Movies
A fantasy film for younger audiences, not too surprising when it's Kenny Ortega directing the film. Hocus Pocus is one of those classics from my own childhood that I never saw. Probably because I was getting into more "serious" horror around that time, so some kiddy witch flick wasn't really on my radar. Hocus Pocus has retained some of its original charm, but it's clearly aimed at younger audiences. The acting is incredibly over the top, the "horror" elements are very light and comical and the musical elements make it a typical Disney/Ortega film. Skipping it was probably the best choice back then. While I look at these films in a slightly different light now, I'm still not a fan. The film looks a bit too cheap, the kids are insufferable and the plot is way too predictable. It's clear I wasn't ever part of the target audience of this film, but they didn't put in much effort to appeal to people beyond that.Read all
The third and final part in Ortega's surprise hit musical trilogy. I'd seen the first two ages ago but never cared enough to watch the finale. That's one less thing to worry about now. This was also a good reminder of why I didn't bother with the third part back then, as this is quite the ordeal. The songs and routines are in fact the best part of this film. The high school drama is atrocious and the performances are very much on the same level. I'm also unsure why they thought this had to last a full 110 minutes, even though there's only 70 minutes worth of material at best. Pretty terrible.Read all
