The Code Is Zeek

We’ve reached the halfway point in this year and that means taking some stock of what I have appreciated most, as far as the movies go. Clearly there is much more to come and various opinions can take on new levels of appreciation or the other way around, but I enjoyed coming up with this list. There’s also the fact that I haven’t gotten to see everything I’ve wanted to, which will hopefully change. Still, this list puts emphasis on what I’ve liked seeing, which are the deeper conversations that come from seeing retro-styled attempts at genre films, interesting social commentary, and good-natured fun in general.

It has been a long time since I last really liked a Clint Eastwood movie, certain elements not withstanding in some of his more recent films. Sully looks like a possible return to form, which is what you get when Tom Hanks commits to a lead role. It is only a trailer, but there is some promise that this could be less of a cold and clinical film than seen in the other recent Eastwood efforts.

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe brings on more Emmerich-style destruction. Aaron is joined by Mark Hobin and Scott Mendelson to talk Independence Day: Resurgence and other things.  Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 5:30 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 8:20 ), Trailer Talk for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back ( 18:14 ), the main review ( 26:15 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:04:28 ), and Games ( 1:21:42 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:27:51 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 1:37:20 ), 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

This month’s commentary is a breeze…well actually it’s about a giant storm, so a little more than a breeze. Out Now with Aaron and Abe is happy to present a commentary track surrounding 2004’s disaster flick from director Roland Emmerich , The Day After Tomorrow . Aaron is joined by Maxwell Haddad, Brandon Peters and Cullen Bricker in an attempt to go over what makes Emmerich’s films work and what doesn’t. As usual, there are plenty of tangents to go along with this commentary track, along with some random insight and the usual goofy antics as well. Get ready to take it all in. 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…

Fox may have gambled by not screening Independence Day: Resurgence , but the film is the big release of the weekend and it's only half bad (maybe a little more). Also out is Free State of Jones , which is a Civil War misfire, starring Matthew McConaughey . On the indie front, you have the delightful Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Swiss Army Man to look out for. I'll be seeing The Shallows soon, so look out for a future review on that one. Otherwise, lots of Blu-ray releases, a new podcast and my latest news posts from Screen Rant. Enjoy! In Theaters Now: Independence Day: Resurgence -  http://whysoblu.com/ independence-day-resurgence- movie-review/ (Big, silly and kinda fun) Free State of Jones -  http://whysoblu.com/free- state-jones-movie-review/ (A well-intentioned miss) Hunt For The Wilderpeople -  http://whysoblu.com/hunt- wilderpeople-movie-review/ (A wonderful adventure-comedy) Swiss Army Man -  http://whysoblu.com/swiss- army-...

What's happening? Somehow I am far more interested in follow-ups to Ouija   and now The Mechanic  than I ever expected. The Jason Statham/Ben Foster team-up made for a forgettable action flick back in 2011 that at the very least reminded people of the Charles Bronson original non-classic. For whatever reason, this film has gotten a sequel and it actually looks like classic Statham action.

Well I didn't see this coming. Ouija   was a terrible horror flick from a couple years ago that happened to make more money than it deserved, while films like The Babadook  and It Follows  flounder. Somehow, the expected sequel (which is now a prequel) actually looks worthwhile. Perhaps it has to do with director Mike Flanagan .

This is actually a trailer I've been looking forward to for some time. 2012's Jack Reacher  was a solid action film/detective drama that faced trouble based on both a tragic shooting that occurred around the time of its release and the casting of Tom Cruise , who is not the ideal given how the character is described in the Lee Child novels. The first film wasn't perfect, but it did a lot of things really well and I can hope that works even better in this sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back .

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe will be sure the gang just keeps swimming. The guys are joined by David Yeh to talk Finding Dory , along with a special appearance from Ana Bosch to go over the new Pixar short Piper . Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 5:44 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 14:30 ), Trailer Talk for Moana and Pete’s Dragon ( 21:46 ), the main review ( 31:41 ), thoughts on Piper and Pixar shorts ( 56:20 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:09:00 ), and Games ( 1:14:30 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:18:21 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 1:25:34 ), 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

