new shows like Moone Boy, Revolution and H+. Line up your viewing schedule with this special look ahead.


Matt Smith

Time Lords: they're cool. Just like bowties, fezes and cowboy hats. That's especially true in the case of Matt Smith, the current Doctor and the one who has seen the show go nuclear and finally, really and truly, break America. Here he talks fame, aliens and how "ridiculous and brilliant" it all is.


On Location

Guillermo del Toro's giant monsters vs. giant robots movie Pacific Rim kicks things off in On Location this month, but we also globetrotted to Ireland to see alcohol-averse aliens; to Spain for natural disasters and to New Zealand for the end of World War II.


The Slate

Stallone and Schwarzenegger kick off the Slate section this month, but this section is not just about action icons: it runs the gamut. We also explain who the heck the Guardians Of The Galaxy are, what's happening with Aronofsky's Noah, who Andy Samberg would like to kill, and much more.


Slate: Summer Infographics

You know what you need in life? This summer's films in numbers. So how many other hits would you need to equal the Avengers' box-office gross? How dark is The Dark Knight Rises really? And what's the deal with Prometheus' evolution? The answers are all here...


Killing Them Softly

Brad Pitt's back with Andrew Dominik, his director on the marvellous The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, for crime drama Killing Them Softly. Based on the book Cogan's Trade, expect a slicked-back, pared-down thriller that doesn't pull punches or bullets, as Pitt and Dominik explain in this month's issue.


Ray Liotta

One of the stars of Killing Them Softly, Ray Liotta's been a Hollywood staple for nearly 3 decades now. While all his roles may not be as impressive as his electrifying turn in GoodFellas, there are enough highs in there to easily balance out Operation Dumbo Drop. We talked to him in LA to get the story so far.


Tarzan

He's 100 years old and has appeared in an astonishing 89 films, and Tarzan's set to swing once again in animated form next year. So what made him so popular for such a long stretch? And why did Edgar Rice Burroughs' wild man disappear for so long? And what can we expect now he's on his way back? Owen Williams examines the story so far.


In Cinemas

It's an insanely packed In Cinemas section this month, led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis facing off in Looper and delivering a law-and-order triple bill thanks to Lawless, The Sweeney and Dredd. You might also want to find out which film earns the tagline "50 Shades Of Grey Hair".


Re-View

The year's biggest film (unless The Hobbit can topple it) leads the Re-View section this month, with the Avengers Assembling all over the joint. We also look at The Raid, Bond's 50 year box set, masterpiece The Leopard and classics Lawrence of Arabia and The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp. You'll never leave the house again.

The Hobbit

You wait ages for a Hobbit movie and then two come along at once. As Peter Jackson's latest Middle-Earth opus inches ever closer, we talked to the two stars at the heart of its pivotal Riddles in the Dark scene, Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis, to get their take on the Unexpected Journey.


Dredd

It's the biggest British indie movie ever made, and it's looking as bloody, violent and uncompromising as one could wish from a Judge Dredd film. We got the skinny from all the filmmakers about what went on, those editing-nightmare rumours and why we can soon expect Three Colours Dredd.


Taken 2

Liam Neeson has a particular set of skills, but as it turns out "being the hardest man in the world" is only secondary to "giving a fascinating interview on his hard-boiled sequel". Which is just as well, really, as our Chris was worried that he'd be hunted down if he asked the wrong question...


Oliver Stone

We take a two-pronged approach to Oliver Stone this month, ahead of his latest film, Savages. First, we sit down with the man himself to get his thoughts on his latest film and his career to date. Then, we quiz his collaborators from four decades to learn what it's like working with one of Hollywood's most mercurial talents.


The Sweeney

Start practicing your Cockney because legendary tough-cop series The Sweeney is headed to the big screen, and Ray Winstone is leading the way. Our Mark Dinning headed down to talk to director Nick Love on why this is a brand new dawn, as well as Winstone and co-star Ben "Plan B" Drew on playing such bad-boy cops.


Frankenweenie & Paranorman

Two animated films about kids dealing with the undead - so sue us, we covered them side-by-side. But there's still much to distinguish Frankenweenie and ParaNorman. One comes from crazy-haired auteur Tim Burton; the other from the stop-motion animation geniuses at Laika. Read all about them, and get excited for both.


Keira Knightley

She burst onto the scene as an almost fully-formed star, but has been working like the dickens ever since to push her boundaries and hone her skills. Ahead of her turn in Anna Karenina, we talk to Blighty's finest about working with Joe Wright again and what's up next...


Clive Barker's Nightbreed

Clive Barker's Nightbreed was an infamous flop on release, a film that alienated both horror fans and critics. But it was a corrupted fragment of the director's original cut, which has only recently emerged thanks to a fan campaign lasting decades. We got the full story on what went wrong - and how a select few have been trying to put it right...


On Location

Wondering what Thor did next? Wonder no longer, because we have an exclusive report from the set of Ron Howard's Rush, the Formula 1 drama starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl. Also in On Location this month, we look at Riddick, Ruby Sparks, Les Miserables and Mud. On Location: brought to you by the letters R and M.


Slate

Everyone who's anyone is in Slate this month. We look at Christian Bale's collaboration with Zhang Yimou, the start of filming on Mad Max: Fury Road, get the low-down from John Moore on Die Hard 5, learn more about Argo and 50 Shades Of Grey, investigate how often Matthew McConaughey takes his shirt off and ask Jackie Chan about a Pint of Milk. It's all here!


In Cinemas

Ted kicks things off in cinemas this month, with Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and, er, a cuddly toy entertaining us mightily. Then we take a good long look at Pixar's Brave, and enjoy a Christian Bale double-bill between our meaty four-page Dark Knight Rises review and a look at The Flowers Of War. These and much more in cinemas this month!


Re-View

The Hunger Games leads Re-View this month as the dystopian teen thriller hits DVD and Blu-ray. But we also take a peek at Marley, Headhunters, the Jaws Blu-ray release and much more. The Masterpiece is Billy Wilder's The Apartment, and Hans Zimmer talks us through the Dark Knight Rises score.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

The fourth outing of the spy franchise welcomes a new director - Pixar genius Brad Bird - but boasts a return from the man who's still maybe the biggest star in the world, Tom Cruise. Our editor, Mark Dinning, went along to Pittsburgh, where he's now filming Jack Reacher adaptation One Shot, to chat to the star about his latest outing and what's next for him. But we also sent Mark to track down his Impossible cast mates and director, to get the full story on just what difficulties Ethan Hunt and team will be facing in Ghost Protocol and what we can expect from the latest director in the series.

War Horse: The Spielberg Special Part Two

Last month we brought you Steven Spielberg's thoughts on The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn. This month, we're looking at his next film, War Horse, the World War I epic that follows the boy detective in a few months' time. Our Ian Freer travelled down to the film's Surrey set on a cold and rainy day last October to talk exclusively to a cold-afflicted Spielberg, as well as joining him in LA ten months later, to get the full story. Warning: contains a nearly-unthinkable tale of Spielberg playing practical jokes on cinematographer buddy Janusz Kaminski.

The Lord Of The Rings 10th Birthday Celebration


Hobbits Reunion

At the very heart of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy are the four hobbits played by Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan. Inseparable during the shoot and linked for life by their experiences there, they hadn't seen each other all together for years until we reassembled them for a reunion shoot to mark the 10th anniversary of the release. So take a look, and read the accompanying interview to hear all about having lilies strewn at their feet, the toilets on set and whether hobbit feet are hereditary. We also have an exclusive collection of Aragorn's personal photos from the set in Viggo Mortensen's Middle-Earth. Jackson's Unseen Concept Art
Ever wondered how they settled on the design for the Balrog? Or Shelob? Or Sauron, or the Witch King of Angmar? Well, wonder no more: our trove of previously-unreleased concept art, as explained by Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and Peter Jackson himself, gives you new details on how the monsters of The Lord Of The Rings came to look the way they did. Throughout the Lord Of The Rings celebration, we also bring you untold stories from all the cast and crew. Yes, they still had a few untold stories after all these years!
Lord of the Rings: Oscar Memories

How does it feel to win all 11 of the 11 Academy Awards you're nominated for? What do you tend to remember of Oscar night? And what did Steven Spielberg tell Peter Jackson on the way off-stage after presenting him with Best Director? The answers to all these questions and more are right here, as we bring you a complete oral history of that night-of-nights for New Zealand. They may just have won the Rugby World Cup on home turf, and sure, a few All Blacks are probably pleased about that, but we all know that it's the Oscars victory that matters most. Right?

Terry Gilliam

He has been called the unluckiest man in Hollywood, but he's also one of the most creative and bloody-mindedly brilliant filmmakers out there. Terry Gilliam sat down with us to talk about his career, from animated Python insanity to the glorious tilting at windmills he's undertaken on behalf Don Quixote. From Time Bandits to Brazil, from 12 Monkeys to Brothers Grimm to why he doesn't like The Prestige, it's all here in a lengthy and relaxed interview that is typically Gilliam. Warning: no punches pulled.

Terrence Davies

Our Ian Freer really loves Terrence Davies' films - as, indeed, do all of the ten people who have seen his films. So the release of his latest, an elegant adaptation of Terrence Ratigan's play The Deep Blue Sea (not about sharks) starring Rachel Weisz, Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston, marked a god-given opportunity to look back over Davies' career to date and hopefully introduce a few new people to his works. The good news is that he's very, very fun (directing actors, he says, "I'd like to ply you all with cocaine, but we can't afford it"); the better news is that he's one of Blighty's finest filmmaking talents and he's right here in this month's Empire.

The Two Marilyns

A Tale of Two Films, this. You see, My Week With Marilyn, wherein Michelle Williams plays the gorgeous Ms Monroe, is set during filming of Laurence Olivier's Hollywood comedy The Princess And The Showgirl. So we cleverly combined the two and discuss both in one epic feature, with the cast and director of My Week With Marilyn talking about their inspiration. Find out why this story offers such a compelling insight into Monroe's life, and why it is that - just sometimes - Monroe could totally out-act the none-more-thespy Olivier onscreen...

Games Special

Do you enjoy unleashing hell in your spare time? Do you like to unwind by laying smackdown or blasting a cap in others? Well then this month's game supplement is for you, laying out exactly what you'll be needing over the next few months to exercise your more violent impulses in perfect safety. We go behind the scenes on Modern Warfare 3, preview 2012's finest with a look at titles like Aliens: Colonial Marines, Hitman: Absolution, Star Wars: The Old Republic and BioShock Infinite, and review Batman: Arkham City and the other big releases of the moment.

