Ferdinand (2017) Movie Review

January 18, 2018 Steve Baqqi

Ferdinand had the misfortune of having a premiere date sandwiched right between two House of Mouse Behemoths, Coco, and The Last Jedi. It is, however, the former film that Ferdinand will probably be compared to, given that Coco was a brilliant re-imagination of Mexican culture with nuisance, humor, sadness, and depth. Comparing Ferdinand to Coco is almost unfair, as Ferdinand is almost everything that Coco is not. Ferdinand doesn’t even attempt to explore Spanish culture or bullfighting, other than some face value for humor or to service the plot. Ferdinand is a simplistic, but well-crafted animated film about a bull who doesn't want to fight.

Image Via: Static1

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.