Musing on Modern Movie Magazines

A recent article in The Guardian regarding the segregation of movie magazines in newsagents has become a talking point on Twitter amongst us film loving folk. Cinema loving Louisa Robina Happe was fed up with having to trawl through the male dominated entertainment section to get to the film periodicals so decided to start her own film magazine Studio. However the Guardian questions whether this is just another women’s lifestyle magazine in a different form as it features articles on how to ‘steal the style of actresses’ rather than just focusing on their actual films. So is there such a thing as a real female film magazine or better still, is there a publication where gender is not even an issue, where it is simply a shared love of cinema regardless of the sex?

This article got me thinking on this subject which has been a sticky point in the past. I have been a reader of Empire for many years, however one article that was printed a while ago, made me question what I was reading and how this suited my needs as a film lover. The article in question was titled ’50 Movies that make men cry’ and featured films broad in range such as Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, The Shawshank Redemption and Spartacus with written explanations as to why these films got under men’s skin and produced the elusive tears. Shoehorned into this article, in a corner of the page, was a sub piece titled ‘And 5 films that make women cry’ with barely a one sentence reason why and featured simply ‘chick flicks’ such as Dirty Dancing ‘nobody puts baby in the corner’ and Beaches ‘You are the wind beneath my wings. Sob’.
Now I know that for many women these chick flicks do produce the tears (most of whom I am certain work in my office), however as an ardent film fan, someone is more likely to cry at Sam Rockwell’s plight in Moon or to the brutality inflicted on the aliens in District 9, I felt patronised and insulted. Now I know that Empire has a predominantly male readership but surely they wouldn’t go out of their way to alienate their female followers?
I thought about this the next time I went to buy the magazine (yes I continued to buy it out of habit and also because my friend Ian and I take it in turns to buy it, then send it to the other one with added ‘amusing’ notes next to the bits we like and bits we don’t). Walking round the newsagents, I felt out of place next to the issues of FHM and Loaded that were in close proximity, I even mistook Empire for one of these ‘Lads Mags’ once due to a half naked Megan Fox on the front cover (don’t worry this was quickly defaced and transformed into a disturbing Let the Right one In mash up). Perhaps Empire magazine, which does feature some well written articles and the legendary Kin Newman’s dungeon, is simply pandering to a target market or maybe its just one big boys club where a films merit is determined by whether Natalie Portman’s bum looks good in HD? A female, serious about her film knowledge would have to look further afield to satisfy her cinematic needs and also to not feel like she is not intruding on the man’s arena.

And so rejoice for publications such as Little White Lies and the recently formed New Empress Magazine. These are independent film magazines that do not feature shots of Zoe Saldana in her underwear, nor do they overtly push the feminist angle in cinema, they simply write about film for film lovers. Little White Lies features in depth analysis of predominately art house and independent cinema with a reluctance to rely heavily on the mainstream releases. New Empress meanwhile covers an array of weird and wonderful topics in cinema, with many women writers on board and a female Editor.

And there in lies the rub, if we want a magazine that is not gender specific and aimed at a horny 13 year old boy, we have to seek out the leftfield, it is not offered in the mainstream. To provide film reviews and news, there is the feeling that they also have to provide sultry shots of Jessica Alba, thus perpetuating the idea that the woman is the object in cinema.
I would like a film magazine that doesn’t treat actresses as centrefolds. I would like a film magazine that’s gives an absorbing discussion about the themes of The Tree of Life but also acknowledges the guilty pleasures of Hot Tub Time Machine. I also would like a film magazine that gives an analysis of The Oscars and not ‘who’s wearing what on the red carpet’. Certain periodicals are making waves and addressing the needs of both genders and from all walks of film appreciation, however this is still in the minority and needs to be questioned more.

After all, as legendary film producer Bob Evans might say ‘A film fan is a film fan is a fan’.

Super 8 (directed by J J Abrams)

The Monster Smash?

In a Hollywood production line of sequels and remakes, it would be nice to experience again the Summer Blockbuster of days gone by, the type of movie event which had originality but also crucially a heart and soul.

Step forward J J Abrams with Super 8, a throwback to the early work of Steven Spielberg, who handily holds the producer credit for the film. In fact Super 8 bares many of the themes of the classic Spielberg movie-the reminiscent warm hue of childhood, the joys and growing pains of friendship, the absent father, who in this case is present but still scarce and the misunderstood Extra Terrestrial. One might argue why we need a film where Abrams does his best Spielberg impression? But any movie that instills the nostalgic yearn of childhoods spent riding bikes and long summers with your friends is a welcome addition to break the monotony of Superheroes and Smurfs.

Super 8, set in 1979, tells the story of Joe Lamb, a young boy whose mother has tragically died in a factory accident and whose father, the town sheriff, is unable to relate to his son. Fast forward four months and Joe and his friends are making a zombie movie in their summer holidays for a film competition. One night they sneak out to a remote train station/platform to film scenes with the new addition to the cast Alice, an object of teenage lust for the boys (particularly Joe) and a catalyst for division in their friendship. While filming they witness a train derail in suspicious circumstances and flee the scene when the U.S Air Force arrive and surround the area. The gang agree not to tell anyone what they have seen; however things start to take a turn for the strange in their small town. People begin to disappear, all the towns pet dogs flee to neighbouring areas, electrical appliances appear to have been looted and finally the shady U.S Air Force take over the panicked town.

Abrams film provides all the thrills and spills you would expect from a summer monster movie, his flair for directing action set pieces and building suspense, clearly evident in the train crash sequence and the slow reveal of what is now lurking loose among the town, moving through the trees and hurtling up water towers. Yet the films real ace is the kids, the interaction between the group of friends is utterly believable, funny and bittersweet, they are the spirit of the movie (stick around for the post film credits to see the results of their antics). Top marks should go to the casting director for finding such a natural, genuinely likeable bunch of child actors, the standout being Elle Fanning (sister of the precocious Dakota) who shows that her charming screen turn in previous film Somewhere was no fluke and displays an affable screen presence that could outshine her sister.

Super 8 does have a few flaws, at times it veers into schmaltzy territory (something that Spielberg himself is no stranger to) and the third act doesn't quite reach the giddy heights of the original premise but there is enough good old fashioned entertainment and bye gone whimsy to please many a film lover. To quote a former Apprentice candidate everything Abrams touches 'turns to sold'.