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This Week...
Frankly, this week started off pretty darn brilliantly. Sunday saw me head off to Claridges in London to interview a fair proportion of the cast of War Horse (sadly, none of the equine actors) and Monday saw the talented, tall and terrifically handsome Tom Hiddleston stop by the office to charm everyone's socks off and scare FHM with his uncannily good (but very loud) Al Pacino-in-Heat impression. He proved so popular, in fact, that the webchat crashed from overcrowding, a feat our readers haven't achieved since the Serenity cast visited en masse back in 2005. His fans, the "Hiddlestoners", turn out to be pretty darn fervent. Elsewhere, we spoke to the cast of Shame and Margin Call, explained the difference between a sidequel and interquel, and quizzed you on the weirdest movie haircuts. If that isn't something for everyone, we just don't know what is. Helen O'Hara
Deputy Editor, Empire | | |
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Amazing 2012 Preview With 2012 shaping up to be the biggest year for movies in human history, Empire travels from Gotham to Middle-earth and all points in between. Muppets Celebration! It's time to write the words, it's time to, erm, add the pictures - yup, it's our ENORMOUS Muppets special. Plus: The Iron Lady, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, John Carter, David Cronenberg and much, much more.
How To Get The Issue Subscribe today Download the iPad edition Or, pick it up in shops now! | | | |
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Quentin Blake / Roald Dahl stamps from the Royal Mail. I'm totally framing mine. | | | |
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|  | | | Your face is a charming oddball road-movie about assassination.
Phil's comebacks are really coming along. | | |  | | |
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Which Profession Is Most Misrepresented Onscreen?
I awaited the debut of Eternal Law on ITV last week with some glee. It's a show about barristers who are also angels, and from the adverts I hoped for some massive legal clangers of the sort one used to see on Judge John Deeds. When the first episode failed to deliver anything completely outrageous* (beyond the obvious concept of barristers as angels), I got to thinking about which professions are most victimised by TV and film, their jobs distorted out of all recognition by the screen. I think I'm going to need input from our readers, especially those with first-hand knowledge, to really get to the bottom of this, but let's consider a few case studies first. | | | |
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War Horse: The Interviews
War Horse really couldn't have a better pedigree. Based on the beloved book by Michael Morpurgo and its acclaimed stage adaptation, screenwritten by - among others - Richard Curtis, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring a host of British acting talent, it's no wonder that it's already getting Oscar buzz. We caught up with some of the cast in London this week - including Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson and Jeremy Irvine - as well as producer Kathleen Kennedy and producer Michael Morpurgo, to find out all about it... | |
|  | | Paul Bettany Talks Margin Call
We'd hesitate to describe Margin Call as the best film you haven't heard of, but compared to some of the behemoth of awards season, it's definitely flying under the radar. Like Downfall clutching a Blackberry, it's a pin-sharp dissection of the 2008 financial meltdown seen through the prism of one New York investment bank. This is no ordinary bank, mind you. On the payroll are the likes of Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Zachary Quinto and Kevin Spacey, frantically trying not to show the strain of 36 hours spent saving the bank - and, possibly, the entire world economy. We caught up with the man in the middle of it all, Paul Bettany, to talk about the film, the challenges of working with a first-time director and the state of Hollywood. |
|  | | J.C. Chandor Talks Margin Call
When you're making your first movie, people like Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Paul Bettany are kinda cool to have around. You know, with the amazing acting and stuff. Lucky for debut director J.C. Chandor, he had all of them near at hand to help him make his meltdown thriller set in a Lehmann Brothers-like bank over 36 hours in 2008. The result is unquestionably the smartest film in the room at the moment. Empire caught up with the gregarious director to chat about the movie and get the answer to the biggest question of them all: is Stanley Tucci the nicest man in the world? |
|  | | Alternative Drive Posters
Voted by Empire's writers as their best film of 2011, Drive is one of those achingly cool movies that's destined to become a cult classic. The kind of movie, in fact, that film buffs will hang posters of in their bedrooms for decades to come. So when we got the chance to speak to Rich Andrews of Empire Design - no relation - to talk us through his work on creating Drive's poster campaign, we jumped at the chance. Guiding us through the alternate versions of the final design, Rich explains the ins and outs of making Baby Goose look extra, extra cool... |
|  | | The Big 2012 Movie Preview
Here it is: a comprehensive, exhaustive and exhausting look at all the big and small movies headed our way in 2012. From the biggest blockbuster and most Oscar-baiting dramas to the small films that just might blow us away, we've gathered them all here - and, for your convenience, assembled them in an easy-to-scan format broken down into categories that will give you some idea of next year's trends and stars. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 2012... |
|  | | Vote For The Sexiest Movie Characters
To brighten up the dark, dank January days post-Christmas, we thought we'd move your mind to happier topics. Instead of dwelling on your wet feet, windblown hair or frozen fingertips, take a moment to consider the hottest film characters of all time. Not film stars - we did that already - but characters. So Angelina Jolie and George Clooney are not eligible, but Lara Croft or Danny Ocean would be. So get your thinking caps on and get voting; we'll tot up the results once you've all had the chance to have your say. Is it all about Wolverine for you, or are you more of a Jessica Rabbit fan? Are you all about John McClane, or Casablanca's Rick Blaine, or Dr No's Honey Ryder, or is it Gilda who gets you hot under the collar? |
