Little White Lies, Issue 115

Eschewing hype, gossip and meaningless celebrity, Little White Lies is a bi-monthly magazine that engages with movie lovers who understand that cinema is about broadening your horizons. It’s a tangible representation of the conversation about films that you wished you had. It’s a magazine about truth and movies.

In this issue:

If there’s one thing lacking in the current film landscape at the moment it’s reliability. Having filmmakers who have mastered their craft and can would be a safe bet to deliver at least a very least a good film, but probably a very great one. Martin McDonagh is one of those rare birds, and his new work, Wild Horse Nine, seems primed to lodge itself in the hearts and minds of both cinema audiences and awards voters come the 2028 “season”. The film opens as a comedy and then evolves quite suddenly and unexpectedly into a tragedy, while also offering a stinging critique of the US’s underhand involvement in manipulating the path of democracy across the globe.

Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are CIA operatives who have done their fair share of dirty work, with the toppling of Chilean socialist premier Salvador Allende being their most recent project. Following a job well done, they’re heading over to Easter Island to see “The Big Heads” and watch from afar as Chile crumbles. But there’s also an ulterior motive for the trip, as Chris is not a well man and his boss MJ (Steve Buscemi) doesn’t want the now-combustible and guilt-ridden agent to start spewing out government secrets. And so Lee is forced to play the role of both friend and handler. With it being a McDonagh film, it’s stuffed with witty repartee and comic callbacks, with Malkovich revealing a largely untapped gift for comedy and generating an intoxicating chemistry with his co-star Rockwell. It’s a shot of pure entertainment, but with serious intent bubbling underneath, and when it came to selecting the cover(s!) of our 115th issue, it was really a no-brainer. Inside we have detailed inquisitions with cast and crew, plus additional stories looking into the cinematic allure of JFK conspiracy theories, and an exploration into films that have been made in the most far-flung locations imaginable.

On the cover…

Zoé Maghamès Peters is a self-taught illustrator based in Bordeaux, France. She works with bold colours and clean lines while playing with patterns. Her influences include fashion and graphic archives from the 20th century. This cover (her first!) has allowed for a great playground for ’70s imagery and playful overlaps – all things she loves.

Other illustrations in this issue are by Carolina Altavilla, Polina Jakimova, Elio Moavero, Stéphanie Sergeant, Nick Taylor and Hayley Watson.