Enjoy WHY SO BLU On-The-Go With The FREE iPhone App!
February 3rd, 2012 by Brian White
Why So Blu is committed to taking you where no other Blu-ray review website has ever gone before. We’re taking you MOBILE! That’s right! Fellow iOS developer Alexander Magdics (MacEnvy) and myself have recently combined forces to produce the world’s first Blu-ray disc review mobile app where you can read all about the latest in Blu-ray, movies, comics, gaming and more on the go, wherever you go. Now…using the ever-popular Apple iPhone or iPod Touch line of devices, our readers can stay in the know, on–the-go! Check out the rest of the press release below! Continue reading ‘Enjoy WHY SO BLU On-The-Go With The FREE iPhone App!’
It’s that time again. Another year has flown by and I’m still proverbially in the same place and physically in the same chair as I was last year. My how things don’t always change like you want them to, but that’s the beauty of looking forward to next year and all the endless possibilities dreams, hopes and endeavors may bring you. Here’s looking to 2012! But before I “turn the page” (a nod to Bob Seger, not Metallica), it wouldn’t be right without first recapping my favorite movies of the year and cramming down your throat why I think the way I do. Who’s right and who’s wrong when it comes to these? Absolutely no one is. We each have our own opinion, beliefs and value systems. That’s what makes us individuals. But when it’s your day to shine here on Why So Blu, your Top 10 list becomes as powerful as the almighty scriptures of the past. So for today, December 22, 2012…this is the new law being enforced upon you around here. Follow you will! 
Just what the world needs…another reboot of a legendary franchise. That was exactly my sentiments when I learned about the production of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I remember watching and enjoying the original films as a kid, but not enough to warrant my full attention to what was going on behind the scenes of this new production. I still cant get the bad taste of the Mark Walhberg adventure out of my mouth. Then one day I had not one, but several friends asking me if I caught the new trailer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Astonishingly, all of their recounts and tales had one thing in common. They all included the word bada$$. How could they all be wrong? So I reluctantly caved in and gave it a watch. And much to my surprise I thought…not bad! But that didn’t mean I became an instant fanboy overnight. Quite the opposite happened. 
It’s that time of the year already. I have been through so much this year so I thought f$&k it. I want to try something new this year. In the past few years, I had this complex algorithm where I weighted a disc by its film score, audio/video presentation and how many special features it had. In the past, that meant discs that I loved that didn’t have hefty quantities of special features (which I usually tend to ignore anyway) generally fell short on my lists. That’s bullsh!t. I’m not being that fake person anymore. I don’t care. This is my list dammit. These are the Blu-rays I personally own and are proud to call my favorites of the calendar year 2011. If you don’t agree with any of my selections, then A) I have to ask myself why are you reading this and/or B) that’s what the comment fields are there for. Hit me with your best shot. Let’s get this party started! 
I know what you are already thinking. Believe me. You are probably thinking the same thing I thought when I received the press release for this book we are about to cover here. Oh yes…I’m talking about your temper flaring and accusations accosting as you proclaim out loud how many damn, boring screenwriting books can you possibly read. But what if I told you there was one out there that was a completely different take on the art that’s both bold and refreshing to read? Would you believe me? I wouldn’t. But that’s where you and I would both be dead wrong. Sure, there’s no replacing Syd Field’s Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting or Blake Snyder’s heralded Save The Cat!, but perhaps there’s a companion book that would bode well sitting next to these two classics on your writing desk. Would you write off such a possibility? I sure hope not because that’s exactly why you are still reading this. Isn’t it? Like me…you want to know all you can about the art of screenwriting. Well, that’s good! Because that means you’re in the right place. Read on! 
