Whiplash — Ten Years On: A Dark Ode to Ambition It has been ten years since Damien Chazelle’s explosive jazz drama first hit screens, leaving many viewers exhilarated and unsettled in equal measure. Whiplash follows Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, an aspiring jazz drummer at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory. When Neiman is selected for the … Read more

Known for hits like The Hangover and Joker, Brooklyn-born writer-director Todd Phillips began his career as a documentary filmmaker. In the late 1990s he rose through the independent circuit with documentaries about notable and tragic musicians. His transition to mainstream film came after director Ivan Reitman discovered him at Sundance and helped secure studio backing … Read more

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)Director: Todd PhillipsScreenwriters: Scott Silver, Todd PhillipsStarring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Lawtey, Bill Smitrovich, Catherine Keener When Todd Phillips’ Joker arrived in 2019 it became one of the defining films of that year, provoking conversations about society, mental health and the nature of cinematic myth-making. The original film’s … Read more

The idyllic image of northwest Los Angeles as the cinematic La-La Land—America’s emblem of glamour, celebrity and filmmaking—remains a powerful myth. For decades it has been portrayed as the ultimate mecca for those chasing the American Dream. Yet the cynical edge of the 21st century has prompted a serious reassessment: how much of that old … Read more

Thank you for taking part in The Film Magazine’s Joker and Batman movie quiz. We appreciate your interest in comic-book cinema and hope you enjoyed testing your knowledge of the Clown Prince of Crime and the Dark Knight. Follow @thefilmagazine across social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) for more quizzes, features and … Read more

Megalopolis (2024)Director: Francis Ford CoppolaScreenwriter: Francis Ford CoppolaStarring: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne It’s rare these days for a filmmaker to be given the space and resources to produce a sprawling, personal project. For cinephiles, the excitement of seeing a legendary director pursue a long-gestating vision … Read more

The 1960s were a pivotal decade of social and political upheaval in the United States. Against the backdrop of Cold War anxieties and the rising civil rights movement, an independent film scene began to flourish. As Hollywood expanded, many artists reacted against mainstream aesthetics and politics, embracing lower budgets and creative freedom. Independent filmmakers experimented … Read more

When The Incredibles premiered in 2004 it was more than another Pixar release — it was director Brad Bird’s return after the beloved The Iron Giant (1999). Though that earlier film wasn’t a box-office smash, its emotional storytelling and themes of friendship and sacrifice made Bird a standout in animation. With The Incredibles, Bird blended … Read more

The Substance (2024)Director: Coralie FargeatScreenwriter: Coralie FargeatStarring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid The fear of our own bodies is a recurring theme in literature and film. As Jack Halberstam suggests in Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein implies that it is people — bodies — who inspire the … Read more

His Three Daughters (2024)Director: Azazel JacobsScreenwriter: Azazel JacobsStarring: Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen In Azazel Jacobs’s intimate drama His Three Daughters, Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) has spent years living with her father, Vincent (Jay O. Sanders), and caring for him as his illness progresses. Vincent’s worsening cancer becomes the axis around which Rachel’s life turns, … Read more