| The Hero |
Welcome to
This month we celebrate the rebels, the mavericks, the renegades – those who rage against the machine and look cool doing it. Bikers on film have always been dudes, from The Wild One to Easy Rider, and Jeff Nichols’ ode to the open road and the thrill of a Harley rev, The Bikeriders, taps into all those feels. Find out which of the actors actually bought a vintage hog after falling in love with biker culture on page 30. I loved talking to Nichols, especially when I told him about my obsession with accents and he whipped out his phone to play me Danny Lyon’s original interviews with Kathy and the bikeriders! We’re also celebrating celluloid’s disruptors and the crew fighting back in Zack Snyder’s long-gestating space opera, Rebel Moon. And while we’re talking rebellion, I chatted to Sofia Coppola and cast about recreating the story of the woman who dumped Elvis in Priscilla. Plus we’re saluting indomitable spirit with J.A. Bayona’s real-life survivor drama, Society of the Snow. A gang of rulebreakers, then, for readers who also buck the trend by buying an actual magazine. We salute you!
Enjoy the issue!
CALL SHEET
THIS ISSUE’S EXTRAS
NEWS EDITOR JORDAN FARLEY @JORDANFARLEY
During my chat with Zack Snyder, he casually pulled an unassuming notebook off the shelf, which turned out to be his original sketches and storyboards for 300. I resisted the urge to bellow, ‘This is art-a!’
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR NEIL SMITH @TOTALFILM
I flew to Rome this month to spend a day on a film set with what felt like every fly in Italy. Can’t tell you more at this stage, but will reveal all soon…
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR LEILA LATIF @LEILA_LATIF
At Martin Scorsese’s incredible LFF screen talk, I was sitting behind his daughter Francesca. A reference to their TikToks together got as big a cheer as Goodfellas. Rightly so!
REVIEWS EDITOR MATTHEW LEYLAND @TOTALFILM_MATTL
I was Loki enough to explore the TVA Experience pop-up in London, solving time puzzles, interviewing ‘prisoners’ and eating key lime pie. By the end, I felt like a different me.
ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
EMILY MURRAY @EMILYVMURRAY
Was thrilled to attend a model-making class with Aardman where I made my own Ginger from Chicken Run. Loved the class; don’t think I have a future in animation, though…
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
JAMES MOTTRAM @JAMESMOTTRAM
I’ve interviewed Alexander Payne for every film since Election, but it was a real privilege to speak to him about The Holdovers for this issue’s TF interview. And he still calls me ‘young man’. Charmer.