EMPIRE 262 APRIL 2011 TRANSFORMERS 3 GREEN LANTERN

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
Michael Bay is back, back, back with another dose of blockbusting mayhem in Transformers 3, the biggest toy-to-screen franchise until Christopher Nolan decides to make an Action Man biopic. Bay is Hollywood's equivalent of LA's sky-reaching US Bank Tower: a reliably ginormous monolith dwarfing everything around in the City of Angels. Love him or not, he paints from a bigger canvas than any other director at work. Empire caught up with him as he put the finishing touches on Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, a third instalment he describes as 'kind of like a spy movie". Disappointingly, this doesn't turn out to involve Optimus Prime brandishing a newspaper with eyeholes cut out. Happily, in a refreshingly candid chat, Bay shed some light on his new 'bot-battling tentpole and told us where Transformers 2 went wrong. Two words, Michael: Robot genitals.

Also Inside The Issue

		The Slate This month's chockers news section has a fantastical feel to it. An in-depth first look at the long-awaited and finally confirmed cast of The Hobbit gets things off to a rollicking start. If you know the bit on the telly when footballers turn and grin at the camera, the introduction of Peter Jackson's new cast of hobbits and dwarves at Wellington's Weta Digital was a bit like that, only with more beards. We chatted to the key players before packing our bags and heading several thousand years (in mythology terms) to the '60s of X-Men: First Class to cast a beady one over Matthew Vaughn's bone-shaking X-prequel. If all that doesn't sate your appetite, there's a double dose of Superman, aka Henry Cavill, who'll be buckling swash as Theseus in Tarsem Singh's Immortals before donning the red cape as the Man Of Steel.
		Marion Cotillard Oscar winner, conspiracy theorist and holder of Empire's prestigious Weirdest Dream Ever award (it involves lesbians, shootouts and the cast of Hawaii Five-O... don't ask), Marion Cotillard isn't your average Hollywood starlet. "I admired Greta Garbo," she purrs, "but I really wanted to be Peter Sellers". Quoi? If the thought of Cotillard tiptoeing through a Parisian apartment whispering, "Now is not ze time, Kato!" seems a little melon-twisting, she's the kind of screen presence that can carry audiences seemingly wherever she desires. She's appearing next in a typically free-spirited role in relationship drama Little White Lies - think a French version of The (Le) Big (Grande) Chill (Chill?) - in which the old fibs and deceits of a group of friends come out to play during a seaside vacation. For added spice, it's also directed by her partner Guillaume Canet. Catch the whole interview in this month's issue.
		Green Lantern As we know, it has not been a gilded few years for films with the word 'green' in the title. Green Zone flopped, Green Hornet fizzled and Greenberg, good as it was, scarred us with the most awkward sex scene for many moons. Can Green Lantern buck this in-no-way-arbitrary trend? Don't bet against it, especially with Ryan Reynolds' physical presence and razor-like comic timing in front of the camera, and Martin Campbell, the man who made Bond fly again, behind it. The story of a man's quest for a higher purpose - a free-wheeler turned superhero - dates back to the '40s and inspired Star Wars. Can it inspire audiences weaned on superhero epics? The star and director told us what to expect from the $200m spectacular.
		Conan This month Empire stepped back in time to ancient Hyboria to meet the new Conan. Disappointingly, Marcus Nispel's Conan doesn't feature a scrawny, red-haired New York talkshow host spending two hours trying to pick up a giant sword; happily he'll be offering a freshly sharpened take on Robert E. Howard's tale of revenge, romance and 'pecs the size of Romford. Nispel has taken the epic John Milius/Arnie adventure, torn up much of the original tale, added 3D, vengeance, a hessian sack worth of effects and the muscular presence of Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa. "Conan needs to be the kind of guy that grabs a girl's ass, and he likely gets laid that night," Nispel explains. Arnie wouldn't do that. He's the Governor of California.
		Scream 4 The Ghostface killer returns. After a decade's hiatus, the malevolent, masked presence in Wes Craven's postmodern horror is creeping back onto our screams, sorry, screens, with old hands Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette in close attendance. There's also a cast of fresh-faced teens to face the knife-wielding but super-smart psychopaths. There will unquestionably be blood. Loads of it. So how better to mark the occasion than to get the three survivors of the first three films, give them a big 'ole knife, get out the karo syrup and taking a few snaps, while chatting merrily with Craven himself about the Scream tetralogy?