Pixar is back with their almost yearly summer installment and it is another sequel. Finding Dory is the follow-up to one of Pixar's biggest hits and it certainly delivers what you want in a fun (if a little slight) Pixar feature. Also opening is Central Intelligence , which finds great chemistry shared between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart , but still falls short as a film. Home video-wise, you get a fun sports film, a solid thriller and one of the worsts of the years. I also have some new trailer write-ups, a fun podcast for this week and my weekly coverage of Preacher . Lots to take in. Enjoy! In Theaters Now: Finding Dory -  http://whysoblu.com/finding- dory-movie-review/ (A great joy in true Pixar form) Central Intelligence -  http://whysoblu.com/central- intelligence-movie-review/ (The Rock and Kevin Hart are good together, but the movie is meh) Here's The Archive Of Every Review Throughout The Year(s) -  http://www.thecodeiszeek. com/p/revie...

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe brings a horde to a haunted house. The guys are joined by Jimmy O and Markus Robinson to discuss the video game adaptation Warcraft and the horror sequel The Conjuring 2 . Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 10:26 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 17:07 ), Trailer Talk for The Shallows ( 29:58 ), the main reviews ( 39:25 ) and ( 1:08:15 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:37:30 ), and Games ( 1:49:39 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:56:43 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 2:13:48 ), 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

With live-action adaptations of classic Disney films currently being all the rage, it looks like its time to see how this works with Disney films that aren't necessarily classics.   Pete's Dragon from 1977 may have its fans and some star turns from Mickey Rooney and Shelly Winters , among others, but it's not a film with the same massive following that will likely turn 2017's Beauty and the Beast  into one of the biggest films next year. With that in mind, it helps that this upcoming Pete's Dragon  remake looks pretty good.

The first trailer for Moana   is here and it does plenty to impress. Disney Animation Studios has been on a roll as of late, with hit films like Zootopia , Frozen and Big Hero 6 and I have little doubt that Moana won't be able to deliver just as well. The talent involved certainly helps.

Warcraft seemingly presents the biggest news of the week, as it signifies the big investment Legendary and Universal have put in to bring this popular video game series to life. Unfortunately the film is a miss, but its oversees box office may provide some interesting results for the future. Meanwhile, two sequels ( The Conjuring 2 and Now You See Me 2 ) are also doing their best to capture what people liked the first time around. You also have a bunch of new and exciting Blu-ray releases to get your hands on. All that said, it may be our TMNT podcast that is the most fun. Enjoy! In Theaters Now: Warcraft -  http://whysoblu.com/ warcraft-movie-review/ (Ambitious, but messy) The Conjuring 2 -  http://whysoblu.com/conjuring-2-movie-review/ (Packs the scares the fans want) Now You See Me 2 -  http://whysoblu.com/now-you-see-me-2-movie-review/ (Has fun and is a little better than the first) Here's The Archive Of Every Review Throughout Th...

This week’s episode of Out Now with Aaron and Abe knows a little something about the ooze. The guys are joined by Brandon Peters and Maxwell Haddad to dig into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, as well as discuss Star Wars reshoots, the state of tentpole cinema and an X-Men controversy. Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 9:52 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 21:31 ), Trailer Talk for Monster Trucks ( 31:08 ), the main review ( 37:50 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:09:45 ), and Games ( 1:39:40 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:46:10 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 2:00:00 ), 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

This week delivers some really entertaining films in the form of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel and a feature film from The Lonely Island . Out of the Shadows is ridiculous but fun to enjoy for fans of seeing live-action cartoons. Popstar is consistently funny, even if the targets are sometimes fairly easy. Along with that, you can also check out what is new to Blu-ray this week, listen in on our fun X-Men podcast and more. Enjoy! In Theaters Now: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows -  http://whysoblu.com/turtles- out-of-the-shadows-movie- review/ (An improvement over the first and a lot of fun) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping -  http://whysoblu.com/popstar- movie-review/ (Consistently funny) 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 brings a rise of the original mutant. The guys are joined by Ali Mattu and Peter Paras to discuss and debate the merits of X-Men: Apocalypse and plenty of other fun film discussion. Among topics covered, we have a fun round of Know Everybody ( 3:51 ), some Out Now Quickies™ ( 8:01 ), Trailer Talk for Beauty and the Beast ( 22:30 ), the main review ( 30:46 ), Out Now Feedback ( 1:25:05 ), and Games ( 1:29:06 ). We then wrap things up ( 1:41:56 ) and end it all with some bloopers ( 1:51:07 ), 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