Win Nitro Circus The Movie on Bluray or DVD

Please don’t try this stuff at home! Just watch it on your TV and dribble with excitement. We have Nitro Circus the Movie on Bluray or DVD for you to win.

To be in to win simply answer this question…

What are the names of three of the Nitro Cirus stuntmen/ Women?

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

(Please put “Nitro” in the subject line)

Terms and Conditions>> Entries close Tuesday 1st of January 2013. You must be a Resident of New Zealand to win and judges decision is final.

The Premise>>  NITRO CIRCUS THE MOVIE, Travis Pastrana and his tight-knit, highly-skilled, adrenaline-addicted friends bring their impossibly insane and hysterical adventures to the big screen for the first time! Dreaming up the most dangerous stunts in the world of action sports   whether they are back-flipping a bike between two 60-story buildings or going air-born to destroy their friends in a life size, high speed game of Freedom Flyers Pastrana and his gang are always at it. High Risk. High Octane. And No Safety Nets Allowed. For the Combo with the 3D Blu-ray: Using the innovation of 3D cinematography and the latest compact camera rigs, the filmmakers provide moviegoers with a groundbreaking experience in 3D cinema that puts the audience in the shotgun with the crew as they pilot motorcycles, rally cars, parachutes, mountain bikes, monster trucks and more.

Nitro CircusTrailer

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Rise of the Guardians Movie Review

Rise of The Guardians

Releases: 1^st January 2013

Rating: PG – Contains coarse language

Duration: 97 minutes 

Genre:  Family Animation

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin and Isla Fisher

Director: Peter Ramsey (Feature film Directorial Debut)

Reviewer: Jon E Clist 

The Premise>> When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imaginations of children all over the world.

The Review>> From the early moments within this film I really felt like we were in for something rather special. Yes I do have an eleven year old daughter and hence like animated films that we can share in the experience together. (I am still hanging on to being a cool Dad by the thinnest of threads) Of course I do actually like good animated films regardless, always have. When I saw the concept for this film I think I was a little underwhelmed in many ways. It felt as though it could be a little too much of a forced arrangement of childhood fantasies. With the Shrek franchise and the new TV show, Once Upon a Time, this seems like such an in thing to do. When something becomes the in thing to do, it inevitably brings out some amazing flops in the process. However I am very happy to say that this is not one of them. Rise of the Guardians is really well written, cast and amazingly animated. From the fresh opening title treatment of the Dreamworks logo, through to the bonus scene during the credits, this film had me utterly engaged throughout.

In a similar fashion to Wreck-it Ralph, there are plenty of positive life lessons about being the best you that you can be. Knowing that choosing doing good over being bad is best, but being a little cheeky along the way is okay too. After all Jack Frost is kind of the King of fun but also a little on the naughty side but in a fun way. The voices of the cast fit well with the characterisations. From Chris Pine as Jack Frost through to thick accented Hugh Jackman as an Australian Easter Bunny, each role is cleverly brought together to actually be rather entertaining.

Of course a fantasy film is really only as good as its villain and here we have a wonderful combination of posh English villainy blended with supernatural menace in the form of Pitch as voiced by the brilliant Jude Law. The way he ponces around with his posh accent and fluid over the top physical gestures adds a dazzling naughtiness to the film.

The Verdict>> A lot better than the trailer would hint to. Great animation with a pretty good storyline means family entertainment that is a fun outing to the cinema.

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> Bunnymund warns “You don’t want to race a rabbit.” This is an in-joke to the Aesop fable of the race between the tortoise and the hare – the tortoise won.

Bunnymund opens a rabbit hole and jumps down it. This is a reference to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”, where a rabbit hole leads into another dimension.

Leonardo DiCaprio was originally set to voice Jack Frost, but dropped out of the film during pre-production.

The last DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Paramount.

In one scene, the Tooth Fairy finds a mouse beneath the pillow and identifies it as “one of us, European division”. Ratoncito (Little Mouse) Perez or The Tooth Mouse is a children’s book character created by Spanish author Luis Coloma in 1894 and that is said to replace lost baby teeth with gifts in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Latin America.

At the beginning of the movie, Jack Frost walks through a Colonial American village. In the background, the folk song village musicians are playing is called “Kemp’s Jig.” This was a popular early 18th-century English dance song named in honor of William Kempe. He was a famous 16th century English comic stage actor whose work influenced modern comedic acting, stand up comedy and improvisational comic skits. He may have performed in some of Shakespeare’s earlier works. He is best known for a stunt where he actually made an entire journey dancing the whole route between London and Norwich (about 100 miles or 161 km).

