Empire (film magazine)



Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media of Hamburg based Bauer Media Group. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008. It is the biggest selling film magazine in the United Kingdom and is also published in the United States, Australia, Turkey, Russia, Italy and Portugal. Empire organises the annual Empire Awards which were sponsored by Sony Ericsson, and from 2009 sponsored by Jameson. The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine.

Regular features
Empire is populist in both approach and coverage. It reviews both mainstream films and art films, but feature articles concentrate on the former.

As well as film news, previews, and reviews, Empire has some other regular features. Each issue (with the exception of issues 108–113) features a Classic Scene, a transcript from a notable film scene. The first such classic scene to be featured was the "I could have been a contender" scene from On the Waterfront.

The regular Top 10 feature lists Empires choice of the top ten examples of something film-related. For example, 10 Best Chase Scenes or 10 Best Movie Gags in The Simpsons.

The Re.View section covers Blu-ray and DVD news and releases. Kim Newman's Movie Dungeon is a regular feature in the Re.View section, in which critic Kim Newman reviews the most obscure releases, mostly low budget horror movies.

How much Is Pint of Milk presents celebrities' answers to silly or unusual questions, including the question "How much is a pint of milk?" This is intended as a guide to the chosen celebrity's contact with reality, and as such can be more informative than a direct interview by reporting some surprising responses.

Each magazine includes a "Spine Quote", in which a relatively challenging quote is printed on the spine of the magazine. There are usually some obvious and obscure links from the quote to the main features of that month's edition. Readers are invited to identify the film source and the links to win a prize.

Celebrity Mastermind is another regular in which a celebrity is given questions about the films they were in or they directed. Celebrities range from Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Lee (who are at the top of the scoreboard) to John Carpenter and Michael Keaton (who are at the bottom of the scoreboard).

Masterpieces
A regular feature since issue 167, the masterpiece feature is a two-page essay on a film selected by Empire in the Re.View section. The selection of the films seem to be quite random and follow no specific pattern. Only a few issues since the first masterpiece feature have not featured one – 169, 179, 196, 197, 198 and 246. Issue 240 had director Frank Darabont select 223 masterpieces. L.A. Confidential was featured twice, once in issue 191 and again in issue 303.

The films to feature in this section so far are:


