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Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Movie Review

September 3, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Kubo and the Two Strings is the fourth picture that stop-motion powerhouse Laika has produced (Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls). While I haven’t seen Coraline, Laika’s past two films were dark tales that pushed the boundaries of what a traditional animated (i.e. a film for children) feature should do. In addition, each was a unique look at vastly different societies and cultural history. ParaNorman masterfully skewed New England culture, history, and folklore, while The Boxtrolls took aim at the extremely different classes in old English society. Kubo and the Two Strings is another fantastic animated feature from the studio. Unlike the last two pictures the film isn’t as dark, but it is a sorrowful adventure tale with an uplifting ending about the power of love, family, and memory.

Image Via: rwethereyetmom.com

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Tags Kubo and the Two Strings, Laika, Stop-Motion, Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Art Parkinson, The Moon King, Raiden, Ralph Fiennes, Charlize Theron, Japanese, Shintoism, shamisen, Samurai, Gashadokuro, geisha, Matthew McConaughey, McConaissance, Family Film, Animation
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Bad Moms (2016) Movie Review

September 1, 2016 Steve Baqqi

In Roger Ebert’s glowing review of Bridesmaids, he mentions that “[The Film] definitively proves that women are the equal of men in vulgarity, sexual frankness, lust, vulnerability, overdrinking, and insecurity,” and Bad Moms reminds me of this (Ebert). The film is a fantastic romp that doesn’t disparage mothers at all. Just the opposite in fact. The film is a hilarious comedy that evokes the best works of modern comedic masterminds Judd Apatow and Todd Phillips.

Image Via: Link. 

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Tags Bad Moms, 2016, Bridesmaids, Roger Ebert, Judd Apatow, Todd Phillips, Amy, Kiki, Carla, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Perfect Moms, PTA, Christina Applegate, The Hangover, Old School, Jay Hernandez, Jada Pinket Smith, Annie Mumolo, Ashton Kutcher
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The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Movie Review

July 25, 2016 Steve Baqqi

The Legend of Tarzan is, along with The Shallows, another surprisingly good film of 2016 (and forget what the Tomatometer says). I went into this film with extremely low expectations and The Legend of Tarzan exceeded all of them. That’s not to say that the film is great or even very good, no it's far from it.  But The Legend of Tarzan isn’t a terrible either. It's an epic reimagining of Tarzan that stumbles but succeeds in being a satisfying adventure film.

Image Via: Cbsnews.com

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Tags The Legend of Tarzan, 2016, The Shallows, Tomatometer, Epic Reimagining, Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgard, King of The Jungle, England, Jane, Margot Robbie, Lord Greystoke, John Clayton III, The Congo, King Leopold II, Belgium, Slavery, George Washington Williams, Africa, Jane Porter Clayton, Christoph Waltz, Captain Leon Rom, European colonialsm, Racism, War Profiteering, White Savior, The Jungle Book, The Planet of The Apes
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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.

Image Via: Hollywoodnewssource.com

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Tags The Purge: Election Year, 2016, The Purge, The Purge: Anarchy, MovieBob, Independence Day: Resurgence, Graphic Violence, Intense Violence, Action, Frank Grillo, Sergeant Leo Barnes, Rambo, Charles Bronson, Death Wish, Sequel, Political Satire, New Founding Fathers of America, NFFA, Charlie Roan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Minister Edwidge Owens, Kyle Secor, Joe Dixon, Mykelti Williamson, James DeMonaco, Conspiracy, Hyper Violence, American Society, Crime, Murder
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Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) Movie Review

July 22, 2016 Steve Baqqi

One of my favorite critics, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, once described a formula for making a good sequel. He said, “A good sequel is one that uses the original as a jumping off point for a whole new story with whole new technology. While a bad sequel merely wallows in the original like a hippo in a vat of liquidized children.” Croshaw was talking about video games, but this formula can be applied to Independence Day: Resurgence and is helpful when explaining why it's a horrific disaster. The film certainly showcases new technology both in the film, and in terms of CGI since the original, and that’s about it. Independence Day: Interstellar Regrets is a terrible travesty.

Image via: Vanguardia.com.mx

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Tags Independence Day: Resurgence, Ben Yahtzee Croshaw, 2016, Video Games, Disaster Movie, Interstellar Regrets, Independence Day, President Thomas Whitmore, Aliens, Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Terrible Movies, David Levinson, Jeff Goldblum, 20th Century Fox, Judd Hirsch, Regurgence, The Twenty-Year Search For More Money
1 Comment

The Shallows (2016) Movie Review

July 20, 2016 Steve Baqqi

The Shallows surprised me. I figured it to be a hackneyed star vehicle that showed off Blake Lively’s ample talents while a bunch of brown people die to save her. And while it does feature an attractive starlet who isn’t known for her acting prowess, and the only people who die are brown (it’s because they’re in Mexico guys), The Shallows is much better than a hackneyed star vehicle. The film is a straightforward but strong survival thriller.

Image Via: Movietubeonline.