The Slate

Superteams lead the way in Slate this month, with a look at The Avengers and, er, The Three Stooges. Then there's the death-and-destruction theme, with spies going postal in This Means War and aliens invading in The Darkest Hour. We learn more about what Gerard Butler's been up to, take a look at Arthur Christmas, see what Dexter Fletcher's been up to with Wild Bill and learn more about the new Dragon Tattoo, Headhunters. All this, and the hairiness of Nick Frost's arse is revealed! And Nic Cage's secret vampire past!




In Cinemas

The world's biggest director kicks things off as we review The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn, followed by two of its biggest stars: Brad Pitt in Moneyball and Johnny Depp in The Rum Diaries. Terrence Davies goes back to the 1950s in The Deep Blue Sea, while Andrea Arnold visits Wuthering Heights and Gerard Butler becomes a Machine-Gun Preacher. But who gets the Empire seal of approval and who's left languishing in one-star ignominy? Read on to find out.


ReView

What do Bridesmaids, The Tree of Life and Transformers: Dark of the Moon have in common? Why, the fact that they're all in the Re:view section this month, a bumper section that includes all the best pre-Christmas releases. Silent Running, Touch Of Evil and, er, Kung Fu Panda 2 are also in there, along with a Passport To Pimlico masterpiece, a look at Community and some gorgeous coffee table tomes in Books. You'll never have to leave the house again!

X-Men: First Class

Matthew Vaughn's X-Men prequel, First Class, gets not one but two covers this month: one led by Professor Xavier's X-mutants, the other by Magneto's brotherhood. Which - because Magneto knows what he's doing - includes January Jones' barely-dressed psychic Emma Frost. Inside, we have a full report from the film's set and editing suite, with the word from the cast and director on the insanely pressured shooting schedule, the cool cast and the 60s sci-fi chic look. And for a bonus, we have the first news on Marvel's upcoming spin-offs and sequels - including a potential First Class follow-up...

Thor

Marvel's Thor might speak in cod-Shakespearean tones in the comics, but it was nevertheless a surprise when very-non-cod-Shakespearean actor and director Kenneth Branagh was hired to direct the film adaptation of Thor's adventures. Rounding out the Brit Director's Diary series, Branagh talks us through his childhood discovery of Thor, the decision to suddenly involve himself in a comic-book movie, and the challenges of making the Thunder God's story work onscreen. He also addresses that Idris Elba casting choice, and even discusses Chris Hemsworth's diet. If you've ever wanted to look like a god, you'll get your tips here.

Attack The Block

If you asked Hollywood about the greatest threat to the human race, they'd probably say it was aliens: after all, those little green / grey bastards have come close to blowing up the planet countless times. But if you asked the British tabloids, they probably reckon it's hoodies and "yoofs". Clever Joe Cornish (our second Brit Director) has pitted the two against each other in his debut film, which is already one of the most buzzed about efforts of the year. In his own words, here he explains what on Earth inspired him to pit ET against the inhabitants of a south London tower block, and how he got the film's distinctive lingo just right.

Priest 3D

Our Slate section kicks off this month with the latest news on Priest, wherein Paul Bettany plays the sort of holy man who tends not to sit and have tea with little old ladies, what with being busy slaying vampires. Also packing the section is Steven Spielberg's War Horse; Rodrigo Cortes' follow-up to Buried, Red Lights; Michelle Monaghan and Jake Gyllenhaal explaining Source Code, Takeshi Miike's 13 Assassins and Roland Emmerich's unlikely Shakespeare project, Anonymous. Rounding out the section there's news on Bad Teacher, Jason Statham, Carla Gugino and Bryan Singer.

Hanna

In the first of our Brit Director's Diary features, Joe Wright gives his own account of the decision to make an action movie / fairy tale about a 13 year-old girl. Starring Saoirse Ronan as the titular Hanna, alongside Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana, this starts in northern Finland and takes in half of north Africa and Europe as well as some dead reindeer. Wright talks us through his experiences in Hollywood and his decision to go from schizophrenia drama The Soloist to a rather more bizarre, almost dreamy ultra-violent growing up story.

Robert Pattinson

Alright, stop shrieking, ladies, and stop throwing things, gentlemen. The once and future R.Pattz hasn't just been sitting on his Team Edward T-shirts during the gap between Twilight movies; he's been out there making the potentially interesting literary adaptation Water For Elephants, alongside Oscar-winners Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon. Last time he worked with Witherspoon, on 2004's Vanity Fair, he ended up on the cutting room floor. This time, he should do better - and he swears he had no idea that Twilight would be so big. Read this, and you might even like the guy.

Apocalypse Now

Our Ian Freer gets all the tough gigs. This month, he had to fly out to California's Napa Valley to hang out with Francis Ford Coppola at his vineyard home and discuss his war drama masterpiece, Apocalypse Now. Ian's about the world's biggest fan of the film, and Coppola was in a talkative mode, so however much you think you know about it, we can pretty much guarantee that you're going to learn something new as Coppola talks about the shoot, the cast, those set pieces and what's next for cinema...

Kubrick: Part Two

Following on from last month's detailed examination of half of Stanley Kubrick's films, we follow up with an in-depth look at more of his masterpieces: the traumas involvedi in making The Shining, the premonitions of The Shining, the disastrous attempts to toe the studio line in Spartacus, and Kubrick's strange love stories in Eyes Wide Shut, Barry Lyndon and Lolita. Including new interviews with everyone from Christiane Kubrick to Malcolm McDowell, this is a must for fans of history's most meticulous - and maybe most talented - director.

Martin Sheen And Emilio Estevez

One of them played Billy the Kid; the other one played the best President America never had. Now they're teaming up for The Way, a touching drama directed by Emilio and starring Martin that tells the story of a father mourning his dead son by following in the latter's footsteps - literally - along the pilgrim's route to Santiago in northern Spain. Here the pair talk about their careers, the decisions that led to this movie, and their own prodigal son / brother, Charlie, as he deals with his own demons.

Charlie Sheen

Speaking of which, here's a look back over the career of the current holder of the Most Controversial Man In Showbusiness award. Adam Smith looks at the highs and lows of Sheen's career to date, from his early and breakthrough performances to his recent tiger-blood drinking, self-rehabing notoriety. Because whatever else you claim about the black sheep of the Sheen/Estevez clan, never claim that he's boring.

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

Michael Bay is back, back, back with another dose of blockbusting mayhem in Transformers 3, the biggest toy-to-screen franchise until Christopher Nolan decides to make an Action Man biopic. Bay is Hollywood's equivalent of LA's sky-reaching US Bank Tower: a reliably ginormous monolith dwarfing everything around in the City of Angels. Love him or not, he paints from a bigger canvas than any other director at work. Empire caught up with him as he put the finishing touches on Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, a third instalment he describes as 'kind of like a spy movie". Disappointingly, this doesn't turn out to involve Optimus Prime brandishing a newspaper with eyeholes cut out. Happily, in a refreshingly candid chat, Bay shed some light on his new 'bot-battling tentpole and told us where Transformers 2 went wrong. Two words, Michael: Robot genitals.



The Slate

This month's chockers news section has a fantastical feel to it. An in-depth first look at the long-awaited and finally confirmed cast of The Hobbit gets things off to a rollicking start. If you know the bit on the telly when footballers turn and grin at the camera, the introduction of Peter Jackson's new cast of hobbits and dwarves at Wellington's Weta Digital was a bit like that, only with more beards. We chatted to the key players before packing our bags and heading several thousand years (in mythology terms) to the '60s of X-Men: First Class to cast a beady one over Matthew Vaughn's bone-shaking X-prequel. If all that doesn't sate your appetite, there's a double dose of Superman, aka Henry Cavill, who'll be buckling swash as Theseus in Tarsem Singh's Immortals before donning the red cape as the Man Of Steel.

Marion Cotillard

Oscar winner, conspiracy theorist and holder of Empire's prestigious Weirdest Dream Ever award (it involves lesbians, shootouts and the cast of Hawaii Five-O... don't ask), Marion Cotillard isn't your average Hollywood starlet. "I admired Greta Garbo," she purrs, "but I really wanted to be Peter Sellers". Quoi? If the thought of Cotillard tiptoeing through a Parisian apartment whispering, "Now is not ze time, Kato!" seems a little melon-twisting, she's the kind of screen presence that can carry audiences seemingly wherever she desires. She's appearing next in a typically free-spirited role in relationship drama Little White Lies - think a French version of The (Le) Big (Grande) Chill (Chill?) - in which the old fibs and deceits of a group of friends come out to play during a seaside vacation. For added spice, it's also directed by her partner Guillaume Canet. Catch the whole interview in this month's issue.

Green Lantern

As we know, it has not been a gilded few years for films with the word 'green' in the title. Green Zone flopped, Green Hornet fizzled and Greenberg, good as it was, scarred us with the most awkward sex scene for many moons. Can Green Lantern buck this in-no-way-arbitrary trend? Don't bet against it, especially with Ryan Reynolds' physical presence and razor-like comic timing in front of the camera, and Martin Campbell, the man who made Bond fly again, behind it. The story of a man's quest for a higher purpose - a free-wheeler turned superhero - dates back to the '40s and inspired Star Wars. Can it inspire audiences weaned on superhero epics? The star and director told us what to expect from the $200m spectacular.

Conan

This month Empire stepped back in time to ancient Hyboria to meet the new Conan. Disappointingly, Marcus Nispel's Conan doesn't feature a scrawny, red-haired New York talkshow host spending two hours trying to pick up a giant sword; happily he'll be offering a freshly sharpened take on Robert E. Howard's tale of revenge, romance and 'pecs the size of Romford. Nispel has taken the epic John Milius/Arnie adventure, torn up much of the original tale, added 3D, vengeance, a hessian sack worth of effects and the muscular presence of Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa. "Conan needs to be the kind of guy that grabs a girl's ass, and he likely gets laid that night," Nispel explains. Arnie wouldn't do that. He's the Governor of California.