 * 1) Raging Bull (Issue 167, May 2003)
 * 2) Gone with the Wind (Issue 168, June 2003)
 * 3) The Shawshank Redemption (Issue 170, August 2003)
 * 4) Casablanca (Issue 171, September 2003)
 * 5) Blade Runner (Issue 172, October 2003)
 * 6) La Dolce Vita (Issue 173, November 2003)
 * 7) The Shining (Issue 174, December 2003)
 * 8) The Third Man (Issue 175, January 2004)
 * 9) The 400 Blows (Issue 176, February 2004)
 * 10) His Girl Friday (Issue 177, March 2004)
 * 11) Schindler's List (Issue 178, April 2004)
 * 12) The Godfather (Issue 180, June 2004)
 * 13) King Kong (Issue 181, July 2004)
 * 14) Seven Samurai (Issue 182, August 2004)
 * 15) Fight Club (Issue 183, September 2004)
 * 16) Tokyo Story (Issue 184, October 2004)
 * 17) Annie Hall (Issue 185, November 2004)
 * 18) Bride of Frankenstein (Issue 186, December 2004)
 * 19) It's a Wonderful Life (Issue 187, January 2005) (incorrectly labelled as No. 18 in the magazine)
 * 20) This Is Spinal Tap (Issue 188, February 2005)
 * 21) The Silence of the Lambs (Issue 189, March 2005)
 * 22) L'Atalante (Issue 190, April 2005)
 * 23) L.A. Confidential (Issue 191, May 2005)
 * 24) The Searchers (Issue 192, June 2005)
 * 25) Do The Right Thing (Issue 193, July 2005)
 * 26) Brief Encounter (Issue 194, August 2005)
 * 27) Brazil (Issue 195, September 2005)
 * 28) On the Waterfront (Issue 199, January 2006)
 * 29) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Issue 200, February 2006)
 * 30) Rome, Open City (Issue 201, March 2006)
 * 31) The General (Issue 202, April 2006)
 * 32) Deliverance (Issue 203, May 2006)
 * 33) The French Connection (Issue 204, June 2006)
 * 34) The Battle of Algiers (Issue 205, July 2006)
 * 35) Das Boot (Issue 206, August 2006)
 * 36) Don't Look Now (Issue 207, September 2006)
 * 37) Vertigo (Issue 208, October 2006)
 * 38) The Lord of the Rings (Issue 209, November 2006)
 * 39) Some Like It Hot (Issue 210, December 2006)
 * 40) The Wizard of Oz (Issue 211, January 2007)
 * 41) The Wages of Fear (Issue 212, February 2007)
 * 42) Belle de jour (Issue 213, March 2007)
 * 43) The Spirit of the Beehive (Issue 214, April 2007)
 * 44) Die Hard (Issue 215, May 2007)
 * 45) A Clockwork Orange (Issue 216, June 2007)
 * 46) Performance (Issue 217, July 2007)
 * 47) Bringing Up Baby (Issue 218, August 2007)
 * 48) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Issue 219, September 2007)
 * 49) The Big Sleep (Issue 220, October 2007)
 * 50) Days of Heaven (Issue 221, November 2007)
 * 51) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Issue 222, December 2007)
 * 52) Bicycle Thieves (Issue 223, January 2008)
 * 53) Cabaret (Issue 224, February 2008)
 * 54) The Wild Bunch (Issue 225, March 2008)
 * 55) Glengarry Glen Ross (Issue 226, April 2008)
 * 56) The Fly (Issue 227, May 2008)
 * 57) Out of the Past (Issue 228, June 2008)
 * 58) Rear Window (Issue 229, July 2008)
 * 59) Forbidden Planet (Issue 230, August 2008)
 * 60) The Night of the Hunter (Issue 231, September 2008)
 * 61) Network (Issue 232, October 2008)
 * 62) Kind Hearts and Coronets (Issue 233, November 2008)
 * 63) Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Issue 234, December 2008)
 * 64) Rio Bravo (Issue 235, January 2009)
 * 65) 8½ (Issue 236, February 2009)
 * 66) Spartacus (Issue 237, March 2009)
 * 67) The Birds (Issue 238, April 2009)
 * 68) Goodfellas (Issue 239, May 2009)
 * 69) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Issue 241, July 2009)
 * 70) Amadeus (Issue 242, August 2009)
 * 71) To Kill a Mockingbird (Issue 243, September 2009)
 * 72) Suspiria (Issue 244, October 2009)
 * 73) Kiss Me Deadly (Issue 245, November 2009)
 * 74) Magnolia (Issue 247, January 2010)
 * 75) All About Eve (Issue 248, February 2010)
 * 76) All the President's Men (Issue 249, March 2010)
 * 77) Fitzcarraldo (Issue 250, April 2010)
 * 78) McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Issue 251, May 2010)
 * 79) Rififi (Issue 252, June 2010)
 * 80) The Dirty Dozen (Issue 253, July 2010)
