Tabla de contenidos para November 2021 en Empire

SLIME CAN BRING people together. It happened when I was but knee-high to a Gozer, seeing Ghostbusters for the first time back in the ’80s. Having gone over to a friend’s house for the night, we popped in the rented VHS tape and sat back. One library ghost, two Terror Dogs, a thousand laughs and the biggest interdimensional cross-rip since the Tunguska blast of 1909 later, we exhaled; we had just seen something that would stay with us forever. Who knows how many conversations I’ve had since about those four quirky New Yorkers with unlicensed nuclear accelerators on their backs. Arguably too many, but such is the power of Ghostbusters. And, all these years on, slime is still bringing people together. In our world-exclusive cover story, father-and-son filmmaking team Ivan…

John Nugent (News Editor): I am stupidly, unspeakably excited for this. I love The Matrix so much. I watched the first three films multiple times over lockdown. Ben Travis (Deputy Online Editor): They have some incredible action in them. Those films were the first DVDs that got passed around at my school. I have a lot of affection for them. John: I remember buying the Matrix Reloaded hologram cover of Empire back in the day and obsessively re-reading it. So this new film is my most anticipated of the year. Ben: This trailer looks quite glossy and bright, rather than the oppressive look of the original. It’s the same Matrix we see at the very end of Revolutions. John: Yeah, the colour scheme is a lot less green. Here’s a…

So, I saw the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home... Good, isn’t it? Yes, I liked the bits with Doctor Strange. He’s very funny. At the end of the trailer, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus shows up, right? Yes. But how? Isn’t he from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2? Where Tobey Maguire played Spider-Man? Yes. All the way back in 2004. Oh, and he’s also dead. So, how has he shown up here, in the MCU, saying, “Hello, Peter,” to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man? Welcome to the Multiverse, my friend. The Multi-what? The Multiverse. It’s very simple, really. It’s the idea that there are infinite universes, running parallel alongside ours, and they contain infinite variations on our world. So in the universe of the MCU, Tom Holland is Spider-Man. But in the next…

EXCELLENT GOOD OKAY POOR AWFUL OUT 21 OCTOBER CERT 12A / 155 MINS DIRECTOR Denis Villeneuve CAST Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Sharon Duncan-Brewster PLOT In the far future, an intergalactic empire runs on a substance called Spice. When dynastic family House Atreides is sent to the desert planet Arrakis to oversee the Spice operation, Duke Leto (Isaac) senses a trap, Lady Jessica (Ferguson) schemes in the shadows and Paul (Chalamet) faces his destiny. IN DUNE, MUCH is made of dreams. It’s the first word of Denis Villeneuve’s film, spoken in a booming, bone-rattling voiceover before a single production logo has even appeared. It’s prophetic dreams of a blue-eyed girl on the planet Arrakis that drive protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) towards…

★★★★ OUT 22 OCTOBER CERT TBC / 103 MINS DIRECTOR Wes Anderson CAST Benicio Del Toro, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand PLOT In Ennui-sur-Blasé, the staff of high-end magazine ‘The French Dispatch’ are putting their final issue to bed. Alongside obituaries and travel, it features stories of artistic prisoners, revolutionary students and the role of fine dining in the kidnapping of a police commissioner’s son. THE FRENCH DISPATCH is Wesley Wales Anderson (even his name sounds like one of his characters) with knobs on. A billet doux to literary magazines, a vanishing age of journalism, travel, France in general and French cinema in particular, it’s structured in a magazine format – an obituary, a travel section and three features – which gives it the feel of a…

★★★ OUT 22 OCTOBER CERT TBC / 137 MINS DIRECTOR Stephen Chbosky CAST Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Julianne Moore, Amy Adams PLOT Socially anxious high-schooler Evan Hansen (Platt) is charged by his therapist to write encouraging letters to himself. When one of these is mistaken for a suicide note from the depressed Connor Murphy (Ryan), Evan fabricates an entire friendship to help Connor’s grief-stricken parents. IF YOU GET to the end of the closing credits of Dear Evan Hansen, you will find the kind of useful helpline messaging usually reserved for a particularly serious episode of Hollyoaks. Despite being filled with catchy rock-pop bops and ballads from the La La Land/The Greatest Showman pairing of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the 2016 Broadway juggernaut — six Tonys, one…

