One of 2011's most exciting films, Gerardo Naranjo's Miss Bala explores the Mexican drug wars through the eyes of an aspiring beauty queen. Newcomer Stephanie Sigman is mesmerising as the terrified young woman caught up in a world she's totally unprepared for, and Naranjo's spectacular direction plunges us right into the heart of the action alongside her. You can read my review of the film here, and my interview with the director and star here.
Miss Bala is released on DVD on February 20th, but Metrodome has provided Phil on Film with 3 discs to give away. To be in with a chance of winning one, just answer the below question.
In Miss Bala, what title is Laura competing for?
Send your answer along with your postal address to philipconcannon@gmail.com. I'll select a winner at random on Friday 17th.
Good luck!
The life and times of a style icon should really be explored in a stylish documentary, and that's the tribute Yves Saint Laurent receives in L'amour fou, Pierre Thoretton's slick and touching film. Focusing on the five-decade relationship between the designer and his great love Pierre Bergé, the film skilfully weaves together extensive testimony from Bergé, well-chosen archive footage and eye-opening shots of the extraordinary art collection they amassed as it is auctioned off for a fortune. Although his genius for innovation and design is obvious, the real Yves Saint Laurent remains something of an enigma throughout, with Bergé's observations only taking us so far beneath the surface of his character. Nevertheless, L'amour fou is an elegant film that provides viewers with an accessible and intriguing introduction to the man and his work.
L'amour fou is out on DVD now and Phil on Film has three copies to give away. To have a chance of winning, just send your full name and postal address to philipconcannon@gmail.com. This competition is open to readers from around the world (just make sure you can play region 2 DVDs) and winners will be notified on December 9th.
Good luck!
Recently named by Time Out as the greatest British film ever made, Don't Look Now has grown in stature with every passing year since its release in 1973. Vivid, creepy and endlessly re-watchable, this story of a couple recovering in Venice from the tragic death of their daughter never fails to get under the skin of its audience. It is arguably Nicolas Roeg's finest achievement and it has now received the blu-ray release it deserves from Optimum Releasing, with the excellent new transfer doing justice to Roeg's dazzlingly inventive visuals and the accompanying interviews illuminating every aspect of the film's production.
Optimum have provided me with three blu-rays to give away, and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one is to answer this question.
Don't Look Now is based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier. Another great British director, Alfred Hitchcock, received his first Oscar nomination for a Du Maurier adaptation. Name that film.
This competition is now closed.
In the annals of cinematic depictions of war, Apocalypse Now stands alone. Francis Ford Coppola's singular, hallucinatory trip into the madness of Vietnam has become a legendary endeavour for both its visionary brilliance as a piece of filmmaking and the notoriously troubled nature of its production. Now, 32 years after its initial release, Apocalypse Now is back on the big screen, with Optimum Films re-releasing the movie on May 27th, before it finally makes its debut on Blu-ray on June 6th. I've had the new 3-disc Blu-ray here for a couple of weeks and it is a spectacular set, offering both the original and Redux cuts of the film as well as Eleanor Coppola's essential making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. The range of extra features is staggering too, with Coppola delivering an enlightening commentary track and every aspect of the movie being covered in some way by the excellent interviews and documentaries. You can read my review of the Blu-ray here.
Phil on Film has got two of these sets to give away, and to be in with a chance of winning one all you have to do is answer the following question.
Martin Sheen plays Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now, but which actor was originally cast in the role, even shooting a number of scenes before being replaced by Sheen?
This competition is now closed
One of the most extraordinary and singular films to be released in recent years, Enter the Void is a must for anyone with a craving for enormously ambitious, mindbending cinema. In Gaspar Noé’s third feature, the camera floats high above Tokyo and glides through walls to depict a young drug dealer’s posthumous out-of-body experience, and it feels like Noé is pushing at the very boundaries of what cinema can do. A beautiful and technically astounding piece of work, Enter the Void was one of my favourite films from last year (read my review here and my interview with Gaspar Noé here), and now to celebrate the film’s DVD release on April 25th, I’ve got an exciting competition lined up.
I’m giving away three of the film’s posters, which are every bit as gorgeous and psychedelic as the film itself. One of these posters will be signed by Gaspar Noé, while two runners up will receive an unsigned poster; but I’m sure you’ll agree that they’re a thing of beauty whether they are adorned by Noé’s signature or not. To win one of these prizes, just answer the following question:
What is the profession of the character played by Philippe Nahon in Noé’s Carne and Seul contre tous?
Send your answers to philipconcannon@gmail.com putting Enter the Void in the subject field. The closing date for entries is midnight on April 22nd, and winners will be notified shortly afterwards. First name out of the hat will receive the signed French poster (to the right) and the next two will receive an unsigned UK quad (above) each.
For more on the UK DVD release of Enter the Void, check out the film's Facebook page and its official site.
This competition is now closed
Somewhere, the fourth film directed by Sofia Coppola, will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and download by Universal Pictures on April 4th. This study of disaffected movie star Marco (Stephen Dorff) is reminiscent of her Oscar-winning Lost in Translation as its lead character drifts through a series of hotels and unsatisfying encounters, and the film features a lovely, touching performance from Elle Fanning as the 11 year-old daughter who unexpectedly comes to stay with him, forcing him to re-evaluate his priorities.
This competition is now closed.
One of 2011's most exciting films, Gerardo Naranjo's Miss Bala explores the Mexican drug wars through the eyes of an aspiring beauty queen. Newcomer Stephanie Sigman is mesmerising as the terrified young woman caught up in a world she's totally unprepared for, and Naranjo's spectacular direction plunges us right into the heart of the action alongside her. You can read my review of the film here, and my interview with the director and star here.
