The Code Is Zeek

This week you have a mission to take if you choose to accept it and that is to see Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation . Next to Mad Max, this is the best action film of the summer and a total blast that should engage just about anyone. Less exciting is Vacation, which does little for the franchise, beyond serve as a subpar reboot. In limited release, The End of the Tour is a great film to seek out. I, myself, may finally catch Amy or The Stanford Prison Experiment sometime soon, but for now, enjoy what I have to offer here, complete with plenty of fun links to my work this week and some cool podcast episodes. Enjoy! In Theaters This Week: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/07/29/rogue-nation-is-tom-cruises-best-mission-impossible-yet/ (The best Mission yet and one of the best action films of the summer) Vacation -  http://www.thecodeiszeek.com/2015/07/brief-thoughts-vacation.html (It forgot to add laughs) The End of the Tour - 

I really enjoy putting my reviews together.  I honestly wish I could delve deeper into certain movies, but alas, I get incredibly busy and can sometimes only deal with movies to a briefer extent than I would prefer.  This is why I write these occasional "Brief Thoughts" posts on movies I have seen, as I want to at least offer some of my own perspective on them.  They may not be as polished, but I can at least get my opinions out there. This Brief Thoughts posts is a mini review for the reboot/sequel, 'Vacation'.

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe is all about believing in Hope. The guys are joined by Jimmy O to discuss the film Southpaw.   Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 21:34 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 9:39 ), Trailer talk for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ( 26:25 ) , the main review ( 32:13 ), Out Now Feedback ( 59:43 ), and Games ( 1:14:40 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:19:44 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 1:27:41 ), following this week’s close out song.  So now, if you’ve got an hour or so to kill… You can also find links to the episode at AudioBoom .  Subscribe via iTunes HERE

Out Now with Aaron and Abe has an all new commentary for Mission: Impossible 2 , considered the weakest in the series, but certainly worthy of discussion. Aaron is joined by Brandon Peters and Peter Paras to dive into the feature film, which is more of a discussion of franchise star Tom Cruise and the celebrity circle around him. Get a load of what they have to say in this commentary track packed with fun and information. Important Note:   This commentary may feature both juvenile uses of language and jokes that may be considered un-PC.  We of course are just trying to have a fun time… So now, if you’ve got an hour to kill…

This week's recap features a few reviews for a mostly average week of films. Adam Sandler unfortunately has not done himself any favors with Pixels , though I did also put together an ultimate ranking of his films. Southpaw and Paper Towns are just average as well, but enjoy what I have to say about both. Along with that, we do have our 200th podcast episode added onto this post, along with a number of fun lists and other articles I put together. So with all of that in mind, enjoy what's here. In Theaters This Week: Southpaw -  http://www.thecodeiszeek.com/2015/07/southpaw-pummels-viewer-with-drama-and.html (Some strong performances in an ok movie) Pixels  -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/07/22/pixels-blasts-all-of-its-potential-to-unfunny-pieces/ (More mainstream junk from Adam Sandler) Paper Towns -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/07/24/paper-towns-is-a-throwaway-film-with-hints-of-something-deeper/ (Teen romance/road trip comedy-drama) H

Southpaw: 3 out of 5 There are only so many places to go with a boxing film these days. We’ve seen countless versions of stories about underdogs, champs and former champs, let alone what happens behind the scenes with their families, promoters and protégés. ‘Southpaw’ is the sort of film that has taken plenty of notes on what has worked best and attempts to become its own dramatic tale of taking a beating and getting back up again. That is all well and good and so is the key performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, but the movie takes a lot of time making sure you get beat up while watching.

The 200 th episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe is here and it’s a doozy! The first hour features guests David Bax and Tyler Smith talking with Aaron and Abe about Ant - Man and Trainwreck.   Among topics covered, we have some Out Now Quickies™ ( 4:10 ), Trailer talk for The Revenant ( 10:07 ), the main reviews for Ant-Man ( 16:25 ) and Trainwreck ( 37:50 ), Out Now Feedback ( 50:45 ), then we wrap things up ( 57:40 ). The second hour ( 1:05:43 ) is where things get really interesting, as Abe and Aaron deliver an oral history of the podcast. Following all of this, you then have an awesome Blooper reel following this week’s close out song ( 2:04:25 ).  So now, if you’ve got an hour or so to kill… You can also find links to the episode at AudioBoom .  Subscribe via iTunes HERE