SNOWCAT CINEMA PENARTH Creative Director Ben Rive on Wales’ Art Deco, pier-based stunner www.snowcatcinema.co.uk What’s your cinema’s history? We’re a 68-seat cinema that’s based inside a beautiful pavilion on Penarth Pier. The Art Deco building first opened its doors during Hollywood’s 1930s Golden Era and it’s been a part of the community here now for over 90 years. What’s special about your cinema? Our unique setting in the picturesque Vale Of Glamorgan makes us special; it can be very atmospheric. On Halloween a few years ago, we played The Fog and The Thing with both selling out. There was a full moon glistening across the sea when everyone arrived, making it just a little bit eerie! Share a memorable moment… Forest Whitaker recently visited Penarth, as he was filming nearby.…

★★★★ OUT NOW (APPLE TV+) / EPISODES VIEWED 10 OF 10 SHOWRUNNER Kerry Ehrin CAST Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Steve Carell Season 1 of The Morning Show meshed a Broadcast News-style dissection of the world of US breakfast television with a #MeToo storyline to giddily entertaining effect, while giving Jennifer Aniston one of the best roles of her career as Alex Levy, a self-absorbed TV anchor. Aniston and the writers boldly lean in to Levy’s diva-ish neuroses in this enthralling second season, while introducing Julianna Margulies as pivotal new character, veteran broadcaster Laura Peterson. The storylines play out against a backdrop of real-life sociopolitical events, including the coronavirus, and only one sub-plot —about Bradley’s brother — drags, in what is still one of the most addictive shows out…

#1: THE DAY OF THE GODS Launching the 1976 title with a bang — or, more to the point, with a massive space god — the series’ debut issue had archaeologist Daniel Damian and his daughter learning all about the Eternals, the Deviants and a Cosmic Beacon. ACTIVATE THE COSMIC BEACON! #5: OLYMPIA! “The fate of the world rests with these four!” the cover threatened, next to a pair of the reddest, bushiest eyebrows Kirby could conjure up (belonging to a proud Zuras). As Deviants attack New York, the Eternal Makkari thwarts them with her estimable ice gun. #7: THE FOURTH HOST “You can’t escape the Space God!” screamed this cover. Inside, the Celestials visit the City Of The Gods, where a huge rumble kicks off. Elsewhere, the leader of…

Independence Day (1996) In a film with as many memorable moments as Independence Day, it takes something special to stand out. As Captain Steven Hiller, Smith owned several of the most notable scenes, none more so than the punch heard around Hollywood. It’s the exclamation point of a fun, exciting sequence that sees Smith’s Marine F/A-18 pilot down an alien spaceship with a mix of skill and daring, sacrificing his own plane in the process. The cocky and funny tirade that follows sees Hiller bask in his triumph while desperately trying to unhook himself from his parachute, but he’s not done yet. As he climbs atop the alien ship and pulls back the door to reveal his enemy, the film gives us our first proper look at the intergalactic invaders……

Illustration: Russell Moorcroft THIS MONTH BEST BOND THEMES 1. ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE John Barry’s instrumental title-sequence theme plus Louis Armstrong singing ‘We Have All The Time In The World’. Perfect! 2. GOLDFINGER Shirley Bassey’s Midas touch. 3. LIVE AND LET DIE “Nice record,” said producer Harry Saltzman. “Now, who do you think we should get to sing it?” 4. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE Nancy Sinatra makes one dream come true. 5. SKYFALL Adele’s belter swept the awards board. 6. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Bassey’s second glorious Bond outing. 7. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN A delightfully corny Lulu-delivered gem. 8. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH David Arnold and Don Black serve up Garbage. 9. GOLDENEYE Turner, Edge, Bono — bingo! 10. NO TIME TO DIE Billie Eilish’s theme…

Illustration: Neil Edwards. Getty Images French director team Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury made an unforgettable impact with their debut Inside, with Beatrice Dalle as a ferocious stalker determined to steal the pregnant heroine’s baby. They followed this with equally twisted French pictures (Livid, Among The Living) and a stab at English-language franchise fare in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre prequel Leatherface. The duo return to France with another female monster in Kandisha, as three girls summon a North African spirit whose vengeance spree gets horrifyingly out of hand. Kandisha nods to the fiends of Candyman and Under The Shadow, but has a unique hooves-and-veil look, an impressive trick of getting gnarlier with every kill, and a line in 1980s-style splatter movie carnage. The film is grounded by its believable…