Scream 4

The Ghostface killer returns. After a decade's hiatus, the malevolent, masked presence in Wes Craven's postmodern horror is creeping back onto our screams, sorry, screens, with old hands Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette in close attendance. There's also a cast of fresh-faced teens to face the knife-wielding but super-smart psychopaths. There will unquestionably be blood. Loads of it. So how better to mark the occasion than to get the three survivors of the first three films, give them a big 'ole knife, get out the karo syrup and taking a few snaps, while chatting merrily with Craven himself about the Scream tetralogy?

Kubrick: Part One

Roll up for the first of a two-part film-by-film, or if you're Scatman Crothers, blow-by-blow account of Stanley Kubrick's glorious career. There are new interviews with Stanley's widow Christiane Kubrick who he met on the set of Paths Of Glory, producer Jan Harlan (Christiane's brother) and 2001's FX maestro Douglas Trumbull. Astonishingly, Kubrick's only Oscar came for his and Trumbull's work on 2001's special effects, but pick one of his movies at random and the chances are you've got a worthy Best Picture. Empire casts a fresh eye at his early work from The Killer's Kiss to The Killing, his sci-fi masterpiece and his three war epics, Paths Of Glory, Dr. Strangelove and Full Metal Jacket. Unmissable.

Hangover 2

The April issue's quickfire Hangover 2 set visit is brought to you by the number four and the drug Rohypnol. The four - Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) - were last seen piecing together their night of Vegas carnage. The Rohypnol may or may not make another appearance in the sequel, but one thing is for sure, judging by our interview: Bangkok ain't gonna be an easier ride for the boys, with or without Mel Gibson. For that they can thank director Todd Phillips. "Patpong's for tourists," he tells us, "I was more into the ladyboy scene..."

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

Pete and Dud... Derek and Clive... however you remember the double act, whether as loveable charmers or as the sweariest, most booze-soaked rogues ever to (dis)grace tellies in the '70s, the pair were every inch the rebel geniuses of British comedy. With Arthur, Moore's Hollywood comedy hit, making his merrily ramshackle way back onto our screens with Russell Brand, Empire looks back at a creative partnership that could be a little, well, tense. Okay, they hated each other's guts. So where did it all go wrong, and how did it end up going so right for the salt-and-vinegar pairing of wits? Find out here - all with the bonus of Brand on Moore and Rhys Ifans on Cook, a man he's played.
Ken Loach

Is his visceral new film, Route Irish, Ken Loach's audition to become the new Michael Bay? "The thing is", he laughs, "if you've got to shoot an explosion, you get special effects in and they make it explode and you just chose the camera positions". We're saying that's probably a no, then. The Iraq and Liverpool-set thriller is, however, a departure for one of Britain's longest working filmmakers. At 74, he's turned his eye to Britain's role in the new Iraq, a violent setting against which a character drama plays out boasting all Loach's usual grit and power. What better excuse to track down the Midlander for a cuppa and a fascinating chat about his life, career and love of Bath City FC?

In Cinemas Roundup

The Adjustment Bureau opens this month's In Cinemas section in a blur of Inception-meets-Casablanca-meets-Philip K. Dick wizardry, with Bourne Ultimate writer George Nolfi making his directorial bow, and Matt Damon and Emily Blunt playing lovers chased across most of Manhattan by shady men in hats. Another debut feature follows hot on the heels of the sci-fi magic: Richard Ayoade's homespun coming-of-age tale Submarine, as well as Farrelly brothers' rom-com Hall Pass, Julie Taymor's adaptaton of The Tempest, and the return of filmmaking legends Woody Allen (You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger), Ken Loach (Route Irish) and Werner Herzog (Cave Of Forgotten Dreams). They all get the rule run over them right here.

At Home Roundup

This month's Re-View section careers in with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine clinging to the roof and a cargo of kittens heading straight for it. That's right: Unstoppable is out for your at-home viewing needs. Also out are a dazzling array of DVD/Blu-ray releases that can be broadly split into three categories: Awesomely demented (Jackass 3, Machete, Paranormal Activity 2, Skyline); cerebral and provocative (The Kids Are All Right, The American, The Arbor, Tamara Drew, Made In Dagenham); and Thai films with 'Uncle Boonmee' in the title (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). There's a special joy for fans of Matt Reeves' horror Let Me In with that terrifying swimming pool scene broken down by Reeves and his FX honcho Brad Parker. What was that about being safe to go back into the water?

Thor

Forsooth! What light through yonder magazine breaks? It's the Norse God of Thunder, and Kenneth Branagh is his director! Our James went on set of Marvel's latest superhero movie to find out how Captain Kirk's dad, Shakespeare's biggest director and a really outlandish Avenger are getting along together. Have they kept the Shakespearean dialogue that Thor is famous for? Will he bring the thunder? And what's this about The Destroyer?

Let Me In

Starring her from Kick-Ass and him from The Road, this adaptation of Let The Right One In is not just another remake. For one thing, director Matt Reeves felt a very personal connection to the story's hero, and fought against studio attempts to change the age of the characters. For another, he got the coolest young actors in the business as his stars. And third, he offers some honest explanations for the changes he's made to the original's approach, and some good reasons why things could also work his way. If you're not convinced, read on to find out more

Mark Ruffalo

He's long been one of the most likable and interesting indie actors around, but after being cast in The Avengers as Bruce Banner earlier this year, Mark Ruffalo's suddenly on track for honest-to-god stardom. We asked him about his plans for the role, but also got the latest on his upcoming film, The Kids Are Alright, where he stars opposite Annette Benning and Julianne Moore and no one has any superpowers at all.

The Fighter + The Slate

It's another jam-packed Slate section this month, opening with The Fighter, starring the rather combative Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg, and directed by the equally feisty David O. Russell. We've also got exclusive interviews with Emma Stone, Sally Russell and Simon Pegg, while Werner Herzog takes our fiendish Movie Mastermind quiz. And then there's a first look at The Thing, The Tempest and Arthur, as well as much, much more

Unstoppable

Tony Scott. Denzel Washington. Chris Pine. A runaway train that's essentially a missile the size of the Chrysler Building! It is, we learn, like Runaway Train meets Jaws meets Speed meets Training Day meets Duel meets Apocalypse Now, as Tony Scott delivers his latest slice of big action. The good news is that the train's a "living, breathing, mean sonuvabitch". The really good news is that it's not in 3D, it doesn't use loads of CG and the train really was going at 60mph during filming.

Todd Phillips

Robert Downey Jr calls Todd Phillips his favourite director in our profile of the Due Date creator, something that could royally piss off Guy Ritchie and Jon Favreau. But in person we get the Hangover director's take on Hollywood, comedy and his future plans. Did you know about his start in documentaries? His connection to a serial killer? And what when wrong with School for Scoundrels? If not, read this month's issue for the lowdown.

In Cinemas Preview

This month opens with our take on David Fincher's The Social Network, but we're also bringing you the verdict on Let Me In, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Easy A, RED and many more. However, one spoiler right now: Vampires Suck scrapes a one-star review. Shocking, right?

Drew Struzan

Probably the best poster artist of the last 40 years, Drew Struzan illustrated the posters for everything from The Thing to Raiders of the Lost Ark to Hook. And however the movie turned out, his posters are always a thing of beauty. We talk to the man himself and get his views on discarded, never-before-seen designs, modern classics and a few special one-offs. Struzan also explains why he retired, and let's just say we need to start a letter writing campaign to the big studios to get him back

Monsters

The most buzzed-about low-budget movie of 2010 is Monsters, Gareth Edwards' small-scale huge epic set against the background of a Mexico populated by alien monsters. We got Edwards to give us the experience of making the movie in his own words, and talked to the stars, Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able, whose own relationship blossomed and turned into engagement during the making of the film. Aww.

The American

George Clooney's new film, from the director of Control - and what more do you need to make you go see it? - is shaping up to be a very different sort of thriller. Director Anton Corbijn is determined to bring us dark Clooney rather than Cary Grant-Clooney, and talks us through the creation of a more European, slightly 1970s-style movie in The American.

Back Story - The Day After

Occasionally, a movie comes along that people say will change the world. Very, very rarely, a film actually does. And one of the most influential films ever was a TV movie called The Day After, the story of a cataclysmic nuclear war and the consequences for the few survivors left in its immediate aftermath. Mary Poppins, it ain't - but after US President Ronald Reagan watched it, he changed his whole defence policy. We have the full story

Re-View Roundup

Kicking off with the long-awaited Alien Anthology (now on shiny Blu-ray, hoorah) and continuing with everything from Iron Man 2 to Fanboys to Back to the Future to the Court Jester, it's a busy month for fans of films at home. And what's this? A set visit to The Walking Dead? Don't mind if we do. And there's a bit of Empire Strikes Back to round it all up. What's not to love?

Mark Wahlberg

He may have started off pants - sorry, in pants - advertising undies while rapping with the Funky Bunch, but these days Mark Wahlberg is one of the cooler stars out there. We chatted to him about everything from going to jail as a teenager, tackling comedy improvisation on The Other Guys and working with Scorsese on The Departed. Read it, then say hi to your mother for us.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

The boy wizard is headed towards a final confrontation with He Who Must Not Be Named as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, nears release. We talked to the central three castmembers - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - to profile how they're dealing with the end of an era, and a shoot that's lasted well over a year. But there's also news on what you can expect from the King's Cross scene, how much damage Hogwarts will sustain and why it's the emotional stuff that's really going to get you this time.

10 Coolest Movies We Want To See

Some movies get everyone excited because they're big. But other movies get people excited because you just know they're going to be cool, and it's those films that we preview in this month's issue. From the Coen Brothers True Grit to Matt Damon channelling Philip K. Dick in The Adjustment Bureau, these promise to be weird and wonderful rather than merely explosive. With on-set reports and exclusive new pictures, it's also a handy guide to the films whose names you should start dropping early for maximum credibility.

The Slate - Alien Invasion Special

If one thing was clear from Comic-Con this year, it's that alien invasion stories are big news. Our intrepid team braved infected territory to get you the lowdown on all these extra-terrestrial visitors, from the large-scale infestations of Skylight, Monsters and Battle: Los Angeles to the rather less threatening Paul and the more Western Cowboys & Aliens. With a packed news section rounded out by a James Cameron Movie Mastermind and all the latest on Jon Hamm, Dominic Cooper, Rooney Mara (the new Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Let Me In, this should keep you going all month.

