Best film magazines to follow?

I’m throwing out a few topics based on what I’ve noticed lately, and since nobody seems to be talking about film magazines—whether they're highbrow or just trashy—I figured I'd start the conversation. Do you actually trust any specific publications? Are you a regular subscriber to anything, or do you just grab a copy if it happens to be sitting on a newsstand?
Are we talking domestic or imported?
And honestly, how much do these mags actually influence what you watch, either in terms of how many movies you see or how you judge them?

I’ve always found myself regularly flipping through Rolling Stone... I mean, sure, it isn't strictly a cinema rag, but their reviews are top-tier, and those deep-dive features and interviews? Absolutely stellar.
Whenever I happen to stumble upon them, seeing American Cinematographer or Empire Magazine really makes my day.

...mostly I stick to British outlets like EMPIRE and Rotten Tomatoes, which all feel pretty much the same anyway (kind of like Uncut), depending on what specific details about a movie you're looking for.

....I scan through American opinions (though they don't mean much to me, I guess) in various magazines, mostly lifestyle stuff: Vanity Fair, for example.
Oh, and I check out American Cinematographer every now and then too.

I actually meant to start a whole thread about magazines, but it looks like I completely blanked on hitting post

There was a time when I used to grab a copy of Premiere every single week without fail
But these days, you'll mostly find me scrolling through film critics on the Guardian, The New York Times, or digging through Sight & Sound online

As for anything local, I usually just flip through them if they're sitting in the library or maybe borrow one here and there

"Chronicle"—it’s either nothing or who knows what... but maybe it’s worth a look.

...I mostly just flip through local issues of Total, Hollywood, and Netflix, maybe grab some foreign mags if they happen to land in my hands—though they’re usually pretty outdated and don't help much anyway. Every once in a while, I might poke around online, but only occasionally. I just can't bring myself to go hunting for stuff, and reading on a screen? Not my thing.

To whole Hollywood scene always felt like it was missing a soul or some actual backbone to me... It just feels like a glorified catalog where everything gets treated with the same weight, whether it’s a total disaster or a freaking masterpiece.
...
Someone mentioned the Annals... who actually puts that out? I’ve skimmed a few issues and it seems like a cool mix of deep dives and quick news... usually they have those long essays at the start of the weekly digests by all the big names in the industry...

milk said:...
I think someone mentioned the Chronicle earlier... does anyone know who actually puts that out? I’ve managed to flip through a few issues, and I have to say, I’m really digging how they blend deep-dive expertise with actual news you can use. It feels like such a refreshing mix. I noticed they often kick off their five-page spreads with these long-form essays featuring big names like Peter Turk or those other heavy hitters—if I’m remembering the lineup correctly, at least!

That's really it.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is turning its back on him.

I suspect the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences publishes their annals, though I can't say for certain... I am certain, however, that you can subscribe to them to get your hands on it...
..yes, they are notorious for pilfering interesting articles and essays.

What a coincidence... same minute, same answer.👍

fadedsailor932 said:...I pick up these local copies of Walmart, Hollywood, and Netflix, or maybe some foreign magazines if I happen to find them—though most are pretty outdated by then anyway, so they aren't much help. Sometimes, just occasionally, I'll poke around online, but I don't really feel like searching, and I definitely don't want to spend my time reading off a screen...

Just a quick thought on Netflix:
As a publication for video rental shops, it isn't bad if you're looking for something purely informative, almost like the blurb printed on the back of a VHS box. 🙂 It’s fine if you missed a movie and just want to check the plot.

I guess I say that because about 90% of what's in there is basically an ADVERTISEMENT. Every single movie looks great because they have to sell them at the rental stores. I actually have some connections with Netflix, so I read it, but I didn't mention it before since it isn't exactly serious reading for a true cineaste.

Henry Anderson47 said:Just a quick heads-up regarding Netflix:
As an outlet for video store owners, it isn't much better than the info you'd find printed on the back of a random VHS sleeve. 🙂 It's basically just there if you missed a movie and need to check what it's actually about.

I say that because 90% of what's in there is just ADVERTISING. Every single movie looks great because they have to sell them at the rental shops. I happen to have some ties to Netflix so I read it, but I didn't mention it since it's hardly serious reading for a real cinephile.

..it's true...except Netflix always arrives a little late, so most of the movies they feature are already sitting on the shelves of every video store around. I've always just seen it as a sort of... reminder...

There used to be this incredible film publication back in the day called the American Film Institute.

About half of the magazine was dedicated to deep dives and fascinating essays on cinema, while the other half featured these sharp, witty reviews of whatever was playing in theaters. They were written by people who were studying at the Academy of Arts back then and went on to become major figures in the industry—people like Darren Aronofsky, Steven Spielberg, and Neal Hehir. There wasn't any of that cheap tabloid gossip either, just pure substance.

Unfortunately, it’s gone now, though I suppose it lasted quite a bit longer than most things like it usually do.

I've got the last three issues of the American Film Institute magazine sitting right here.

Tick-tock... you could always find some genuinely brilliant essays in there, though you’d also stumble upon those painfully awkward, adolescent-sounding rants.

Back in the early nineties, there was this other mag called Super, which was edited by Arsen. To be honest, that publication came dangerously close to being labeled a journalistic disaster.
The design was a total mess, the articles felt incredibly shallow, there were typos on top of typos, and God, the sheer amount of massive factual errors—especially when they tried to list filmographies for actors or directors... it was just exhausting.

Puberty tantrums? 😁 If you ask me, the writers contributing to the American Film Institute back then were well past their awkward adolescent phases 😁

I don't know, I genuinely loved that magazine, and I honestly can't think of a better film publication ever released in the States.

Honestly, you had those pseudo-intellectual college students chiming in there too.

You really don't need to be going through puberty to write such childish, immature nonsense. 😉

Well, I’m just kidding—it seems to me that most of what they were publishing was actually written by students from the Academy of Arts.

Betty Bennett10 said:Fine, I was joking—it seems most of them were just students from the Academy of Arts.

Maybe it would be smarter if they spent less time writing and more time actually filming?

I make sure I don't miss a single issue of Sight & Sound, Film Waves, Cineaste, The New Yorker, or Time Out

When it comes to local reading, I only occasionally pick up Hollywood. They’ve put out over a hundred issues. It still holds up reasonably well. You can still find some interesting pieces in there.