WELCOME TO TOTAL FILM

Call Sheet

THIS ISSUE’S EXTRAS

Dialogue

Mail, rants, theories etc

RIZ AHMED

British multihyphenate Riz Ahmed has been consistently impressive in incendiary indies and bigger blockbuster fare. But as he takes on one of his most powerful roles yet as a drummer losing his hearing in Sound Of Metal, he tells Total Film that he’s just getting started

It’s a Wanda-ful life

WANDAVISION I Do not adjust your set. Scarlet Witch is back…

HOT RIGHT NOW

Oscar Isaac

Killer Instinct

NOBODY I Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk swaps legal briefs for bullets

Mixed Drag

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE I Director Jonathan Butterell on his stage musical’s makeover

YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?

Film quotes pose as questions. Film stars try to cope

Labour Of Love

PIECES OF A WOMAN I Kornél Mundruczó’s intimate birth drama delivers…

System Smasher

THE WHITE TIGER I A servant strikes back in the Indian answer to Parasite

STAR WARS’ COMEBACK YEAR

CAN WE TALK ABOUT...?

Lost Memories

THE FATHER I Florian Zeller’s celebrated stage play is ready for its close-up

SOUND BYTES

 Quotable dialogue from this month’s movies – and their stars

Making history

THE DIG I Unearthing the secrets of a classy period drama with a cast of gems…

It Shouldn’t Happen To A Film Journalist

THIS MONTH REVIEWING THE YEAR

Oliver’s Army

ON-SET EXCLUSIVE

Youth In Revolt

ECHO BOOMERS I Millennials take a baseball bat to the system in Seth Savoy’s Insta-heist thriller

NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU

BETWEEN TAKES

Killer Queen

THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI I India’s Joan of Arc gets a myth-busting biopic

UP IN THE AIR

HORIZON LINE I Pilot dead? Fuel running out? Nervous fliers need not apply…

SALLY HAWKINS

THE HERO

Review of the Year

I t’s fair to say that 2020 didn’t

on trend

The themes that have defined this year’s movies…

Thecurseofthe Total Film cover?

With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the 2020 release schedule, we started to wonder if it was something we did? Total Film assesses the damage…

The Wright Stuff

Writing exclusively for Total

WomanOfTheYear

Anya Taylor-Joy

Adam Sandler

Comeback of the year

In Memoriam

Immortal on the silver screen.

Rising stars

The breakout performers of 2020…

RISING STARS

honourable mentions Radha Blank Writer, director,

Grey areas

Mank maestro David Fincher on the frustrations of filmmaking.

NUMBERS

Unbelievable Scenes

The year’s standout set-pieces.

Sacha Baron

MAN OF THE YEAR

Top 5s

Bubble & trouble

Ben Wheatley on finding creativity in the time of Covid by returning to the horror genre…

The best TV shows of 2020

There’s nothing small about these series, spin-offs, docs and anthologies…

Steve McQueen

Q&A 

Leap of faith

Writer/director Rose Glass made her feature debut with the sensational Saint Maud. Here she writes exclusively for Total Film about the agony and ecstasy of the film’s journey to cinemas…

Keep Calm & Carry On

First-time filmmaker Nick Rowland writes exclusively about releasing his electrifying debut, Calm With Horses, just as the pandemic took hold…

The 20 Of 2020

There were tears, there were tantrums, but Total Film’s scribes finally agreed on the top 20 movies of the year. The bad news? Hubie Halloween didn’t make it. The good news? Uncut Gems did. And the competition was fierce…

1 Tenet

You have to admire Christopher Nolan’s mettle. Not

Christopher Nolan

Q&A

50 more movies you have to see

Great Escape

An Oscar frontrunner after dominating festivals with its tale of itinerant van dwellers, Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland is a film for our recession-struck times. Total Film speaks to the team behind this year’s most soulful movie

King’s Gambit

Regina King is acting royalty and now she’s bringing all of her nuance and fierce intelligence to her directorial debut, One Night In Miami. She gets personal and political with Total Film…

KICKING & STREAMING

Thirty-five years after Daniel LaRusso crane kicked his way to victory at the All Valley Karate Championship, streaming series Cobra Kai has given the Karate Kid franchise a rousing new lease of life. Ahead of Season 3’s debut on Netflix, Total Film hits the dojo with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and the show’s creators to discuss the unlikely resurgence of an ’80s icon, and Cobra Kai’s hardest hitting season yet. 