PICK OF THE MONTH BLACK WIDOW OUT NOW / CERT 12 / 133 MINS DVD BR ⊻ 4K With its moody, low-key opening, Black Widow could have fully committed to pushing the limits of the ‘gritty’ end of the MCU spectrum. And there would have been nothing wrong with that. But, while it has pertinent and interesting things to say about the abusive commodification of women, it’s also not afraid to embrace the sillier superspy stuff, pushing Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) into some Roger Moore-level antics (there’s even a winky Moonraker cameo). It also reminded us just how hilarious Marvel’s movies can be, from David Harbour’s action-mansplaining as the oafish Alexei, to Florence Pugh’s killshot-precise deadpans as surrogate little sis Yelena. Yes, that’s right: it’s funnier than Spy Hard. DAN JOLIN…

The Courier, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach), is a tense, true-story Cold War thriller that revisits the Cuban Missile Crisis, a stand-off which terrified the Western world in 1962. Cumberbatch plays British businessman Greville Wynne, who helped MI6 glean crucial info from the Soviets. A gripping tale of secrets and spies, it’s out on DVD, Blu-ray and digital this autumn and we have a copy on Blu-ray to give away — plus a 50” Smart TV to watch it on! If you fancy getting your hands on some hot new hardware, not to mention the movie, crack the crossword, figure out the anagram and text ‘EMPIRE’ and your answer to the number below. THE COURIER IS OUT ON 29 OCTOBER ON DIGITAL, AND ON…

IN CONVERSATION WITH FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA In 1982 the director made two coming-of-age films that have become more beloved over time: The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. From the library of his Napa Valley winery, he discussed them in an emotional interview with Alex Godfrey. PODCASTING WITH QUENTIN TARANTINO Following the huge success of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino has written a reassuringly expansive novelisation. He met Chris Hewitt to talk all things Cliff and Rick in London’s Soho Hotel on 3 September. EMPIRE VIP CLUB: PRANO BAILEY-BOND LIVE INTERVIEW Exclusively for members of the Empire VIP Club, the director of Censor sat down with Kim Newman for a virtual conversation about her thrilling ode to video nasties. To find out how to become an Empire VIP, go…

FOR THE PAST decade, there’s been a whole lot of yakety yak about a sequel to Twins. In 2012, it was announced that a follow-up to the 1988 comedy — which became a surprise box-office smash and altered the entire course of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career, turning him into a credible comedic force — was in the works. Original director Ivan Reitman was attached as producer; Eddie Murphy was joining Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as a third mismatched sibling. But then: nothing. It seemed as if the project would remain Hollywood vapour, destined to never get out of the laboratory. Until now. “It’s happening,” says a bullish Reitman, speaking exclusively to Empire. Albeit no longer with Murphy, but Tracy Morgan, the comedy star last seen working with Murphy in Coming 2…

THE BOUNCER: KILLER BOB In order to get into the club you have to get past security, which here takes the form of Twin Peaks’ greasy-haired, interdimensional demon. He’ll possess you and feast on your soul (if you’re not on the list on his clipboard). THE DANCE FLOOR: THE RED ROOM The dance floor exists on an alternate plane of reality. Dancing is encouraged — so long as it’s in reverse. Expect talking trees, giants, and hen parties. THE BAR STAFF: BETTY AND RITA Naomi Watts and Laura Harring’s characters from Mulholland Drive are serving drinks — while going through a dreamlike identity crisis. Might have a bit of a wait for your Bacardi Breezer. Getty Images, Shutterstock THE DJ: SAILOR RIPLEY Nicolas Cage’s Wild At Heart character is playing…

THE LIPS BREATHLESS (1960) Unforgettably surly as a small-time hood in Godard’s landmark film of the Nouvelle Vague, Belmondo is hip and macho and indifferent. His tic — slowly rubbing his thumb over his lips, à la Humphrey Bogart — must be one of the most memorable physical gestures of 20th-century cinema. THE ORIGINAL HOT PRIEST LÉON MORIN, PRIEST (1961) Belmondo’s work with Jean-Pierre Melville saw him as a man of the cloth during World War II. His introduction — in a confession — to a world-weary Emmanuelle Riva radiates sensual energy, even if he remains ultimately unobtainable. THE DYNAMITE PIERROT LE FOU (1965) In Godard’s anarchic road movie, Belmondo is an unhappy husband who absconds on a crime spree with his ex-girlfriend (Anna Karina). In a darkly funny scene,…

