spooky cinema season – Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs..

Oooo spooky…Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are are watching and posting about spooky cinema for the next two months, here and over on our Instagram accounts. We are starting fairly family friendly and working our way up to the scariest!! I love a thriller or chiller!

This week since Hocus Pocus 2 is coming out on the 30th, we watched the OG Hocus Pocus. I actually never saw this until about three years ago, and I needed to know what all the fuss was about. I have seen references to it for just about ever, I know it is beloved and every Halloween I see so many Hocus Pocus themed decorations and costumes. It is a cult classic, the inspiration for so many memes. This meme is my favorite, because I actually do really like Kathy Najimy’s character the best, although Sarah Jessica Parker’s total ditziness made me chuckle a few times.

This is a very silly goofy movie, designed to just get a laugh out of people, one way or another. It’s over the top, exaggerated, and has pretty cool witch costumes. I loved Thora Birch’s little witch costume, she was adorable. And who doesn’t want a cat that talks that turns out to be a ghost (I guess?) from the 1600s? That would be pretty cool.

More than anything though, this movie is just supposed to be fun. There are some things I like about it, besides the talking cat and the costumes. I like what they were trying to do there with stressing the importance of loving your siblings, even though it was a bit on the nose. Max and his sister Dani are typical siblings, that I love you but you pester me sometimes deal. But underneath it all Max does love her, which he proves by taking the potion and sacrificing himself for her. Whereas the Sanderson Sisters seem to be a tight knit sisterhood but the head witch in charge, Winnie (Bette Midler) doesn’t really seem to like them too much, although I think Mary really does love Winnie. And now I feel like maybe I put too much thought into this movie! One thing that does bother me – how the Sandersons are supposed to not understand modern life since they are from the past, yet can make comments and jokes about margarine and drivers permits.

My sister-in-law Chrissy, my little niece Mermaid Girl, and I are watching Hocus Pocus 2 together this weekend. It should be a good time! I am curious if it will keep its over the top qualities or if it will be different in style and spirit. We shall see!

Overall this is a silly, goofy, fun movie for Halloween, especially if you are not into scary but want to watch something Halloweenish.

For Lisa’s review, follow this little link right… ~here~ She watched this with her teenaged son and he had some funny comments!

What do you all think of it? Who is your favorite Sanderson?

We are leaving the kiddie pool folks and are heading for deeper, scarier waters! Leaving behind more family friendly picks, we have moved into the realm of comedy and gore. This movie can get a bit gross, and if watching scary movies is not your jam, this might not be a good watch for you. However, if you are not put off by zombies and you know, zombie activities, then you will find that this movie is hilarious.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a perfect onscreen duo, they never fail to make me laugh. Except for maybe in World’s End, which was not my favorite. Anyway, this movie was my first introduction to their genius (looking at you Lisa with that word choice) so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Before we go further, I have always been an avid horror movie watcher, even when they scared the heck out of me. I grew up in the 80s all! We had Freddy, Jason, Michael. Then it was the 90s and we had Scream, another movie I loved. In college my roomies and I would have a horrible horror movie night once a week because it was cheaper to rent horror movies than new releases. (remember that, renting movies at an actual storefront?) I have seen my share of horror and slasher flicks. For me, this is not a scary movie – gross, and sad a few times, but it didn’t freak me out. However, we all have our different levels and things that scare us. Like, I could not watch that tornado movie Twister. That scared me so much!!

This movie is about two buddies, Shaun (Pegg) and Ed (Frost) whose lives look sort of stale and repetitive to some, but they are content and happy. Without a doubt, their favorite place on earth is The Winchester Pub. It is like the Cheers Bar to them, where they go when they need to feel better. So of course when the zombie apocalypse strikes, where do they go? To The Winchester!

“Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.”

I mean, it’s not too bad of a plan. We had a similar plan, but it was to head to the old theater in our town, which is sadly no longer there. I guess we need a new plan.

The two concoct a plan to save the people they love, including Shaun’s mother played by Penelope Wilton and Shaun’s stepfather played by Bill Nighy (love him!!) and head for the Winchester. You know, to grab a pint and wait for things to blow over. Perfectly reasonable. Except for all the zombies. Things go very awry, people die (one in particular always makes me terribly sad), there is an awesome scene set to a Queen song, and then by the end, things are a little better. So I guess the plan wasn’t too too bad?

I also have to give a nod to the social commentary that is part of this movie. Sure they are fighting zombies, but the movie illustrates how much like zombies people were before the actual apocalypse. How we are barely there, going to our jobs, performing the same tasks and duties over and over, being blind to the world around us at times. There is a scene that I love, where Shaun’s gang of people meets a gang of people that has a person that is a version of someone in Shaun’s group.

We do have to get through some sad, grody parts to get to the end, but – spoiler here – mankind prevails by putting the zombies to work, as it appears they have retained some of their humanity. And Shaun and his good buddy have not been separated, in case you were worried. Nope not at all. Although, their relationship is a bit different.

All in all, this is a pretty fun zombie movie. Kind of gross and kind of tense situations scary, but not Walking Dead gross, or Walking Dead scary. I had to quit that show!

Next week we are watching Hocus Pocus, I believe. Just in time to watch the release of Hocus Pocus 2 right after, if we felt like it. If you want to play along, feel free to post with us or just comment here! For Lisa’s take, which I am sure is much different than mine, click here!

And hey. You’ve got red on you. (iykyk)