The Jungle Book (2016) Movie Review

June 30, 2016 Steve Baqqi

I’ve been a fan of The House Of Mouse most of my entire life. Disney consistently produces fantastic films of wide varieties, from their world class animation to their Marvel Studios Division. Having said that, I am still not on board with these live action reboots of their classic animated films. Maleficent was so close to being great but was ultimately ruined by its internal problems: a terrible and boring second act and no one else being able to hold a candle to Angelina Jolie’s ferocious presence. And in comparison, Cinderella (2015) was dull and just god awful. The Jungle Book (2016) is the next of these live action remakes, but almost certainly not the last. Despite being the third highest grossing movie of 2016, The Jungle Book is, unfortunately, another misstep in the Disney Animated Remake Live Action Canon (that’s a mouthful).

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The Revenant (2015) Movie Review

January 21, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in a number of Oscar bait films, and has done so much to win that elusive Best Actor Award. The Revenant is the next in a long string of movies stretching back to (at least) The Aviator that were prime Oscar contenders. Once again, Leo has delivered a fantastic performance, but the film itself leaves much to be desired. Despite The Revenant’s Oscar leading twelve nominations, the film is a ponderous slog that is rescued by extremely beautiful shots and strong performances by Leo and Tom Hardy.

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Joy (2015) Movie Review

January 17, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Joy is very loosely based on the life of self-made entrepreneur and mogul Joy Mangano. Director David O. Russell attempts to strike gold a second time by reuniting the cast from Silver Linings Playbook (Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper), but the results are less than stellar. Joy uses Mangano’s life story as a springboard to tell a story about generational family failure and a fierce determination to succeed despite hardship and tragedy.

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Concussion (2015) Movie Review

January 16, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Will Smith has certainly had an odd career trajectory jumping from clean rap music, to the hilarious 90’s defining television classic The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, before becoming a summer blockbuster king. But lately his career has taken an almost reverse “Mcconaissance”, with critical and commercial disappointments such as, Seven Pounds, After Earth, and Focus. Concussion is unfortunately another disappointing outing from the former blockbuster king. The film is a dull production about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or C.T.E.’s discovery, and its potential causative link: football.

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Brooklyn (2015) Movie Review

January 4, 2016 Steve Baqqi

I’m not keen on romantic films so I was initially going to skip this film despite its sizable Oscar buzz. But my good friend told me to go see it because he felt it was worth my time, and he was correct. Brooklyn is a sweet and touching story of an Irish immigrant coming to America in the early 1950’s based on Colm Tóibín’s novel of the same name. Built on the foundation of a strong period romance, Brooklyn flourishes magnificently. The film is a love letter to both Ireland and America in the 1950’s and the process of acclimating to American society (warts and all).

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Krampus (2015) Movie Review

December 31, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Krampus is a Christmas themed horror comedy based on the horned monster of the same name from German and Austrian folklore. I know what you’re probably thinking, “That sounds ridiculous and silly.” It is a ridiculous tale, but only as ridiculous as the story of Santa Claus. Besides, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how effective the film is at espousing traditional Christmas values while gleefully murdering its cast in holiday themed horror. Krampus serves as a warning to anyone or any family who would dare forget the true meaning of Christmas.

Spotlight (2015) Movie Review

December 28, 2015 Steve Baqqi

The sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Catholic Church rocked much of the world when it was revealed by The Boston Globe in 2002. Spotlight dramatizes how the investigative team exposed this scandal. The term “spotlight” refers to the team of reporters at the Boston Globe who investigates an issue or topic in depth for months, thereby shining a “spotlight” on the previously unknown. This Spotlight team was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their efforts depicted in the film. Spotlight is a fantastic film about the importance of “outsiders”, institutional corruption, thorough investigative journalism, and the dire consequences of inaction.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015) Movie Review

December 10, 2015 Steve Baqqi

In the Heart of the Sea is based on the book of the same name which details the true story of the ill-fated whale ship Essex and her crew. The movie is told through a series of flashbacks to Herman Melville, the writer of Moby Dick. It attempts to be a love letter to Herman Melville and Moby Dick, while taking a deep look at the folly of man, via an action filled survivalist movie. It tries too hard and ends up being a poor adaptation. ITHOTS’s compelling foundation is marred by its unfocused direction.

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The Good Dinosaur (2015) Movie Review

December 7, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Once again, Pixar has me feigning indifference after a turbulent emotional journey (claiming something is in my eye). They are experts at playing heartstrings, the worst offender being Toy Story 3, but The Good Dinosaur isn’t too far behind. The film actually marks the first time that Pixar has released two films in a calendar year (Inside Out being the other). Not to imply that this film suffered from a lack of quality due to this. The Good Dinosaur is another extremely well produced Pixar movie, but it’s not as great as their best films. It’s a simple, but effective, coming of age tale about a young dinosaur and his unlikely human companion.