Unbeknown to anyone else beside myself, at the beginning of the year I decided there were a total of three movies I was really looking forward to in 2011. The first, not a critic’s choice by any means, is the Independence Day sequel (joking), Battle: Los Angeles. Unlike the majority of critics, I was able to enjoy myself immensely throughout the film. Wait! That doesn’t sound right. LOL. Anyway, the second was Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Why was I looking forward to this? Well, being a huge fan of the first film, I was really curious to see if Michael Bay could knock this one out of the ballpark and totally redeem himself for that POS he put out in 2009 or if he would fail miserably much like most of his horror produced films do. And needless to say, I would rather not converse about the outcome in this format. However, neither one of these two flicks compare to the loving endearment and the overwhelming anticipation I had reserved in my heart for The Hangover Part II. You know how people always warn you to get your hopes up? Well, let’s talk about that some more here. 
There are some pros and cons about being in the business I am in. The cons are what you would most likely expect…long hours and little pay. However, the pros always outweigh the cons no matter how you slice it. We get free product to review, invites to exclusive events and most importantly…we get to meet and interact with talent that most people only see and read about in US Weekly. So from that point of view, I love my job. One such talented actor I had the chance of meeting this summer is a cool cat by the name of Anton Troy (see my interview with him 
Let’s be completely honest, I agreed and wanted review Gia because of Angelina Jolie. Okay, let me clarify…because of the nudity associated and promised with this title. Many Bothan spies died getting me this information, so I was hoping their deaths wouldn’t be in vain. Thankfully for me, and the memories and valor of those brave soldiers, they weren’t. Much like HBO’s biographic Norma Jean, I was not only pleasantly surprised, but also rewarded for trusting my beliefs and those of the former Bothan spies. I’m going to start recruiting that species more often. 
So I somehow managed to double-book myself between press screenings for In Time and The Rum Diaries. Bummer! It was a hard decision to make between which one I would ultimately have to pass on. In Time looked promising in the action department, where as The Rum Diaries features my new favorite, the beautiful Miss Amber Heard. What’s a guy supposed to do? I reluctantly chose In Time and graciously let Mary Welms have Johnny Depp all to herself. I’m such a nice guy sometimes. It’s a crying shame people don’t see my inner beauty more often. Instead, they seemingly focus on my skeleton bike jacket and my long sexy hair. Boo! 
Don’t ask me why, but I have just concluded reading some prose from William Shakespeare. Anyone familiar with his writing knows that he liked to write in metaphors. One such line I just read goes like this, “I cannot do it; yet I’ll hammer it out.” That’s exactly how us, as reviewers, feel from time-to-time when we are forced with deadlines, an overwhelming amount of material to cover or simply the lack of desire to talk about a particular title we hate. But Shakespeare is right. Despite the adverse feeling that grinds mentally in your skull like the gears of your automatic transmission failing, you just have to bear the load, find the “strength to endure” and carry on. You have to find that proverbial Thor’s hammer and just conquer with it. And so ladies and gentlemen…that’s exactly what I’m doing here. I’m laying waste to the land and conquering this review. 
How far is too far? That’s often the question I find myself asking lately in life. Besides medical or operation scenarios, scenes of graphic war/poverty or innocent animals/humans being tortured, there’s very little that truly offends me, but as luck may have it; my humanity was violated not once, but twice this month. The first violation occurred with my theatrical viewing of The Human Centipede 2. Despite my love for the first film, there’s truly no reason for this movie to exist. It’s gross, wasteful and solely exists for shock value, which after 30 minutes of it, I grew very numb of. The second, being a native of Ohio, happened just this week in a small town known as Zanesville. More exotic animals than I care to quantify within this review fell to the lethal arms of the city’s policemen. Rather than use tranquilizers, most of the animals were all euthanized just because their owner decided to cash out early, and ultimately his pride and joy in life, his exotic animal collection, felt the sharp end of the knife too. 
Like it or hate it, its Halloween season and you know what that means. No! It’s not another Saw movie. I think we all kind of had enough of those after the last stinker. Instead, it’s the new Saw-like franchise of the 10’s that took the world by storm in 2009, Paranormal Activity. That’s right ladies and gentleman. Paranormal Activity, aptly titled Paranormal Activity 3, is back with a vengeance, but this time around the third outing serves as a prequel, set some 18 years prior to the events of the first two connected films. The low budget, supernatural horror film hits theaters this Friday, October 21st, but you can read all about my first impressions below before heading out in this never-ending rainy weather, depending upon where you live of course. In hindsight, I suppose the dreary weather most of us are experiencing serves a purpose as a most righteous backdrop for horror films and Halloween. ‘Tis the season! 