		Kubrick: Part One Roll up for the first of a two-part film-by-film, or if you're Scatman Crothers, blow-by-blow account of Stanley Kubrick's glorious career. There are new interviews with Stanley's widow Christiane Kubrick who he met on the set of Paths Of Glory, producer Jan Harlan (Christiane's brother) and 2001's FX maestro Douglas Trumbull. Astonishingly, Kubrick's only Oscar came for his and Trumbull's work on 2001's special effects, but pick one of his movies at random and the chances are you've got a worthy Best Picture. Empire casts a fresh eye at his early work from The Killer's Kiss to The Killing, his sci-fi masterpiece and his three war epics, Paths Of Glory, Dr. Strangelove and Full Metal Jacket. Unmissable.
		Hangover 2 The April issue's quickfire Hangover 2 set visit is brought to you by the number four and the drug Rohypnol. The four - Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) - were last seen piecing together their night of Vegas carnage. The Rohypnol may or may not make another appearance in the sequel, but one thing is for sure, judging by our interview: Bangkok ain't gonna be an easier ride for the boys, with or without Mel Gibson. For that they can thank director Todd Phillips. "Patpong's for tourists," he tells us, "I was more into the ladyboy scene..."
		Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Pete and Dud... Derek and Clive... however you remember the double act, whether as loveable charmers or as the sweariest, most booze-soaked rogues ever to (dis)grace tellies in the '70s, the pair were every inch the rebel geniuses of British comedy. With Arthur, Moore's Hollywood comedy hit, making his merrily ramshackle way back onto our screens with Russell Brand, Empire looks back at a creative partnership that could be a little, well, tense. Okay, they hated each other's guts. So where did it all go wrong, and how did it end up going so right for the salt-and-vinegar pairing of wits? Find out here - all with the bonus of Brand on Moore and Rhys Ifans on Cook, a man he's played.
		Ken Loach Is his visceral new film, Route Irish, Ken Loach's audition to become the new Michael Bay? "The thing is", he laughs, "if you've got to shoot an explosion, you get special effects in and they make it explode and you just chose the camera positions". We're saying that's probably a no, then. The Iraq and Liverpool-set thriller is, however, a departure for one of Britain's longest working filmmakers. At 74, he's turned his eye to Britain's role in the new Iraq, a violent setting against which a character drama plays out boasting all Loach's usual grit and power. What better excuse to track down the Midlander for a cuppa and a fascinating chat about his life, career and love of Bath City FC?
		In Cinemas Roundup The Adjustment Bureau opens this month's In Cinemas section in a blur of Inception-meets-Casablanca-meets-Philip K. Dick wizardry, with Bourne Ultimate writer George Nolfi making his directorial bow, and Matt Damon and Emily Blunt playing lovers chased across most of Manhattan by shady men in hats. Another debut feature follows hot on the heels of the sci-fi magic: Richard Ayoade's homespun coming-of-age tale Submarine, as well as Farrelly brothers' rom-com Hall Pass, Julie Taymor's adaptaton of The Tempest, and the return of filmmaking legends Woody Allen (You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger), Ken Loach (Route Irish) and Werner Herzog (Cave Of Forgotten Dreams). They all get the rule run over them right here.
		At Home Roundup This month's Re-View section careers in with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine clinging to the roof and a cargo of kittens heading straight for it. That's right: Unstoppable is out for your at-home viewing needs. Also out are a dazzling array of DVD/Blu-ray releases that can be broadly split into three categories: Awesomely demented (Jackass 3, Machete, Paranormal Activity 2, Skyline); cerebral and provocative (The Kids Are All Right, The American, The Arbor, Tamara Drew, Made In Dagenham); and Thai films with 'Uncle Boonmee' in the title (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). There's a special joy for fans of Matt Reeves' horror Let Me In with that terrifying swimming pool scene broken down by Reeves and his FX honcho Brad Parker. What was that about being safe to go back into the water?