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Creed (2015) Movie Review

December 2, 2015 Steve Baqqi

When Grudge Match (2013) came out, I felt it wasn’t worth seeing an old Stallone and an old De Niro punch it out in a lukewarm sort of Rocky vs. Raging Bull. Honestly, it seemed like a cynical cash grab and I just couldn’t be bothered. But now we have Creed, the first movie from the Rocky franchise since Rocky Balboa (2006), and boy does it pack a punch (pun intended). It’s an engrossing and genuinely engaging boxing flick that reboots the franchise with Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) as its centerpiece. Its honestly the best Rocky since Rocky IV.

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Spectre (2015) Movie Review

November 30, 2015 Steve Baqqi

During the Sony Pictures email-hacking-fiasco, it was revealed that studio executives expressed concerns that Spectre was poorly written, citing problems with its villain, and that its budget was ballooning into the 300 millions. The sad part about these concerns was none of these problems were fixed. The film pits Bond and his agency, MI-6 against the mysterious organization Spectre, whose leader claims extreme personal connection to Bond, “The author of all of his pain.” Sadly Spectre is still badly written, way too long, but gets by on its incredible action sequences.

The Peanuts Movie (2015) Movie Review

November 23, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Let me tell you a secret: I’ve never seen any Peanuts movie or special before. I know that might seem crazy but it’s true. I’m certainly aware of Charles Schulz’s legendary comic strip, its iconic characters, and their personalities, but I’ve never read the comic strips or seen any of the movies. So unlike this writer I’m not familiar with the half century of materials that came before and will review this movie based solely on its merit (not discounting the materials from the past half century of course). Having said that it's a wonderful trip down memory lane with all of the iconic Peanuts moments and characters present.

Steve Jobs (2015) Movie Review

November 20, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Steve Jobs is a very good film about an unlikable asshole. This film is the third to feature the enigmatic co-founder of Apple in two decades. This Sorkin-Boyle production is a well oiled film about Steve Jobs and his relationship with the people closest to him. However, why Hollywood needed a third film to tell Job's story is beyond me. Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs is a character study of a control freak who doesn’t care what others think about him.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015) Movie Review

November 17, 2015 Steve Baqqi

The Last Witch Hunter is mildly amusing, mediocre, and utterly forgettable. It doesn’t make any sense nor does it try too, and the CGI is average at best. Many plot elements and magical items are introduced and not properly explained. The best parts of the movie (and that’s not saying a whole lot) are the actors, led by Vin Diesel in the title role of Witch Hunter.

The Martian (2015) Movie Review

November 10, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Filmmaker Ridley Scott has been behind the camera for almost five decades, and though he is extremely talented he remains an enigma. How one man can be responsible for both Exodus: Gods and Kings and Alien (among other horrible failures and stunning triumphs) is utterly baffling. I am a big fan of Scott’s best work like the aforementioned Alien, Gladiator, or Black Hawk Down. However his failures such as Exodus or Prometheus are so awful they tend to make one wary of seeing any more of his films. So is his latest film another failure or another best picture contender? As it turns out Scott has made another fantastic film. The Martian is a surprisingly engrossing gem. The film thoroughly captures the journey, the sacrifice, and the work of one man as he struggles to survive on a barren planet over thirty million miles from Earth and the efforts of NASA to bring him home.

Crimson Peak (2015) Movie Review

November 7, 2015 Steve Baqqi

For all the hubbub about this film being a horror movie by Guillermo del Toro this movie was a disappointment; not awful just disappointing. If you, as I did, go into this movie expecting a horror film then you will be sorely mistaken. The movie is a mystery romance thriller, with light horror elements interspersed. That in itself is fine, except that the trailer (below) is misleading. For instance, the trailer for The Grey turned out to be terribly misleading, but the film itself was fantastic. Sadly that is not the case here. Crimson Peak happens to be a gorgeous film with attractive, impeccably dressed actors, brilliant settings but unfortunately its undermined by its predictable plot and plodding pacing.

Sicario (2015) Movie Review

November 5, 2015 Steve Baqqi

I assumed Sicario would be a gritty drug-enforcement-take-down action flick, a classic good vs bad with one of the best action movie heroine’s (Emily Blunt) in the starring role. I was wrong. While there is loud gritty violence, the movie is also a taut, tense thriller, and so much more than just popcorn cinema. It’s a thoughtful, albeit bleak look at the escalating war on the Mexican Drug Cartels.

Black Mass (2015) Movie Review

November 3, 2015 Steve Baqqi

Black Mass is about incompetent FBI agents and that’s really it…no, no not really of course. The film harps on themes like blood is thicker than water, evil triumphs when good men do nothing, etc. In spite of this the film fails at anything meaningful because none of the characters really connect with the audience.