Red

Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale their infinite variety. Which "them" do we mean? Why, the cast of Red, wherein Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren star as retired assassins who show the young folk how it's done. Tell you what, we wouldn't want to be in Karl Urban's shoes (as their opponent) when this quartet get going. We were on set in Louisiana to get the full story on why a bunch of distinguished older actors are getting their machine-guns on in a comic-book adaptation.

The Social Network

Let's be clear: this is not going to be a film about people staring at a computer screen. The story of the creation of Facebook, as taken from Ben Mezrich's book, adapted in Aaron Sorkin's script and directed by David Fincher, promises to be an epic story of creation, friendship and betrayal. With exclusive access to the set and the cast - including Jesse "Zombieland" Eisenberg, Andrew "new Spider-Man" Garfield and Justin "Sexy Back" Timberland - here's the lowdown on a geek tragedy (sorry).

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

The effect of Mexican drug wars on children's cinemas is often overlooked, but in the case of the latest Chronicle of Narnia, they played a huge role. The film, once set to shoot in Mexico as a Disney production, now comes to us via Australia and 20th Century Fox. From the set and the editing room, here's everything you need to know about (probably) the best of the Narnia stories, from its troubled start to the dragon-filled finish.

Ryan Reynolds

He's already played Deadpool and now he's the Green Lantern, but Ryan Reynolds is having a harder time of it this month as he's buried alive in, er, Buried. We sat down with the disgustingly good-looking, appallingly funny, outrageously charming actor to ask why someone married to Scarlett Johansson would volunteer to spend weeks in a splintery wooden box, six feet under, for Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes. Oh, and there's some Green Lantern news in there as well. Just because we like spoiling you.

John Landis, John Carpenter And Joe Dante Are Back!

John Landis, John Carpenter and Joe Dante were once legends of Hollywood horror, churning out strings of hits through the late 1970s and early 1980s. All three, however, suffered setbacks and have been missing in action for much of the last decade. But now, with (respectively) Burke & Hare, The Ward and The Hole in 3D, all three are back on our screens, so it seemed the perfect time to talk to the trio, and present the parallel stories of their rises, falls and - hopefully - returns to form.

Re-view Roundup

Robin Hood leads our Re-View section this month, with Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott's epic also deconstructed in our Anatomy of a Scene. But there's also an in-depth look at the new Banksy movie, Exit Through The Gift Shop, some consideration of Solaris in our Masterpiece section, an in-depth (and spoiler-filled) discussion of Lost, and oodles of new films, old films, games, music and more. It's got everything, basically.

Behind-The-Scenes At Movie-Con III

August this year saw the third Empire-BFI Movie Con at the BFI Southbank, bringing together some of the most interesting filmmakers around and a whole heap of Empire-reading movie fans. Our Chris Hewitt once again hosted the event without getting himself arrested (except by Stormtroopers at one point), and we had exclusive clips and news from films like Thor, Captain America, 127 Hours, Let Me In, Buried and lots more. This month's issue has our full write-up of the event, and exclusive photos of the attendees, making it the perfect souvenir for those who were there and the perfect bluffer's guide for anyone who missed it.

Julia Roberts Interview

Judging by the reception for her latest film, Eat Pray Love, at the US box office, Julia Roberts just might have regained her crown as the world's biggest female star. As the film rolls out on this side of the pond, we sat down to chat with her about her career break and coming back to the big time - via a stint of pasta-eating in Italy, praying in India and snuggling with Javier Bardem in Bali (in the movie. Not in real life - Penelope Cruz would be furious). Read on to remember why you loved her in the first place.

Tron Legacy

It was ahead of its time in 1983, but the original Tron is getting a heck of a tribute in the form of big-budget, gorgeously designed sequel Tron Legacy. The film isn't due until December, but we have a report from the Vancouver set and exclusive interviews with all the key cast and crew to bring you everything you need to know on this latest tale of lightcycles, neon and gladiator games. Step through Flynn's Arcade into a whole new and completely stunning world in the latest issue.

Comic-Con Preview

Later this month Comic-Con will smother San Diego under a pasty-white avalanche of geek-flesh, but in anticipation of the big event (which we will of course be live-blogging and videoblogisode-ing online) we've got a Comic-Con preview to give you a sneak peek at the films expected to rock this year's festival. From Thor to Machete to Conan, these are going to be the big hitters that set the internet abuzz come July 22.

The Future Of Movies

The Empire Rolodex came out this month as we called up Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis to talk to us about the future of movies for an exclusive peek into what cinema has in store over the next few years. The three performance-capturing big-thinkers sat down with our Ian Freer to talk about 3D, slamming Meryl Streep and Andy Serkis scratching his butt. Possibly in retaliation, we also asked Andy Serkis, surely the world's leading performance-captured actor, his views on the cinema of the future

The Last Airbender

Before there was Avatar, there was... Avatar: The Last Airbender, a kids’ cartoon show that’s bigger than Justin Bieber, the Twilight Saga and Rafael Nadal's biceps combined. And now M. Night Shyamalan, master of the twist, has turned the phenomenon into, as the saying goes, a major motion picture. And, just to make sure you can keep up to date on the film, as well as handily impress any young 'uns you meet in the near future, we’ve put together a handy guide to the major characters, from the villainous Prince Zuko (Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel), to Katara (Nicola Peltz) and even the bender of air himself, Aang (Noah Ringer), complete with exclusive interviews. Bend that...

The Slate

Want the latest on Seth Rogen's Green Hornet? Fancy a look at Despicable Me? How about a chat with the cast of Shrek on the final instalment in the franchise? Or, if that doesn't float your boat, what about a look at the unfeasibly beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the new star of Transformers 3? That and much more are in this month's Slate section, where we also find out how much Sean Bean knows about his own movies and how hairy Sharlto Copley's ass is.

Jerry Bruckheimer

His movies have made $47 bajillion at the box office and he's got two big blockbusters out this summer - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Nicolas Cage in the upcoming Sorcerer's Apprentice. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer, after all, who brought us everything from Top Gun to Pearl Harbor to the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. We posed your questions to the uber-producer and got his views on explosions vs. character, the place of 3D and whether we can ever expect to see him on Entourage...

Dennis Hopper

The death in May of Dennis Hopper marked the end of an era in Hollywood and the passing of an iconoclastic icon. From fresh-faced, straight-laced turns in the 1950s through the countercultural '60s and the chaotic '70s, Dennis Hopper was always worth watching and continued to inspire as a writer, director and fine artist throughout his crazy life. In tribute to the man who defined several Hollywood eras, we reflect on his career and films.

Jonah Hex

It didn't exactly set the US box office alight, but there's a fascinating story behind Jonah Hex, starring Josh Brolin as the scarred comic-book anti-hero, directed by the guy who made Horton Hears A Who! and filmed in conditions so difficult that they scared even Mickey Rourke. We talked to all involved to get the inside story on an unlikely supernatural Western, and bring you the story of a true underdog.

Anjelica Huston

She's Hollywood royalty, an Oscar-winner in her own right and the daughter of the legendary John Huston, but Angelica Huston is more than just a member of a famous family. We talked to her about her astonishing career to date, from early films with her father to Prizzi's Honor and The Addams Family, to her recent collaborations with Wes Anderson. Empire forumites will even be pleased to know that she mentions the cult sci-fi effort Ice Pirates in an in-depth career discussion.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Celebration

It's chalks up more laughs per minute than a Tickle-Me-Elmo going full-blast, and after seven seasons Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing down. As shooting starts on season eight, we talked to the cast about the secrets of the show's success and what's coming up next time around. Plus, we get Ricky Gervais to talk us through his favourite Curb moments - and that's just one part of the mammoth Re:View section, packed with all this month's DVD, book, soundtrack and blu-ray releases.

How To Love... Alfred Hitchcock: Part 2

Continuing last month's mammoth How To Love Hitchcock feature, we leave aside the darker side of his filmography to look at the lighter, funnier chase movies like The 39 Steps and North By Northwest that grace his CV. We've also compiled profiles of his favourite blondes, delved deep into his war work and non-film projects, and taken a look at his knack for publicity stunts. After this, you will know everything there is to know about the Master of Suspense.

Inception

Forget about that elusive Batman III, because the movie you've been dreaming of is just over a month away. We've had four days' on-set access as well as an interview with Leonardo himself to help us solve the riddle of Nolan's latest, a contemporary sci-fi actioner 'set within the architecture of the mind'. It's The Matrix meets 007 "on steroids!" - arguably the most exciting sentence in the world. Ever.

Christopher Nolan Interview

The Dark Knight's master welcomes us into his home and production HQ in the Hollywood hills to talk Batman, Kubrick, sci-fi, 'old-school directing', and 3D, as his follow-up to the Caped Crusader's billion-dollar triumph is finally prepared for release.

Christopher Nolan: The Movies, The Memories.

Batman Begins, The Prestige, Insomnia, Memento and, of course, The Dark Knight - fantastic films all. But don't take our word for it, as Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, Wally Pfister and Jonathan Nolan (respectively) write exclusively on just how Nolan makes the magic happen.

Scott Pilgrim: Meet The Seven Evil Exes

Not one, not two, but... seven - and not all of them male, by the way, but all of them ever so very evil and hell-bent on kicking Scott Pilgrim's ass. Keep your enemies close as you discover just who Scott will be standing up against once Edgar Wright's graphic novel adaptation flies headlong into your multiplex come August this year.

Predators: On-Set Special

Grab your mud-coloured body-paint and sharpen yourself a very pointy stick, because the Predators have returned to ask a few questions... and they're not taking your petrified screams for an answer. We go behind the scenes to see how the sci-fi reboot is shaping up after its decade-and-a-half wait to see the light of day.

Knight And Day: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, amazing screen icons alone, a dynamite interview together. Poor Nev Pierce has the arduous task of sitting down and chatting with a couple of the most charismatic characters in the business as they talk Hitchcock, Paul Newman and espionage comedies, as well as their previous outing, Vanilla Sky, and their latest, Knight And Day.

The Story Of Pixar

A long, long time ago (okay, just over 30 years) in a land far, far away (the US, to be precise) some of Pixar's biggest names all went to the California Institute Of The Arts, to one special classroom, A113, and since then they've gone on to create some of the most revolutionary animated movies ever made. Love 'em or merely like 'em a lot, it's an amazing tale and one we retell in this very issue.