|  | | World War I On Film
Compared to the wealth of World War II movies out there, the filmography of the Great War is as scant as a Tommy's rum ration. Ask someone to give an example of the 1914-18 war on screen and "Blackadder Goes Fourth" is as likely an answer as, say, All Quiet On The Western Front. But if the romance and uplift craved by Hollywood filmmakers were in conspicuously short supply in the muddy trenches of Flanders and the Somme, a disproportionate number of Great War movies now rate as masterpieces. Directors had to strive for new heights – emotional and technical – to capture the sheer savagery and senselessness of the conflict. With Steven Spielberg following the likes of Renoir, Kubrick and Milestone with War Horse, we've cast an eye back over the cinema of World War I... |
|  | | Infographic: Movie Franchise Lexicon
Franchises can be funny things. It's not enough now to just have sequels or remakes. There's reboots, re-imaginings, spin-offs… and that's not even half of it. In 2012 alone we have a threequel to a reboot (The Dark Knight Rises), the first instalment of a prequel to the three instalments of a re-adaptation (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), a crossover that is also a spin-off that is also a sequel (The Avengers), and the threequel to the spin-off-that-is-also-the-prequel to the sequel of the re-imagining (The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption). Confused? So were we… until we sorted everything out with this handy lexicon. |
|  | | Sex In The City: Empire Meets The Cast Of Shame
Joining Requiem For A Dream, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Breaking The Waves and Transformers 2 as the worst date movie ever, Shame is a brutally honest dissection of male sexuality gone awry. Michael Fassbender, stripped bare in every sense, reunited with his Hunger director Steve McQueen to tell the story of Brandon Sullivan, a New Yorker with at least 99 problems, including a sister (Carey Mulligan) who's almost as damaged as he is. We sat down with them all to discuss their brilliant, brutal character drama. |
|  | | The Ultimate Haircut Picture Quiz
Need inspiration for your next hairdo? Look no further, because we've got a picture quiz that's nigh-on guaranteed to help. From enormous afros to prison-style grade ones, here are 33 cinematic haircuts to recognise and lust after. So without any further ado, may we recommend you try to work out the name of the movie from the 250x150 frame and pop your guess in the answer box beneath it... Go on, snip snip! |
|  | | Tom Hiddleston Webchat
Before our Tom Hiddleston webchat, Empire had no idea what a "Hiddlestoner" was. It turns out a "Hiddlestoner" is a die-hard Tom Hiddleston fan - and would you believe it, hundreds of them arrived en masse for a pretty amazing War Horse webchat this week. Questions were... varied, to say the least, but the answers were uniformly delightful. Or as Tom would modestly say, "moderately entertaining". Some people are never satisfied... |
|  | | Porn And Politics: Empire Meets Abi Morgan
Few writers can have managed such a peculiar combo: an explicit sex addiction drama and prestige political biopic opening within a week. Viewers who gravitate to Shame probably won't naturally fall for The Iron Lady - though both films deal to a degree with loneliness and loss. In Shame, thirtysomething New Yorker Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is crippled by sexual addiction, with pornography and prostitutes his only connections to the world. His life is upended when his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan) re-enters it, with all her emotional mess. In The Iron Lady, former prime minister Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) is struggling with old age, remembering her time in power with both pride and regret. Her sadness is that she is alone, with only the memory of her late husband (Jim Broadbent) for company. Empire spoke with screenwriter Abi Morgan about scripting sex, depicting power and the perils and pleasure of the internet... |
|  | | Vote For Your Favourite Films And Stars Of 2011
It's the most irreverent awards night on the celluloid calendar - and we need you to help decide the winners. The choice is yours - and we don't envy you the task, for it's been a hell of a year. The competition is open to any film that was released between January 22, 2011 and January 20, 2012, which means that the late-blooming likes of Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, Steve McQueen's Shame and Steven Spielberg's War Horse are all in contention. |
|  | | Done In 60 Seconds Competition
The 2012 Jameson Empire Awards Done in 60 Seconds has arrived! To take part in this year's competition and be in with a chance of winning a Jameson Empire Award and attending the star-studded and glittering Jameson Empire Awards ceremony in March 2012, grab some mates and blag a camera from somewhere and get shooting. To 60 seconds and not beyond! | | | |
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If you have any timewasters to share, then e-mail them in to me. | | | |
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A bottle of Jameson and, er, some pants ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray release of The Guard. | | | |
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War Horse 
War Horse is bold, exquisite family filmmaking in the grandest Hollywood tradition. Be warned: whether you're a hippophile or not, it's a four-hankie moviegoing experience. | | | |
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This Week's Video Trailers And Clips
Every week, our video player will update to show trailers and clips from the week's movie releases listed above. | | |
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Troll Hunter
You might need to take a Norwegian guide along to explain various local references and identify the specific trolls, but Troll Hunter's proud cultural identity - tremble, a US remake is in the works - is its strongest suit. It's wry, spectacular fun. | | | |
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