Logan (2017) Movie Review

December 16, 2017 Steve Baqqi

After the success of Deadpool, Fox Studios suddenly got the nerve to allow the superheroes in its stable to be placed in R-rated films. Wolverine was the next logical choice. Despite some hit or miss sequels and reboots, terrible prequels, and one decent stand-alone film, the X-Men film franchise, and Wolverine, in particular, have always been bankable. Always repressing unfathomable rage, a living weapon with unbreakable razor claws protruding from his fists, Wolverine is tailor-made for a violent R-rated action romp. James Mangold directed the last successful standalone Wolverine film, aptly titled The Wolverine, and was given the creative reins for what could be Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal. Hugh Jackman has been faithfully reprising his role as Wolverine for seventeen years now and was ready to call it quits. Fan favorite, Patrick Stewart, was also brought back to play Professor X and the film is all the better for it. The result? A somber, neo-noir western that works as a perfect sendoff for both Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and their respective characters. Logan skillfully integrates visceral action with gut-wrenching emotionality and bleak fatalism.

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Geostorm (2017) Movie Review

November 16, 2017 Steve Baqqi

Don't be fooled. Geostorm is nothing like this exciting looking and extremely misleading poster. — Don't be fooled. *Geostorm* is nothing like this exciting looking and extremely misleading poster.

Do you remember the disaster movies 2012 or San Andreas? I think I remember The Day After Tomorrow but that’s only because of the hilarious South Park television spoof that followed it. I definitely remember Armageddon because the film is so charmingly bad it's amazing. My point is, if you see Geostorm, you’re going to regret it and forget it. Geostorm is a retread of all the “extreme weather” disaster movies that you’ve already seen time and time again. The only difference being that Geostorm is worse, far worse. It’s a sci-fi, mystery, action-disaster movie that just ends up a disaster.

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The Accountant (2016) Movie Review

October 26, 2016 Steve Baqqi

The Accountant is basically Rain Man crossed with a Bourne film, taken to its extreme. Ben Affleck stars as Christian Wolff, a high-functioning autistic accountant extraordinaire who deals with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. Unfortunately, The Accountant is a very uneven film, with a solid cast and exciting action sequences, but a clumsy and uneven narrative.

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The Purge: Election Year (2016) Movie Review

July 24, 2016 Steve Baqqi

The Purge has always been an extremely in your face franchise. The first Purge, to paraphrase MovieBob, was a brilliant idea that was utterly wasted on a silly home invasion movie. It’s sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, (remember Yahtzee’s formula from Independence Day: Regurgence) took the basic idea and setting and turned it into a graphic, intense, revenge action flick. Frank Grillo starred as Sergeant Leo Barnes, part Urban Rambo part Charles Bronson- Death Wish style baby. It was a massive improvement over the original, and par for the course was extremely over the top with its themes and graphic violence. The third sequel, The Purge: Election Year, wisely follows in its predecessor's footsteps by continuing to focus on Leo Barnes and using the extremely tense current (2016) election year as its political backdrop.

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Central Intelligence (2016) Movie Review

July 14, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Like many children of the 1990’s, I was and have been a huge fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson since he wrestled in the WWF (later WWE) and continued to be a fan as he successfully transitioned from wrestler to successful Hollywood actor. Unlike many people today, I am not that big a fan of Kevin Hart. His shtick as a comedian, i.e. “I’m short, black, and get into zany situations because of this” tends to wear thin on me very quickly. Having said that, the comedic duo of Hart & Johnson is (pardon the pun) rock solid in Central Intelligence and the movie as a whole is a funny and entertaining action comedy.

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Hardcore Henry (2016) Movie Review

June 7, 2016 Steve Baqqi

I went into Hardcore Henry assuming that the entire first person POV film would give me motion sickness or a headache but was glad that I was afflicted with neither. For those unaware, Hardcore Henry is a new action film set entirely in a first person POV perspective, like a first person shooter video game. Having said that the film is still a mess. It suffers from a poor story, narrative, and incredibly fast action sequences that blur together; making the film difficult to follow. The film thus is ironically held back by the very thing that makes it interesting, it's first person perspective.