THE ORIGINAL BLONDE

Having read every issue of Empire for years,

THE FAULT IN OUR ONE-STARS

I used to love reading the one-star reviews

STIGER-SAURUS

DOES EVERYONE ELSE GET THEIR MONTHLY @EMPIREMAGAZINE AND

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EMPIRE

Creative Director CHRIS LUPTON Photography Director JOANNA MORAN

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

★★★★ OUT NOW (CINEMAS), 28 OCTOBER (NETFLIX) /

SIDNEY

★★★★ OUT NOW (APPLE TV+) / CERT 12A

THIS MONTH

THERE’S A MOMENT early on in Top Gun:

EMPIRE

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO THIS MONTH

A crash course in Spielberg school

THE FABELMANS breakout star Gabriel LaBelle on playing the filmmaker, with help from the man himself

Why I couldn’t let Pinocchio go

GUILLERMO DEL TORO on finally bringing his 14-year puppet passion project to life

An empress gets her edge back

Corsage star Vicky Krieps on turning Elisabeth of Austria into a rebel to cheer for

Putting a fresh spin on ghostbusting

Joe Cornish is back, with a seriously spooky new show, LOCKWOOD & CO. Be afraid…

BRIAN COX vs. SALLY FIELD

IN THE MONTH’S WEIRDEST NEW CELEBRITY FEUD, FIELD

BLACK IN FOCUS

AMON WARMANN chews over the main moment in Black film and TV this month

Building a big-screen dream

Sam Mendes on recreating a 1980s cinema — cue Pearl & Dean music — for EMPIRE OF LIGHT

The life-affirming film that’s all about death

With BARDO, filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu celebrates his roots with his most personal film yet

NEXT IN THE SERIES

You fell in love with that incredible new

CHOOSE LIFE, CHOOSE THE RED PILL

Danny Boyle is set to direct a hip-hop Matrix stage musical. Yes, really. Here’s what we’d like to see in Free Your Mind

Inside Sarah Polley’s barnstorming comeback

With its urgent message, A-list cast and rigorous construction, WOMEN TALKING makes for a bold return

How do you make a grumpy man gripping?

A Man Called Otto director Marc Forster on turning Tom Hanks into a crotchety killjoy

“There’s a lot of magic in my career. I’m often waving a wand around”

[ THE Q&A] WARWICK DAVIS reprises his first-ever starring role in the Willow TV series

Meet the real-life WALL●E

Documentary Good Night Oppy shows that real-life robots can be loveable too

CRABBY GUYS

These part-men, part-shellfish have been scuttling across screens big and small

Stepping into Whitney’s shoes

Naomi Ackie on how she transformed into a music legend for I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

How Hitch inspired my filmmaking career

Mark Cousins on his personal journey towards creating My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Unfiltered, uncensored, uncompromising trailer reactions from team EMPIRE

Lyric Ross

THE 19-YEAR-OLD ACTOR PLAYS TEEN OUTCAST KAT IN HENRY SELICK’S STOP-MOTION HORROR WENDELL & WILD

One reveal to rule them all

In the Rings Of Power season finale, Sauron finally unmasked himself. We delve into the story behind the Dark Lord’s return

Nic Cage’s animal kingdom

The actor on his favourite fauna, including his co-stars in new film BUTCHER’S CROSSING

There’s no escaping Barbarian

Filmmaker Zach Cregger on his debut film’s surprise success

Special requests

With Queen Latifah revealing she has a ‘no-death’ clause in her contracts, we explore the wildest Hollywood demands

PINT OF MILK

When were you most starstruck? I met Tom

BROS

28 OCT- 18 NOV BIG SCREEN. SMALL SCREEN.

MY POLICEMAN

“And this interesting piece is called ‘The Light

GOOD NIGHT OPPY

★★★★ OUT 4 NOVEMBER (CINEMAS), 23 NOVEMBER (PRIME

WENDELL & WILD

★★★★ OUT 28 OCTOBER (NETFLIX) / CERT 12A

CAUSEWAY

Surely they were nearly at Cobham services and

LIVING

★★★★★ OUT 4 NOVEMBER / CERT 12A /

BARBARIAN

★★★★ OUT 28 OCTOBER / CERT TBC /

WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY

Getting into the groove. ★★★★ OUT 4 NOVEMBER

HALLOWEEN ENDS

Michael Myers is back to torment Laurie;

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

School photo: Michelle Yeoh, Charlize Theron and Kerry

SOMETHING IN THE DIRT

★★★★ OUT 4 NOVEMBER / CERT 15 /

ARMAGEDDON TIME

★★★★ OUT 18 NOVEMBER / CERT TBC /

AMST ERDAM

★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 134

WATCHER

★★★★ OUT 4 NOVEMBER / CERT TBC /

THE WONDER

★★★ OUT 2 NOVEMBER (CINEMAS), 16 NOVEMBER (NETFLIX)

MY FATHER’S DRAGON

★★★★ OUT 11 NOVEMBER (NETFLIX) / CERT TBC

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

Harris Dickinson as insecure supermodel Carl, on the

AFTERSUN

Dad had had one two many sangrias. ★★★★★

CONFESS, FLETCH

The Mad Men legend takes on Chevy Chase’s

RAYMOND & RAY

★★★ OUT NOW (APPLE TV+) / CERT 15

THE GOOD NURSE

★★★★ OUT 14 NOVEMBER / CERT 15 /

GANGS OF LONDON: SERIES 2

★★★ OUT NOW (SKY ATLANTIC/NOW) EPISODES VIEWED 7

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB

Join our club: the residents of the Brightcliffe

THE ENGLISH

Not so quiet on the Western front: Eli

Ready to run your own Jurassic Park?

In FUNKO’s officially licensed legacy board game, it’s

JINGLE FEVER

IT SEEMS ABSURD THAT RYAN REYNOLDS AND WILL FERRELL HAVEN’T CO-STARRED TOGETHER BEFORE. THAT, THOUGH, HAS BEEN RECTIFIED WITH SPIRITED — THEIR ALL-SINGING, ALL-DANCING CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR — AND WE PROLONGED THAT TEAM-UP FOR SOME SUPREME FESTIVE SILLINESS. SNOW JOKE...

ALTERED STATE

WITH HIS 2019 BREAKTHROUGH BAIT, CORNWALL’S MARK JENKIN EMERGED AS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE — AND UNORTHODOX — VOICES IN BRITISH FILM. AS EERIE FOLLOW-UP ENYS MEN ARRIVES, HE EXPLAINS WHY HE’S IN A WORLD OF HIS OWN

2022 REVIEWED!

IT WAS THE YEAR THAT THREW THE RULES IN THE BIN. THE YEAR THE MULTIVERSE BURST OPEN. THE YEAR IN WHICH TOP GUN TOPPED IT ALL. AND IT WAS THE YEAR THAT GAVE US A GENTLEMAN ROBOT NAMED CHARLES PETRESCU. WITH 2022 GEARING UP FOR ITS CLIMACTIC FINALE, WE CELEBRATE THE BEST OF THE BEST. WELCOME TO...

THE TRIUMPH

THE BEST TIME WE’VE HAD IN THE CINEMA THIS YEAR? IT CAN ONLY BE TOP GUN: MAVERICK. WE ASKED DIRECTOR JOSEPH KOSINSKI TO TAKE US ON A THRILL-RIDE THROUGH ITS WINNING FORMULA

THE FAMILY

“EVERYONE HERE IS THE BEST THERE IS.”

THE CONFLICT

“WHAT IS WITH THESE TWO?”

