 |  If this week had a name, that name would be Empire. On Monday we announced the nominees for this year's Jameson Empire Awards, with The Hobbit vying with Gravity in a battle that the Oscars totally overlooked. The new issue of the magazine arrived to a monster reception - thanks in no small part to the one-two punch of a killer subscribers cover and a giant-sized option on the regular look. Inside we have Gareth Edwards on our cover star, Godzilla (and be sure to check out his trailer breakdown here); Gareth Evans on blistering action sequel The Raid 2; and, in a departure from people called Gareth, Darren Aronofsky explaining his quest to make Noah. And finally we hosted our 100th podcast recording live at the Prince Charles Cinema in London to a sell-out crowd, with special guests Ice Cube and Will Poulter going down a storm. It's been a week to remember, is what we're saying, and we head into the Oscars on Sunday night (come join us live for a full account of what unfolds) exhausted but on a high. Helen O'Hara
Deputy Online Editor, Empire
 
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  The New Godzilla Trailer Has Stomped Online in
Get ready for a sense of building dread in the latest Godzilla trailer. This generous snippet sees Bryan Cranston as a man on the verge as he pleads with person or persons unknown to address the scale of the threat that mankind faces. And if the One Who Knocks is worried, the rest of us should really be running for our lives. More: The Muppets Debut A New Music Video Time to sing the sequel song... Exclusive Trailer And Poster For We Are The Best! It's Lukas Moodysson's God Save The Teen. Bryan Singer Debuts New X-Men: Days Of Future Past Footage Instagram mini-trailer time... The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions Scores A Trailer 'The answers you seek are here...' New Three-Minute Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer Lands Here comes the dubstepper. Red Band Trailer For Ti West's The Sacrament Live as one. Die as one... Meet The Guardians Of The Galaxy Five new character videos and director James Gunn talks.
  A Blu-ray of Thor: The Dark World arrived, which means that this weekend we'll mostly be saying All Hail The King, baby!
 They're like nut clams, aren't they, pistachios?  - Phil waxes philosophical.
Film Studies 101: Top Cinematographers Reveal Their Favourites Movie Moments
Cinematographers - or 'directors of photography', if you're not into the whole brevity thing - have been the unsung heroes of cinema since the year dot. If the writer is a movie's synapses and the director is its heart, the DP is the eyes. Manipulating light, depth and perspective to elevate even the most simple stories into things of beauty, they are often filmmaking's unsung heroes. Gregg Toland, Freddie Young, Jack Cardiff, Vittorio Storaro, Conrad Hall, Jordan Cronenweth, Christopher Doyle, Roger Deakins... the roll call of greats is glorious. To celebrate their achievements and demystify their work, Film Studies 101 asked 21 of cinema's top DPs to pick a moment in the history of the art that has inspired and moved them. Empire is proud to share their selections with you. | |
|  | | The Empire Podcast #100 LIVE!
