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On Set: Alice In Wonderland


Judging by its gloriously trippy artwork, Lewis Carroll's fantastical classic, Alice In Wonderland, is virtually tailor made for the kaleidoscopic vision of Tim Burton. And 'virtual' is the operative word as the director takes us down the rabbit hole and into the film's LA studio, where the tale is taking shape gloriously in front of greenscreen, all faithfully recording in our special on-set report.

On Set: Tron

More secret than a bag full of squirrels, Tron Legacy is shrouded in the kind of subterfuge more normally associated with a Cold War spy thriller. Our approach was simple: take star Olivia Wilde and lock her in a room until she told us something we could put in our on-set preview. It was a tough gig but it paid off.

On Set: The Last Airbender

M. Night Shyamalan is a man who likes to surprise us and by adapting a Saturday morning cartoon for his next project, he's repeated the trick. We went behind the scenes of The Last Airbender to find out what we can expect from the family-friendly fantasy.

Mel Gibson: A Life On Set

Mad Max... Martin Riggs... William Wallace; Mel Gibson looks set to add Edge of Darkness' man-on-a-mission Thomas Craven to that hefty list of iconic characters. Gibson gave us an exclusive interview to mark his first appearance in nearly nine years and talk us through his three decades in film.

News: Percy Jackson

Roll over Harry, there's a new teen hero with an elemental quest on his plate. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is helmed by Chris Columbus, the man who brought Harry Potter to the screen, and is the first in a planned franchise for the super-powered Percy. Hear about from Columbus himself, as he gives us his A-Z(eus) on the young demi-god.

News: Toy Story 3

The Toys are back in town. In 2010, Buzz, Woody, Rex, Hamm, the Potatoes and the rest of the lovable clan are joined by a host of new characters for Toy Story 3. Director Lee Unkrich gives News Etc. a sneak peak behind the door of Andy's bedroom and the latest helping of Pixar perfection.

Helen Mirren

From The Long Good Friday and Prime Suspect to The Queen and this year's Golden Globe-nominated performance in The Last Station, Helen Mirren is an actress for whom the word 'doyenne' was practically invented. Just don't tell her that. She joined us to cast an eye back over her career to date and look forward to her Rowan Joffe's Brighton Rock.

Re.View: District 9


In celebration of our new-look home entertainment section, we've assembled more prawns than a bumper Aussie barbie for a spectacular behind-the-scenes look at District 9, the sci-fi sleeper that blew us away this summer. Clue: it's an anatomy of a scene with actual anatomy.

Re-View: Funny People

With a cast that included Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Jason Schwartzman, Funny People could hardly fail to raise a healthy laugh count. But will time prove kinder to it than the box office? And what does Judd Apatow have in store on the DVD extras? Find out here.

Re-View: 24

If it weren't for Jack Bauer we'd all be cowering in a nuclear bunker by now, praying quietly we didn't leave the iron isn't on. We spoke to the man behind the man, Kiefer Sutherland, to get all the gen on 24 Day 8.

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Kick-Ass

Our fetchingly bruised cover star this month is Kick-Ass' Aaron Johnson (along with co-stars Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage), and inside is our comprehensive set report and interviews with the cast and crew. Director Matthew Vaughn explains why he was delighted that the studios didn't want it; Nicolas Cage explains the influence of an ex-girlfriend on his role, and we hear how Christopher Mintz-Plasse got the Zac Efron part. This may be the coolest film of 2010; you're going to want the lowdown.

Avatar 2


James Cameron was, unsurprisingly, in good form when we spoke to him recently about the success of Avatar, its award prospects and - most importantly of all - what we can expect from a sequel. But that's just the opener to our new section, The Slate, which also has exclusive pics and news from Scott Pilgrim, The Expendables and more, as well as interviews with Amanda Seyfried, Brendan Fraser, Tom Ford and more...

Wall Street 2

In these financially uncertain times, it's good to know that Gordon Gekko is still out there preaching that greed is good, or possibly bad, or maybe so-so. To find out which, you're really going to have to read our first look at Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. With an exclusive on-set report and the latest from Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf and Stone himself, this will fully prepare you for its April release.

Shutter Island

Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and now Shutter Island, talks us through Martin Scorsese's new thriller and explains why the book is the result of him "imploding" as he wrote it. He's also got the inside scoop on working with Scorsese and the filmic touchstones to the paranoia-drenched, Gothic thriller, and explains why the only people who are really going to like it are the French...

Natalie Portman

She's more beautiful than sunset reflected on a diamond necklace designed by da Vinci, but Natalie Portman isn't just playing love interests and girlfriends. In Brothers, she's playing drama and tragedy as the wife of a Marine lost in Afghanistan, but after that she's going straight for lighter movies with the knockabout comedy of Your Highness, the action of Thor and the, er, zombies of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies - and we've got her take on all of them.

Harrison Ford


The man, the myth the legend, that is Harrison Ford talks us through his new film Extraordinary Measures (which he also produces), his stellar career and confounds our Ian Freer's best attempts not to mention Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard or Han Solo. In fact, he manages to talk about all his major films at some length, so if you're studying for a degree in Ford-ology, this should be your textbook.