Rachel Weisz Inteview

Prepare your longing sighs now, gentlemen, as she's just as charming, delightful and intelligent as you'd expect her to be - i.e. very. Damon Wise talks to the Brothers Bloom star about playing Blanche Du Bois on stage, the Jackie O movie she's working on with her husband, Darren Aronofsky, and the disappearance of decent drama in Hollywood.

Escape To Victory Reunited

The World Cup? Do you think we'd forget the beautiful game, after all it's given cinema? Why there's, um, Mean Machine, and, er, Shaolin Soccer and, wait, wait, wait... Escape To Victory! Now there's a film - one that we partially recreate as the old boys are brought back together to celebrate the best football/World War II movie ever made.

Russell Brand

What's this? Russell Brand, he of naughty radio show fame, playing an oversexed, drugged-up rock and roll buffoon? This cannot be! Katy Perry's husband to-be explains how Get Him To The Greek director Nick Stoller ransacked his past in creating his Aldous Snow character and why playing the leather clad ne'er-do-well was actually a lot harder than you might think...

How To Love... Alfred Hitchcock

Celebrating Psycho's 50th birthday, we take an in depth look at just how Hitchcock pulled off hugely entertaining movies that were also darkly profound, again and again. In the first of our two-part series on the great man, the silent years, his leading men, and his collaborators all get the kind of analysis only the great masters deserve.

Meet The A-Team

If you love it when a plan comes together, you're going to love Joe Carnahan's The A-Team. Not only are there a number of different plans, each coming together beautifully, but there are tanks fighting planes. In the sky. In short, this isn't the Saturday evening TV staple of your youth simply rebooted. This is the Saturday TV staple of your youth with a rocket under it and a giant cigar stuffed in its mouth. Our on-set special takes you to Vancouver to hear from the band of modern-day brigands - Neeson, Copley, Cooper and Jackson - to find out what to expect.


Meet The Expendables

Forget sunbathing and jaunty trips to the seaside, this summer is all about men with pecs the size of Romford beating each other to a pulp. That's right, The Expendables are here. If you're lookingh for one long reason to dodge the sunshine to spend a few hours in a darkened cinema in the company of virtually every '80s action star worth his salt, look no further. Empire spoke to Sylvester Stallone and the most granite-hued cast in movie history to talk Latin despots, on-set injuries and the perils of expendability. As an statistical bonus, we've taken out our calculator to work out how many movie fatalities the cast have been responsible for. It's a giant calculator.


World Exclusive Look At Salt

In a role once earmarked for Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie joins the action wham-boree this summer as Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative accused of working for the KGB. Phillip Noyce, the man who gave us Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger, knows his way around a pulse-escalating actioner. In a world exclusive, he talks Empire through Salt's labyrinthine world of espionage-heavy thrills, a world in which nothing -including Jolie's hair colour - is what it seems.


Chris Evans On Captain America

One of the most used phrases in the Empire office is the line, "Chris Evans is the best thing in it". It's true of Fantastic Four, Push, his new film The Losers and even, er, The Nanny Diaries. But at last the man who isn't the Radio 2 DJ of the same name (you can tell cause this one's massively better looking) has a leading role all of his own in blockbuster-in-the-making Captain America - and we took him aside and threatened his perfect abs with a doughnut until he talked turkey about Cap'.


Cruise And Diaz On Knight And Day

Among this summer's blockbusters, Knight And Day has snuck along under the radar like some kind of stealth movie - albeit a stealth movie which, with its breakneck bike chases and breathless banter, moves at supersonic speed. With a trailer just the other side of awesome, the comedy-actioner high on any respectable must-see list. Director James Mangold talks through reuniting Vanilla Sky co-stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz and unleashing them on an unsuspecting world.


Can Anyone Stop Chris Morris?

A man who is to media outrage what a disorientated bull is to a overstocked china shop, Chris Morris sets his sights on the war on terror with Four Lions, a comedy-drama that entertains and challenges in equal measure. In a rare interview, he tells us what makes him tick and what we can expect from a film that, on paper, sounds like a headliner writer's dream waiting to happen. He's a provocateur, comedic genius and now a film director - whatever you do, though, don't call him a satirist.


Master Of Villains: Mark Strong

Devilish in Sherlock Holmes, demented in Kick-Ass, dastardedly in Robin Hood, and very unlikely to be petting kittens or escorting grannies across busy roads in either Green Lantern or John Carter Of Mars, it's safe to say Mark Strong is rapidly becoming Hollywood's go-to bad guy of choice. There's more to the North Londoner than menacing the righteous though. Much more. He takes Empire behind the scenes of Robin Hood and Kick-Ass and lets us into a film future so bright it may actually burn our eyes. In, like, a metaphorical sense.


The Inside Story Of The Awards

It was another star-studded year at the Empire awards, and we have all the photos, quotes, sketches and scandal from the night presented for your convenience in one handy magazine-sized package. So did Sir Ian McKellen punch anyone? Did Sam Worthington insist on drinking camomile tea all evening? And did the famously nice Simon Pegg reveal himself as a horrendous diva with an entourage of 20? Well, no, of course not; but to find out what really happened, you'll have to pick up the new issue.


Big Interview: Nicolas Cage

A man of a thousand faces, and at least as many haircuts, Nicolas Cage is one of Hollywood's biggest stars and someone whose performances are always memorable. As the barmy but brilliant Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans nears release, we cornered Cage to ask about his latest role and career to date. From that well-known comic-book obsession to rather more obscure Cage facts, it's all here in a comprehensive interview with one of the unpredictable actors around.


The Men Of Hot Time Tub Machine

A hands-down winner for title of the year, Hot Tub Time Machine sees John Cusack revisit the sort of raunchy sex comedy he used to make in his teens - only this time he's old enough to know better, and joined by the comedy powerhouses of Rob Corddry (long a stalwart of The Daily Show), Craig Robinson (Knocked Up, Walk Hard), and Michael Cera's sometime comedy foil, Clark Duke (Kick-Ass). We got the lowdown on their barmy '80s-set time-travel adventure from all four stars: read it before you see the movie!


Avatar On Blu-ray Reviewed

You may have heard of Avatar. It's the biggest movie of all time, a box-office behemoth that your mum probably took your granny to see at a midnight screening on the Imax. And now it's reached DVD and Blu-ray, so we thought you just might want to see a review of it. We've also got a freeze-frame-friendly guide to the hidden references and gags you might find on home viewing, and the word from James Cameron and producer Jon Landau on what to look out for.

Back Story: The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges may not be household names in this country, but in the US the 1930s stars remain cultural icons, pioneers of a brand of physical comedy that puts even Jim Carrey to shame. While the long-mooted Three Stooges movie continues to wend its way slowly through the Seven Circles of Development Hell, we look back at the original pioneers to bring you the true story behind the pratfalls and endless petty acts of violence. Whadya mean, you didn't know there had to be a story behind petty acts of violence?

Robin Hood


After the feast of magic numbers that was Empire's 250th issue, there's only one digit to wrap your mind around in this month's Blockbuster special: 1200. It's not just the Middle Ages setting for Ridley Scott's gritty reimagining of Robin Hood, but the number of extras the legendary director uses for the film's epic battle scenes. Empire visits the film's Nottingham set to talk to Sir Ridley, Russell and their Merry Men, and find out from Maid Marian - aka Cate Blanchett - what makes the Rid 'n' Russ partnership tick. It's got something to do with hippos.

Prince Of Persia

The baron of the blockbuster, Jerry Bruckheimer, welcomes us onto the set of this month's second bow-based epic, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, to share the secret of making a computer game adaptation that doesn't suck and a few juicy morsels on the film's magical McGuffin, the Dagger of Time. The man who stumbles up on it, Jake Gyllehaal's Persian scamp Dastan, is also on hand to talk about his comic chemistry with Gemma Arterton, while director Mike Newell tells us what it was like to play alongside Alan Shearer. Ah, wrong Mike Newell apparently.

Iron Man 2


War Machine. Whiplash. AC/DC. Cheerleaders. Ma-hooosive explosions. That's right, 'Ol Shellhead is back and a million percent louder. With Marvel's magnificent metal magnate poised to bust some serious block this summer, the third part of Empire's blockbuster special takes in the changes chez Stark. And there's plenty. We talk to the cast and Iron Man 2's director, Jon Favreau, as he whizzes from set to post-production to give your one-stop guide to all things ferrous.

Oliver Stone

Director, agent provocateur, unofficial spokeman for a generation, and the man who turned Colin Farrell blond - Oliver Stone has been burning the midnight oil putting the finishing touches on his latest cinematic statement, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. If money never sleeps (does it at least nap?), Stone doesn't either and he's as energised as ever as he talks us through a sequel 23 years in the making but as topical as if it was hatched yesterday.

The Killer Inside Me

This month's feature to give the Daily Mail a collective coronary, The Killer Inside Me lit up the Sundance Festival, and not in a completely good way. We sent our Johnny-on-the-spot, Damon Wise, to Utah to find out why Michael Winterbottom's adaptation of Jim Thompson's '50s noir had one audience member screaming at the end of a screening. It might have had something to do with its stomach-churning scenes of violence and wife-beating by Casey Affleck's psycho sheriff, Lou Ford. Just a guess, mind.

The Slate

The Slate this month is all about the comedy (The Other Guys, Get Him To The Greek)... and action (The Losers, Bad Lieutenant)... oh, and with any luck, a bit of both (Date Night speed dating with the fantabulous Tina Fey and Steve Carrell). Look out too for a World Exclusive first look at John Landis' return with Burke And Hare, a pitch-black-comedy that boasts the talents of Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson and, indeed, Ronnie Corbett.

Whip It


Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with Whip It, an ambitious coming-of-age tale starring a posse of females (Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig among them) with the steel and smarts to send the A-Team packing - epecially if the A-Team should ever take up roller derby, a demented cross between rollerskating and bar-brawling, all shot under the watchful eye of Steven Spielberg's niece. Whip It will rock your (pop)socks off and Empire is on set to join the scrimmage and find out why.

Lord Of The Rings On Blu-ray

Break out the pipeweed and rejoice for this month is Lord Of The Rings month in ReView. With the trilogy finally released on Blu-ray, we travel back to Middle Earth to reveal what you, the reader, have voted your favourite scene, and find out how it was made. Does your choice tally with James Cameron or Guillermo del Toro's? Find out as we canvas Hollywood's finest to discover which moment they flick too most often. There's loads of other stuff too (2012! Sherlock Holmes! Doctor Parnassus) so buy, you fools!

