Harry Brown, the critically-acclaimed film starring Sir Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer, is being released on DVD tomorrow. And we want to give you a chance to take home a copy for yourself.
The controversial film tells the story of Harry Brown (played by two-time Oscar winner Caine), an ordinary, law-abiding citizen, whose quiet life is in direct contrast to his violent, drug-infested neighborhood. Though he’s suffered his share of tragedies in life, he just wants to quietly move on and live out his retirement in peace. But Brown is soon forced to confront a different side of himself as his best friend is murdered, and he takes it upon himself to find the men responsible.
It’s a fascinating role for Caine, who’s calm demeanor is given a rare jolt of aggression and anger, as his character is soon drawn into a dangerous and soon-hypnotic pattern of justice and revenge. Mortimer (who appeared on the cover of Corduroy Issue 5) plays the inspector who tries to convict the thugs, while simultaneously trying to keep Harry Brown from taking his actions too far.
The film was as an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and The South by Southwest Film Festival. And we are giving away copies to a few lucky readers.
Find out how to win, and see more photos from the film, after the jump…
Here’s an unlikely pair to resurrect the black and white short film: Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt teamed up recently to star in Morgan and Destiny’s Eleventeenth Date – The Zeppelin Zoo — a short film that the actors screened at South by Southwest earlier this year. The actors donned Groucho Marx-esque mustaches and eyebrows for the film, which was reportedly just a casual idea they tossed around for fun, before they decided to actually bring it to life. Check out the two actors showing their old-fashioned comedic sides, below:
Nominated at last year’s Academy Awards for “Best Foreign Language Film,” Director Jacques Audiard’s gritty Belgian drama, A Prophet, is finally being released on DVD this week. Dark and deeply moving, the film follows 19-year-old loner Malik (Tahar Rahim, 2009 European Film Award winner for Best Actor), after he is sentenced to six years in prison. Arriving at the jail, he is cornered by the leader of the ruling Corsican gang (Niels Arestrup, 2009 César Award winner for Best Supporting Actor) and forced to carry out a number of dangerous missions including drug trafficking and brutal hits. Over time, Malik is able to earn the gang leader’s confidence and rise up the prison ranks, all the while secretly devising his own plans to rise up a gang of his own.
Likened by critics to The Godfather, this Belgian film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, in addition to its Oscar nod.
The film is being released on DVD today (with a wealth of delightful extras including actor screen tests and rehearsal footage) and we want to give Corduroy readers a chance to take home a copy for themselves. Find out how to enter, and check out more photos from the movie after the jump.
When lifestyle brands or big corporations team up with documentary filmmakers on a project, the odds are 50-50 that the end result will be as inspired as the idea. For every Hoop Dreams, there’s a Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience. But Quiksilver’s latest project is one that both makes sense for the iconic surf brand, while also bringing something new to the table.
The company has teamed up with director Matt Beauchesne at Irons Brothers Productions, on a new film called “Scratching the Surface.” This beautifully shot HD surf film documents the adventures of professional surfer Julian Wilson, along with friends and fellow professionals Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow, Dusty Payne, Mick Fanning and others as they spend a year hitting some of the world’s most beautiful surf spots. Destinations include South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, California, Hawaii, France, Spain and Brazil. In other words, viewers are in for a scenic ride, that also packs a surprisingly emotional punch, as the 22-year-old Wilson experiences the trials and tests that come with growing up in the sport’s public eye, while simultaneously trying to conquer his own demons and — often surfing-unrelated — fears.
While we wish we were better surfers (we barely stayed up on our board the couple of times we’ve tried to ride a wave), we loved the pacing and cinematography of the film. The crew used everything from motor boats to helicopters to capture their shots, while incorporating shots from a so-called, non-intrusive “Phantom Camera.” The film is definitely worth checking out for the shooting quality on its own.
“Scratching the Surface” premieres next week in California. Check out the trailer below:
Best friends with late rising art star Dash Snow and renowned for openings that demand police reinforcement to disperse the crowds, Ryan McGinley is quintessential Lower East Side art scene royalty. Like most aristocrats, he sticks to his own and recently convinced American beauty queen Carolyn Murphy (Estée Lauder’s lead face since 2002) to partake in his short film creation entitled, “Entrance Romance (it felt like a kiss).” Backed with monastic chants, the frames capture Murphy’s slow motion facial physiognomy dealing with exposure to fire, the lick of a dog’s tongue and collision with a fish bowl (and live goldfish). The result is a combination of the intimate intensity from McGinley’s more recent black and white nude portraits, and the perverse awkwardness of his more famous earlier work, in which apparently unstaged carefree – and usually naked – teenagers run through highways or cavort in trees. As for whether this film is inspired, spiritual art or just a misguided, misogynistic mess? Well, that’s up for you to decide. Check out the video below:
