LIFE ON FILM

Welcome to TOTAL FILM

THE SMARTER MOVIE MAGAZINE

KUMAIL NANJI ANI

‘I ’D RATHER BE MAKING MY MISTAKE THAN SOMEBODY ELSE’S MISTAKE.’

Dialogue

Mail, rants, theories etc.

60 SECOND SCREENPLAY

TF SAVES YOU THE COST OF A MOVIE EVERY MONTH. THIS ISSUE: BLACK ADAM

HOT RIGHT NOW

SCARLETT JOHANSSON IS ON THE CASE…

BABY TALK

BROKER Kore-eda Hirokazu’s latest gets to the heart of the baby box issue…

YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?

FILM QUOTES POSE AS QUESTIONS. FILM STARS TRY TO COPE.

OUT OF THE PAST

THE STRAYS A woman’s secret history surfaces to splinter her present in an accomplished debut thriller…

Bukky Bakray

How did you get the role? I auditioned

TEAM PLAYERS

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Game Night ’s directing duo put the fun back into fantasy…

TRUE CRIME

SAINT OMER Alice Diop’s stunning drama tackles motherhood’s greatest taboo…

ASSASSIN’S NEED

THE HANGING SUN A hitman has a crisis of conscience in Jo Nesbø’s Nordic noir…

Jessica Brown Findlay

SKY Are you a big fan of Nordic

HIDDEN LIFE

BLUE JEAN Georgia Oakley’s debut tackles a grim piece of recent British history…

SEX EDUCATION

FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE Jesse Eisenberg speed-shags his way across New York.

SOUND BYTES

The month in dialogue and digits.

NEXT BIG THING

BEN ALDRIDGE

COMING HOME

NOSTALGIA A richly rewarding return to one of Naples’ poorest districts…

SHORT CUTS

The latest happenings in movieland…

COOL CAT

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH The flamboyant feline returns – and he’s down to his last life.

KISS AND MAKE UP

SHE IS LOVE Haley Bennett and Sam Riley make it up as they go along in Jamie Adams’ latest.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT?

THE EXTINCTION OF MOVIE STARS

GORDON’S ALIVE

NOLLY Helena Bonham Carter and Russell T. Davies resurrect a neglected legend of British TV.

LEAP OF FAITH

CREATURE Asif Kapadia takes a break from documentaries to bring us a dance film with a difference.

IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A FILM JOURNALIST

THIS MONTH... RELIVING AN INFAMOUS HORROR STORY Yesterday

FORBIDDEN LOVE

JOYLAND Pakistan’s taboo-tackling transgender love story….

DON CHEADLE

THE AMERICAN ACTOR-DIRECTOR BRINGS THE NOISE…

big bad john

Idris Elba’s small-screen DCI eyes a feature franchise with a step up in scale and ambition. Elba and his team tell Total Film why morally compromised Luther can take on 007 in the movie stakes…

BEST DETECTIVES OF ALL TIME

From craggy PIs to slick super-sleuths to tenacious journos, the movie detective is a genre-defining figure almost as old as cinema. Join us, then, as we celebrate those who variously use their brains, brawn and/or bravado to crack crimes, right wrongs and dole out justice, one clue at a time.

KNOCK AT THE CABIN

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY #1

ELIZABETH BANKS ON COCAINE BEAR

Cocaine Bear tells the outrageous story of a black bear who goes on a rampage after ingesting vast quantities of abandoned cocaine. Unbelievably, it’s inspired by a true story from 1985. Director Elizabeth Banks talks in her own words about bringing a darkly comedic horror thrill ride to life…

STEVEN SODERBERGH ON MAGIC MIKE’S L AST DANCE

In Magic Mike’s Last Dance, Channing Tatum’s erotic dancer is now 40, in a relationship, and struggling to make sense of what is and isn’t sexy – or indeed permissible – in a MeToo world. Director Steven Soderbergh explains in his own words why the third and final Magic Mike movie goes further than ever before in a bid to expose modern truths…

Daddy ISSUES

After his Oscar-winning dementia drama The Father, Florian Zeller knew exactly where to go next. A family saga that’ll leave you shocked or sobbing, THE SON is a further deep dive into mental health. Total Film meets him and his stellar cast for a tear-strewn chat…

SPEAKING UP

Sarah Polley’s WOMEN TALKING is a drama unlike any other you’ll see this year. But despite its intimidating premise, which tackles systemic abuse in a closed community, it’s a film of remarkable hope, and a paean to the power of conversation. Polley and her cast tell Total Film about the themes that speak louder than words.

WEB OF LIES

Inspired by the true story of an Iranian serial killer on a religious crusade, Holy Spider has seen its director Ali Abbasi and his Canneswinning lead vilified in their native country. Total Film meets them to discuss one of the year’s most crucial and contentious movies.