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Tags The Shallows, 2016, Blake Lively, Horro, Thirller, Tnese, Taut, Nancy Adams, Mexico, Beach, Shark, Seagull, Jaws, The Grey, Moby Dick
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The Secret Life of Pets (2016) Movie Review

July 17, 2016 Steve Baqqi

The Secret Life of Pets has a simple but rather interesting premise, “What do your pets do when you’re not around?”. The film, made by Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Minions), features an all-star cast led by Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, and Kevin Hart. Despite the potential to be great, The Secret Life of Pets is exactly as it’s billed, a wild adventure through New York City featuring talking animals that’s entertaining but has little else to offer.

Image Via: Videosmllstroge.

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Tags The Secret Life Of Pets, Despicable Me, Illumination Entertainment, Minons, July, 2016, Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, New York City, Toy Story, Disney, Pixar, Pets, Animals, Animation, Family Film, Zootopia, Max, Duke, Katie, Gidget, Jenny Slate, Millions
1 Comment

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. 

Image Via: centralintelligencemovie.com

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Tags Central Intelligence, 2016, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Bob Stone, Calvin Joyner, Central High School, WWF, WWE, Hollywood, Comedy, Action, Buddy Cop, Funny, CIA, Rawson Marhall Thurber, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
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The BFG (2016) Movie Review

July 9, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Finding Dory continues to rake in cash for the House of Mouse and it’s possible that Disney could have the top four highest grossing films in 2016 before the dust settles. Unfortunately for Disney, The BFG is going to end its extraordinary run of financial success. The BFG only made $18.77 million in its opening weekend, against a budget of $140 million, and will be lucky to earn half of that back. It’s actually quite puzzling as to why the film did so poorly. It has all the pedigree of a blockbuster: The film is co-produced by two of the biggest names in the business, Spielberg and Disney, it’s based on the Roald Dahl classic of the same name which has sold over 37 million copies, and it's a fun, family friendly, and visually stunning film.

Image Via: Teaser-Trailer.com

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Tags The BFG, 2016, Steven Spielberg, Disney, The House of Mouse, Giant Country, Giants, Big Friendly Giant, Roald Dahl, Millions, Sophie, Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Dreams, Neel Sethi, The Jungle Book, Fantasy, Adventure, Family Film
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X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) Movie Review

July 1, 2016 Steve Baqqi
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Bryan Singer, the director of X-Men, X-2, and X-Men: Days of Future Past, has returned to direct X-Men: Apocalypse. But unlike the first three, which have flaws but are generally very entertaining and well-regarded superhero films, X-Men Apocalypse is not a good X-Men movie. It’s not even a good movie. That being said, it still has its moments, especially with regard to action sequences. But, the film is too long and is brought down by fundamental problems with its villain, an abundance of characters, and contrived plot threads.

Image via: denofgeek.com

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Tags X-Men: Apocalypse, 2016, X-Men, X-2, X-3: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Bryan Singer, En Sabah Nur, Oscar Isaac, Apocalypse, 1980's, 80's, The Four Horseman, Professor Xavier, James McAvoy, Quicksilver, Evan Peters, Moira MacTaggert, Rose Byrne, Magneto, Michael Fassbender, Cyclops, Tye Sheridan, Sansa Stark, Phoenix, Jean Grey, Sophie Turner, Raven, Mystique, Jennifer Lawrence, Nazis, Batman V Superman
1 Comment

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).

Image Via: geeknation.com

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Tags The House Of Mouse, Disney, Maleficient, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, 2015, 2016, Disney Animated Live Action Canon, Bear Necessities, Rudyard Kipling, Mowgli, Neel Sethi, Bagheera, Ben Kingsley, Shere Khan, Idris Elba, Baloo, Bill Murray, Bengal Tiger, Jon Favreau, Akela, Giancarlo Esposito, The Duality of Man
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Criminal (2016) Movie Review

June 8, 2016 Steve Baqqi

What the hell happened to Kevin Costner? I ask because Criminal is anything but a return to form. I mean seriously, he was one of the biggest Hollywood stars at one point in time, appearing in such blockbusters as The Untouchables, Dances With Wolves, JFK, and Bull Durham. Lately though his career has taken a sharp nosedive, as he’s starred in critically panned or commercial failures like Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 3 Days to Kill, and Draft Day. Now Kevin Costner is back on the silver screen with a fantastically generic title, Criminal. The film is a snoozefest of the highest proportion, and fails on almost every level.

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Tags Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Ryan Reynolds, The Untouchables, Dances With WOlves, JFK, Bull Durham, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 3 Days to Kill, Draft Day, Criminal, CIA, Boring, Dull, Bad Movie, Face Off, Bourne Identity
2 Comments

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.

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Tags Hardcore Henry, 2016, First Person, POV, Lady in the Lake, Doom, Action, Graphic Violence, Russia, private military, mercenary, Jimmy, Sharito Copley, Twitch, Call of Duty
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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Movie Review

April 4, 2016 Steve Baqqi

10 Cloverfield Lane has been on my list of films to see for some time now, but I had not gotten the chance due to something else always getting in the way.  I was also concerned about whether I would be ill informed, not having seen the original. I can confidently say that viewership of the original Cloverfield is not necessary. I was expecting another found footage type spectacle (akin to the original film), but instead I got a tense, atmospheric, and deeply engaging thriller that’s as disturbing as it is entertaining.

