The Code is Zeek

Movie reviews and other things by Aaron Neuwirth, obsessed film goer, writer, reviewer, gamer, comic lover, disc golfer, and a lefty
Follow my Twitter at @AaronsPs3
Feel free to comment on my blog at thecodeiszeek.blogspot.com

The Payne Is Back: ‘Max Payne 3’ (Video Game Review)

Friday, 01 June 2012 01:20 | Written by Aaron Neuwirth

Max Payne 3: 4 ½ out of 5

Max Payne: I now had a hole in my second favorite drinking arm.

I enjoy my fair share of video games. I have also been incredibly busy for the last month. Still, I did manage to find time to play and finish Max Payne 3, the latest entry in Rockstar’s hybrid Noir-John Woo infused shooter series. It has been a long time since I was able to jump into the shoes of the rogue cop with a murdered family, grief to deal with, and unlimited ammo for his dual pistols, but I was happy that unlike the terrible 2008 film adaptation starring Mark Walhberg, this return to the Max Payne universe was well worth it. As of late, many games I tend to play in installments, with lots of gaps in between me picking up the controller again. Max Payne 3 fell into the category of games that I could not stop playing, which is a credit to its quality and reason enough for me to put in my two cents about it.

‘Men In Black’ In Time

Monday, 28 May 2012 03:28 | Written by Aaron Neuwirth

Men In Black 3: 3 ½ out of 5

Agent K: I promised you the secrets of the universe, nothing more.
Agent J: Well…what other secrets are there?

Everyone nod you heads, because the black suits have come back. Still protecting the earth from the scum of the universe, the Men In Black have returned, but most importantly, they have redeemed themselves with an enjoyable third entry that gets better as it goes along. It has been a while since the last ‘Big Willie Weekend’, but Will Smith and everyone involved have managed to come up with a film that outshines its overblown production troubles. A lot of the same wit and humor that made the first film so enjoyable is present here, along with the strong makeup/effects work that has been present throughout the series. While it does take some time to really get going, the strong finish is what truly makes Men In Black 3 a worthwhile summer sci-fi comedy.

Dark Shadows Linger With Mixed Results

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 21:37 | Written by Aaron Neuwirth

Dark Shadows: 2 ½ out of 5

Barnabas Collins: How soon can the horses be ready?
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard: We don't have horses, we have a Chevy.

Dark Shadows is a movie that has everything it needs to be a lot of fun, but ends up being too hit or miss to fully succeed in the end. The film has a great cast, some very impressive production values (fitting for a Tim Burton film), and an initial setup for a story that could have lead to some interesting places. The setup is strong, yes, but the film ends up being too messy in regards to handling all of its many subplots and characters. This would not be all too bad a thing if the film was at least constantly entertaining, but unfortunately, there are also various problems with how well established the characters are and how well the comedy works. Johnny Depp certainly tries hard, but the film is too messy and unfocused to really amount to much more than a forgettable, gothic jaunt.

‘Battleship’: The Most Explosive Board Game Of The Year

Thursday, 17 May 2012 01:46 | Written by Aaron Neuwirth

Battleship: 2 ½ out of 5

Old Navy Guy: They’re not gonna sink this battleship!

The trickiest thing about writing a review for Battleship, the film based on the popular board game, which now pits Tim Riggins of Mars against a fleet of aliens that challenge the Navy to deadly war games…or something, is capturing why I did not really care for the film as much as I did other, similar films. It is a loud, $200 million, alien invasion flick, with lots of stuff that goes boom throughout its 2-hour runtime. It is perfectly suitable for the summertime, yet I did not have that much fun as I would have liked with it. Having recently seen New York get toppled (The Avengers), Chicago get blasted (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), and Los Angeles become a blown out war zone (Battle: LA), I think I am just a little tired of this. Battleship does not attempt to do anything new with this kind of film and aside from having a higher appreciation for the military, director Peter Berg does little to r make this film really stand ahead of Michael “Boom Boom” Bay’s alien robot adventures. Battleship is less a terrible film and more a film that seems to be hitting me at a point where its type fatigues me.

‘The Avengers’ Assemble For A Comic Book Fever Dream Of Fun

Wednesday, 02 May 2012 09:35 | Written by Aaron Neuwirth

The Avengers: 4 ½ out of 5

Nick Fury: There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, so when we needed them, they could fight the battles that we never could...

I love it when a plan comes together. In one of the most ambitious film proposals in recent memory, The Avengers has finally arrived and paid off greatly. Setting itself up back in 2008 with Iron Man and adding on layers through the other four Marvel Comic films that have come since, the massive gamble of bringing in multiple actors, directors, studios, and comic properties has led to what is basically the ultimate Marvel superhero film. Frankly, this film should not even exist. It seems unwieldy to think about combining so many elements into one feature and not have it topple due to the lack of fair balance or the lack of a cohesive and unifying story, but writer/director/comic geek Joss Whedon has managed to pull it off and deliver a ridiculously satisfying experience. The massive roster of superheroes are all given their fair amount of time, the action is incredibly satisfying, and the film has a ton of fun and wit to spare in its screenplay. Minor bumps along the way and the lack of deeper themes beyond “teamwork helps us triumph” notwithstanding, The Avengers is still a huge success assembled from a lot of great pieces coming together to form a fantastic comic book film in many of the best possible ways.

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