We have all had our share of “horrible bosses” at one point or another during our career, haven’t we? Well I guess I should probably be addressing the 30-something year old crowd like myself, but I truly think this topic transcends the ages, if you ask me. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. My word is the gospel around here. You got it? LOL. Don’t you hate pompous people? Good! This is all part of my master plan. I’m warming you up for today’s topic of conversation. So let’s start this review all over again. Here we go! Good day ladies and gentlemen. Today we are gathered to talk about the all too familiar topic of “horrible bosses,” oops…I mean the film Horrible Bosses. And when I mention Horrible Bosses, I should clarify that I’m talking about New Line Cinema’s October 11th Blu-ray release of Horrible Bosses: Totally Inappropriate Edition. Who loves the sound of that? 
And now it’s time to review a Blu-ray title that I know everyone out there is probably jealous and envious of me for. Eat your hearts out because today we’re tackling a motion picture that took the box office by storm earlier this year. No one could have ever predicted that this little superhero flick could have garnered so much praise, fanfare love and positive attention in the eyes of merciless critics around the globe. And honestly, no one even bothered to believe that the film’s subject matter and lore could ever possibly be presented in such a down-to-earth reality-like fashion like that employed in Nolan’s Batman franchise. I know. I once stood with all of you. I was once a naysayer of the picture too. I overlooked the grand picture and judged the book by its cover. Then came the premiere screening on June 17th and it suddenly hit me like the football that once struck Marsha Brady in the nose. My world was never going to be the same…ever again! 
I wanted Rocky with robots, and I got it and so much more! Do I need to say anymore? Well, adhering to my own review structure on the website kind of dictates that I do. Boo! So let’s talk some more about a film I heard about so long ago, but never bothered to research or learn what the subject matter was until I saw my first trailer this past summer. All it took was one viewing of the trailer and I knew, I had to see this one. The subject matter instantly struck an emotional accord with me, and believe me…I long for and want to feel something in the dark world I live in. 
This is going to be the shortest Blu-ray review of my illustrious career. Why? I can answer that one quite easily. It’s because this review is about a band that I would gladly lay down my life in defense of any day of the week against attacks of slander, malicious propaganda or evil naysaying. Their mere existence on this planet gave and continues to give the propulsion, motivation, drive, passion, energy/octane and encouragement necessary for me to be all I can be in life and NO ONE is going to contradict or say other wise without having words with me face-to-face. Of course, I’m talking about the legendary grunge band from Seattle, Washington that’s responsible for starting a musical revolution and catapulting the careers of so many others to follow, ladies and gentlemen…NIRVANA. 
Before there was Insidious, there was 2001′s The Others. Of course, they are completely different stories, but they both travel down a similar road I love in my movies, that being the paranormal/supernatural one. I could go on and on about my love for both of these films, but for today, my proverbial spotlight will be shining solely upon Lionsgate’s September 20th Blu-ray release of The Others. And rightfully so, this film stands the test of time in my opinion. It’s very rare that a film of this caliber, which depends almost exclusively on its one hell of a twisted ending, lends itself well to many repeat viewings. It has been awhile since my last rendezvous with The Others, so here goes nothing. 
I left the theater after seeing Contagion with many thoughts on my mind. They ranged from global epidemics and government cover-ups to animal cruelty and issues of morality. Contagion opened your eyes to all the questions regarding the BIG IF. What IF this really happened to us? I’m referring to a widespread, global virus epidemic, that is. How would people act? How would our government and many rescue agencies treat us? Better yet, what if the medical professionals all went on strike? I mean, let’s face it. This is survival of the fittest. What would you do? And I ask you point blank…seriously, what would you do? You have to admit, there would be chaos all around you given these circumstances explored within the 115 minute runtime of Contagion. 