THE SOUVENIR PART II IAN FREER, REVIEWS EDITOR: Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir was one of the films of 2019, so I can’t wait for Part II. The story picks up with student filmmaker Julie Harte (Honor Swinton Byrne) still reeling from the tragedy that ended the original but putting her life back together with a new relationship (Joe Alwyn) and by throwing herself into her art. Part II promises a bigger canvas, dramatising Julie’s work, exploring her friendships and increasing the role of Richard Ayoade’s brilliantly pretentious filmmaker. Expect personal, emotional moviemaking of the highest order. THE POWER OF THE DOG BETH WEBB, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Jane Campion taking on a Western is as delicious a pairing as they come. Her first film in 12 long years is adapted from a…

★★★★ OUT 15 OCTOBER / CERT TBC / 115 MINS DIRECTORS Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert CAST Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza Walking out of a fairy-tale forest, Ukrainian masseur Ženia (Alec Utgoff), whose hands have seemingly magical properties, gets regular work from a minted clientele in a Polish gated community. And that’s pretty much it, plot-wise, for Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s absurdist, Twin Peaks-y drama. We follow Ženia on visits to mostly bored female punters, interspersed with flashbacks to his Chernobyl childhood, and escalating moments of weirdness including telekinesis, dog massages and impossible magic tricks. It does get repetitive but the filmmaking is exemplary. And Utgoff makes for a charismatic, if ultimately unknowable, centre.…

★★★★ OUT NOW CERT 15 / 114 MINS DIRECTOR Ric Burns PARTICIPANTS Oliver Sacks, Kate Edgar, Roberto Calasso Perhaps best known for his 1973 bestseller Awakenings (Robin Williams portrayed him in the 1990 film), pioneering neuroscientist Oliver Sacks blurred the lines between hardcore science and popular literature. Ric Burns’ dense but tender doc captures Sacks telling his story just weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. The filmmaking is bog-standard talking-heads stuff, but Sacks’ tale, from a tough upbringing (as a child, his physician parents made him dissect corpses) to his teen-rebel years to battles with the orthodox medical community to inject humanity into patient diagnosis, is engaging. There are some fun stories — quelling an erection with orange jelly — but what emerges is a moving portrait of a…

★★★★ OUT NOW CERT 12A / 132 MINS DIRECTOR Destin Daniel Cretton CAST Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang PLOT Living the slacker life in San Francisco, Shang-Chi (Liu) is suddenly confronted by his dark past. Forced to return to his father Wenwu’s (Leung) dangerous organisation, The Ten Rings, Shang-Chi unites with bestie Katy (Awkwafina) and estranged sister Xialing (Zhang) to stop Wenwu for good. BEING THE first of anything comes with a lot of pressure and responsibility. Black Panther was the first film in the MCU to celebrate Black and African culture. Captain Marvel became the first female-led film in the franchise. Now, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings marks the MCU’s first Asian-led superhero film. Of course, there have been characters of Asian descent in…

THE MARK This would have seen Smith gain incredible powers from a mark on his hand, previously held by King Arthur and Jesus. Smith spent years trying to make it, but it fell apart. THE MATRIX In 2019, Smith recorded a YouTube video about his disastrous meeting for The Matrix. “Imagine you could stop jumping in the middle of a jump!” said the Wachowskis. Smith shook his head and made Wild Wild West instead. MR. & MRS. SMITH Mr Smith was set to play Mr Smith when Nicole Kidman, and then Brad Pitt, dropped out. Smith was to star with Catherine Zeta-Jones, but when Pitt came back, Angelina Jolie signed up. A STAR IS BORN Jennifer Lopez and Smith met up circa 2013 to discuss a new version of the…

=1 TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) Nick: “Offers thunderous action, huge laughs and an emotionally satisfying tear-jerker ending. To paraphrase its bad guy: Say, that’s a nice sequel.” =1 ALIENS (1986) James: “A gung-ho, gun-toting, genredefining masterwork that took the best elements of Ridley Scott’s original, loaded them into an M41A Pulse Rifle and shot us in the face.” 3 THE TERMINATOR (1984) Helen: “Unstoppable, propulsive and remorseless in its storytelling, the film is every bit as efficient as its bad guy. A stunning arrival on the scene.” 4 TITANIC (1997) Chris: “The movie that made him King Of The World, And Possibly The Universe Too, may not be my personal fave, but there’s no doubting its impact.” 5 TRUE LIES (1994) Helen: “Big, bombastic and immensely fun, this hasn’t…