Wreck-It Ralph Movie Review

Wreck-It Ralph

Releases: 26^th December 2012

Rating: PG – Contains low level violence

Duration: 108 minutes 

Genre: Family Animation

Starring:John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch

Director:Rich Moore (Futurama)

Reviewer: Jon E Clist 

The Premise>> Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan — win a medal — but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

The Review>> Sometimes I feel a bit on the old side. I mean so much of the cool retro stuff that the kids are getting into now are things that I grew up being into when it was first cool. Then of course there are all of the comebacks and remakes that are making it not only onto the big screen but television too. So I occasionally realise that it seems as though my childhood favourites have gone from cool, to dorky and back to cool again, but this time ironically. What the? Really? Am I only cool ironically? I have been fooling myself with my coolness quotient for too long. So now Disney is getting in on the joke of my ironic coolness with the release of an animated film that features so many of the video games that I grew up playing. Pacman, Q’bert and so many more classic video game characters have returned form the digital grave to entertain the kids of today. I think for the most part they think that it’s all new and that we are too old to know what they are. Jokes on you kids, we lived this before you even arrived on the scene and we might even have the t-shirts or bubble-gum cards to prove it.

So here we have a brilliantly executed combination of classic gaming and some new characters that are so funny and enthralling to watch. Obviously there is plenty of action, jokes and even some great life lessons for up all. Lessons about learning to love and accept who we are but to continue to strive for our dreams.

It is always nice to be transported back into the fun times of your childhood and to also be able to share it with your kids too…

The Verdict>> Crazy fun for all the family and kids of all ages. The adults will love the flashbacks to their childhoods while the kids will love the film for what it is right now, great fun!

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> Unlike most animated films, the principal actors regularly recorded audio sessions together in the same room, a situation which led to a lot of improvising.

Disney first began developing an animated film about the world of video game characters in the 1980s. At that time the project was called “High Score” and in the 1990s was titled “Joe Jump.” In the 2000s, when the movie was finally pushed forward, the first two months of story development focused on Fix-It Felix Jr. as the main character.

Early in production it was considered to keep all characters in their native graphic quality, essentially making Ralph look 8-bit the entire time. This was deemed too difficult for making Ralph a sympathetic, lovable character.

During early production, Disney had Mario set to cameo in the film, but producer Clark Spencer claimed that they “couldn’t think of the right way to incorporate him into the film”.

The character Ralph and his game “Fix-it Felix Jr.” draw inspiration from Donkey Kong. Both games are about a handy-man character climbing up and around a building structure toward the villain on top. Both villains, Donkey Kong and Ralph, are large angry characters with wide hands that toss down objects at the hero.

Sonic the Hedgehog appears in the movie when Ralph is first walking through in Game Central Station as an announcer on the screen monitors warning video game characters not to die outside their own game. Sonic is also at the party celebrating Fix-it Felix’s 30th anniversary and is seen briefly getting hit by Ralph’s escape pod as it barrels uncontrollably through Game Central Station.

The donut-shaped police who harass Ralph in the “Sugar Rush” game are named Wynnchel and Duncan, a sly reference to two U.S. donut chains: Winchell’s Donut House and Dunkin’ Donuts.

King Candy’s safe is secured with a Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The password he enters (UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, START) is a common cheat code used by game developer Konami in most of their titles, most famously in the game Contra.

King Candy’s voice and character design is modeled after Ed Wynn a popular comedian and voice artist, best known as the voice of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins.

The Expendables 2 DVD Review

The Expendables 2

DVD Releases: December  2012
Rating: R16 – Contains Graphic violence

Duration: 102 minutes 
Genre:  Action 
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Liam Hemsworth and Randy Couture 
Director: Simon West (The Mechanic, Stolen, When A Stranger Calls)

Reviewer: Jon E Clist 

The Premise>> The Expendables are reunited when Mr. Church enlists them to take on a seemingly simple job. When things go wrong, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory, where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time – five tons of weapons-grade plutonium, more than enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary they seek revenge from.

The Review>> I loved The Expendables and I make no excuses for it. I grew up loving the cheesy action films of the eighties and early nineties and so this is my cup of tea or shot of bourbon. I grew up loving Sly and Arnie, Claude and even Dolph. So when you put together a cast of action freaks like this, then no matter what, you have already won over my heart.

Of course upfront I need to point out that this is an extremely violent film with a lot of over the top blood splatter and one of the highest body counts of cinema history.