Legion

Paul Bettany has accomplished many things since he turned to acting, appearing in Oscar-winning films, with the Royal Shakespeare Company and as Chaucer in, er, A Knight's Tale. But the pinnacle of his career to date is surely his turn in Legion as a de-winged, machine-gun-armed archangel fighting the heavenly host to protect the unborn Second Coming from a vengeful Almighty. Sign up for Legion with director Scott Stewart and Bettany himself in the new issue.

Roman Polanski


Oscar-winner and fugitive Roman Polanski is probably one of the most controversial figures in the world right now, something that has, to date, thoroughly overshadowed the release of his new film, The Ghost. Nev Pierce untangles the web that surrounds Polanski to report on the arrest, the aftermath and the film that Polanski finished editing from jail. That, at least, involves a political rather than a criminal scandal.

Re.View

Pixar's mighty Up leads off our look at this month's home entertainment, where we also explain how to follow Mesrine's lead in breaking out of prison, what Park Chan-Wook was thinking when he swapped vengeance for vampires, and what Christopher Walken really thinks about his internet fame. Plus all the games, books, soundtracks and TV that you'd expect.

The Back Story


Sure, there are also features on 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, war movie Lebanon and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan - but if you're a fan of Hollywood history, the one you're going to want to focus on is the theory that Orson Welles was responsible for the still-unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short. Sound barmy? Well, maybe - or maybe not! (or maybe). Read the facts and judge for yourself.

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25 Years of Back to the Future

Marty McFly. Doc Brown. Flux capacitors. 1.21 gigawatts. Few films have entered into our pop-culture consciousness like Back To The Future, and on this 25th anniversary of the McFly's debut (or, depending on your point in the timeline, 125th, 55th or -5th anniversary) we get the full story from the people who made it, as well as bringing you a viewing guide to each of the films and a helpful timeline...

The Slate

The Slate this month comes packed with exclusive looks at some of the hottest new films of the year, including the lowdown on The Losers, a peek at Prince of Persia and an insight into Inception. There's also word from the set of Never Let Me Go, an introduction to Noomi Rapace, star of an early contender for the year's best thriller in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and lots more. How much does Ben Kingsley know about his own films? Only Empire has the answer...

Kick Ass Reviewed!

Kicking off our In Cinemas section this month is Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, the non-super superhero story that's already blown everyone here away and is set to do the same to you come March 26. But that's not all: we also have Empire's verdict on Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Paul Greengrass' Green Zone and other contenders including I Love You Phillip Morris, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and How To Train Your Dragon. These and all the other new movies out this month...

Gemma Arterton


You may still think of her as a Bond girl, or as a be-stockinged, miniskirted schoolgirl in St Trinians. But Gemma Arterton is branching out this summer, starring in two very different sword-and-sandal epics - playing "earth mother" Io in Clash of the Titans and feisty princess Tamina in Prince of Persia - and in between there's tense drama in The Disappearance Of Alice Creed. We talked to the hottest upcoming British star about her career to date, and what's next...

The A-Team

On set of the long-awaited adaptation of the 1980s TV series, we spoke to director Joe Carnahan and his cast about the tone they're going for, the challenge of taking on such iconic roles and the tweaks needed to bring the plot up to date. Rest assured as well: a whole lot of stuff will be blown up.

Up In The Air

All three leads of Jason Reitman's Up In The Air are Oscar-nominated, so we thought it would be a jolly jape to get them all together and quiz them on what they thought of each other. So here are Vera Farmiga, George Clooney and Anna Kendrick on each other and their success to date. Warning: accompanying portraits may cause hopeless feelings of unhandsomeness.

Clash of the Titans: The Creatures

Don't know your Gorgons from your Gordons gin and tonic? Have trouble telling Calibos from the Kraken? Well, fear no more: our latest Clash of the Titans feature is here to explain the monsters, myth and mayhem behind Louis Leterrier's take on the 1981 mini-classic. Oh, and Leterrier explains why Pegasus is black now...

Stallone

You might not instantly associate Sylvester Stallone with wit, self-deprecating humour and a successful career as a painter, but turns out he's got all three of those in spades. He's also got a quite astonishing collection of injuries following his directing and starring stint on The Expendables, but it turns out that's good, because actors don't do their best work when they're "soft".

Gervais and Merchant

You don't so much interview the team behind The Office and the upcoming Cemetary Junction as try to get in a word edgeways occasionally. But we met the pair on set of their new film to talk about the appeal of Reading to them, the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger's head and the joy of, er, vampire boobs - and it's all in this month's issue.

Tim Burton Sketches

Ever wondered what the inside of Tim Burton's head looks like? Well, we have 15 glimpses of the contents, thanks to a selection of sketches that show some of the character development in his movies. Fun fact: he basically drew Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter long before he knew either of them.