THE FABELMANS 12A

A boy’s life…

BABYLON 18

Sex and silents…

ENYS MEN 15

Petal guru…

THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A #@%! 15

He swears it well…

DAVE STEVENS: DRAWN TO PERFECTION TBC

★★★★★ OUT NOW DIGITAL “Jungle girls, masked villains,

FRANCE TBC

★★★★★ OUT NOW MUBI Bruno Dumont’s latest is

HOLY SPIDER 18

To catch a killer…

THE HARBINGER 15

★★★★★ OUT 23 JANUARY DIGITAL Using the pandemic

JANUARY 12A

UNIVERSAL, MUBI, SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS, SIGNATURE, BULLDOG ★★★★★

TÁR 15

Baton down the hatches…

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER 12A

The bigger blue…

THE PALE BLUE EYE 15

Friend or Poe…

THE OLD WAY 15

★★★★★ OUT 13 JAN CINEMAS Stoked about the

I LOVE MY DAD 15

★★★★★ OUT 23 JANUARY DIGITAL When writer/director/star James

SAVAGE JUSTICE 15

★★★★★ OUT NOW DIGITAL 13 FEBRUARY DVD Addicts

DREAMING WALLS TBC

★★★★★ OUT 20 JANUARY CINEMAS, DIGITAL New York’s

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED 15

Goldin years…

THE ESTATE 15

★★★★★ OUT 13 JANUARY SKY CINEMA/NOW Comedy is

THE HANGING SUN TBC

★★★★★ OUT 20 JANUARY SKY CINEMA/NOW Adapted from

I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY 12A

★★★★★ OUT NOW CINEMAS Britain’s Naomi Ackie is

ALICE 15

★★★★★ OUT 22 JANUARY SKY CINEMA/NOW A Georgia

MORE THAN EVER 15

Decision to leave…

THE BATTLE AT WATER GATE BRIDGE 15

★★★★★ OUT NOW DVD, BD, DIGITAL This sequel

THE LEECH 18

MODERN FILMS, SKY, SIGNATURE, GROENLANDIA S.R.L – CATTLEYA

THE SUBSTITUTE TBC

★★★★★ OUT 20 JANUARY CINEMAS A rudderless literature

WOLF MANOR 15

★★★★★ OUT NOW DVD, DIGITAL Emmerdale vet-turned-horror director

A MAN CALLED OTTO 15

Saving Mr. Hanks…

DAS CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI U

1920 ★★★★★ OUT NOW 4K UHD EXTRAS ★★★★★

CROUPIER 15

1998 ★★★★★ OUT NOW BD, 4K UHD EXTRAS

RASHOMON 12A

1950 ★★★★★ OUT NOW CINEMAS Many films have

THE TRIAL PG

1962 ★★★★★ OUT NOW DVD, BD, 4K UHD,

KING KONG 12

Monkeying around with a classic…

CLASSIC TV COMMUNITY

Six seasons and an upcoming movie…

JOHN HUGHES

Ten ’80s bangers from the teen-com auteur’s hits…

EXTRAS

COLLECTIBLES ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA FUNKO POP!

GAMES PREVIEW

Level up your 2023 gaming with these titles…

FIRE EMBLEM: ENGAGE

OUT 20 JAN SWITCH Just over 10 years

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

OUT 12 MAY SWITCH The first direct sequel

WILD HEARTS

NINTENDO, EA, SEGA, KOEI TECMO, CAPCOM, DEEP SILVER,

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG

OUT TBC PC, PS4/5, SWITCH, XBOX ONE/SERIES Originally

WO LONG: FALLEN DYNASTY

OUT 3 MARCH PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES The

HYENAS

OUT TBC PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES Early reports

LIKE A DRAGON: ISHIN!

OUT 21 FEB PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES The

FLINTLOCK: THE SIEGE OF DAWN

OUT TBC PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES With development

DEAD ISLAND 2

OUT 28 APRIL PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES Like

BOOKS

STANLEY KUBRICK’S THE SHINING ★★★★★ LEE UNKRICH,

FILM BUFF

CINEMA CELEBRATED AND DEBATED. BOOSTING YOUR MOVIE GENIUS TO SUPERHERO LEVELS…

TOTAL FILM BUFF

IS IT BOLLOCKS? Film Buff investigates the facts

GUITARS IN MOVIES

Ace axes…

FLOP CULTURE

Warren Beatty’s comic-strip adaptation is virtually forgotten nowadays. Did Batman’s success create false hopes for the 1990 film?

IS IT JUST ME OR SHOULD PATRICK SWAYZE HAVE BEEN A MEGASTAR?

“I’ve been waiting for so long/Now I’ve finally

THERE WILL BE BLOOD’S OIL FIRE

THE BIG SHOT

GIVING CREDIT

Saluting the behind-the-scenes talent making movie magic

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

INTERMISSION

A WRITER TAKES PAUSE TO CONSIDER

THE MUPPETS

The power of the frog…

NAME THE FRAME

Can you guess these eight cocaine-fuelled scenes?

BEARS

Want to test your movie knowledge? Ursine right here!