COMMENT OF THE MONTH TITANIC TAIKA Taika Waititi changed my life. When I went to see Jojo Rabbit for my 19th birthday, I was blown away. It was the most that I have cried in response to a film, from both laughter and heart-wrenching sadness. It was that film that showed me the power of cinema, and the moment I left, I knew I wanted to work with Taika one day. I have since been accepted into film school and I’m now on my filmmaking journey, all thanks to the absolute powerhouse that is Taika Waititi. OSCAR HEWITT, ESSEX Taika, Taika, Taika — is there nothing that man can’t do? Good luck with film school, Oscar! We may see you in Empire again… Picture house Empire’s star letter wins a…

Capital Pictures, Getty Images, Shutterstock Hi, Emilia. How are you? I’m good! How are you? Are you in England? I hear an English accent. Yes, we’re in London. Have you spent the pandemic here? Yes! I have been nestled here in my home for the entirety of the pandemic. How have the last 18 months been for you? Well, it’s been interesting! I’ve never stopped in my life before. I really figured that out during lockdown. I was like, oh wow… [aged] 18 — that was the last time I really didn’t do a lot of stuff. So it’s probably been much needed, actually, all of the horrors of the pandemic aside. It’s been an incredibly introspective time, which is really helpful. Were you baking and binge-watching, then? All the…

THE FRESH PRINCE DRAMATIC REBOOT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR GREATNESS THE FRESH PRINCE OF Bel-Air was a show that was watched often in the Warmann household as I was growing up. The lyrics to its memorable theme song were always loudly recited, word for word. Its combination of consistent laugh-out-loud humour and sincere heart made it a great family-friendly sitcom that still holds up today. 2020’s cast reunion — coming 30 years after the first episode aired — brought memories of the series’ best moments flooding back. A few months before that poignant special came an unexpected announcement: the series would be coming back in a new form as Bel-Air, a dramatic reimagining of the show based on the concept trailer created by Morgan Cooper that went viral in 2019.…

HAVING HELPED HONE the cutting-edge of VFX with his performances as Gollum and Planet Of The Apes’ Caesar, actor-turned-director Andy Serkis is surely primed to take on any big, CGI-driven Hollywood production. Yet he was surprised to get a call offering him Venom sequel Let There Be Carnage, he admits to Empire. Certainly far more surprised than he was by his recent opportunity to return, again, to Middle-earth… How does it feel to now have a big superhero movie under your belt as a director? Well, everyone’s got to do one, haven’t they? [Laughs] It came out of the blue. Tom Hardy and I had wanted to work together for some time — he just called me and asked if I’d like to direct it because I’d played CG roles…

ILLUSTRATION ARN0 SAM NEILL What is your favourite animal? I have quite a few floating around the farm. I’ve got ducks and goats and sheep and cattle and dogs. But my favourite is my hideously obese Kunekune pig. We’ve been friends for over 12 years now, I think. It might even be more. He loves me because I feed him and I scratch his back. That’s all he asks. I suppose it’s all one can ask or be asked of in a relationship – feed me and scratch my back. He’s called Angelica. He was called that by a little girl. And despite the fact that he’s clearly a bloke – I’m embarrassed to look at his balls, which are enormous – that stuck. I don’t think he minds. Do…

★★★★ OUT 15 OCTOBER / CERT TBC / 93 MINS DIRECTORS Jim Cummings, P.J. McCabe CAST Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcomb, P.J. McCabe A social-media-age thriller with cutting satirical edge, Thunder Road, writerdirector-star Jim Cummings’ latest, co-helmed by P.J. McCabe, is a slickly executed, high-intensity piece. Cummings plays Jordan Hines, a Hollywood agent with a power complex (but none of the power) whose “perfect life” is derailed when he accepts an anonymous invite to a no-strings-attached sexual encounter weeks before his wedding. Fearlessly tackling concerns surrounding accountability post-MeToo, Cummings externalising Jordan’s paranoid headspace in comical, frequently scathing outbursts, The Beta Test occasionally overstretches itself, but ultimately this is a thought-provoking nerve-shredder.…

★★★★ OUT 15 OCTOBER (APPLE TV+) CERT TBC / 110 MINS DIRECTOR Todd Haynes PARTICIPANTS John Cale, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison Todd Haynes’ ambitious portrait of ’60s iconoclasts The Velvet Underground is a treat. Structurally, it’s chronologically conventional but the film distinguishes itself by an almost ever-present use of split screen, juxtaposing interviews with adverts, newsreels, avant-garde films and footage of the band. However, the biographical beats are clear, Haynes unswerving in tackling the darker edges (from the standard sex and drugs to molestation and electroconvulsive therapy). It might lack a critical edge but The Velvet Underground works best as a portrait of artists as outsiders, not only documenting the period but also feeling like it could have come from it.…

