Inception Mind-Numbing, Not Mind-Blowing
July 17th, 2010 by Gregg Senko
I can already feel the masses getting their torches and pitchforks ready for me on this one. Is this my Avatar of 2010? What I’m getting at is last year I was the lone wolf here on Why So Blu, ultimately not impressed by Avatar like the rest of the world was. Not quite getting the fanfare of the blue aliens, Christopher Nolan’s Inception has still garnered a significant amount of ooh’s and ah’s from a public that waits with anticipation to see this film. I was one of those people representing the eager public. Continue reading ‘Inception Mind-Numbing, Not Mind-Blowing’
I am no longer a Gaga concert virgin. The controversial pop superstar recently arrived in Cleveland, Ohio for her July 14th performance along with a talented and sizable ensemble woven into the Monster Ball Tour. First things first; this was not a concert. Lady Gaga’s performance is an experience to the Nth degree on so many levels. If anyone out there is having any thoughts on attending one of the dates on her tour, let me say this…if in-your-face sexuality bothers you, stay away. 
Silence. You can hear a pin drop. Tension. Everyone is on the edge of his or her seat. Suspension. What’s going to happen next? Thrilling. Don’t dare take your eyes off the screen as every moment is of grave importance. Such was the atmosphere this week at the press screening for Christopher Nolan’s newest masterpiece, Inception. I have to admit; during the screening I noticed there was something really different about this particular movie outing/experience. 
The summer heat is in full effect, and that means you’re probably doing all you can to stay near the conditioned air. Well, no big deal because I’ve got the scoop on the coolest film festival this year—Sundance 2010. Last January I spent a week in Park City, Utah with frigid temperatures, fast women, and fun films. So, grab a cold one and tap your winter boots together because I’m bringing you back to the most severe winter in American history. Better late than never, here’s a round up of my experiences/journal from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. 
Game developer Zen Studios attempts to bring a light hearted and over-the-top mini golfing experience to the Playstation Network with Planet Minigolf. Game reviewers Sam Bushman and Dan Morrison take on all that Planet Minigolf can dish out with its 4 unique locations and dozens of holes. Even with all the provided content, can Planet Minigolf justify its $10 price tag? As always, feel free to post any comments, questions, counterpoints, or critiques in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 
I am huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s films especially Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but I’ve also really enjoyed his other movies as well. While I haven’t seen his earliest work on Doodlebug and Following, I did see Memento, which catapulted him into the public consciousness in a big way. Nolan obviously has recurring themes throughout all of his movies as they all contain elements of obsession, psychological and physical pain, guilt, and characters who try to succeed despite their hardships. 
It seems as time goes on, there are more and more entertaining films that find their way to Blu-ray, but never made it to the cinema. In the case of Outlander, it found zero success at the movie theater and was released this past May on Blu-ray. The film, while not a blockbuster of mammoth proportions, managed to successfully use a tighter budget when it came to delivering a quality production. 
Why So Blu might just make it a habit of reviewing imports now, because once we start, we can’t stop! Continuing on the import train, we now bring you The Tournament which has not received an official Blu-ray release in the states other than the standard DVD through The Weinstein Company. I actually found out about The Tournament when I was watching Solomon Kane. There’s a trailer for it on the Kane disc. I’m under the impression that the UK may get a Blu-ray release before the U.S. 
In what we hope will be our first of many blu-ray import reviews, Why So Blu is proud to present Solomon Kane. Solomon Kane was completely financed out of the U.S. by European interests to the tune of 40 million dollars. Not a bad chunk of change for a fantasy flick which received minimal play in the U.S., if any. This review copy of Solomon Kane was obtained from 
It was only a couple weeks ago when WhySoBlu covered the June 26th mixed martial arts event that featured special guest and MMA star, Anderson Silva. The fighting spectacular featured four bands that day with the headliner being a hard rock band simply known as MUSH. The band played relentlessly, donned in black under the blistering summer sun. Belting out tunes like Frostbite and Remembrance, the five-member band unleashed a torrent of original works along with covers from bands like Korn. 
Rambo, Rambo: The Extended Cut, Rambo IV, John Rambo or whatever you want to call it is Sylvester Stallone’s follow-up, some 20 years later, to the successful Rambo franchise of the 80’s. Unlike its predecessor, this film kicks a$$ in all four of my major action/war critical requirements: realism/believability, brutality, heart pounding action sequences and satisfying necessary emotional ties. However, this time around, Lionsgate provides us Blu-ray customers with an alternate Director’s Cut version of what many peeps may call Stallone’s best entry into the franchise since the original film. 
The last movie involving the famous Predator race was Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, a horrible bit of garbage that had the potential of a space rocket, but ultimately produced box office result similar to Chernobyl. I can count the good scenes from that film on one hand and the good acting, well, I don’t think I can count that at all. So here we are three years later and the Predators are back on the big screen, this time brought to us by El Mariachi himself, Robert Rodriguez. 
While my heart may still be broken from last night’s news of Lebron James’ betrayal of my city, it is still my job to report the news around here. Don’t worry people. I won’t let you down like he did to us. Hot off the press we get an announcement from Fox that the complete first season of Modern Family will make its first appearance on Blu-ray this September 21st. 
Here’s a title I am happy to see announced for the Blu-ray format. The IFC film The Killer Inside Me will get the High-Definition treatment on Blu-ray this September. The Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson thriller of romance, passion and murder will hit retail shelves on September 28th. I caught this film On Demand a few weeks back and while Jessica Alba never looked better, I had a very hard time watching her get beat to a pulp. 
Here’s an order you don’t see every day. Why are we being told to keep our cell phones on for the theatrical presentation of Steve Carrell’s Despicable Me this weekend? Well it’s because Best Buy is ordering us to. If you choose to participate in the milestone event, Best Buy is delivering the ultimate in-movie experience during the credits of Despicable Me with a “movie-enhancing” cell phone application. You will have to check out the full press release below to find out all the details. 
I cannot wait for August 3rd, despite hating wishing the summer away, for Kick-Ass to arrive on the Blu-ray format. Currently my #4 movie of the year, I have no doubt that Kick-Ass will deliver a powerful punch on the Blu-ray format. I received an email last week on behalf of Lionsgate promoting a clip from the August 3rd Blu-ray release. The clip is from the “A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass” documentary which is exclusive to the Blu-ray version of Kick-Ass. 
With what seems like a rapid fire release, the BBC has brought us yet another high definition documentary, joining the ranks of their other prominent films such as the recent Life. This latest addition to the education BBC family is titled How the Earth Changed History and its audiences are guided through the two hour journey by Scottish host, Iain Stewart. This 2-disc set joins an already impressive and heralded array of documentaries in the BBC lineup as their goal of continuing education is carried out here. 