That being said… this film is full of huge action, extremely cheesy one liners and next to zero plot. But that’s okay because that is exactly the type of film that it’s supposed to be. There are some awesome moments of classic one liner usurping. We get to see, classic action heroes hassle other action heroes with their own trademark one liners. This in itself makes for some very funny moments. This is never more evident than when Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis share their moments on the big screen. To be honest when these three combine, it needs to be a big screen to contain the power that is this action trinity. The basic character development of these three roles, (And I really do mean basic) has them pitted against each other in a business manner, but needing to fight on the same team. So the constant ribbing that ensues is cheesy but a lot of fun!

Then of course is the addition of Jean Claude Van Damme. Who was rumoured to have turned down a role in the first because he didn’t think it wold be cool enough. Instead he went off to do his own film JCVD, which completely bombed and to be honest I reckon most people didn’t even know he had a film out there named after him. Of course here he is his usual cheesy and bad acting self. However that suits his character to a tee. Over the top and super cheesy JCVD.

The first film in this franchise at times felt like it took itself a little serious at times, whereas here you can see that they are just all about having fun. IN fact there are plenty of moments where Stallone runs like an old man. Of course the element that puts this film completely over the edge is the addition of the almighty one, Chuck Norris. Norris not only dominates his moments on screen but also gets to tell his own “Chuck Norris Fact” within the script, which is one of those cinema moments that will go down in infamy and will be remembered by generations to come.

The Verdict>> The boys will love it, the girls will likely hate it but I still dare some guys to try to take their ladies out to this on a date night… but be warned the only action you’ll experience that night would be on the big screen.

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> The sequel was considered months before the original movie was completed and released in theaters. The return of Dolph Lundgren’s character in the final scene was likely added into the script (whereas he was killed in the first draft) with the possibility of a sequel in mind.

A real railway bridge over the river Osam in Bulgaria was built for the film, and will remain as part of the railway network.

Arnold Schwarzenegger shot his role in 5 days, one week prior to beginning work on The Last Stand.

A stuntman died and another was left in a critical condition while filming an action scene for the movie in Bulgaria, that included an explosion on a rubber boat.

Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in this installment, unlike his duties in the previous installment as an actor, co-writer, co-producer and director.

While filming in Bulgaria, Arnold Schwarzenegger went in his role of a politician and met with the Bulgarian prime-minister awarding him with the sword of Conan the Barbarian. The latest version of that film starring Jason Momoa as Conan was also shot in Bulgaria.

This is Jean-Claude Van Damme’s fourth time working with both Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins.

The name of Chuck Norris’s character (Booker) is a nod to Good Guys Wear Black in which Norris portrayed a character named John T. Booker. In both films Norris plays a retired military operative in a rescue mission to help his old comrades.

Hope Springs DVD Review

Hope Springs

DVD Releases: December 2012

Rating: M – Contains Sexual references

Duration: 100 minutes 

Genre:  Comedy

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell

Director: David Frankel (Marley and Me, The Big Year, The Devil Wears Prada)

Reviewer: Sabrina McLeod 

The Premise>> After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.

The Review>> Hope Springs is charming movie about an older couple trying to re-kindle their love and marriage. Now that their children have grown and flown the nest it showcases two people whose routine has never changed after 31 years of marriage and begs the question ‘Is this our lives now?’

Meryl Streep plays Kay, a shy character who wants more from her marriage and wants to be loved by her husband Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones), however Arnold  has been used to their routine and has a philosophy of ‘Why change anything now’

After booking his flight and making a stand Kay waits in anticipation to see if Arnold will make the first step towards fixing their marriage and journeying with her to the small suburban town of Hope Springs in Maine to see Dr. Feld (Steve Carell).

The counseling session scenes are very funny and although slightly uncomfortable to watch in places, Tommy Lee’s performance makes them light hearted and humorous. However, his hard shell is knocked down bit by bit as Dr. Feld gets them to perform tasks to re-connect. 

Tommy Lee Jones outshines Meryl in every scene. You instantly warm to his character who’s grumpy, old man outbursts leave you laughing and slightly aghast at the same time. He leaves you laughing and smiling right up to the last minute.

Although some comments from fellow viewers where that it is the worst film Meryl has done, I beg to differ as Meryl’s character is one of a shy, wilting flower who doesn’t stand up for herself, doesn’t want to cause a fuss or be the center of attention. In this respect Meryl played her part perfectly. We are so used to seeing Meryl in strong scene steeling roles, that to watch her take this fragile female character is a refreshing change.