To celebrate its centenary, the Empire Podcast was recorded LIVE in front of an audience of lucky, lucky fans in Leicester Square's very own Prince Charles Cinema this week. Surprise guests included Ride Along's Ice Cube, who finally decided who'd win in a fight between George Clooney and David O. Russell, and We're The Millers' Will Poulter, who tried to explain how awkward it was spending days at a time kissing Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts. |
|  | | Empire's Godzilla Trailer Breakdown With Director Gareth Edwards
Two days ago, the full trailer for Godzilla roared emphatically into our lives. Today, Empire unveils a very special trailer breakdown for it, featuring the director of the film, Gareth Edwards, guiding you though the jaw-dropping footage you've seen. Discover what Edwards himself makes of fans' guesswork - "Is that a tentacle holding a bomb?" - and try to make your own version of the roar (provided you have a double bass and a leather glove handy). Whether you're a die-hard fan of Toho Studios' finest, or just a passing movie lover, you'll want to watch this - and at the loudest volume possible. |
|  | | Vote Now: Jameson Empire Awards 2014 Shortlist Revealed
Forget the Oscars, and don't bother with the BAFTAs, because the Jameson Empire Awards 2014 are just around the corner, and the full list of nominees - as chosen by you - is now here so you can vote for the winners. Leading the reader-voted pack is The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, with seven nominations, then 12 Years A Slave, with six nominations, followed close behind by Captain Phillips and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, both with five nominations, and then after that, Gravity, which has four. Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass will receive the Empire Inspiration Award at the ceremony. |
|  | | 6 Terrific Tom Hiddleston Performances (That Aren't Loki)
At his current trajectory, there's no doubt that Thomas William Hiddleston is on course for greatness, awards and probably medals from nations far and wide. If he goes on to become a knight of the realm and a demigod to a tribe of discerning cineastes, we certainly won't begrudge him it. His wildly fun turn as Loki in Thor saw him mischief his way to prominence, earning him Avengers MVP status, alongside franchise lodestar Robert Downey Jr.. But it's not just his Marvel work or - sorry Tom! - his Empire Sexiest list prominence that's notable about him. With Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive offering a walk on the wan side, here's our pick of his other roles to date. |
|  | | Geoffrey Rush Talks The Book Thief
Adapted from Markus Zusak's bajillion-selling novel and co-starring none other than Death himself, The Book Thief will be on the must-see list of men, women and children all over the planet. It stars young Canadian actress Sophie N&eaclisse and a not-quite-so-young-but-still-pretty-nimble Australian by the name of Geoffrey Rush. They both sat down to talk to Empire about the World War 2 fairy tale. |
|  | | 10 Musical Biopics Heading Our Way
Musicians have always been a favourite subject for movies, since they come with a built-in rise to fame, often turbulent careers and struggles with the sort of personal issues that win major awards for actors. What's more, the chances are that every actor with even a vague sense of pitch thought about becoming a rock star instead, so it allows them to scratch that itch. With a raft of musical biopics on the way, we thought we'd round up some of the tunesmiths receiving the film treatment... |
|  | | Win A Film Download, Takeaway Every Sunday With Fox Searchlight!
Throughout 2014, Empire will be giving readers the chance to win a Digital HD copy of a Fox Searchlight film, plus a £25 hungryhouse.co.uk voucher to order their favourite takeaway online. Just head to Twitter each Sunday (make sure you're following @empiremagazine ) and answer the quiz question posed, tagging your tweet with #SearchlightSundays. In addition, there will be a chance to win flights to Utah and hotel accommodation during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival! Click here for full details |
|  | | Julianne Moore And Liam Neeson Take Empire's IMDbunker Quiz
Non-Stop is an action thriller that takes place on the a plane, which explains why our interviews with its stars, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Michelle Dockery, all take place in a mock-up of an airplane seat. It doesn't explain, alas, why we decided to put Neeson and Moore to the IMDebunker test, where actors are asked whether the trivia on IMDb.com about them is in anyway true at all. So click play to hear the pair talk about such disparate topics as fly-fishing, James Bond and acrophobia (but not necessarily in that order). |
|  | | What To Say About Stranger By The Lake
A thoughtful, elegant French thriller that just happens to be giving society's sermonisers a conniption, Stranger By The Lake transplants Hitchcockian tensions to a seemingly genteel cruising spot in high summer. The sun beats down, the water ripples and the wind breathes lazily through the trees, but darker deeds are afoot amongst the easy-living (and loving) gay men who frequent the spot. It's a film on everyone's lips and Empire went along to persuade its maker, Alain Guiraudie, and his two stars to share everything you need to know about it. |
|  | | Drew Pearce On Making Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King