★★★★ OUT NOW (APPLE TV+) / EPISODES VIEWED 8 OF 10 SHOWRUNNER David S. Goyer CAST Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey Adapted from Isaac Asimov’s seminal doorstop, Foundation sees Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) invent a mathematical formula predicting the galactic empire’s fall, much to the consternation of Lee Pace’s emperor (think Chris Whitty briefing Boris Johnson in early 2020). The source material spans a millennium, but showrunner David S. Goyer has done an immense job of giving Asimov’s emotionless masterwork a more human side (not to mention production values that would shame most blockbusters). An uncompromising slice of hard sci-fi, it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but this epoch-straddling saga is a breathtakingly bold undertaking that dazzles as much as it confounds.…

★★★★ OUT NOW (DISNEY+) EPISODES WATCHED 3 OF 10 SHOWRUNNER Eliza Clark CAST Ben Schnetzer, Diane Lane, Ashley Romans, Olivia Thirlby, Amber Tamblyn PLOT Every man and male animal in the world dies suddenly — except Yorick (Schnetzer) and his monkey Ampersand. As the world is thrown into chaos and US Senator Jennifer Brown (Lane) tries to bring order as acting POTUS, Yorrick finds himself protected by Agent 355 (Romans). THE PREMISE OF Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s epic, deeply emotional comic series — what if every male on the planet suddenly dropped dead? — may sound like wish fulfilment for some, but it is especially nightmarish in the realistic sheen of this TV adaptation. Government is devastated; power and transport cease to function; bodies and crashed vehicles are…

CÉLINE SCIAMMA HAS BUILT A CAREER ON championing otherness. From her tender 2007 debut Water Lilies to 2019’s international hit Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, her work has spotlighted youth and queer identities through a distinct, uncompromising voice that aims to speak to the people represented in these stories, rather than about them. Developing an appetite for cinema in her teens, she studied film and screenwriting in Paris, soon finding her voice. Her work gravitates towards the female gaze and interrogates sexuality: 2011’s Tomboy was added to the French curriculum on account of its well-drawn study of gender fluidity, while her 2014 Parisian teen drama Girlhood was made in response to the relative lack of film stories for Black actors. In recent years her vision has earned her almost…

This month: the box-office-rocking charisma machine WILL SMITH IT’S 2018, AND Will Smith is on a date. The immaculate venue is the Cayman Islands. The view is spectacular. The wine is expensive. But something is… off. No matter what Smith tries, he can’t seem to connect with the other person at the table. His best material is met with an unimpressed stare and a long, awkward pause. When talk turns to ’80s hip-hop music, his date quickly reveals that she’s not a fan of his work. And most embarrassingly, when Smith moves in for a kiss he is told, “I think we can be friends.” It’s an encounter that’s noteworthy for two reasons. First — someone has finally rebuffed Smith’s charms. Second — that someone is not in fact a…

$7,200, 000,000 GEORGE LUCAS’ NET WORTH, ACCORDING TO FORBES MAGAZINE 73 THE NUMBER OF SHOOTING DAYS ON RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 54 THEY EARS OF FRIENDSHIP WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG $20,000,000 THE BUDGET OF RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK $5,791,530,210 THE WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE OF FILMS LUCAS HAS EXECUTIVE-PRODUCED 10 THE NUMBER OF COLLABORATIONS WITH COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS $4,100,000,000 The figure in stock and cash Disney paid for Lucasfilm Getty Images, Photofest, Shutterstock 1138 NUMBER IN THE TITLE, PREFIXED BY THX, OF HIS FIRST FILM. ALSO AN EASTER EGG IN MOST FILMS…

Illustration: Neil Edwards. Getty Images THIS MONTH, WE’RE paying tribute to the long-lasting influence of Die Hard. Thirty-three years of yippee-ki-yay, and filmmakers are still pitching ‘Die Hard-in-a...’ Peter Thorwarth’s |Blood Red Sky is Die Hard-in-the-sky with a vampire tiger mom as Bruce Willis. Nadja (Peri Baumeister) takes a transatlantic flight, departing and arriving at night, to get to a clinic that may have a cure for her condition. Ruthless faux-terrorists hijack the plane and Nadja goes off her meds, sprouts fangs, drinks blood, and does her best to save the day... though some of the baddies she kills rise again as monsters. In disaster-movie style, passengers and staff all have their own microstories — the most obvious stereotype, a gay flight attendant (Alexander Scheer), is putting on an act…