From Meryl’s research into oral sex to Tommy Lee’s confession of sexual fantasies, the movie is a joy to watch.

The cinema antics are hilarious and one of the best scenes in the whole movie!

The Verdict>> I personally loved the underlining message of this movie and it begs the question ‘Do you do all you can to make that person in your life feel special and loved’. In today’s society where technology and work takes away our focus and time, I love that this movie holds up a mirror and makes you sit up and take note of the people around you.

My only negative point is the ending; it seemed rushed and was out of character to the rest of the movies theme and storyline.

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> Jeff Bridges was offered the leading male part but turned it down.

The Bourne Legacy DVD Review

The Bourne Legacy

DVD Releases: December 2012

Rating: M – Contains violence

Duration: 135 minutes 

Genre:  Action

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Oscar Isaac, Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn. 

Director: Tony Gilroy (Duplicity and Michael Clayton)

Reviewers: Clinton Randall and Jon E Clist 

The Premise>> The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy.  The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.

The Review>> Two Reviews for the price of one.

Clinton Randall>> Ok so despite what the title may suggest this isn’t about a chick giving birth in the back of a Subaru Wagon. The Bourne Legacy is the fourth… what would you call the movie after a trilogy? Whatever it is, it’s that! And coming from someone who has seen the previous 3 films, this latest one and the introduction of Jeremy Renner replacing Matt Damon didn’t disappoint. Too be honest it’s hard to say which of the two is more bad ass. Obviously it’s slightly unfair, Jason Bourne having 3 movies to show us his bag of tricks as opposed to Aaron Cross’s one, but this new guy does wrestle wolves with his bare hands! You heard right…wrestles wild wolves with his bare hands.

The movie follows a similar plot to that of the previous 3 – corrupt ‘patriotic’ CIA agents try to take down the ‘bad guy’ and spend most of the film failing miserably and having Aaron Cross becoming more and more cooler than Batman. The quick cut action scenes make the fighting fast paced and intense, there are a few “As if!” moments but you find yourself being lost in the film and just enjoying one person being so superior to everyone and anyone and being able to escape from any situation that David Copperfield would be proud of.

Would’ve liked to have seen an Aaron Cross put the gun down long enough to maybe get a few sparks going with the girl but sorry ladies there are a lot more guns locked than lips in this one.

Bring on Borne vs Cross!

Jon E>> It is at this point when you kind of want to say that Jason Bourne is back, however he is not back. Sure his name is still on everyone’s lips, but with the exception of a few scattered photographs, Damon does not make an appearance in this film. Instead the focal point of this film is another secret super spy division of the CIA. This time there is an additional component of chemical genetic manipulation. Not only have these operatives been extensively trained but their very genetic beings have been tweaked and stretched in order to maximize their potential.

Of course it is the same Bourne formula, stunts, thrills, tension, emotional connection all wrapped in one big and fluid chase scene. Like the previous outings that came before, The Bourne Legacy is one big chase scene. Our heros are racing to get to their hope for a solution while evading capture and potential execution.

There are several elements to this film that win big points. Firstly it is awesome that they have not gone about to replace Damon’s Bourne. Instead they have created a parallel story line that if all goes to plan will merge with the Bourne story somewhere down the tracks. This means not only is there potential to see Renner and Damon on Screen together but it is already in the planning stages. Of course this works well to give Damon a break from playing this character, whist still leaving the door open for a return.

Secondly, there are plenty of fresh ideas utilized in the action sequences to excite the viewers along the way. For example there are some standout moments within an epic motorcycle chase scene. One of which involves a spectacular rail-slide down and staircase hand rail.

However I agree with Clinton completely that they could have developed the relationship between Weiss and Renner a little more.

The Verdict>> 

Clinton>> I can’t find too much wrong with this film actually and would even go as far to say it’s up there in my top 3 flicks of this year. Well worth the watch even at full price on a Saturday Night.

Jon E>> A great follow up to a film franchise that hasn’t let us down. The Bourne Legacy is still very much alive and kicking.

Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> Before this movie was seriously considered, director Paul Greengrass jokingly suggested to make a fourth Bourne movie called “The Bourne Redundancy”.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Alex Pettyfer, Joel Edgerton, Taylor Kitsch, Kellan Lutz, Josh Hartnett, Paul Dano, Luke Evans, Michael Pitt, Oscar Isaac, Benjamin Walker and Erryn Arkin were considered to play the lead role.