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Why We (Still) Love Hocus Pocus

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October 31, 2018
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At first glance, Hocus Pocus is filled with the kind of elements that make your favorite childhood movie cringeworthy as you—and the movie—get older: over-the-top theatrics, 90s-era special effects, a live-action talking cat, a musical number for no explicit reason other than Bette Midler is the one singing, and a cast of protagonists made up of then-unknown child actors. No way anyone predicts this movie ages well, let alone spends the next 25 years garnering the almost cult-like obsession of an entire generation.

But that’s exactly what it did.

And so you have to ask: Why Hocus Pocus? What’s so special about it that it earned the status of pop culture icon? How in the hell did this movie become the premier Halloween family film—over It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Garfield’s Halloween—with its own 24-hour movie marathon? Is it simply the power of nostalgic devotion? Is it the joy of watching A-list stars abandon their serious acting chops for the opportunity to let loose and have fun? Maybe it’s that there’s never been another movie quite like it, or that it goes all-in on its premise and makes no apologies for doing so.

Sure. It’s all of those things. But there are other movies (other Halloween movies) that fit that bill that don’t have the massive, widespread staying power of Hocus Pocus. Because here’s the real magic of Hocus Pocus: It’s—gasp!—actually a good movie.

Before you go laughing me out of town, hear me out: I’m not saying it was robbed of an award for Best Picture; I’m just saying—it holds up.

Because, yes, it is anchored by A-list stars, and the unknowns went on to have substantial acting careers. (Don’t believe me? Look up Jay and Ernie on IMDB. And Billy? You probably most recently saw Doug Jones as the fish god in The Shape of Water.) In grand 90s children’s movie tradition, it is both way too dark for its intended audience (the movie starts with a hanging, includes an attempt to burn people alive in an oven, and—oh yeah—its central premise revolves around eating children) and way too inappropriate (at least half the jokes go over your head as a kid), which means watching it as an adult is like seeing a whole new movie.

You have to give credit where credit is due. As a “film,” it hits so many beats so right: a lively, scarier-the-more-you-think-about-it story, totally unique characters, redemptive plot arcs, and a stronger sense of place, mood, tone, and myth than any ten movies you might list off the top of your head. It’s legitimately funny, surprisingly clever, and infinitely quotable. And it isn’t all spooky ridiculousness. As much as we root for the fledgling romance between Max and Allison, at its core, Hocus Pocus is about the deep and binding love between siblings. Max ultimately sacrifices himself for Dani—not Allison—saving his younger sister where Thackery Binx couldn’t, and Binx spends 300 years as a cat waiting for the day he can finally get revenge for his sister’s death and be reunited with her in the afterlife.

That’s a lot of heart for a movie that coined the term “yabos.” It’s no wonder the Hocus Pocus phenomenon lives on.

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Movie Novelizations: A Rogue Obsession

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May 4, 2018
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A few weeks back, Jess covered the page-to-screen adaptations that don’t get enough credit—the ones that measure up to the source material and the ones that exceed it—but there’s another kind of adaptation that doesn’t receive much fanfare: movie novelizations.

I myself had never even read one until this winter, when I picked up my copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed, in honor of the movie’s one-year anniversary.

I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan, raised by parents who saw A New Hope in theaters half a dozen times, but I’d never dived into the wealth of Star Wars material that existed alongside the original three—then six, now eight—episodic films.

Until now.

Who’s to say why we become obsessed with the things we do? How to explain why certain things take hold of us and others don’t, why the attachment runs so deep? Maybe there is no explanation. Maybe it’s just a feeling. Maybe the wand chooses the wizard. Maybe you’re born with it; maybe it’s Maybelline.

Any way you slice it, my Rogue One obsession? Very real.

So I did what any sane (if you can be considered sane while more than mildly obsessed) person would do: I went looking for more content. Official Spotify playlists, fanart (gasp!), fanfiction (double gasp!), and last but not least, its novel companion.

Reading the book version of the movie was, in many ways, exactly what I expected. I knew the entire plot, after all, when I started reading: the characters, the worlds, the circumstances, the consequences. I also knew there would be differences—scenes described in greater detail than I saw on screen; new ones added to give the reader more background, more context.