Conan The Unmade


With Cimmerian's mighty muscle-bound, snake-wrestling warrior soon returning to our screens to wreck more majestic carnage, the pages of Back Story flick to another epic tale. This one involves cloned beast-men, shark attacks, ice worms, witch queens and Oliver Stone. The young scriptwriter was one of many players in the quest to bring Robert E. Howard's legendary Conan to the big screen. This month's issue tells the full story of how the sullen-eyed reaver finally came to cinematic life.

Pierce Brosnan

Suaver than an otter in a silk cravat, Pierce Brosnan is back and busier than ever. This month's Big Interview is a cracker as the erstwhile 007 talks widely and freely about life after Bond, Tony Blair ("I have no feelings for the man"), Roman Polanski ("He's formidable") and how he scored that part in Mamma Mia ("it was for my legs - in Lycra"). With Remember Me out shortly, he gives his take on the R-Pattz phenomenon and the slightly older demographic that still drives Brosnan-mania.

25 Years of Back to the Future

Marty McFly. Doc Brown. Flux capacitors. 1.21 gigawatts. Few films have entered into our pop-culture consciousness like Back To The Future, and on this 25th anniversary of the McFly's debut (or, depending on your point in the timeline, 125th, 55th or -5th anniversary) we get the full story from the people who made it, as well as bringing you a viewing guide to each of the films and a helpful timeline...

The Slate

The Slate this month comes packed with exclusive looks at some of the hottest new films of the year, including the lowdown on The Losers, a peek at Prince of Persia and an insight into Inception. There's also word from the set of Never Let Me Go, an introduction to Noomi Rapace, star of an early contender for the year's best thriller in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and lots more. How much does Ben Kingsley know about his own films? Only Empire has the answer...

Kick Ass Reviewed!

Kicking off our In Cinemas section this month is Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, the non-super superhero story that's already blown everyone here away and is set to do the same to you come March 26. But that's not all: we also have Empire's verdict on Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Paul Greengrass' Green Zone and other contenders including I Love You Phillip Morris, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and How To Train Your Dragon. These and all the other new movies out this month...

Gemma Arterton


You may still think of her as a Bond girl, or as a be-stockinged, miniskirted schoolgirl in St Trinians. But Gemma Arterton is branching out this summer, starring in two very different sword-and-sandal epics - playing "earth mother" Io in Clash of the Titans and feisty princess Tamina in Prince of Persia - and in between there's tense drama in The Disappearance Of Alice Creed. We talked to the hottest upcoming British star about her career to date, and what's next...

The A-Team

On set of the long-awaited adaptation of the 1980s TV series, we spoke to director Joe Carnahan and his cast about the tone they're going for, the challenge of taking on such iconic roles and the tweaks needed to bring the plot up to date. Rest assured as well: a whole lot of stuff will be blown up.

Up In The Air

All three leads of Jason Reitman's Up In The Air are Oscar-nominated, so we thought it would be a jolly jape to get them all together and quiz them on what they thought of each other. So here are Vera Farmiga, George Clooney and Anna Kendrick on each other and their success to date. Warning: accompanying portraits may cause hopeless feelings of unhandsomeness.

Clash of the Titans: The Creatures

Don't know your Gorgons from your Gordons gin and tonic? Have trouble telling Calibos from the Kraken? Well, fear no more: our latest Clash of the Titans feature is here to explain the monsters, myth and mayhem behind Louis Leterrier's take on the 1981 mini-classic. Oh, and Leterrier explains why Pegasus is black now...

Stallone

You might not instantly associate Sylvester Stallone with wit, self-deprecating humour and a successful career as a painter, but turns out he's got all three of those in spades. He's also got a quite astonishing collection of injuries following his directing and starring stint on The Expendables, but it turns out that's good, because actors don't do their best work when they're "soft".

Gervais and Merchant

You don't so much interview the team behind The Office and the upcoming Cemetary Junction as try to get in a word edgeways occasionally. But we met the pair on set of their new film to talk about the appeal of Reading to them, the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger's head and the joy of, er, vampire boobs - and it's all in this month's issue.

Tim Burton Sketches

Ever wondered what the inside of Tim Burton's head looks like? Well, we have 15 glimpses of the contents, thanks to a selection of sketches that show some of the character development in his movies. Fun fact: he basically drew Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter long before he knew either of them.

Danny Boyle

His last film, Slumdog Millionaire, may have won eight Oscars, but Danny Boyle isn't making things easy for himself with his next effort, 127 Hours. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a climber who cut off his own arm when he became stuck halfway up a cliff (yes, really) this is a film with some unusual challenges, so we persuaded Boyle to talk us through his approach to a one-character movie...

Troublemaker Studios

It's named after a style of cowboy hat, it's filled with some of the geeky-coolest merchandise you'll ever see and, oh, they also make movies there. We visited Austin and Robert Rodriguez' Troublemaker Studios to bring you the lowdown on how to make movies outside of Tinseltown and save money doing it.

Tarantino's Favourite Scenes

Filmmakers often say that choosing a favourite among their films would be like choosing a favourite child - simply impossible. But we persuaded Quentin Tarantino to at least talk us through his favourite scenes, resulting in a list of the ten moments and sequences that he prefers throughout the movies he's written and directed. Expect the unexpected.

Clint Eastwood

As he approaches his 80th birthday and shows no signs whatsoever of slowing down, Clint Eastwood is as tough and clear-minded as he ever was, unable to stop making films because he learns something new on each one. We talked to him about his films to date, the directors who inspired him, and whether he'll act again...

Re.View


We have a bumper selection of DVD and Blu-ray reviews this month, led by Zombieland, A Serious Man and Fantastic Mr Fox among the new releases, and pieces on Clash of the Titans (the original) and Fitzcarraldo further back. Oh, and we take a look at Band of Brothers companion piece The Pacific, as well as sitting in on a scoring session for Centurion and lots more besides.

Seven Samurai

It may look like magic onscreen, but we've dug around and discovered the tears, tantrums and, er, trout that went into making a masterpiece in an in depth feature on Akira Kurosawa's most famous people. This feature is also extremely useful for pub quizzes, since it not only gives you the names and cast list for all Seven Samurai, but The Magnificent Seven and the Battle Beyond The Stars team for good measure. No need to thank us; just send us half your winnings.

Kick-Ass

Our fetchingly bruised cover star this month is Kick-Ass' Aaron Johnson (along with co-stars Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage), and inside is our comprehensive set report and interviews with the cast and crew. Director Matthew Vaughn explains why he was delighted that the studios didn't want it; Nicolas Cage explains the influence of an ex-girlfriend on his role, and we hear how Christopher Mintz-Plasse got the Zac Efron part. This may be the coolest film of 2010; you're going to want the lowdown.

Avatar 2


James Cameron was, unsurprisingly, in good form when we spoke to him recently about the success of Avatar, its award prospects and - most importantly of all - what we can expect from a sequel. But that's just the opener to our new section, The Slate, which also has exclusive pics and news from Scott Pilgrim, The Expendables and more, as well as interviews with Amanda Seyfried, Brendan Fraser, Tom Ford and more...

Wall Street 2

In these financially uncertain times, it's good to know that Gordon Gekko is still out there preaching that greed is good, or possibly bad, or maybe so-so. To find out which, you're really going to have to read our first look at Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. With an exclusive on-set report and the latest from Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf and Stone himself, this will fully prepare you for its April release.

Shutter Island

Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and now Shutter Island, talks us through Martin Scorsese's new thriller and explains why the book is the result of him "imploding" as he wrote it. He's also got the inside scoop on working with Scorsese and the filmic touchstones to the paranoia-drenched, Gothic thriller, and explains why the only people who are really going to like it are the French...

Natalie Portman

She's more beautiful than sunset reflected on a diamond necklace designed by da Vinci, but Natalie Portman isn't just playing love interests and girlfriends. In Brothers, she's playing drama and tragedy as the wife of a Marine lost in Afghanistan, but after that she's going straight for lighter movies with the knockabout comedy of Your Highness, the action of Thor and the, er, zombies of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies - and we've got her take on all of them.

Harrison Ford


The man, the myth the legend, that is Harrison Ford talks us through his new film Extraordinary Measures (which he also produces), his stellar career and confounds our Ian Freer's best attempts not to mention Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard or Han Solo. In fact, he manages to talk about all his major films at some length, so if you're studying for a degree in Ford-ology, this should be your textbook.

Legion

Paul Bettany has accomplished many things since he turned to acting, appearing in Oscar-winning films, with the Royal Shakespeare Company and as Chaucer in, er, A Knight's Tale. But the pinnacle of his career to date is surely his turn in Legion as a de-winged, machine-gun-armed archangel fighting the heavenly host to protect the unborn Second Coming from a vengeful Almighty. Sign up for Legion with director Scott Stewart and Bettany himself in the new issue.

Roman Polanski


Oscar-winner and fugitive Roman Polanski is probably one of the most controversial figures in the world right now, something that has, to date, thoroughly overshadowed the release of his new film, The Ghost. Nev Pierce untangles the web that surrounds Polanski to report on the arrest, the aftermath and the film that Polanski finished editing from jail. That, at least, involves a political rather than a criminal scandal.

Re.View

Pixar's mighty Up leads off our look at this month's home entertainment, where we also explain how to follow Mesrine's lead in breaking out of prison, what Park Chan-Wook was thinking when he swapped vengeance for vampires, and what Christopher Walken really thinks about his internet fame. Plus all the games, books, soundtracks and TV that you'd expect.

The Back Story


Sure, there are also features on 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, war movie Lebanon and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan - but if you're a fan of Hollywood history, the one you're going to want to focus on is the theory that Orson Welles was responsible for the still-unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short. Sound barmy? Well, maybe - or maybe not! (or maybe). Read the facts and judge for yourself.

On Set: Alice In Wonderland


Judging by its gloriously trippy artwork, Lewis Carroll's fantastical classic, Alice In Wonderland, is virtually tailor made for the kaleidoscopic vision of Tim Burton. And 'virtual' is the operative word as the director takes us down the rabbit hole and into the film's LA studio, where the tale is taking shape gloriously in front of greenscreen, all faithfully recording in our special on-set report.