Danny Boyle

His last film, Slumdog Millionaire, may have won eight Oscars, but Danny Boyle isn't making things easy for himself with his next effort, 127 Hours. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a climber who cut off his own arm when he became stuck halfway up a cliff (yes, really) this is a film with some unusual challenges, so we persuaded Boyle to talk us through his approach to a one-character movie...

Troublemaker Studios

It's named after a style of cowboy hat, it's filled with some of the geeky-coolest merchandise you'll ever see and, oh, they also make movies there. We visited Austin and Robert Rodriguez' Troublemaker Studios to bring you the lowdown on how to make movies outside of Tinseltown and save money doing it.

Tarantino's Favourite Scenes

Filmmakers often say that choosing a favourite among their films would be like choosing a favourite child - simply impossible. But we persuaded Quentin Tarantino to at least talk us through his favourite scenes, resulting in a list of the ten moments and sequences that he prefers throughout the movies he's written and directed. Expect the unexpected.

Clint Eastwood

As he approaches his 80th birthday and shows no signs whatsoever of slowing down, Clint Eastwood is as tough and clear-minded as he ever was, unable to stop making films because he learns something new on each one. We talked to him about his films to date, the directors who inspired him, and whether he'll act again...

Re.View


We have a bumper selection of DVD and Blu-ray reviews this month, led by Zombieland, A Serious Man and Fantastic Mr Fox among the new releases, and pieces on Clash of the Titans (the original) and Fitzcarraldo further back. Oh, and we take a look at Band of Brothers companion piece The Pacific, as well as sitting in on a scoring session for Centurion and lots more besides.

Seven Samurai

It may look like magic onscreen, but we've dug around and discovered the tears, tantrums and, er, trout that went into making a masterpiece in an in depth feature on Akira Kurosawa's most famous people. This feature is also extremely useful for pub quizzes, since it not only gives you the names and cast list for all Seven Samurai, but The Magnificent Seven and the Battle Beyond The Stars team for good measure. No need to thank us; just send us half your winnings.

Contents Robin Hood


After the feast of magic numbers that was Empire's 250th issue, there's only one digit to wrap your mind around in this month's Blockbuster special: 1200. It's not just the Middle Ages setting for Ridley Scott's gritty reimagining of Robin Hood, but the number of extras the legendary director uses for the film's epic battle scenes. Empire visits the film's Nottingham set to talk to Sir Ridley, Russell and their Merry Men, and find out from Maid Marian - aka Cate Blanchett - what makes the Rid 'n' Russ partnership tick. It's got something to do with hippos.

Prince Of Persia

The baron of the blockbuster, Jerry Bruckheimer, welcomes us onto the set of this month's second bow-based epic, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, to share the secret of making a computer game adaptation that doesn't suck and a few juicy morsels on the film's magical McGuffin, the Dagger of Time. The man who stumbles up on it, Jake Gyllehaal's Persian scamp Dastan, is also on hand to talk about his comic chemistry with Gemma Arterton, while director Mike Newell tells us what it was like to play alongside Alan Shearer. Ah, wrong Mike Newell apparently.

Iron Man 2


War Machine. Whiplash. AC/DC. Cheerleaders. Ma-hooosive explosions. That's right, 'Ol Shellhead is back and a million percent louder. With Marvel's magnificent metal magnate poised to bust some serious block this summer, the third part of Empire's blockbuster special takes in the changes chez Stark. And there's plenty. We talk to the cast and Iron Man 2's director, Jon Favreau, as he whizzes from set to post-production to give your one-stop guide to all things ferrous.

Oliver Stone

Director, agent provocateur, unofficial spokeman for a generation, and the man who turned Colin Farrell blond - Oliver Stone has been burning the midnight oil putting the finishing touches on his latest cinematic statement, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. If money never sleeps (does it at least nap?), Stone doesn't either and he's as energised as ever as he talks us through a sequel 23 years in the making but as topical as if it was hatched yesterday.

The Killer Inside Me

This month's feature to give the Daily Mail a collective coronary, The Killer Inside Me lit up the Sundance Festival, and not in a completely good way. We sent our Johnny-on-the-spot, Damon Wise, to Utah to find out why Michael Winterbottom's adaptation of Jim Thompson's '50s noir had one audience member screaming at the end of a screening. It might have had something to do with its stomach-churning scenes of violence and wife-beating by Casey Affleck's psycho sheriff, Lou Ford. Just a guess, mind.

The Slate

The Slate this month is all about the comedy (The Other Guys, Get Him To The Greek)... and action (The Losers, Bad Lieutenant)... oh, and with any luck, a bit of both (Date Night speed dating with the fantabulous Tina Fey and Steve Carrell). Look out too for a World Exclusive first look at John Landis' return with Burke And Hare, a pitch-black-comedy that boasts the talents of Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson and, indeed, Ronnie Corbett.

Whip It


Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with Whip It, an ambitious coming-of-age tale starring a posse of females (Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig among them) with the steel and smarts to send the A-Team packing - epecially if the A-Team should ever take up roller derby, a demented cross between rollerskating and bar-brawling, all shot under the watchful eye of Steven Spielberg's niece. Whip It will rock your (pop)socks off and Empire is on set to join the scrimmage and find out why.