PIXAR’S LATEST DOESN’T MISS A BEAT…

lithe spirit

fantastic four

CONVERSATION PIECE DE RESISTANCE…

JIU JITSU TBC

OUT 21 DEC DIGITAL HD 4 JAN DVD, BD EXTRAS TBC

I’M YOUR WOMAN TBC

OUT 11 DECEMBER AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

SYLVIE’S LOVE TBC

OUT 25 DECEMBER AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

blues valentine

DAVIS, BOSEMAN, WASHINGTON? MUSIC TO OUR EARS…

CHRONICAL: 2067 15FILM

OUT NOW DVD, DIGITAL HD EXTRAS TBC

THE IRISHMAN 15FILM EXTRAS

OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Documentary, Featurettes, Video essay, Single-scene commentary, Archive footage, Booklet

NOELLE U

OUT NOW DISNEY+

TRIAL BY FIRE 15FILM

OUT NOW DVD, DIGITAL HD EXTRAS TBC

THE RACER 15FILM

OUT 18 DECEMBER CINEMAS, DIGITAL HD

WE ARE THE GEORDIES TBCFILM

OUT 11 DECEMBER DVD, DIGITAL HD

A CHRISTMAS CAROL PGFILM

OUT NOW CINEMAS

THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI 15FILM

OUT 14 DECEMBER DIGITAL HD

THE NEW MUTANTS 15FILM EXTRAS

OUT 28 DEC DIGITAL HD 4 JAN DVD, BD, 4K EXTRAS Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted scenes

HAPPIEST SEASON 12FILM

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO CHRISTMAS DINNER…

MUSCLE 18FILM

OUT NOW CINEMAS, VOD 18 JAN DIGITAL HD 1 FEB DVD, BD

COME AWAY TBCFILM

OUT 18 DECEMBER CINEMAS

FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS PGFILM

OUT NOW APPLE TV+

THE MOLE AGENT PGFILM

THE OLD AND THE BRAVE…

TRIPPING WITH NILS FRAHM TBC FILM

OUT NOW MUBI

KNUCKLEDUST 15TBCFILM

OUT 11 DECEMBER DIGITAL HD

JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY PGFILM

OUT NOW NETFLIX

DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA 12 FILM

MAKE SOME NOISE FOR SPIKE LEE’S JOINT VENTURE…

SMILEY FACE KILLERS TBCFILM

OUT 14 DEC DIGITAL HD

SILENT NIGHT TBCFILM

11 DEC CINEMAS 14 DEC DIGITAL HD 28 DEC DVD

SAFE SPACES TBCFILM

OUT NOW DIGITAL HD

LOST AT CHRISTMAS 12AFILM

OUT NOW CINEMAS, DIGITAL HD

GIVING VOICE 15FILM

OUT 11 DECEMBER NETFLIX

GODMOTHERED PGFILM

OUT NOW DISNEY+

THE PROM 12 FILM

SING IT: “BIGOTRY ISN’T BIG!”

HILLBILLY ELEGY 15FILM

GLENN RULES RON HOWARD’S ROOST…

BABYTEETH 15

OUT NOW | VARIOUS 

THE GLASS MAN TBC

OUT NOW | DIGITAL

THE LIFE AHEAD 15

OUT NOW | NETFLIX

LEGO STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL

OUT NOW | DISNEY+ 

SPONGE ON THE RUN U

OUT NOW | NETFLIX 

AUDREY TBC

OUT NOW | VARIOUS 

SKYLINES TBC

OUT 18 DEC | VARIOUS 

MOTHRA PGFILM EXTRAS

1961 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Commentaries, Featurette, Galleries, Booklet

THE GODFATHER CODA 15FILM EXTRAS

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT COPPOLA WAS OUT…

HOOP DREAMS 12FILM EXTRAS

1994 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Intro, Additional scenes, Featurette, Music video