But the best part—and what I didn’t see coming, although I should have, because too often it’s exactly what gets sacrificed first when adapting in the opposite direction—was the depth of the characterization, caring and empathetic portrayals of each of the characters that matched the movie but improved upon it. Strengthened it. Their pasts, their emotions, their interactions and relationships with each other all richer and more meaningful. And because of that, the stakes even higher.

Rogue One—maybe more than any other Star Wars movie; don’t hate me—is a true ensemble film, so maybe it was particularly well suited for novelization, for following the different points of view of characters I already loved and loved even more by the time I finished reading.

I can’t speak to all movie novelizations, obviously, having read just the one, but this one might have been enough to convince me to try others. The interest has to be there, of course; I don’t think I’ll ever feel inclined to read hundreds of pages of a story I only feel lukewarm about. But the next time the credits roll and you find yourself wanting more, my advice? Look to the shelves.

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Should I Spoil The Thing?

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April 30, 2018
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It’s the end of April, which means two things for us pop culture fanatics:

1) It’s every *NSYNC fan’s favorite holiday.

2) We have officially entered Spoiler Season.

If you weren’t lucky enough to snag a ticket to Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War this weekend, and if you have some semblance of a life that keeps you from watching the season finale of each of your shows live—or enough shows that watching them all live is impossible—you’re now in the difficult position of choosing between dodging every spoiler until you can get yourself to a theater or press play on your DVR, and resigning yourself to knowing every plot twist and cliffhanger before you have the chance to see it firsthand.

In the age of leaked footage and within-the-hour online recaps, there are just too many ways to be spoiled to avoid them all. So how do you prioritize? Which surprises do you sacrifice? Which spoilers do you read, and which spoilers do you leave?

You’ve come to the right place, my friends, because I, your over emotionally invested consumer of media, have put my years of TV, book, and movie consumption to good use and compiled The Definitive Guide to Spoilerdom.

Read on and go confidently in the direction of summer blockbusters. Curate the entertainment experience you’ve always imagined.

*Warning: Reading spoilers is not a guarantee and may not actually prepare you.

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Sometimes, the Movie Is Just Better

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March 23, 2018
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It’s time for part 2 of our book-to-movie adaptation discussion. Last week, I talked about three of my favorite adaptations where the movie actually did right by the book. This week, I’m bringing you three movies I think did it better than the book. Yep. You read that right! Truthfully, some books just aren’t great and a film format allows for a more appropriate fit for the story. That’s certainly true of the three listed here.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and Julie & Julia, 2009

I’m sorry, but Julie Powell is annoying. In the book, she’s pretentious and whiny, and her whole cook-your-way-through-mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking thing doesn’t read as anything more than a way she wants to make herself famous. It felt far away from a love of cooking and experimentation in the kitchen. The very opposite of Julia Child. Yuck.

In the movie, Meryl Streep steals the show as an authentic, lovable, complicated Julia Child. And who could ever accuse Amy Adams of being pretentious and whiny? She’s actually pretty charming as she fails her way through the cookbook. Would that we all could cast someone to play us in the movie of our lives. Goodness knows it helped poor Julie Powell. And how darling and adorable is Stanley Tucci? This is a great move to catch 45 minutes of on TV on a lazy Saturday.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and The Devil Wears Prada, 2006

Speaking of whiny characters. Andrea Sachs is just that. I found her really hard to like, and if you’re not rooting for the main character, what else is there? I mean, I even cheer on Dexter, y’all. Miranda is truly the devil with little that redeems her. What she really needs is a Meryl Streep interpretation.

This is completely convenient because in Streep’s hands, the movie’s Miranda is complicated, emotional, and somehow, I daresay, a little bit likeable. Anne Hathaway is perfectly cast. She’s just a little annoying and fake, but also has enough redeeming qualities that she’s palatable. The movie is well-paced, fun, and let’s not discount everything that Emily Blunt and her snarky quips bring to the table.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook, 2004

It’s a book by Nicholas Sparks. Do I need to write any more of a review? The writing is about what a crafty 8th grader can handle. Sparks’s stories are designed to blatantly pull at the heartstrings, which is to say that they are both predictable and sad. There’s not a lot of depth, because, again, an 8th grader is writing it, and much of it could benefit from a good editor and better pacing.

