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Film reviews

Practical Magic 2 Review

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A sequel twenty-eight years later in which the magic goes up a couple of notches. There is more meaning and seriousness related to the powers and curses. Also, the lives of witches expand. Normalcy enters their lives, but there is still a curse. Directed By Susanne Bier, Practical Magic 2 is here. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as Sally and Gillian Owens. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing are back as Jet and Franny. The lives of the witches do not change much. There are still morals, ethics, and respectful matters. However, it does not stop karma from happening and the exhilarating level of honor lingers in Practical Magic 2.

The twist in Practical Magic 2 is that now Sally is a mom. Her daughters are Kylie and Antonia (Joey King and Maisie Williams). Sally tries to protect her daughters from magical spells.  However, Kylie is in love with a boy named Gideon, played by Xolo Mariduena. Gideon suffers an injury that could impact his life. This is Kylie’s first love and she realizes she is cursed like her mother and aunt were. Someone she loves is facing death and she is under an inevitable spell. Therefore, Kylie goes to London to solve the mystery of the spells. 

It is not long before Sally and Gillian open their doors to the witch world again. They follow Kylie to London and hope their powers can help make a difference. They find the assistance of another mentor of magic named Ian Wright, played by Lee Pace. Soon more magic comes along, and there may be a chance for Kylie to save the man she loves. However, given all the  disagreements related to the sisterhood dynamic—the shield keeps appearing and the performances of Bullock and Kidman take over the central conflict. While this works, it sometimes felt like it dominated the writing. The film still has scenes where there are enchanting themes but then there are times where the themes cross into sad territory.

The film has momentary flaws, again involving magic. Despite the nonsense, it is still an enjoyable sequel that is slightly better than the first film. More modern subject matter was woven into Practical Magic 2. Not too much, but enough to be worthy including spells cast in many different directions. Bullock, Kidman, and King are the witches representing three modes of awesomeness. They spice everything up and play up the sisterhood vibe until it boils with magic seeking good. The curse may come and go, but that does not stop elements of positivity from shining in  Practical Magic 2. The film has a faithful context of wonder yet the writing could have been improved. In the end, there are layers of happiness to be found in Practical Magic 2. Two-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

The End of Oak Street Review

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Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, returning with a new project. One where it is IT Follows meets Jurassic Park. A portrayal of a world hitting its breaking point and evolving into uncharted territory.  There are dinosaurs and prehistoric forests growing, yet the year is 1982. There is a clever setup of nostalgia with a family trying to be happy, but with too many flaws in the dynamics. All normalcy goes downhill in an adventurous way. The End of Oak Street has some entertaining moments for many audiences.

 

With an apocalyptic setting that comes from the ground, the creativity is vibrant. The film focuses on a family. The mother and father are Denise and Greg (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor). The daughter and son are Audrey and Brian (Maisy Stella and Christian Convery). Many family struggles abound asGreg struggles to hold down a job, and Denise tries to write a book. Brian has issues with friends and experiments with cigarettes. Audrey is seen as just a normal and social human. They have their issues, however, and the dynamic of how a family sticks together holds lots of faith. This is tested here, because outside of their home, there are dinosaurs. The new apocalypse rises in The End of Oak Street. 

 

Mitchell’s directing has stepped up. He knows how to add comedic value in The End of Oak Street with dinosaurs hopping out in one moment and new worlds colliding in another. There is deep sense of satisfaction in watching all of this–I was sold with The End of Oak Street. The survival modes had me especially roped in.  Many films surrounding the “fighting to live” scenariohave predictable flaws, putting limitations on the action. That is not the case with The End of Oak Street.

 

As the family tries to survive in the neighborhood, Denise and Greg hit a bad patch, and Hathaway and McGregor show that they are one-of-a-kind when it comes to these things. With being used to seeing McGregor as Obi-Wan from Star Wars, it is like watching a former jedi trying to survive on a Jurassic Worldplanet. Also, with being used to viewing Hathaway as the nerd employee from The Devil Wears Prada, I found when watchingher play a woman dealing with pure disaster her outbursts are astounding.

 

The End of Oak Street feels like a Steven Spielberg flick, but it is one where Mitchell definitely has his own vision. I applaud the fun he incorporates. It is quirky and not so perfect. However, the characterizations and the era of the film speak true, making for an unusual gem here. This is one that will be fun for teens and up. Even though it is rated PG-13, some graphics go a bit over the top for the rating itself, especially surrounding some of the violence and nature moments. There are also some odd innuendos. The offbeat direction of Mitchell is what makes The End of Oak Street a classic. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

Evil Dead Burn Review

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There is definitely a lot of evil that burns in Evil Dead Burn with the thought of wrongdoings coming across in many bold ways. This time it follows a death. Directed by Sebastien Vanicek, he takes the direction of loss leading to vengeance. Its portrait is gruesome, and the rest of the film is full of gore which is seemingly central to its continuity. At the same time though, there is the question that had me thinking of how much pain and suffering is really necessary– to the point where even utensils can have injuries?  This one is a rollercoaster that explodes withall types of fire-like moments of surprises. It is a sequel to the 2013 version of Evil Dead and the 2023 version of Evil Dead Rise. The sixth installment in the film series.

 

The film surrounds a woman named Alice, played by Souheila Yacoub. She is trying to cope with the loss of her husband and apast of bad relationship tensions as she struggles to remain close to his family. After his death, she finds herself in the same home with her husband William’s family.  William is played by George Puller. Once she is with his family all kinds of terrors are born. Her brother-in-law, Joseph, is played by Hunter Doohan and her mother-in-law, Susan, is played by Tandi Wright. Alice is close with Joseph but struggles to get along with Susan. Once they are all together, they begin to possess terrors. They are formed into zombie-like killers. Dark tones of violence screech throughout Evil Dead Burn. It is a cynical death trap of a family reunion.

 

This film had me shocked and awed frequently. The fact that there is “bad blood” creates a more immersive experience. I felt scared throughout, often thinking, “Whoa…that is messed up!”  Thoughts raced in my head especially during moments when evil that has been lurking takes over much of the family.  It then becomes a bloodbath of chainsaws, writing utensils, etc.—anything that is sharp carries a vengeance. There is a lot of “burning” in Evil Dead Burns.

 

Everyone has a mode to kill. The writing is filled with hatred and regret combined with a blend of tragedy mixed with vengeance to deliver brutal revenge.  It gets quite graphic. Overall, some moments go above and beyond, crossing thresholds into insanity. That is ironically the beauty of Evil Dead Burn in that there are no boundaries to the level of gore that goes with this one. Brutal, with countless modes of intensity—it is a lot to handle.

 

A violent, yet poetic tale in the sense of emotion that it can illicit, however, it is not great. It falls just above average. The film has a clever premise with a lot of creativity portrayed through the violence and fighting moments. The hatred lingers for one selling ride, but is there redemption in any of it? How do the possessive modes continue to thrive? How much hate can possibly come and go? There is no stopping any of it in this film’s track of brutality, and it is the invincible nature of the evil that continues to produce fulfilling entertainment for those that can handle it. Three out of four stars.