THE EMOTION

Back on the bike; “THANK YOU, ICE, FOR

THE NOSTALGIA

Rooster (Miles Teller) impresses Phoenix (Monica Barbaro) with

THE ACTION

Behind enemy lines; Jon Hamm as admiral Cyclone;

THE BEDAZZLER

BAZ LUHRMANN IS RARELY ONE FOR SUBTLETY, AND

THE WARRIOR

AS THE REVELATORY, KICK-ASS STAR OF PREY, AMBER MIDTHUNDER STOLE THE SUMMER. WE TALK TO HER ABOUT HER INCREDIBLE YEAR

THE FIGHT

ONE OF EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE’S MANY STANDOUTS WAS THE INCREDIBLE FANNY-PACK BRAWL. HERE, STAR KE HUY QUAN TAKES US TO FIGHT-SCHOOL

THE BAND

WE SALUTE TURNING RED’S POPTASTIC GROUP 4*TOWN The

THE SHOCKER

THE SANDMAN GAVE US 2022’S MOST DISTURBING HOUR OF TV. WE’VE ASKED THE SHOWRUNNERS TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES

THE GOATS

THE RUNAWAY STARS OF THE YEAR? THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’S SCREAMING BUCKS

THE FREAKOUT

ALL HAIL SOPHIE TURNER’S UNHINGED, UNFETTERED PERFORMANCE IN DO REVENGE

THE EPIC

IMMENSE INDIAN ACTIONER RRR GOT CROWDS AROUND THE WORLD HOLLERING. ITS CREATOR, S.S. RAJAMOULI, TELLS US WHY HE SIMPLY HAS TO GO BIG

THE SNEEZE

AN IMMEDIATELY NOTORIOUS SEQUENCE INVOLVING A DEBAUCHED TERMITE IN THE BOYS HAS BROKEN US

THE HERO

MS. MARVEL’S KAMALA KHAN WAS A JOLT OF OPTIMISM. THAT, SAYS HER CO-CREATOR SANA AMANAT, WAS EXACTLY THE PLAN

THE VILLAIN

WITH VECNA, STRANGER THINGS FINALLYREVEALED ITS BIG, BIG BAD, AND HE DIDN’T DISAPPOINT. WE DELVE INTO THE MAKING OF A MANIAC

THE AKIRA HOMAGE

IN JORDAN PEELE’S NOPE, THE DIRECTOR PAID TRIBUTE TO ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE FILMS. HE TELLS US WHY — AND HOW — HE DID IT

THE ROBOT

IN A DREAM COME TRUE, EMPIRE MEETS — AND PHOTOGRAPHS — CHARLES PETRESCU, THE ROBOT STAR OF BRIAN AND CHARLES

DEFECTIVE DETECTIVE

NEARLY FOUR DECADES AFTER CHEVY CHASE’S CULT CLASSIC, WISECRACKING REPORTER IRWIN M. FLETCHER IS BACK ON THE CASE IN CONFESS, FLETCH. STAR JON HAMM AND DIRECTOR GREG MOTTOLA TELL US WHY THEY’VE REBOOTED THE GOOFY SLEUTH

THE BUSIEST MAN IN HOLLYWOOD

SINCE THE 1970s, ERIC ROBERTS HAS BEEN ACTING… AND ACTING… AND ACTING, BUILDING UP A SEEMINGLY INFINITE IMDB PAGE IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER NOLAN AND PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON FILMS NESTLE BETWEEN NO-BUDGET ODDITIES. DURING AN EMOTIONAL DAY IN LOS ANGELES, HE REVEALS WHY HE JUST CAN’T STOP

Deep dive

INDISPENSABLE HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Breathless

Jean Seberg — cementing the striped top as

Back to the bayou

Writer-director Kasi Lemmons on how EVE’S BAYOU became a modern classic of Black cinema

Best Song Oscar-winners

Four Empire writers. Ten songs. Ordered definitively.

THE TOP TEN

1 OVER THE RAINBOW THE WIZARD OF

THE CULT OF KIM NEWMAN

The critic and novelist selects the month’s weirdest home-ent releases

Highway revisited

Bill Pullman recalls going full Lynch in 1997 noir psycho-drama LOST HIGHWAY

Cinderella

How iconic images came to life

6 OF THE BEST

Team Empire on the month’s essential movies

Witness For The Prosecution

Standout sequences from the great movie