Big week this week, as there are a few new releases and a lot to recap. The latest film from Marvel, Ant-Man, is here and remarkably average. Amy Schumer's comedy Trainwreck  is a solid comedy. Mr. Holmes  is a neat take on older Sherlock Holmes. Basically there are a lot of options, but that is not all. I have a bunch of cool Comic-Con articles, a new podcast, and some other fun all here for a good recap. In Theaters This Week: Ant-Man -  http://www.thecodeiszeek.com/2015/07/ant-man-is-shining-example-of-marvel.html (Pretty average for Marvel) Trainwreck -  http://www.ra nthollywood.com/2015/07/15/amy-schumers-trainwreck-is-too-funny-to-be-derailed/ (Works well for Schumer fans, but still familiar) Mr. Holmes -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/07/16/mr-holmes-is-an-average-look-at-a-great-detective/ (Ian McKellen is great) Here's The Archive Of Every Review Throughout The Year(s) -  http://www.thecodeiszeek. com/p/review-archive.html

Ant-Man: 3 ½ out of 5 With Avengers: Age of Ultron serving as the epic climax to Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man is now here to supply the much smaller-scale epilogue. Yes, it is silly to describe these films as pieces in a grand puzzle, but it is also commendable that Marvel Studios has been able to craft such a unique series of films that are all interconnected to varying degrees. With Ant-Man , which has been in production for some time, it seems clear that the world of Marvel is only of so much interest to these characters and storylines. As a result, it does standout, but even with its own identity, the few steps taken to make this a unique superhero in a cinematic world and reality full of them are merely enough to make it decent-sized fun.

This bonus episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe is all about San Diego Comic-Con 2015.  Aaron was in attendance for all five days along with guest  Brenna Smith . The two of them are both present for this episode, talking at length about what happened mainly in regards to the big movie panels that occurred within the always incredibly packed Hall H.  The two also talk about some of their favorite experiences and sights seen at this year’s Comic-Con. Lots of material to cover, but that is always the case when it comes to this major geek event. So now, if you’ve got an hour to kill… listen to ‘Out Now Bonus - Comic-Con 2015 Recap’ on audioBoom

This week has been crazy given how Comic-Con has arrived, but that doesn't mean I would miss an update. Not really much else though, as I am not a Minions  fan and the movie did nothing to sway me. Still, I did collect some articles to check out, including epic sand castle pics, Star Wars news, some Comic-Con posts and my most anticipated films for the rest of the year. Along with that, enjoy new podcasts, including my guest stint on the LAMBcast, where I talk about one of my favorite films. Enjoy! In Theaters This Week: Minions -  http://whysoblu.com/minions-is-just-colorful-noise-movie-review/ (I just don't care for these characters) Here's The Archive Of Every Review Throughout The Year(s) -  http://www.thecodeiszeek. com/p/review-archive.html

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe features guests Brandon Peters, Peter Paras and Randy Shaffer talking with Aaron and Abe about Terminator Genisys .   Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 7:00 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 15:10 ), Trailer talk for Creed ( 28:27 ), the main review ( 36:40 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:15:00 ), then we wrap things up ( 1:31:11 ), and lastly some Bloopers following this week’s close out song ( 1:41:31 ).  So now, if you’ve got an hour or so to kill… You can also find links to the episode at AudioBoom .  Subscribe via iTunes HERE listen to ‘Out Now 199: Terminator Genisys’ on audioBoom

This week sees the release of two movies featuring big, macho men. Only one of them is worthwhile. Terminator Genisys  is a mess and another nail in the coffin of the franchise that petered out back in 2009 with Terminator Salvation . Magic Mike XXL  is a more interesting film for reasons involving its curious lack of plot, despite having other elements actually worth praising. It's okay, but better than Terminator . Also this week, feel free to find some reviews for this week's Blu-ray releases, a lot of fun articles about the best films of the year, the other Terminator films, a new podcast, and more. In Theaters This Week: Terminator Genisys -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/07/01/terminator-genisys-fails-to-make-this-old-robot-story-feel-new-again/ (It was awful) Magic Mike XXL -  http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/06/30/magic-mike-xxl-is-awkwardly-conflict-free/ (It was interesting and like the first, far more than just a male stripper movie) Here&

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe covers Ted 2 and the best films of the year so far. There is also a very special guest, who is happy to share some thoughts with guys about some recent films .   Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 9:44 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 13:07 ), Trailer talk for Trainwreck ( 22:08 ) , the main review ( 24:55 ), Out Now Feedback ( 45:40 ), the best films of the year so far ( 51:25 ), then we wrap things up ( 75:39 ), and lastly some Bloopers following this week’s close out song ( 87:15 ).  So now, if you’ve got an hour or so to kill… You can also find links to the episode at AudioBoom .  Subscribe via iTunes HERE listen to ‘Out Now 198: Ted 2 & The Best Of The Year So Far’ on audioBoom