 * 81) Now, Voyager (Issue 254, August 2010)
 * 82) Stagecoach (Issue 255, September 2010)
 * 83) Solaris (Issue 256, October 2010)
 * 84) The Court Jester (Issue 257, November 2010)
 * 85) Knife in the Water (Issue 258, December 2010)
 * 86) Stalag 17 (Issue 259, January 2011)
 * 87) Sleeper (Issue 260, February 2011)
 * 88) Lost Horizon (Issue 261, March 2011)
 * 89) Nashville (Issue 262, April 2011)
 * 90) Chinatown (Issue 263, May 2011)
 * 91) Double Indemnity (Issue 264, June 2011)
 * 92) The African Queen (Issue 265, July 2011)
 * 93) Sunset Boulevard (Issue 266, August 2011)
 * 94) Witness (Issue 267, September 2011)
 * 95) Manhattan (Issue 268, October 2011)
 * 96) When Harry Met Sally... (Issue 269, November 2011)
 * 97) Passport to Pimlico (Issue 270, December 2011)
 * 98) Fargo (Issue 271, January 2012)
 * 99) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Issue 272, February 2012)
 * 100) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Issue 273, March 2012)
 * 101) Sweet Smell of Success (Issue 274, April 2012)
 * 102) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Issue 275, May 2012)
 * 103) Badlands (Issue 276, June 2012)
 * 104) Citizen Kane (Issue 277, July 2012)
 * 105) Eyes Without a Face (Issue 278, August 2012)
 * 106) The Apartment (Issue 279, September 2012)
 * 107) The Leopard (Issue 280, October 2012)
 * 108) Once Upon a Time in the West (Issue 281, November 2012)
 * 109) Groundhog Day (Issue 282, December 2012)
 * 110) The Thief Of Bagdad (Issue 283, January 2013)
 * 111) Rosemary's Baby (Issue 284, February 2013)
 * 112) Night and the City (Issue 285, March 2013)
 * 113) Top Hat (Issue 286, April 2013)
 * 114) The Graduate (Issue 287, May 2013)
 * 115) Twelve Angry Men (Issue 288, June 2013)
 * 116) Big Wednesday (Issue 289, July 2013)
 * 117) Se7en (Issue 290, August 2013)
 * 118) The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Issue 291, September 2013)
 * 119) Throne of Blood (Issue 292, October 2013)
 * 120) M (Issue 293, November 2013)
 * 121) Oldboy (Issue 294, December 2013)
 * 122) Wild Strawberries (Issue 295, January 2014)
 * 123) Sex, Lies and Videotape (Issue 296, February 2014)
 * 124) Pulp Fiction (Issue 297, March 2014)
 * 125) Scream (Issue 298, April 2014)
 * 126) Toy Story (Issue 299, May 2014)
 * 127) The Blair Witch Project (Issue 300, June 2014)
 * 128) The Truman Show (Issue 301, July 2014)
 * 129) The Lives of Others (Issue 302, August 2014)
 * 130) Topsy-Turvy (Issue 304, October 2014)
 * 131) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Issue 305, November 2014)
 * 132) City of God (Issue 306, December 2014)
 * 133) Pan's Labyrinth (Issue 307, January 2015)
 * 134) Red River (Issue 308, February 2015)
 * 135) Rocky (Issue 309, March 2015)
 * 136) Intolerance (Issue 310, April 2015)
 * 137) Beauty and the Beast (Issue 311, May 2015)
 * 138) The 39 Steps (Issue 312, June 2015)
 * 139) The Before Trilogy: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight (Issue 313, July 2015)
 * 140) JFK (Issue 314, August 2015)
 * 141) In the Mood for Love (Issue 315, September 2015)
 * 142) Les Enfants du Paradis (Issue 316, October 2015)
 * 143) Paris, Texas (Issue 317, November 2015)
 * 144) Halloween (Issue 318, December 2015)
 * 145) Hard Boiled (Issue 319, January 2016)
 * 146) The Last Picture Show (Issue 320, February 2016)
 * 147) Blue Velvet (Issue 321, March 2016)
 * 148) Up (Issue 322, April 2016)
 * 149) The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Issue 323, May 2016)
 * 150) Carrie (Issue 324, June 2016)
 * 151) The Last of the Mohicans (Issue 325, July 2016)
 * 152) Midnight Run (Issue 326, August 2016)
 * 153) Cyrano de Bergerac (Issue 327, September 2016)
 * 154) The Devil Rides Out (Issue 328, October 2016)
 * 155) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Issue 329, November 2016)
 * 156) Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Issue 330, December 2016)
 * 157) Bambi (Issue 331, January 2017)
 * 158) Young Frankenstein (Issue 332, February 2017)