Lord Of The Rings On Blu-ray

Break out the pipeweed and rejoice for this month is Lord Of The Rings month in ReView. With the trilogy finally released on Blu-ray, we travel back to Middle Earth to reveal what you, the reader, have voted your favourite scene, and find out how it was made. Does your choice tally with James Cameron or Guillermo del Toro's? Find out as we canvas Hollywood's finest to discover which moment they flick too most often. There's loads of other stuff too (2012! Sherlock Holmes! Doctor Parnassus) so buy, you fools!

Conan The Unmade


With Cimmerian's mighty muscle-bound, snake-wrestling warrior soon returning to our screens to wreck more majestic carnage, the pages of Back Story flick to another epic tale. This one involves cloned beast-men, shark attacks, ice worms, witch queens and Oliver Stone. The young scriptwriter was one of many players in the quest to bring Robert E. Howard's legendary Conan to the big screen. This month's issue tells the full story of how the sullen-eyed reaver finally came to cinematic life.

Pierce Brosnan

Suaver than an otter in a silk cravat, Pierce Brosnan is back and busier than ever. This month's Big Interview is a cracker as the erstwhile 007 talks widely and freely about life after Bond, Tony Blair ("I have no feelings for the man"), Roman Polanski ("He's formidable") and how he scored that part in Mamma Mia ("it was for my legs - in Lycra"). With Remember Me out shortly, he gives his take on the R-Pattz phenomenon and the slightly older demographic that still drives Brosnan-mania.

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Meet The A-Team

If you love it when a plan comes together, you're going to love Joe Carnahan's The A-Team. Not only are there a number of different plans, each coming together beautifully, but there are tanks fighting planes. In the sky. In short, this isn't the Saturday evening TV staple of your youth simply rebooted. This is the Saturday TV staple of your youth with a rocket under it and a giant cigar stuffed in its mouth. Our on-set special takes you to Vancouver to hear from the band of modern-day brigands - Neeson, Copley, Cooper and Jackson - to find out what to expect.


Meet The Expendables

Forget sunbathing and jaunty trips to the seaside, this summer is all about men with pecs the size of Romford beating each other to a pulp. That's right, The Expendables are here. If you're lookingh for one long reason to dodge the sunshine to spend a few hours in a darkened cinema in the company of virtually every '80s action star worth his salt, look no further. Empire spoke to Sylvester Stallone and the most granite-hued cast in movie history to talk Latin despots, on-set injuries and the perils of expendability. As an statistical bonus, we've taken out our calculator to work out how many movie fatalities the cast have been responsible for. It's a giant calculator.


World Exclusive Look At Salt

In a role once earmarked for Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie joins the action wham-boree this summer as Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative accused of working for the KGB. Phillip Noyce, the man who gave us Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger, knows his way around a pulse-escalating actioner. In a world exclusive, he talks Empire through Salt's labyrinthine world of espionage-heavy thrills, a world in which nothing -including Jolie's hair colour - is what it seems.


Chris Evans On Captain America

One of the most used phrases in the Empire office is the line, "Chris Evans is the best thing in it". It's true of Fantastic Four, Push, his new film The Losers and even, er, The Nanny Diaries. But at last the man who isn't the Radio 2 DJ of the same name (you can tell cause this one's massively better looking) has a leading role all of his own in blockbuster-in-the-making Captain America - and we took him aside and threatened his perfect abs with a doughnut until he talked turkey about Cap'.


Cruise And Diaz On Knight And Day

Among this summer's blockbusters, Knight And Day has snuck along under the radar like some kind of stealth movie - albeit a stealth movie which, with its breakneck bike chases and breathless banter, moves at supersonic speed. With a trailer just the other side of awesome, the comedy-actioner high on any respectable must-see list. Director James Mangold talks through reuniting Vanilla Sky co-stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz and unleashing them on an unsuspecting world.


Can Anyone Stop Chris Morris?

A man who is to media outrage what a disorientated bull is to a overstocked china shop, Chris Morris sets his sights on the war on terror with Four Lions, a comedy-drama that entertains and challenges in equal measure. In a rare interview, he tells us what makes him tick and what we can expect from a film that, on paper, sounds like a headliner writer's dream waiting to happen. He's a provocateur, comedic genius and now a film director - whatever you do, though, don't call him a satirist.


Master Of Villains: Mark Strong

Devilish in Sherlock Holmes, demented in Kick-Ass, dastardedly in Robin Hood, and very unlikely to be petting kittens or escorting grannies across busy roads in either Green Lantern or John Carter Of Mars, it's safe to say Mark Strong is rapidly becoming Hollywood's go-to bad guy of choice. There's more to the North Londoner than menacing the righteous though. Much more. He takes Empire behind the scenes of Robin Hood and Kick-Ass and lets us into a film future so bright it may actually burn our eyes. In, like, a metaphorical sense.


