Win Awesome Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days Prize Packs

Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Dog Days is coming to the big screen from the 27th of September, so Big Screen NZ are giving you the chance to WIN an awesome Dog Days Prize Pack which includes a stationery kit, T-shirt, towel and a double passes to the film.

Plus two runners up will win a double pass to the film!!!

All you need to do is answer this simple question… 

What is the wimpy kids first name? (Please put “wimpy” in the subject line)

Email your answer with your name and contact details to  win@bigscreennz.com

Competition closes 11:59pm Friday 27th of September 2012, (you must be a resident of New Zealand, and judges decision in final.)

The Premise>> The oh-so-wimpy “Wimpy Kid” gets himself into more mischief when he spends the summer working at a country club in this third installation of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. 

In Cinemas 27th September 2012

M – Contains Offensive language, sexual references & drug use

Gaming News>> NEW SMALLER AND LIGHTER PLAYSTATION®3

NEW SMALLER AND LIGHTER PLAYSTATION®3

TO HIT THE WORLDWIDE MARKET

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced the new PlayStation®3(PS3®) computer entertainment system (body color: charcoal black / classic white^*1), featuring a new design and a downsized form factor, will become available worldwide this holiday season. The new PS3 will come in 2 models including extended built in Hard Disk Drive (HDD) capacity of 500GB model and a newly added 12GB flash memory model.  Availability of models, prices and launch dates of the new PS3 system in each region are as follows.

Completely redesigning the internal design architecture, the internal volume and weight of the new PS3 is reduced by more than half compared to the very first PS3 model with a 60GB HDD, and by 20 % and 25% respectively compared to the current PS3. By adopting a sliding disk cover, the new PS3 continues with the characteristic sleek curved simple body design, which fits various places in the home and enables users to enjoy an array of entertainment content.

With the extra HDD capacity, which has been extended from 320GB and 160GB, users can store and enjoy more and more entertainment content including games, music, photos, and video on the new PS3.  In addition, the new PS3 with 12GB flash memory offers opportunities to experience the world of PlayStation® at an affordable price point.  Users can also expand the storage capacity of the new PS3 with 12GB flash memory by connecting a dedicated HDD (250GB) to be released concurrently with the new PS3^*4.  In addition, a variety of accessories will be introduced by SCE to meet various kinds of needs from users. 

Since the launch of PS3 in November 2006, the number of BD-based titles has reached more than 3,300 titles and downloadable PS3 games to 4,100^*5 titles worldwide, with the support from a broad range of third party developers and publishers.  In addition to this extensive software title line-up, exciting and attractive new titles are to be released from third party developers and publishers as well as SCE Worldwide Studios, including Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (Activision Publishing, Inc.), Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Entertainment.), FIFA 13(Electronic Arts Inc. ), PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale, LittleBigPlanet Karting, God of War: Ascension(Sony Computer Entertainment), and more.

The 500G console will have a recommended retail price of $519.95 (NZD) and will be available in New Zealand from September 27. The 12G console will also be available on October 18 at a recommended retail price of $399.00 (NZD) 

Ruby Sparks Movie Review

Releases: 20^thSeptember 2012

Rating: M – Contains Offensive language, sexual references & drug use

Duration: 104 minutes 

Genre:  Romance

Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan and Annette Bening

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Reviewer: Jon E Clist 

The Premise>> Calvin is a genius novelist who begins to type a new novel on his manual typewriter about Ruby, his dream girl. He can’t believe his eyes, because the next day, Ruby becomes a real person, and they begin to have a beautiful relationship together. If the relationship isn’t perfect, all Calvin has to do is simply type the words on the page and Ruby’s actions change to what he needs.

The Review>> In the space 24 hours I had two films that focused around novelists and their battle to write a follow up novel after some huge debut tomes. The first of these films to hit the big screen in NZ is Ruby Sparks. Whereas the other film The Words is more focused on the drama elements, Ruby Sparks delves into a more comedic relationship focus. The lead character of Calvin is so neurotic and as you watch his story unfold before you in this voyeuristic manner, you can’t help but feel so crazily uncomfortable for him. He is not the smoothest gentleman in town and the decisions he continues to make throughout the film only make matters worse. After all as we watch we are rooting for him. We want him to find love and success but like watching Mr Bean fumbling around with such disadvantage, Calvin draws sympathy for the audience blended with major discomfort.

Of course while Calvin is consistent throughout the film, the real star is completely and utterly Zoe Kazan, who plays the title character. Not only does she completely draw you into her quirky character, but the diversity of her acting style flows well, as Calvin re-writes her character’s emotional state at different stages of the film. However it doesn’t stop there, she also wrote the screenplay for “Ruby Sparks”.