Fifteenth anniversary
Empire published a special 15th anniversary issue in June 2004 by which time the magazine had reviewed 4,240 theatrical films. Nicole Kidman was named "actress of our lifetime" and Kevin Spacey was named "actor of our lifetime". The 15 most influential films of the preceding 15 years were considered to be:
 * 1) Reservoir Dogs
 * 2) The Silence of the Lambs
 * 3) Trainspotting
 * 4) Sex, Lies, and Videotape
 * 5) The Matrix
 * 6) Jurassic Park
 * 7) The Killer
 * 8) Toy Story
 * 9) The Blair Witch Project
 * 10) Four Weddings and a Funeral
 * 11) Batman
 * 12) New Jack City
 * 13) Scream
 * 14) Gladiator
 * 15) Dumb and Dumber

Eighteenth anniversary
As part of its 18th birthday issue published in June 2007 Empire published a list of top 18-rated moments in film. This list is as follows:


 * 1) Alien – Dinner chestburster
 * 2) The Omen – Glass decapitation
 * 3) An American Werewolf in London – Wolf transformation
 * 4) The Exorcist – Crucifix abuse
 * 5) Risky Business – Ready Ralph?
 * 6) Reservoir Dogs – Mr. Blonde slashing the face of Marvin the cop
 * 7) Blue Velvet – Karaoke from Hell

They also selected the 50 greatest films rated with an 18 certificate.

• 2

Readers' top films
Empire occasionally poll readers to find out what their favourite films are.

The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
The latest list was selected in September 2008 by over 10,000 Empire readers, 150 film makers and 50 film critics. The list was accompanied by many different covers, each of which went on sale. The top 30 chosen films are listed below.


 * 1) The Godfather
 * 2) Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * 3) The Empire Strikes Back
 * 4) The Shawshank Redemption
 * 5) Jaws
 * 6) Goodfellas
 * 7) Apocalypse Now
 * 8) Singin' in the Rain
 * 9) Pulp Fiction
 * 10) Fight Club
 * 11) Raging Bull
 * 12) The Apartment
 * 13) Chinatown
 * 14) Once Upon a Time in the West
 * 15) The Dark Knight
 * 16) 2001: A Space Odyssey
 * 17) Taxi Driver
 * 18) Casablanca
 * 19) The Godfather Part II
 * 20) Blade Runner
 * 21) The Third Man
 * 22) Star Wars
 * 23) Back to the Future
 * 24) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
 * 25) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
 * 26) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
 * 27) Some Like It Hot
 * 28) Citizen Kane
 * 29) Die Hard
 * 30) Aliens

Most represented directors
The list's most represented director was Steven Spielberg, who had eleven films in the top 500. The top sixteen directors are listed below. Their highest-ranked film is also provided, as well as its position.


 * Steven Spielberg: 11 films – Raiders of the Lost Ark, 2
 * Martin Scorsese: 8 films – GoodFellas, 6
 * Stanley Kubrick: 7 films – 2001: A Space Odyssey, 16
 * Alfred Hitchcock: 7 films – Vertigo, 40
 * Akira Kurosawa: 6 films – The Seven Samurai, 50
 * Tim Burton: 6 films – Edward Scissorhands, 66
 * Woody Allen: 6 films – Annie Hall, 68
 * Francis Ford Coppola: 5 films – The Godfather, 1
 * Quentin Tarantino: 5 films – Pulp Fiction, 9
 * Billy Wilder: 5 films – The Apartment, 12
 * Peter Jackson: 5 films – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 24
 * Joel and Ethan Coen: 5 films – The Big Lebowski, 43
 * Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger: 5 films – A Matter of Life and Death, 75
 * Brian De Palma: 5 films – Carrie, 86

The entire list can be found at Empire.

Previous lists
A previous poll, The 201 Greatest Movies of All Time, done by Empire readers solely, was slighty different. It was conducted in March 2006 and had the following top 30:


 * 1) The Shawshank Redemption
 * 2) The Empire Strikes Back
 * 3) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
 * 4) Star Wars
 * 5) The Godfather
 * 6) Pulp Fiction
 * 7) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
 * 8) Fight Club
 * 9) Goodfellas
 * 10) The Matrix
 * 11) Jaws
 * 12) The Usual Suspects
 * 13) The Godfather Part II
 * 14) Alien
 * 15) Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * 16) Gladiator
 * 17) Aliens
 * 18) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
 * 19) Casablanca
 * 20) Back to the Future
 * 21) Seven
 * 22) Heat
 * 23) L.A. Confidential
 * 24) Apocalypse Now
 * 25) The Big Lebowski
 * 26) Citizen Kane
 * 27) Reservoir Dogs
 * 28) Die Hard
 * 29) Raging Bull
 * 30) Some Like It Hot

Another previous poll, also by Empire readers solely, was done in September 2001 and had this top 30:


 * 1) Star Wars
 * 2) The Empire Strikes Back
 * 3) The Shawshank Redemption
 * 4) The Godfather
 * 5) The Matrix
 * 6) Fight Club
 * 7) Gladiator
 * 8) Goodfellas
 * 9) Breakfast at Tiffany's
 * 10) Pulp Fiction
 * 11) Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * 12) The Usual Suspects
 * 13) Jaws
 * 14) American Beauty
 * 15) Casablanca
 * 16) Blade Runner
 * 17) The Godfather Part II
 * 18) Seven
 * 19) Aliens
 * 20) Saving Private Ryan
 * 21) The Silence of the Lambs
 * 22) Schindler's List
 * 23) Alien
 * 24) Some Like It Hot
 * 25) L.A. Confidential
 * 26) Apocalypse Now
 * 27) Magnolia
 * 28) Citizen Kane
 * 29) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
 * 30) It's a Wonderful Life

Readers' top directors
In June 2005, a poll of 10,000 readers was asked to name the greatest film director of all time. In a list of forty directors, Steven Spielberg was granted the honour of greatest director. The top twenty are ranked as follows:


 * 1) Steven Spielberg
 * 2) Alfred Hitchcock
 * 3) Martin Scorsese
 * 4) Stanley Kubrick
 * 5) Ridley Scott
 * 6) Akira Kurosawa
 * 7) Peter Jackson
 * 8) Quentin Tarantino
 * 9) Orson Welles
 * 10) Woody Allen
 * 11) Clint Eastwood
 * 12) David Lean
 * 13) Coen brothers
 * 14) James Cameron
 * 15) Francis Ford Coppola
 * 16) Oliver Stone
 * 17) Sergio Leone
 * 18) John Ford
 * 19) Billy Wilder
 * 20) Sam Peckinpah

Readers' top characters
In June 2015, Empire's readers named the greatest film characters of all time. The top fifteen characters are listed below.


 * 1) Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones franchise)
 * 2) James Bond (James Bond franchise)
 * 3) Han Solo (Star Wars franchise)
 * 4) Batman (Batman franchise)
 * 5) Ellen Ripley (Alien franchise)
 * 6) The Joker (The Dark Knight)
 * 7) John McClane (Die Hard)
 * 8) Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
 * 9) Darth Vader (Star Wars franchise)
 * 10) The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
 * 11) Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
 * 12) Marty McFly (Back to the Future franchise)
 * 13) Iron Man (Marvel Cinematic Universe films)
 * 14) Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)
 * 15) Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)

Another previous poll, also by Empire readers, was conducted in 2008 and had the following top 15:


 * 1) Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
 * 2) Darth Vader (Star Wars franchise)
 * 3) The Joker (The Dark Knight)
 * 4) Han Solo (Star Wars franchise)
 * 5) Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)
 * 6) Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones franchise)
 * 7) The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
 * 8) Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)
 * 9) Ellen Ripley (Alien franchise)
 * 10) Vito Corleone (The Godfather)
 * 11) James Bond (James Bond franchise)
 * 12) John McClane (Die Hard)
 * 13) Gollum (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
 * 14) T-800 (The Terminator franchise)
 * 15) Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

Editors
Empire has had ten editors. They are:
 * Barry McIlheney (issues 1 – 44)
 * Phil Thomas (issues 45 – 72)
 * Andrew Collins (issues 73 – 75)
 * Mark Salisbury (issues 76 – 88)
 * Ian Nathan (issues 89 – 126)
 * Emma Cochrane (issues 127 – 161)
 * Colin Kennedy (162–209) (Will Lawrence acted as editor for 12 issues while Colin Kennedy was absent)
 * Mark Dinning (210 – 304). Dinning was formerly Associate Editor on the magazine leaving to take up the position of Editor of Total Film for a period, he then returned to take up the same role for Empire. He left the magazine in July 2014.
 * Morgan Rees (issues 306 - 315)
 * Terri White (beginning at issue 318)
 * Steven Spielberg guest-edited the magazine's 20th Anniversary Issue in June 2009.
 * Sam Mendes guest-edited the magazine's Spectre special in September 2015.