The Inside Story Of The Awards

It was another star-studded year at the Empire awards, and we have all the photos, quotes, sketches and scandal from the night presented for your convenience in one handy magazine-sized package. So did Sir Ian McKellen punch anyone? Did Sam Worthington insist on drinking camomile tea all evening? And did the famously nice Simon Pegg reveal himself as a horrendous diva with an entourage of 20? Well, no, of course not; but to find out what really happened, you'll have to pick up the new issue.


Big Interview: Nicolas Cage

A man of a thousand faces, and at least as many haircuts, Nicolas Cage is one of Hollywood's biggest stars and someone whose performances are always memorable. As the barmy but brilliant Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans nears release, we cornered Cage to ask about his latest role and career to date. From that well-known comic-book obsession to rather more obscure Cage facts, it's all here in a comprehensive interview with one of the unpredictable actors around.


The Men Of Hot Time Tub Machine

A hands-down winner for title of the year, Hot Tub Time Machine sees John Cusack revisit the sort of raunchy sex comedy he used to make in his teens - only this time he's old enough to know better, and joined by the comedy powerhouses of Rob Corddry (long a stalwart of The Daily Show), Craig Robinson (Knocked Up, Walk Hard), and Michael Cera's sometime comedy foil, Clark Duke (Kick-Ass). We got the lowdown on their barmy '80s-set time-travel adventure from all four stars: read it before you see the movie!


Avatar On Blu-ray Reviewed

You may have heard of Avatar. It's the biggest movie of all time, a box-office behemoth that your mum probably took your granny to see at a midnight screening on the Imax. And now it's reached DVD and Blu-ray, so we thought you just might want to see a review of it. We've also got a freeze-frame-friendly guide to the hidden references and gags you might find on home viewing, and the word from James Cameron and producer Jon Landau on what to look out for.

Back Story: The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges may not be household names in this country, but in the US the 1930s stars remain cultural icons, pioneers of a brand of physical comedy that puts even Jim Carrey to shame. While the long-mooted Three Stooges movie continues to wend its way slowly through the Seven Circles of Development Hell, we look back at the original pioneers to bring you the true story behind the pratfalls and endless petty acts of violence. Whadya mean, you didn't know there had to be a story behind petty acts of violence?

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Inception

Forget about that elusive Batman III, because the movie you've been dreaming of is just over a month away. We've had four days' on-set access as well as an interview with Leonardo himself to help us solve the riddle of Nolan's latest, a contemporary sci-fi actioner 'set within the architecture of the mind'. It's The Matrix meets 007 "on steroids!" - arguably the most exciting sentence in the world. Ever.

Christopher Nolan Interview

The Dark Knight's master welcomes us into his home and production HQ in the Hollywood hills to talk Batman, Kubrick, sci-fi, 'old-school directing', and 3D, as his follow-up to the Caped Crusader's billion-dollar triumph is finally prepared for release.

Christopher Nolan: The Movies, The Memories.

Batman Begins, The Prestige, Insomnia, Memento and, of course, The Dark Knight - fantastic films all. But don't take our word for it, as Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, Wally Pfister and Jonathan Nolan (respectively) write exclusively on just how Nolan makes the magic happen.

Scott Pilgrim: Meet The Seven Evil Exes

Not one, not two, but... seven - and not all of them male, by the way, but all of them ever so very evil and hell-bent on kicking Scott Pilgrim's ass. Keep your enemies close as you discover just who Scott will be standing up against once Edgar Wright's graphic novel adaptation flies headlong into your multiplex come August this year.

Predators: On-Set Special

Grab your mud-coloured body-paint and sharpen yourself a very pointy stick, because the Predators have returned to ask a few questions... and they're not taking your petrified screams for an answer. We go behind the scenes to see how the sci-fi reboot is shaping up after its decade-and-a-half wait to see the light of day.

Knight And Day: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, amazing screen icons alone, a dynamite interview together. Poor Nev Pierce has the arduous task of sitting down and chatting with a couple of the most charismatic characters in the business as they talk Hitchcock, Paul Newman and espionage comedies, as well as their previous outing, Vanilla Sky, and their latest, Knight And Day.

The Story Of Pixar

A long, long time ago (okay, just over 30 years) in a land far, far away (the US, to be precise) some of Pixar's biggest names all went to the California Institute Of The Arts, to one special classroom, A113, and since then they've gone on to create some of the most revolutionary animated movies ever made. Love 'em or merely like 'em a lot, it's an amazing tale and one we retell in this very issue.

Rachel Weisz Inteview

Prepare your longing sighs now, gentlemen, as she's just as charming, delightful and intelligent as you'd expect her to be - i.e. very. Damon Wise talks to the Brothers Bloom star about playing Blanche Du Bois on stage, the Jackie O movie she's working on with her husband, Darren Aronofsky, and the disappearance of decent drama in Hollywood.

Escape To Victory Reunited

The World Cup? Do you think we'd forget the beautiful game, after all it's given cinema? Why there's, um, Mean Machine, and, er, Shaolin Soccer and, wait, wait, wait... Escape To Victory! Now there's a film - one that we partially recreate as the old boys are brought back together to celebrate the best football/World War II movie ever made.

Russell Brand

What's this? Russell Brand, he of naughty radio show fame, playing an oversexed, drugged-up rock and roll buffoon? This cannot be! Katy Perry's husband to-be explains how Get Him To The Greek director Nick Stoller ransacked his past in creating his Aldous Snow character and why playing the leather clad ne'er-do-well was actually a lot harder than you might think...

How To Love... Alfred Hitchcock

Celebrating Psycho's 50th birthday, we take an in depth look at just how Hitchcock pulled off hugely entertaining movies that were also darkly profound, again and again. In the first of our two-part series on the great man, the silent years, his leading men, and his collaborators all get the kind of analysis only the great masters deserve.

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Tron Legacy

It was ahead of its time in 1983, but the original Tron is getting a heck of a tribute in the form of big-budget, gorgeously designed sequel Tron Legacy. The film isn't due until December, but we have a report from the Vancouver set and exclusive interviews with all the key cast and crew to bring you everything you need to know on this latest tale of lightcycles, neon and gladiator games. Step through Flynn's Arcade into a whole new and completely stunning world in the latest issue.

Comic-Con Preview

Later this month Comic-Con will smother San Diego under a pasty-white avalanche of geek-flesh, but in anticipation of the big event (which we will of course be live-blogging and videoblogisode-ing online) we've got a Comic-Con preview to give you a sneak peek at the films expected to rock this year's festival. From Thor to Machete to Conan, these are going to be the big hitters that set the internet abuzz come July 22.

The Future Of Movies

The Empire Rolodex came out this month as we called up Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis to talk to us about the future of movies for an exclusive peek into what cinema has in store over the next few years. The three performance-capturing big-thinkers sat down with our Ian Freer to talk about 3D, slamming Meryl Streep and Andy Serkis scratching his butt. Possibly in retaliation, we also asked Andy Serkis, surely the world's leading performance-captured actor, his views on the cinema of the future

The Last Airbender

Before there was Avatar, there was... Avatar: The Last Airbender, a kids’ cartoon show that’s bigger than Justin Bieber, the Twilight Saga and Rafael Nadal's biceps combined. And now M. Night Shyamalan, master of the twist, has turned the phenomenon into, as the saying goes, a major motion picture. And, just to make sure you can keep up to date on the film, as well as handily impress any young 'uns you meet in the near future, we’ve put together a handy guide to the major characters, from the villainous Prince Zuko (Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel), to Katara (Nicola Peltz) and even the bender of air himself, Aang (Noah Ringer), complete with exclusive interviews. Bend that...

The Slate

Want the latest on Seth Rogen's Green Hornet? Fancy a look at Despicable Me? How about a chat with the cast of Shrek on the final instalment in the franchise? Or, if that doesn't float your boat, what about a look at the unfeasibly beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the new star of Transformers 3? That and much more are in this month's Slate section, where we also find out how much Sean Bean knows about his own movies and how hairy Sharlto Copley's ass is.

Jerry Bruckheimer

His movies have made $47 bajillion at the box office and he's got two big blockbusters out this summer - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Nicolas Cage in the upcoming Sorcerer's Apprentice. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer, after all, who brought us everything from Top Gun to Pearl Harbor to the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. We posed your questions to the uber-producer and got his views on explosions vs. character, the place of 3D and whether we can ever expect to see him on Entourage...

Dennis Hopper

The death in May of Dennis Hopper marked the end of an era in Hollywood and the passing of an iconoclastic icon. From fresh-faced, straight-laced turns in the 1950s through the countercultural '60s and the chaotic '70s, Dennis Hopper was always worth watching and continued to inspire as a writer, director and fine artist throughout his crazy life. In tribute to the man who defined several Hollywood eras, we reflect on his career and films.

Jonah Hex

It didn't exactly set the US box office alight, but there's a fascinating story behind Jonah Hex, starring Josh Brolin as the scarred comic-book anti-hero, directed by the guy who made Horton Hears A Who! and filmed in conditions so difficult that they scared even Mickey Rourke. We talked to all involved to get the inside story on an unlikely supernatural Western, and bring you the story of a true underdog.

Anjelica Huston

She's Hollywood royalty, an Oscar-winner in her own right and the daughter of the legendary John Huston, but Angelica Huston is more than just a member of a famous family. We talked to her about her astonishing career to date, from early films with her father to Prizzi's Honor and The Addams Family, to her recent collaborations with Wes Anderson. Empire forumites will even be pleased to know that she mentions the cult sci-fi effort Ice Pirates in an in-depth career discussion.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Celebration

It's chalks up more laughs per minute than a Tickle-Me-Elmo going full-blast, and after seven seasons Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing down. As shooting starts on season eight, we talked to the cast about the secrets of the show's success and what's coming up next time around. Plus, we get Ricky Gervais to talk us through his favourite Curb moments - and that's just one part of the mammoth Re:View section, packed with all this month's DVD, book, soundtrack and blu-ray releases.