Of course she comes from a very strong legacy of writers. Zoe’s grandfather is Elia Kazan, who wrote the screenplay for “On the Waterfront”. Her mother wrote the screenplay for “the Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.Her father wrote the screenplay for “Reversal of Fortune“.

It’s one of those films that sits in the style and genre of “500 Days of Summer”, “Safety Not Guaranteed”and other such quirky tales. An unconventional love story, that you can’t help feel this strange connection with.

The Verdict>> A sweet and quirky wee number that will draw you into the discomfort and dysfunction of a strange and slightly unbelievable love story.

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> Zoe Kazan lives with her co-star Paul Dano; they have a child together.

Zoe Kazan was doubled whenever Paul Dano carried her over his shoulder.

Win Men In Black 3 on Bluray!!!

Men In Black 3 has hit video shop and retail shelves and Sony Pictures Entertainment and Big Screen NZ  are giving you the chance to win a Bluray copy for yourself…

All you need to do is answer this simple question… 

Name three movies that Josh Brolin has previously starred in?

Email your answer with your name and contact details to  win@bigscreennz.com (Please put “Black” in the subject header)

(Competition closes 11:59pm Friday 27th of September 2012, you must be a resident of New Zealand, and judges decision in final.)

The Premise>>   An alien criminal kills the young Agent K in 1969, altering the timeline, changing the Agency and placing the Earth in danger. Veteran Agent J (Will Smith) must travel back in time to 1969 to before the murder and work with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save him, the Agency, the Earth and humanity itself.

Read the Review

In NZ Stores Now
Rating – M Contains Violence

Men In Black 3 DVD Review

Releases: September 2012

Rating: M – Contains Violence

Duration: 112 minutes 

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black 1 & 2, Get Shorty)

Reviewer: Jodie Clist 

The Premise>> An alien criminal kills the young Agent K in 1969, altering the timeline, changing the Agency and placing the Earth in danger. Veteran Agent J (Will Smith) must travel back in time to 1969 to before the murder and work with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save him, the Agency, the Earth and humanity itself.

The Review>> I won’t deny it; I am a fan of MIB and MIB 2.  If truth be told, I love a good Sci-Fi flick as the genre appeals to my vivid imagination, sense of adventure and fantastical aliens and other worldly creatures.  And MIB III does not disappoint as we are treated to fabulous special effects and make up artistry.  Not forgetting some really cool gadgets!

Yes, Tommy Lee Jones is looking a tad more weathered (he is, after all, now in his mid 60’s) and even Will Smith has finally lost his youthful glow at the ripe old age of 44. (tongue in cheek).  But the black suits and glasses never lose their style.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a more in-depth storyline revealed in MIB 3.  Notwithstanding the element of time travel and the complexities of linking past and present, we are treated to a plot that reveals how stoic faced Agent K (Jones) became the immovable and unflappable agent we’ve seen in MIB 1 and 2.

Kudos to NZ’s own Jemaine Clement who makes a brilliant villain/evil alien hell-bent on exacting revenge on Agent K and world domination.  His makeup is fabulous and I had to keep reminding myself that I was watching one half of the now ‘world famous’ comedy sensation that is ‘Flight of the Conchords’ not being funny.

The Verdict>> Special effects have come a long way since MIB (1997) and MIB II (2002).  Visually this is a far better film than its predecessors but perhaps not quite as funny.  A solid action/sci-fi flick definitely worth seeing on the big screen. 

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> This is Will Smith’s first film in 3.5 years, since the release of Seven Pounds in December 2008. This is the longest he has gone without appearing in a movie since his film career started in 1993.

Josh Brolin plays a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’s character Agent K. Brolin’s wife Diane Lane appeared with Jones in Lonesome Dove. In the sequel Streets of Laredo, Lane’s role was taken over by Sissy Spacek, who played Tommy Lee Jones’s wife in Coal Miner’s Daughter and is the cousin of MIB co-star Rip Torn.

Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Knuckles the graffiti alien, had voiced Ben Tennyson in the Ben 10 cartoons; the Tennyson family is connected to the Plumbers, an organization similar to the Men in Black.

Special makeup effects artist Rick Baker makes a cameo in the film as an alien with an exposed cranium.

Will Smith’s personal makeup artist Judy Murdock appears as a blue-skinned alien.

Nicole Scherzinger listened to Led Zeppelin to get her in the mood for the role of Lily Poison.