On Set: Tron

More secret than a bag full of squirrels, Tron Legacy is shrouded in the kind of subterfuge more normally associated with a Cold War spy thriller. Our approach was simple: take star Olivia Wilde and lock her in a room until she told us something we could put in our on-set preview. It was a tough gig but it paid off.

On Set: The Last Airbender

M. Night Shyamalan is a man who likes to surprise us and by adapting a Saturday morning cartoon for his next project, he's repeated the trick. We went behind the scenes of The Last Airbender to find out what we can expect from the family-friendly fantasy.

Mel Gibson: A Life On Set

Mad Max... Martin Riggs... William Wallace; Mel Gibson looks set to add Edge of Darkness' man-on-a-mission Thomas Craven to that hefty list of iconic characters. Gibson gave us an exclusive interview to mark his first appearance in nearly nine years and talk us through his three decades in film.

News: Percy Jackson

Roll over Harry, there's a new teen hero with an elemental quest on his plate. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is helmed by Chris Columbus, the man who brought Harry Potter to the screen, and is the first in a planned franchise for the super-powered Percy. Hear about from Columbus himself, as he gives us his A-Z(eus) on the young demi-god.

News: Toy Story 3

The Toys are back in town. In 2010, Buzz, Woody, Rex, Hamm, the Potatoes and the rest of the lovable clan are joined by a host of new characters for Toy Story 3. Director Lee Unkrich gives News Etc. a sneak peak behind the door of Andy's bedroom and the latest helping of Pixar perfection.

Helen Mirren

From The Long Good Friday and Prime Suspect to The Queen and this year's Golden Globe-nominated performance in The Last Station, Helen Mirren is an actress for whom the word 'doyenne' was practically invented. Just don't tell her that. She joined us to cast an eye back over her career to date and look forward to her Rowan Joffe's Brighton Rock.

Re.View: District 9


In celebration of our new-look home entertainment section, we've assembled more prawns than a bumper Aussie barbie for a spectacular behind-the-scenes look at District 9, the sci-fi sleeper that blew us away this summer. Clue: it's an anatomy of a scene with actual anatomy.

Re-View: Funny People

With a cast that included Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Jason Schwartzman, Funny People could hardly fail to raise a healthy laugh count. But will time prove kinder to it than the box office? And what does Judd Apatow have in store on the DVD extras? Find out here.

Re-View: 24

If it weren't for Jack Bauer we'd all be cowering in a nuclear bunker by now, praying quietly we didn't leave the iron isn't on. We spoke to the man behind the man, Kiefer Sutherland, to get all the gen on 24 Day 8.

Subscriber cover

Iron Man 2


Looking cool as ice on the cover this month is Iron Man, back once again like the renegade master he is. We have a full set report giving you the inside story on the production, as well as all-new behind-the-scenes shots of Tony Stark and co.

Robin Hood

Get lost in Sherwood with Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe for company, opening out News Etc. section this month. We've got a first look at Maid Marion and the Merry Men (not so merry in this serious, action-packed adaptation), as well as big news from Salt, A Prophet, The Hobbit, The A-Team and Avatar.

Sherlock Holmes

Because you can never have too much Robert Downey Jr. Yes, as well as appearing in Iron Man he's also in Sherlock Holmes, and we got the full story from Holmes, his Doctor Watson - Jude Law - and director Guy Ritchie, as well as femme fatale Rachel McAdams.

Oscars 2010 Special

We bring you a profile of the likely contenders at next March's Academy Awards. There's a strong Brit showing from Clive Owen and Colin Firth, as well as Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, The Road and Up In The Air, to name but a few.

Oscars 2010: The Lovely Bones

Leading off our Oscar special is Peter Jackson's adaptation of the heartbreaking bestseller. As well as some rather gorgeous new stills from the film, we have the full story from the cast and crew for what looks set to be another Jackson success.

Oscars 2010: Morgan Freeman

He has more gravitas than entire national judiciaries, and he's playing a legend in Clint Eastwood's new film Invictus, where Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela. We talked to the man, the myth, the legend to find out all about his latest challenge.

Oscars 2010: Avatar

As the release date of James Cameron's Avatar approaches, we persuaded James Cameron to stop working for a minute and talk about his sci-fi epic, addressing the initial reaction to the first footage and what we can expect from the finished product.

Oscars 2010: Up In The Air

George Clooney's latest film has been garnering Oscar buzz like no one's business, the tale of a depressed executive and his quest for an air miles milestone. We talked to director Jason Reitman and star Anna Kendrick for the full story.

Aaron Johnson

He's not even 20 yet, but Aaron Johnson has already made a name for himself in Hollywood and is set to explode with two very different new films: a serious turn as John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and a rather twisted superhero turn in Kick-Ass.

Bunny and the Bull

We ceded control of four pages of the magazine to the Bunny and the Bull team this issue, inviting them to design and write their own feature in their own inimitable style. You may need to turn the mag sideways or upside down to read this, but it's worth it, we promise.

Review of the Year

It's that time again, as we bring you the best and brightest, the big breakthrough performances, the big trends in filmmaking and Empire's pick of the top ten films of the year. Can you guess what movie landed at number one? Clue: it wasn't Transformers 2.

Jean Pierre Jeunet


In celebration of Mic Macs, the upcoming movie from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, we take a look back over the work of one of the most individual and instantly recognisable filmmakers around, from Delicatessen and Amelie to A Very Long Engagement. Vive la France!

Gene Hackman

He's a living legend, a man who delivered great performances from The French Connection to Mississippi Burning to The Royal Tenenbaums, to name but a few. And while Gene Hackman's largely retired from acting, he took time out to talk to us about his new book and a little about his career.

See all covers here: "Icons Of The Decade"

1. Clash of the Titans

Gods, monsters, ladies with snakes for hair, mechanical owls and the star of Avatar and Terminator Salvation: Clash of the Titans has got it all. We were on set of the forthcoming Greek epic multiple times, so here we bring you the lowdown from all the cast and crew, from director Louis Leterrier to Gemma Arterton, here typecast as a goddess, on the grittier, dirtier remake of a nostalgic favourite.


2. New Moon

Free New Moon Posters!

Aaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yes, calm yourselves ladies: we talked to R-Pattz, K-Stew and Jake-Abs to bring you the lowdown on Twilight sequel New Moon. Oh, there are still lovestruck teenage girls involved, and romantic vampires, but director Chris Weitz and his cast explain why this one is a more guy-friendly movie. And as if that weren't enough, there are giant posters too.


3. The Alien Saga

It's Alien's 30th birthday, and to celebrate the anniversary of the Facehugger's explosive emergence from its egg we bring you the complete story of the saga. An anatomy of the chestburster scene. The lowdown on all the Colonial Marines. A set report from Alien3 that goes some way to explaining what went worng. An exclusive, in-depth interview with Sigourney Weaver. This is the Alien story in full, and will remind you how freakin' great the films are.


4. Diablo Cody

She's hot, she's cool and she understands three-act structure: welcome to the superstar screenwriter of Juno and the upcoming Jennifer's Body. We talked to Diablo Cody about alpha females, giant robots and her new horror movie, and asked why it is that she identifies so strongly with teenagers. Warning: contains tattoos and pictures of hot women.


5. Taking Woodstock

Ang Lee has mastered pretty much every genre there is, and now he's tackling a US cultural watershed with a behind-the-scenes story set at the Woodstock Festival. We bring you the story on his near-breakdown following Lust, Caution's negative reaction and the search for authenticity that shaped his take on Woodstock…


6. Robert Zemeckis

He's been working solely in 3D performance capture for years now, and with his latest film A Christmas Carol Robert Zemeckis has taken another leap forward in making convincing computer characters. We talked to a cinema pioneer about why he's turned his back on live action, and look through his back catalogue at some classic films.


7. Centurion

Neil Marshall doesn't make things easy on himself or his cast. From beheadings to death-leaps from waterfalls to actual cases of frostbite, the shooting of Centurion has been a tough one - but it's one that everyone's surprisingly cheery about, because it looks like this "Scottish-Roman Western" is on to something. We've got the full story from the set.


8. Steve Soderbergh

The Oceans films. Erin Brockovich. Sex, lies and videotape. Steven Soderbergh has one of the most impressive and eclectic CVs in Hollywood, so when we sat down for a (very) long chat with him recently for this month's Big Interview, the conversation was wide-ranging and comprehensive. Pick up the issue for the lowdown on why he loves Ocean's Twelve, working with a porn star and his philosophy on filmmaking.


9. Nine

The News section this month opens with Penelope Cruz in full showgirl mode in Rob Marshall's Nine, the Daniel Day-Lewis-starring musical where every single member of the cast has at least fourteen Oscar nominations. But that's not all: we also have the full report from Movie-Con, new pics from The Expendables and Up In The Air, a tribute to Patrick Swayze and so much more that the internet has run out of room.


10. Up

Leading the In Cinemas review section this month is the sublime Up, Pixar's latest film and one that makes the weirdo proposition of tying balloons to your house and sailing off to the Amazon seem like a good idea. Also in there is The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Jennifer's Body, as well as Fantastic Mr Fox and 9. Meanwhile Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell opens a packed At Home section - this is an issue packed to the gills.

1. Sherlock Holmes: On-Set Exclusive!

Empire joins the new-look Holmes and Watson - aka Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law - to find out how director Guy Ritchie is reinventing The World's Greatest Detective™ and his sidekick as gritty, kick-ass crimefighters.


2. Best Ever Preview Issue!

And it's not just Holmes we're previewing: we line up the unmissable movies for the coming year, giving you fresh insight into (deep breath) James Cameron's blockiest of busters Avatar, Megan Fox's Jennifer's Body, Pixar's latest caper Up, indie coming-of-age dramedy Adventureland, lavish Victorian legend Dorian Gray, dapper animated tale Fantastic Mr Fox, natural disaster flick 2012, Jim Carrey's festive A Christmas Carol, Matt Damon in The Informant, space horror Pandorum, and Spike Jonze's childhood fantasy Where The Wild Things Are. Phew! See what we mean about best ever?


3. Alice In Wonderland

Bringing you a first look at Tim Burton's stunning vision of Alice In Wonderland, including new shots of Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Mia Wasikowska's Alice, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen and Johnny Depp in his most outlandish get-up to date as The Mad Hatter. Well, it's the role he's been preparing for for years, isn't it?