TOTAL RECALL 18FILM EXTRAS

1990 OUT NOW DVD, BD, 4K EXTRAS Commentary, Documentary, Featurettes

APRILE / THE SON’S ROOM 12/15FILMS / EXTRAS

1998/2001 OUT NOW DVD, BD EXTRAS Interviews

CRASH 18FILM EXTRAS

1996 OUT NOW BD, DIGITAL HD 14 DEC 4K EXTRAS Commentary, Featurettes, Video essay, Shorts, Booklet

WAXWORKS PGFILM EXTRAS

1924 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Commentary, Featurettes, Optional scores, Puzzles, Booklet

THE NIGHT PORTER 18FILM EXTRAS

1974 OUT NOW BD, DIGITAL HD EXTRAS Interviews

SYMBIOPSYCHO- TAXIPLASM 15TBCFILM EXTRAS

1968/2005 OUT 14 DEC BD EXTRAS Documentary, Featurette, Essay

LE CERCLE ROUGE PGFILM EXTRAS

1970 OUT NOW DVD, BD, 4K EXTRAS Documentaries, Featurettes, Intro

THE NEW WORLD 12TBCFILM EXTRAS

TERRY TURNS A HISTORY LESSON INTO ART…

VISUAL ACOUSTICS: THE MODERNISM OF JULIUS SHULMAN E FILM EXTRAS

2008 OUT NOW BD, Digital HD EXTRAS Featurettes, Deleted scenes, Galleries

HELL AND HIGH WATER PGFILM EXTRAS

1954 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Commentary, Documentary, Booklet

THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR 18 FILM EXTRAS

1993 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Commentaries, Featurettes, Booklet

in coiled blood

UNRAVELLING TRUE-LIFE CRIME SERIES THE SERPENT…

revolution calling

DOCTOR WHO’S FESTIVE SPECIAL PROMISES TEARS AND TINPOT FEARS…

a wimple plan

HOW THE BBC ADAP OF BLACK NARCISSUS IS GETTING THINGS IN ORDER

LAST EXIT TO NOWHERE T-SHIRTS

APPAREL OUT NOW

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MONOPOLY

GAME OUT NOW

FUNKO ELF: JOURNEY FROM THE NORTH POLE

GAME OUT NOW

LEGO GHOSTBUSTERS ECTO-1

COLLECTIBLE OUT NOW

LOUNGE FLY BAGS

ACCESSORIES OUT NOW

fresh spin

TF scores the latest soundtracks…

how to train your dragon

JOHN POWELL | VARÈSE SARABANDE

ASTRO’S PLAYROOM

GAME  OUT NOW | PS5

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES

GAME  OUT NOW | PS4, PS5

two more

Recent thumbtwiddlers…

YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON

GAME  OUT NOW | PC, PS4, XBOX ONE/SERIES

WATCH DOGS: LEGION

GAME  OUT NOW | PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES

three more

From cryptids to the Cryptkeeper… 

BFI FILM CLASSICS

BOOKS

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT: THE ORAL HISTORY OF DAZED AND CONFUSED

BOOK

MURDER AND THE MOVIES

BOOK

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON: MASTERWORKS

BOOK

IS IT BOLLOCKS?

Film Buff investigates the facts behind outlandish movie plots

ALTERNATIVE BOX OFFICE

THE BIGGEST MOVIES…

ON LOCATION

REEL SPOTS BEHIND THE CAMERA

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

From FBI-investigated Oscar loser to classic Christmas cockle-roaster: how Frank Capra’s 1946 miracle movie took decades to get its wings…

BACKGROUND ARTISTRY

Celebrating the extras and bit parters stealing scenes

RUDY GIULIANI

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

PLAIN TALKING

Learn the movie lingo

OR IS JAWS OVERRATED?

Matt Glasby feels there’s something fishy about Jaws’ hallowed

AKIRA

On your bikes…

KEY MOVIES

BREATHLESS (À BOUT DE SOUFFLE) 1960 Probably the

AFTERLIFE MOVIES

Is your film knowledge on a higher plain?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

There are 10 to find…

60 Second Screenplay

TF SAVES YOU THE COST OF A MOVIE EVERY MONTH. THIS ISSUE: THE WITCHES…