Sophie Marceau promoting her new film D’Artagnan’s Daughter and demonstrating why so many successful female actors also direct and produce their own films now. #empireread #august1995

Julie Delpy on football. #august1995 #empireread

Current editor Andrew Collins drafts in a friend of his to review the new VHS release of The X-Files. #empireread #august1995

The #august1995 issue of Empire has a lengthy production diary for Waterworld. This is typical. One of the sets was a specially built atoll which is taken out to sea each day, featuring dozens of background artists. They failed to include toilets. #empireread

And that #august1995 done. With a new editor the tone of the magazine has certainly changed - it feels more like it’s celebrating film rather than rolling its eyes at it and although some sexism is still creeping into actress interviews, there’s far less than there used to be. #empireread

This is what video timers were made for. I never missed an episode. #empireread #august1995

Empire crowns Johnny Depp sexiest actor in movie history, a decision which hasn’t aged well. Monroe is second. Mostly it’s a way of filling 20 pages of the magazine with images of pretty people. The male/female split is roughly 50/50. #empireread #august1995

There’s a five page diary by Garth Pearce of the Express about the making of First Knight. He was supposed to be writing a book but Richard Gere’s lawyers basically nuked his access so he turned it into an Empire piece instead. Here’s Julia Ormond being open as fuck. #empireread #august1995

There’s a wild interview with Danny Cannon on the occasion of Judge Dredd: #empireread #august1995

A pound off a VHS release at WH SMITH. Reminds me that I got my copy of A Few Good Men in a MacDonalds promotion. Bought a Big Mac meal and paid £4.99 for it. They had them underneath the counter. #empireread #august1995

It’s funny how every month still seems to have the odd film which is still being discovered by audiences. #empireread #august1995

Most of the issues from now onwards are the ones I bought at the time, so this would have been from Lime Street WH Smith, I think. I vividly remember reading this on my commute to Leeds for my Saturday job. #empireread #august1995

One of Empire’s attempts to engage with the film canon was Bare Essentials, a thinly disguised homage to the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian’s Pass Notes. #empireread #august1995

Rudy Giuliani introduces a free public screening of Pocahontas in Central Park. The National Lottery begins contributing to film production. #empireread #august1995

Ok. #august1995 #empireread