4. District 9

South African sci-fi District 9, directed by up-and-comer Neill Blomkamp, looks to be this year's underground must-see blockbuster-in-the-making. It tells the story of a marginalised society of refugee aliens, cast out and living in Johannesburg's rundown District 9, who are under threat from a mercenary law-enforcement unit determined to utilise the alien weapons technology. When a human becomes mutated with alien DNA, he is forced to hide in their midst, becoming the most hunted bounty in the country.


5. Mavericks

Vincent Cassel, Katheryn Bigelow, Joe Wright, Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine... Empire showcases the ones to watch of the current crop of cinema's coolest outsiders. From Brit directors Joe Wright and Shane Meadows to Gallic trailblazer Vincent Cassel and Hurt Locker helmer Katheryn Bigelow, this is a definitive collection of the most important iconoclastic talent working in film right now.


6. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

Empire goes inside Studio Ghibli to meet the world's greatest animation director. With unparalleled access to the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, we get a taste of the inspirations behind films such as Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away and the upcoming Ponyo.


7. Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time

Check out the news section for exclusive new shots of Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton looking decidedly sultry, sexy and (strangely) a little bit soggy in the desert for Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, Mike Newell's swashbuckling Middle Eastern adventure. We get the lowdown from producer Jerry Bruckheimer on why this is could be the next Pirates Of The Caribbean.


8. 9

Not to be confused with Rob Marshall's lady-laden musical Nine, or for that matter District 9 or The Nines, this is an apocalyptic epic, rag-doll style. We have brand new shots from the film, where we get to witness our sackcloth saviour 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) staring into the abyss and finding the courage to save the world (we hope). We find out how producers Timor Bekmambetov and Tim Burton shaped the film, and get a little hint of what we can expect.


9. The Hurt Locker

Kathryn 'Point Break' Bigelow returns with the most literally exciting movie of the year, totally bucking the trend of not-so-great Iraq War movies with this deeply thrilling tale of a bomb-disposal team on the front line. Read our five-star review - and also find all the latest cinema and DVD reviews, as well as much, much more. Pick up the new issue of Empire, on sale July 30, for the world's best movie coverage.


10. The Big Interview: Pedro Almodovar

Back with latest muse Penelope Cruz for Broken Embraces, we meet Spanish director Pedro Almodovar for a career-spanning interview, taking in everything from his earliest films in post-Franco Spain to his current international reknown. Read on to find out what makes the man who gave us Bad Education, Talk To Her and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! tick.

1. Inglourious Basterds


QT's knife-flicking, throat-slitting, Nazi-scalping stab at a history lesson shakes up the World War II epic and puts Brad Pitt into Dirty Dozen mode as red-neck agent-of-Deutsche-doom LT. Aldo Raine. Empire got unparalleled access to the set, checked out the major players, and saw just how Tarantino turned around a film he had been planning for nigh on a decade in just under ten months.


2. 1001 Greatest Movie Moments


Ever wondered what the nine greatest movie plunges are? Or perhaps the seven best film scenes in the dark? And how about the eight most marvellous door-kicking-in moments? Empire has painstakingly re-watched, ruminated on and recorded the times of all of the greatest moments in movie history, the bits which get people talking - the 1001 moments in cinema which you simply must see.


3. Surrogates


One Bruce is just not enough. We take a look at exclusive footage of Jonathan Mostow's Surrogates, and get a sneak peek of a shiny, rather buffed-up Brucie running riot. But he hasn't hit the botox: this is Willis' very own Surrogate, a robotic replica, which allows those in possession to live vicariously without ever having to leave their homes. But with people being killed via their surrogates, Willis is forced out of housebound retirement to find the killer. Empire talks to director Mostow about bringing the 54 year old Willis back to an action with a sci-fi twist.


4. Judd Apatow


He's the King of Hollywood Comedy just at the moment, sitting at the centre of a web of talented writers, performers and directors who are shaping Tinseltown's laughers in their own image. But now Judd Apatow's heading in a slightly different direction with Funny People, a semi-serious look behind-the-scenes of stand-ups and comedy players with an all-star cast. We caught up with him to hear why he thinks his career has all gone wrong.


5. Land of the Lost


Reviving an American classic in the shape of alternate reality family fun starring Will Ferrell, Lemony Snickett director Brad Silberling has done away with the nuclear family of palaentologist Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell), replacing them with a thirty something grad student from the North of England (Anna Friel) and a sleeveless denim-shirted Carnie (Danny McBride). Prepare yourself for effects-filled comedy and the welcome sight of comedy veteran Ferrell trading quips with up-and-comer McBride - and we've got the full story.


6. Daniel Radcliffe


The cherub face is gone, replaced by some chiselled edges and a decidedly grown-up approach to the last three films as Harry Potter nears its close. We find out just how Radcliffe plans to move on from his magic years, and why - despite looking distinctly manly these days - he is still distracted by oddly thought-out interior decoration. Plus, we give you our selection of the top five Harry Potter moments so far committed to celluloid.


7. Jennifer's Body


As if the first look at Megan Fox in a cheerleading uniform wasn't enough, we find out why Diablo Cody decided to follow up teen pregnancy comedy Juno with a feminist horror movie. Co-starring Mamma Mia!'sAmanda Seyfried as Fox's former best friend who bites back at her now demonic mean girl mate, we get the lowdown on what even Fox calls a sick, offensive comedy.


8. Avatar


James Cameron's last film was a little effort called Titanic, so the world's on tenterhooks to see his latest effort - and return to the sci-fi of his early Terminator and Aliens hits - with Avatar later this year. We bring you the latest on the videogame tie-in, along with quotes from Cameron himself on what we can expect. "Historically, games derived from movies have sucked, and I don't want anything from Avatar to suck," said Cameron. Colour us excited.


9. Two Big New Reviews


Inglourious Basterds and Public Enemies are both reviewed in the new issue of Empire, and after intense office debate on the question of whether Michael Mann or Quentin Tarantino more deserved the top spot, we decided to avoid the problem and give them both in-depth, exhaustive three-page reviews so you can be supremely well-informed on both before you even set foot in the cinema. Also in reviews, Antichrist, Frozen River and the excellent Moon.


10. News, Features, And More


But that ain't all! We've also got fresh pictures from The Twilight Saga: New Moon, your guide to Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, news from Stallone's The Expendables, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the missing link between Transformers and Star Trek, all the DVD, Blu ray, book, soundtrack and game reviews worth bothering with, and much much more. Pick up the new Empire to find out!

1. Public Enemies

Johnny Depp. Michael Mann. Christian Bale. The question is why you're still here reading this instead of booking tickets for Public Enemies, the Mann film that casts Depp as legendary 1930s gangster John Dillinger and Bale as Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent assigned to track him down. We talked to the filmmakers (including Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard) to get the full story on the film's history - which goes back to a script Mann wrote in the 1970s) and see what we can expect from this latest Mann opus. Also, Kim Newman lays out the 20 Greatest Gangster Movies You've Probably Never Seen.


2. Heroes of 2010

Iron Man returns! Conan muscles in! Scott Pilgrim sidles in, grins, spills something, apologises and then unleashes a storm of martial arts moves! Yes, it's our preview of the films expected to rock our world next year, the big (Clash of the Titans), the beautiful (Toy Story 3) and the ugly (the scarred Jonah Hex). With exclusive pictures, interviews and more, this is your first port of call for all the upcoming news.


3. The Wolfman

It may have been delayed a time or two, but The Wolfman is still a thriller/horror that promises a fascinating take on the monster movie, with Benicio del Toro as the man bitten by a beastie who finds himself experiencing extreme mood swings come the full moon. Emily Blunt's his damsel in distress, Anthony Hopkins is his "mad as a bag of snakes" father, and Joe Johnston oversees the whole thing. We bring you the full story from the film's set.


4. Year One

We sent our Chris on set with Jack Black, Michael Cera, Bill Hader and Harold Ramis to get a taste of a comedy that travels from Stone Age to New Age(ish) Bible study of the Old Testament, taking a comical look at the characters along the way. Ramis explained to us what effect 9/11 had on the film, why it's not just a knockabout comedy, and tells us what he thinks about the current comedy generation.


5. Looking For Eric

When you think of football, you naturally think of Ken Loach, who's been angling to make a football movie for ages. And when you think of deep thinkers with an idiosyncratic approach to life and a distinctive political outlook, you naturally think of Eric Cantona. Which is why we're so excited to see the two working together on Looking For Eric, Loach's new film about a down-at-heel postal worker who has visions of Eric to keep his life on track. The pair talked us through their collaboration.


6. Funny People

It's been scientifically demonstrated by men in white coats that if you distil all the funny from the cast of Funny People and drink it, you will actually die laughing. So we asked writer/director/producer/comedy hub Judd Apatow to talk us through his all-comedy cast and explain who does what, and how much work they had to do to prep their stand-up routines for the film.


7. District 9

By now you may have seen the teaser trailer but it's likely that you still don't know much about District 9, the Peter Jackson-produced, South Africa-set aliens-among-us story. Well, we've got the lowdown for you in this month's news section, explaining just what's going on and showcasing some new images from the film. Also in news: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Soderbergh does porn, the future of Ghostbusters and this summer's comedy hit-in-waiting, The Hangover.


8. Tony Scott

He's rarely been accused of being subtle, but Tony Scott sure knows how to set up a striking image, whether that's billowing curtains, fighter pilots playing volleyball, Denzel Washington negotiating a fireball or Keira Knightley gun-toting. This month he talks us through his entire filmography to date, giving us the lowdown on his latest, The Taking Of Pelham 123, as a bonus.


9. Highlander

There can be only one. Well, five, if we're talking films. Plus two live-action TV shows, a cartoon and an anime series. So there can be only nine, plus books and merchandising. We bring you the full story of the Highlander saga: how they came to cast a French dude as a Scot, what the heck was going on in Highlander II and why Mario Van Peebles outweighs Guns 'n' Roses.


10. Winona Ryder

From Beetlejuice, Mermaids and Heather as a teenager, via Scorsese, Coppola and Arthur Miller, Winona Ryder's had a hell of a career to date. We went to her home in LA recently to ask her about two recent roles - in Star Trek and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - and discuss the highlights of her career to date, as well as talking Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and why she doesn't really dislike John Hughes movies.

See all covers here: "Star Wars Anniversary Covers"