I’ll acknowledge that the movie isn’t award-winning cinema. It certainly has its flaws. But let’s remember that this isn’t a list of the Best Movies Ever, but rather movies that are better than the book, and this certainly fits the bill. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling really are sparkly. There is so much emotion, so much pretty and handsome, and so much that takes you back t your own first experience falling in love. It really has shades of gray and more complicated feelings than is ever conveyed in the book. I credit that to McAdams and Gosling and a screenplay that’s at least one step up from the book.

So there you have it, friends. Agree or disagree? Do you have any others to add to this list? Be honest, do I have too many movies including Meryl Streep?

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Sometimes, the Movie Is Good, Too

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March 16, 2018
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It’s an age-old debate: is it better to read the book first or see the movie?

I’ll save the debating. Read the damn book first. Always.

Personally, I don’t adhere to this rule, even though I aspire to. This is because I’m both pregnant and raising a toddler, so I weigh it like this: do I have time to watch a 120-minute movie or read a 400-page book first? Well. We know how this one ends. That said, I do hold sacred the “Read Before Viewing” rule, so let’s just pretend I’ve always read everything first, deal?

Since I’ve shut down the debate on which to do first, let’s talk about the debatable: are books always better than their movie adaptations? Can movies improve upon sub-par books? Are there great books that truly become great movies?

In my opinion, books aren’t always better than their movie adaptations. Some movies definitely improve on some not-so-good books. And there are absolutely great books that become great movies.

Trying to pick my favorite book-to-movie adaptations of all time is overwhelming, so what I’ll do for you is give you 3 of my favorites (yes, there are a lot more awesome ones out there!). They’re books I’ve turned to over and over, and they’re movies I never get tired of watching. That’s pretty much my standout criteria.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Wild, 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon

I’m putting this one up first because it’s probably my most controversial. Even Natalie has blogged about how she felt the book was overrated. But for some reason, this story speaks to my soul. Strayed’s writing is poetic and honest, and I underlined and highlighted so much of it that it may as well be yellow through. Sometimes books just hit you because of your time and space in the world, and maybe that was it for me.

I’ve seen the movie maybe once every 2 months since it came out. I’m surprised by how often I revisit it. Reese Witherspoon is tough and vulnerable in her portrayal of Strayed, and director Jean-Marc Vallée’s vision is perfection. The wilderness is beautiful, the pain very real, and its universality touching.

Emma by Jane Austen and Clueless, 1995 starring Alicia Silverstone

I won’t get into it with you about my love of Jane Austen. Just know that when I studied abroad, I visited her hometown, the house she grew up in, and her gravesite, because it’s that serious. Austen isn’t for everyone, I get it, but I love her stories and I love Emma.

I might have gone with the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation on this one, but it just isn’t as amazing (or timeless!) as Clueless. Many write this one off as a chick flick, or dismiss it as another cheesy 90s movie, but come on. It’s amazing. This movie manages to take a story from the 1800s, update it, and make it relevant still some 20+ years later after its debut. The cast is funny and silly, but completely sincere. And Paul Rudd is stunningly handsome. I’ll end there.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, 2010 starring Daniel Radcliffe

What is there to say about Harry Potter that hasn’t been said? The storytelling is above all else; the writing is timeless; the world and its characters are rich and compelling. It’s engrossing. It’s unforgettable. I love it, okay? I’ll stop convincing you now.

Let’s just get this out of the way: the movies as a set are uneven and inconsistent. There are some changes that aren’t so great and others that had to be made for the sake of time and format. Accepting these things as reality allows for some of the missteps (ahem…Goblet of Fire…ahem). But Part 1 of Deathly Hallows? Gorgeous and haunting. The mood, the scenes, the acting: it’s perfect. I’ve re-watched that particular movie in the series over and over again. It’s that well done.

There you have it: three of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations! Next post, I’ll tell you about my picks for crappy books that became better movies.

What are your favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Do you go for classics like To Kill a Mockingbird? Or do you allow for a Clueless in your list?