As the Blu-ray of Thor: The Dark World is now out, die-hard Marvel one-shot enthusiasts will no doubt have already enjoyed the latest short from the superhero stable. Written and directed by Drew Pearce - one of the two writers (alongside Shane Black) behind Iron Man 3 - All Hail The King reveals what happened to The Mandarin Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) after he was busted. With so much going on in the short, Empire spoke to Pearce in spoiler-filled detail about how it all happened, from that Sean Connery impression to the cameo you never saw coming. |
|  | | The Real Story Of Loki: Norse Mythology In The Movies
Joanne Harris's name may still be best known to film fans as the author of Chocolat, but in real life she's also an expert on Norse mythology. In fact, that's what she has spent most of her time writing about for the last few years, with two fantasy books (Runemarks and Runelight) based on the Norse pantheon already out and a new adult take on the mythology, The Gospel Of Loki, just published. Given that Loki's just about the most popular character in film these days and that Thor: The Dark World is out this week, we sat down with Harris recently to learn a bit more about everyone's favourite villain, and the other surprising influences of the Norse gods on film... |
|  | | A Bluffer's Guide To The Oscars Technical Categories
To some, the Academy Awards are divided into "the big ones" (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, etc) and the ones where they stepped out to make tea. Not us, though, and not you. The artists and artisans on the other side of the camera - the crème de la crème of VFX artistry, sound and editing - may not be household names, but their achievements justly comprise half of the showpiece event. But how do they get there? And who votes for them? Well, if Best Sound Mixing makes you think of Grandmaster Flash and an "Oscar bake-off" conjures images of a cake made from the contents of Sesame Street's bin, this handy guide should guide you through Sunday's technical categories. |
|  | | Stacy Martin on Nymphomaniac
Nymphomaniac Volumes I & II have - understandably - made something of a splash in cinemas. A large part of that is down to the 23-year-old Stacy Martin, who gives a no-holds-barredperformance as the sexually insatiable young Joe, whose exploits are narrated by Charlotte Gainsbourg as the older Joe. Empire sat down with Martin to talk about her fellow performers, her future career, and the art of prosthetic application... |
|  | | Adam McKay Talks Anchorman 2's Longer Cut
Something pretty special happens in UK cinemas tomorrow: the release of a brand-new version of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, just two months after the original version opened. There have, of course, been special editions and directors' cuts galore over the years - the first Anchorman begat its own spin-off companion piece, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy! - but there's been nothing like this - virtually an entirely new version of a movie, with approximately 763 new jokes and the odd new scene, released theatrically (Wake Up, Ron Burgundy! went straight to DVD) while the original version is still strong in the memory. The new version - The Legend Continues Continued - is the brainchild of McKay, who had talked, while promoting the first stab at the sequel, about his hope that Paramount would do something like this, and we hopped on the phone with the writer-director ahead of the new release. Be warned: like the new version, this interview is very, very long and probably only for diehard Anchorman fans. |
|  | | Empire Presents the New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy has built a reputation as one of the premier film schools in the world. With its innovative hands-on approach to teaching, students find themselves completely immersed in their course of study, surrounded by award-winning faculty and working with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Learn Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Photography, Musical Theatre, Game Design, Animation and more. |
 Reader Chris Geary gave us a gorgeous box set of his World War I comics International Aces at the live podcast - thanks!
 
Will Poulter loves Friends, but can't decide on a favourite episode. 
Empire readers are lovely folk who not only promise doughnuts; they also deliver. 
Ice Cube reckons that, had George Clooney and David O.Russell come to blows on Three Kings on the day they had a huge argument, Russell would have won. On another day, however, he thinks Clooney might take it. 
It takes three hours to apply a prosthetic vagina. 
There is a person in the world who thought our Godzilla subscribers cover was a spoiler because it showed Godzilla.
 |  | |  | |  | |  |  | | Time-travelling / immortal celebrities. | | Paul Rudd: lipsynch king. | | Obama: 'We're building Iron Man'. | | Fashionable at last! |
If you have any timewasters to share, then e-mail them in to us. |
 
The Book Thief 
Some good performances, impeccable craft and good intentions can't compensate for a lack of dramatic urgency and emotional heft. The Book Thief is effective, but not effective enough. Also Out
 
Serpico 
An incisive retrospective, Inside Serpico, a delve into the production plus a Favourite Moments compilation. Add a glossy booklet and you've got another quality re-issue from Masters Of Cinema. Also Out
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