Categories: JoBlo Originals

Top 10 Movie Magazines

Until that photo above becomes a reality we have to get our printed entertainment news elsewhere. Movie magazines are still an essential part of the industry, whether you’re sitting on the pooper, ignoring people on the subway, or passing time at your soul-sucking job. Since we were honoured as one of the best entertainment sites in the world in the last issue of Entertainment Weekly I thought it was time to return the favour and give the hard-working journalists something to be proud of other than their paper cuts. So the next time you pick up one of these mags and 68 of those annoying subscription cards fall out, pick one up and fill it out. In 6-8 weeks, you might just learn something.

1. EMPIRE

I’ll admit that it’s hard to tell the difference with a lot of these magazines. They all promise the same exclusives, most use the same pictures, and they all seem to hype up the same films over and over again. None of them are as fun as this though. In case you’ve never noticed it, it’s the giant bitch in the back row that sells for over $10 Canadian and takes three weeks to read. They have a U.K. edition and an Australian one. Their features are always top notch including a regular top ten list that greatly influenced my start up of this column. There’s some great inserts as well. The current issue boasts a double sided wall chart filled with two decades of fun trivia that will have you staring at your wall for hours. It’s like Hustler, for fanboys.

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2. PREMIERE

This is the best the U.S. has to offer when it comes to reading about films and the people that make them. They continuously score excellent exclusives and treat us to fantastic photography every month. They’re very similar to E.W. with their Academy Awards devotion and page turning annuals such as The Power List. They don’t try too hard to be funny and leave no interesting facts in the editing room.

3. FANGORIA

Rue Morgue is quickly catching Fango in it’s dominance of the horror genre but these boys still have seniority. Over 20 fricking years of seniority! It’s the first movie magazine I ever read as a kid. I would lose myself in articles about FRIDAY THE 13th and THE EVIL DEAD all night and then struggle to go to sleep in anticipation of sneaking into a theatre. My hat’s off to you boys. Thanks for the nightmares.

4. TOTAL FILM

Mainstream movie coverage at it’s finest. There’s lots of content, lots of pictures, and lots of ass kissing. Sometimes though, when you want to give in to the pressures and let yourself get really excited about the latest blockbuster media frenzy, it’s exactly what you need. A great read throughout and some sweet-ass covers to boot.

5. RUE MORGUE

The newest face in horror coverage has a big future. The recent onslaught of horror films has given these boys from Toronto a chance to step into the spotlight and they’ve done everything but disappoint. Their reviews are unforgiving, some of the pictures make you skip lunch, and they have no problem reminding us how dark and terrifying the world can really be.

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6. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

To be fair, the movie folk have to share ink with the books, television, and music more than any other book on this list. When they focus though, and give us things like their seasonal movie previews, it’s a beautiful thing. They also have to work 4 times as hard as all the others with weekly deadlines. The cover photo shoots are unmatched as are their year in picture issues and Oscar countdowns

7. HOT DOG

This just might be the closest thing to a JoBlo magazine you’re going to find on the shelves. They’ll cover your generic blockbuster hopeful and then whip into some old school tribute piece. Top ten lists are common and their reviews are short and to the point. Their writers are funny and hardly ever pull any punches. I still don’t really understand the name of the magazine though.

8. FADE IN

They’re the best at getting behind the camera and showing how the film industry rolls from the inside. Whether you want to break into the business or just marvel at those who do it best, Fade In has got an article for you. Question and answer sessions with anyone that matters in Hollywood and a relentless gift of making us feel like we’re in the wrong field of work.

9. STARLOG

When you’ve hung around for 30 years and over 345 issues you’ve got to be doing something right. It jumped on the STAR WARS bandwagon before we even knew what a Wookie was and had a big part in uniting Tekkies across the world. Sci-Fi enthusiasts can still count on in-depth coverage and geeky references from front to back.

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10. TRIBUTE

If you’re like me you like to get to the theatre early, make sure you claim your favourite seat, suck down a gigantic Coke, laugh at people that trip on the stairs, and read the free literature provided at the door. Tribute has been around for ages here in Canada and doesn’t disappoint when it comes to silly gossip and ridiculously easy trivia.

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Published by
Jim Law