How To Love... Alfred Hitchcock: Part 2

Continuing last month's mammoth How To Love Hitchcock feature, we leave aside the darker side of his filmography to look at the lighter, funnier chase movies like The 39 Steps and North By Northwest that grace his CV. We've also compiled profiles of his favourite blondes, delved deep into his war work and non-film projects, and taken a look at his knack for publicity stunts. After this, you will know everything there is to know about the Master of Suspense.

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

The boy wizard is headed towards a final confrontation with He Who Must Not Be Named as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, nears release. We talked to the central three castmembers - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - to profile how they're dealing with the end of an era, and a shoot that's lasted well over a year. But there's also news on what you can expect from the King's Cross scene, how much damage Hogwarts will sustain and why it's the emotional stuff that's really going to get you this time.

10 Coolest Movies We Want To See

Some movies get everyone excited because they're big. But other movies get people excited because you just know they're going to be cool, and it's those films that we preview in this month's issue. From the Coen Brothers True Grit to Matt Damon channelling Philip K. Dick in The Adjustment Bureau, these promise to be weird and wonderful rather than merely explosive. With on-set reports and exclusive new pictures, it's also a handy guide to the films whose names you should start dropping early for maximum credibility.

The Slate - Alien Invasion Special

If one thing was clear from Comic-Con this year, it's that alien invasion stories are big news. Our intrepid team braved infected territory to get you the lowdown on all these extra-terrestrial visitors, from the large-scale infestations of Skylight, Monsters and Battle: Los Angeles to the rather less threatening Paul and the more Western Cowboys & Aliens. With a packed news section rounded out by a James Cameron Movie Mastermind and all the latest on Jon Hamm, Dominic Cooper, Rooney Mara (the new Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Let Me In, this should keep you going all month.

Red

Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale their infinite variety. Which "them" do we mean? Why, the cast of Red, wherein Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren star as retired assassins who show the young folk how it's done. Tell you what, we wouldn't want to be in Karl Urban's shoes (as their opponent) when this quartet get going. We were on set in Louisiana to get the full story on why a bunch of distinguished older actors are getting their machine-guns on in a comic-book adaptation.

The Social Network

Let's be clear: this is not going to be a film about people staring at a computer screen. The story of the creation of Facebook, as taken from Ben Mezrich's book, adapted in Aaron Sorkin's script and directed by David Fincher, promises to be an epic story of creation, friendship and betrayal. With exclusive access to the set and the cast - including Jesse "Zombieland" Eisenberg, Andrew "new Spider-Man" Garfield and Justin "Sexy Back" Timberland - here's the lowdown on a geek tragedy (sorry).

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

The effect of Mexican drug wars on children's cinemas is often overlooked, but in the case of the latest Chronicle of Narnia, they played a huge role. The film, once set to shoot in Mexico as a Disney production, now comes to us via Australia and 20th Century Fox. From the set and the editing room, here's everything you need to know about (probably) the best of the Narnia stories, from its troubled start to the dragon-filled finish.

Ryan Reynolds

He's already played Deadpool and now he's the Green Lantern, but Ryan Reynolds is having a harder time of it this month as he's buried alive in, er, Buried. We sat down with the disgustingly good-looking, appallingly funny, outrageously charming actor to ask why someone married to Scarlett Johansson would volunteer to spend weeks in a splintery wooden box, six feet under, for Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes. Oh, and there's some Green Lantern news in there as well. Just because we like spoiling you.

John Landis, John Carpenter And Joe Dante Are Back!

John Landis, John Carpenter and Joe Dante were once legends of Hollywood horror, churning out strings of hits through the late 1970s and early 1980s. All three, however, suffered setbacks and have been missing in action for much of the last decade. But now, with (respectively) Burke & Hare, The Ward and The Hole in 3D, all three are back on our screens, so it seemed the perfect time to talk to the trio, and present the parallel stories of their rises, falls and - hopefully - returns to form.

Re-view Roundup

Robin Hood leads our Re-View section this month, with Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott's epic also deconstructed in our Anatomy of a Scene. But there's also an in-depth look at the new Banksy movie, Exit Through The Gift Shop, some consideration of Solaris in our Masterpiece section, an in-depth (and spoiler-filled) discussion of Lost, and oodles of new films, old films, games, music and more. It's got everything, basically.

Behind-The-Scenes At Movie-Con III

August this year saw the third Empire-BFI Movie Con at the BFI Southbank, bringing together some of the most interesting filmmakers around and a whole heap of Empire-reading movie fans. Our Chris Hewitt once again hosted the event without getting himself arrested (except by Stormtroopers at one point), and we had exclusive clips and news from films like Thor, Captain America, 127 Hours, Let Me In, Buried and lots more. This month's issue has our full write-up of the event, and exclusive photos of the attendees, making it the perfect souvenir for those who were there and the perfect bluffer's guide for anyone who missed it.

Julia Roberts Interview

Judging by the reception for her latest film, Eat Pray Love, at the US box office, Julia Roberts just might have regained her crown as the world's biggest female star. As the film rolls out on this side of the pond, we sat down to chat with her about her career break and coming back to the big time - via a stint of pasta-eating in Italy, praying in India and snuggling with Javier Bardem in Bali (in the movie. Not in real life - Penelope Cruz would be furious). Read on to remember why you loved her in the first place.