Image Via: 10cloverfieldlane.com

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Tags 10 Cloverfield Lane, Cloverfield, J.J. Abrams, Tense, Thriller, sidequel, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michelle, John Gallagher Jr., Emmett, John Goodman, Howard, Oscars, Dan Trachtenberg, Sicario
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Deadpool (2016) Movie Review

April 2, 2016 Steve Baqqi
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Deadpool is fun and violent--that’s it. I could end the review right here given the entire internet is about to combust with all things Deadpool related. The film has already made close to $800 million dollars and is now the highest grossing R rated film of all time, so chances are you’ve also already seen it, but I digress. The film is a diametric opposite to the grim growly seriousness of Batman v Superman. Deadpool (the character) is an unhinged psychopathic Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny in tights, gleefully murdering everything in sight, while mocking the very notion of being a “superhero”.  Thankfully the film doesn’t pander, annoy, or overstay its welcome instead it’s funny, violent, and acutely self-aware of the genre it so irreverently mocks.
 

Image Via: youtube.com

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Tags Deadpool, Rated R, Gritty Violence, Graphic Violence, Comic Book, Superhero, Satire, Farcical, X-Men, Fox, Ryan Reynolds, James Gunn, Guardians of The Galaxy, Millions, Superman V Batman, Colossus, T.J. Miller, Ajax, Francis, Ed Skrein, Weasel, Morena Baccarin, Tim Miller
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Unforgiven (1992) Movie Review and Analysis

March 28, 2016 Steve Baqqi

Unforgiven is available on Netflix Instant Streaming (as of April 2016). I will be periodically highlighting films that I love, hate, or feel are under appreciated. Unforgiven is a film I would consider a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).  Spoiler Warning! Spoilers for this twenty year old film after the jump. 

Image via: justgoodvibe.com

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Tags Unforgiven, 1992, Clint Eastwood, David Webb Peoples, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Jaimz Woolvett, Saul Rubinek, Frances Fisher, William Munny, Little Bill Daggett, Ned Logan, English Bob, The 'Schofield Kid', W.W. Beauchamp, Strawberry Alice, Netflix, Streaming, Pick, Western, Dark, Gritty Violence, Rated R, Academy Awards
1 Comment

Zootopia (2016) Movie Review

March 26, 2016 Steve Baqqi

I’m an ardent fan of both Disney and Pixar’s animated films. The original “Disney Renaissance” coincided with my childhood; as did Pixar’s meteoric rise to rival Disney before the former’s acquisition by the latter. So it’s no surprise to me that Zootopia is easily the best film I’ve seen so far this year. Perhaps that’s because it's one of two new films I’ve seen thus far...but still! Disney has made another fantastic film that will only continue to bolster the “Second Disney Renaissance”.  Zootopia is a fast paced, exciting, and funny animated film with a surprising amount of depth.

Image Via: wallpaperup.com

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Tags Disney, Pixar, Zootopia, Judy Hops, Ginnifer Goodwin, Nick Wilde, Jason Batemen, Idris Elba, Police Force, Profiling, Stereotypes, Prejudice, Animation, Family Film, Disney Renaissance, Second Disney Renaissance, Buddy Cop, Animals, Fox, Rabbit, Sexism
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The Hateful Eight (2015) Movie Review

January 23, 2016 Steve Baqqi
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I am a Tarantinophile. I can vividly remember the first time I saw a Tarantino movie. I was fourteen years old, and my family had gotten one of those super cable packages that included HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax on demand. Ironically it was my mother, a woman who vociferously hates cursing and violence, who recommended Pulp Fiction to me. I reluctantly tuned to the uncensored HBO showing of this film expecting a miserable affair, but I was instantly hooked by Tarantino’s trademarks: witty banter, extreme violence, bizarre circumstances and situations, and above all his love of movies. Having said all that, The Hateful Eight, is not my favorite Tarantino film. It has the pomp and circumstance of his latter releases (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained), yet it suffers from what I’d term a ‘reverse Kill Bill’, with much of the setup coming in the first half, and much of the brutal violence coming in the second. The Hateful Eight, like most of Tarantino’s films, is a unique violent medley but it’s not among his best. The film’s interesting premise is let down by a plodding first half which is punctuated by an extremely bizarre scene. 

Image Via: Independent.co.uk

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Tags Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Graphic Violence, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Ennio Morricone, Sheriff Chris Mannix, Major Marquis Warren, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daisy, Michael Madsen, Demián Bichir, Roadshow, Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained
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The Revenant (2015) Movie Review

January 21, 2016 Steve Baqqi
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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.

Image via: youtube.com

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Tags The Revenant, 2015, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar, Bait, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman, Tom Hardy, Hugh Glass, Wilderness, Nature, Louisiana Territory, Bear Attack, Drama, The Martian
1 Comment

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.

Image Via: esquire.com

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Tags David O. Russell, Joy, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, 2015, Joy Mangano, Biopic
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