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Thor

Forsooth! What light through yonder magazine breaks? It's the Norse God of Thunder, and Kenneth Branagh is his director! Our James went on set of Marvel's latest superhero movie to find out how Captain Kirk's dad, Shakespeare's biggest director and a really outlandish Avenger are getting along together. Have they kept the Shakespearean dialogue that Thor is famous for? Will he bring the thunder? And what's this about The Destroyer?

Let Me In

Starring her from Kick-Ass and him from The Road, this adaptation of Let The Right One In is not just another remake. For one thing, director Matt Reeves felt a very personal connection to the story's hero, and fought against studio attempts to change the age of the characters. For another, he got the coolest young actors in the business as his stars. And third, he offers some honest explanations for the changes he's made to the original's approach, and some good reasons why things could also work his way. If you're not convinced, read on to find out more

Mark Ruffalo

He's long been one of the most likable and interesting indie actors around, but after being cast in The Avengers as Bruce Banner earlier this year, Mark Ruffalo's suddenly on track for honest-to-god stardom. We asked him about his plans for the role, but also got the latest on his upcoming film, The Kids Are Alright, where he stars opposite Annette Benning and Julianne Moore and no one has any superpowers at all.

The Fighter + The Slate

It's another jam-packed Slate section this month, opening with The Fighter, starring the rather combative Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg, and directed by the equally feisty David O. Russell. We've also got exclusive interviews with Emma Stone, Sally Russell and Simon Pegg, while Werner Herzog takes our fiendish Movie Mastermind quiz. And then there's a first look at The Thing, The Tempest and Arthur, as well as much, much more

Unstoppable

Tony Scott. Denzel Washington. Chris Pine. A runaway train that's essentially a missile the size of the Chrysler Building! It is, we learn, like Runaway Train meets Jaws meets Speed meets Training Day meets Duel meets Apocalypse Now, as Tony Scott delivers his latest slice of big action. The good news is that the train's a "living, breathing, mean sonuvabitch". The really good news is that it's not in 3D, it doesn't use loads of CG and the train really was going at 60mph during filming.

Todd Phillips

Robert Downey Jr calls Todd Phillips his favourite director in our profile of the Due Date creator, something that could royally piss off Guy Ritchie and Jon Favreau. But in person we get the Hangover director's take on Hollywood, comedy and his future plans. Did you know about his start in documentaries? His connection to a serial killer? And what when wrong with School for Scoundrels? If not, read this month's issue for the lowdown.

In Cinemas Preview

This month opens with our take on David Fincher's The Social Network, but we're also bringing you the verdict on Let Me In, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Easy A, RED and many more. However, one spoiler right now: Vampires Suck scrapes a one-star review. Shocking, right?

Drew Struzan

Probably the best poster artist of the last 40 years, Drew Struzan illustrated the posters for everything from The Thing to Raiders of the Lost Ark to Hook. And however the movie turned out, his posters are always a thing of beauty. We talk to the man himself and get his views on discarded, never-before-seen designs, modern classics and a few special one-offs. Struzan also explains why he retired, and let's just say we need to start a letter writing campaign to the big studios to get him back

Monsters

The most buzzed-about low-budget movie of 2010 is Monsters, Gareth Edwards' small-scale huge epic set against the background of a Mexico populated by alien monsters. We got Edwards to give us the experience of making the movie in his own words, and talked to the stars, Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able, whose own relationship blossomed and turned into engagement during the making of the film. Aww.

The American

George Clooney's new film, from the director of Control - and what more do you need to make you go see it? - is shaping up to be a very different sort of thriller. Director Anton Corbijn is determined to bring us dark Clooney rather than Cary Grant-Clooney, and talks us through the creation of a more European, slightly 1970s-style movie in The American.

Back Story - The Day After

Occasionally, a movie comes along that people say will change the world. Very, very rarely, a film actually does. And one of the most influential films ever was a TV movie called The Day After, the story of a cataclysmic nuclear war and the consequences for the few survivors left in its immediate aftermath. Mary Poppins, it ain't - but after US President Ronald Reagan watched it, he changed his whole defence policy. We have the full story

Re-View Roundup

Kicking off with the long-awaited Alien Anthology (now on shiny Blu-ray, hoorah) and continuing with everything from Iron Man 2 to Fanboys to Back to the Future to the Court Jester, it's a busy month for fans of films at home. And what's this? A set visit to The Walking Dead? Don't mind if we do. And there's a bit of Empire Strikes Back to round it all up. What's not to love?

Mark Wahlberg

He may have started off pants - sorry, in pants - advertising undies while rapping with the Funky Bunch, but these days Mark Wahlberg is one of the cooler stars out there. We chatted to him about everything from going to jail as a teenager, tackling comedy improvisation on The Other Guys and working with Scorsese on The Departed. Read it, then say hi to your mother for us.

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Contents

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