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LilSilveira
Reviews
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Not that bad, but it has problems
There are many popular movies that are barely OK and still manage to make tons of $$$ on the movies. More than that, some even get a high rating on sites like this. That being said, it surprised me the amount of people giving really low rates to Hocus Pocus 2. I get that it's a flawed movie and it's not as good as the original. But again, there are worse movies with decent rates. So, what happened?
Maybe, I wonder, people are tired of money grabbers pandering to nostalgia. Disney is particularly guilty of this. Also, other movies related to witchcraft got their own terrible sequence - like the pathetic excuse of a movie that is The Craft: Legacy.
Anyway, taking all that into consideration, I get the feeling, but still, I don't think Hocus Pocus 2 is that terrible on its own. As I've seen the original uncountable times as a child, I found it hard to not compare both. The new one is fun and watchable, just not as remarkable as the first. But it has some redeemer elements that make it deserve an 8, in my opinion, despite it's many flaws.
So here are some of the elements - both flaws and improvements - worth mentioning:
* The macabre: the first one was way darker than the second - things such as mentioning that the book was made with human skin were part of the charm. The sequence lost this "horror for children" aspect, which is a shame.
The opening sequence shows this change of heart. Hocus Pocus 1 has a quite disturbing introduction for a children's movie. The sequence, unfortunately, went for a different approach. I don't get what the intention was. I understand one of the purposes of the first scenes was to show how connected the sisters were. But it made the Sanderson Sisters victims of a situation, and I don't buy it. I've read many reviews complaining about this so-called 'feminist' aspect of the movie, but even from a feminist perspective, it doesn't make any sense. The scenes have a contradictory vibe. The village's society is framed as 'unfair' but, at the same time, it seems they were right about the girls. They were evil after all. So what's the point of those scenes?
And I find it funny that this change doesn't make anyone happy. Nor the feminist crowd, nor the fans of the original, nor the traditional folks.
* The lore: the religious tone was also changed. Instead of going for the medieval version of witchcraft, relying on Christian elements such as the devil, Hocus Pocus 2 went for a pagan vibe. This, in my opinion, is a more interesting approach, although I get this as a matter of personal taste. I just wish they kept the darker aspects, because pagan beliefs don't exclude those.
* Exposition: in terms of script, I think one of the biggest flaws of the sequence was the excess of explanation. The beginning was full of explanatory dialogue. Fortunately, after the Sanderson are back, the movie finds a better pacing.
* Side characters: the second big flaw is what they have done with the side characters - named, Billy and Gilbert. I don't get Gilbert's motivation. It makes zero sense. The idea that he had witnessed the Sister's return in the 90's was nice, but why would he have all the trouble to bring them back again just to clear their reputation? It's just so lame. Was he supposed to be a misguided fan boy? It would make more sense to make Gilbert power hungry or someone interested in magic, but terribly irresponsible.
Billy's story was also weird. He was fun in the original, but had a change of heart out of nowhere. Unfortunately, this problem wasn't fixed. I didn't enjoy the change they did with his character, that he actually kissed Winifred only once. It was more fun that he was a lover who cheated. It wouldn't make Winefred less evil. She killed him!
But I see that this change, such as Gilbert's lame motivation, is part of the sanitized vibe of the sequence. Nobody can be very evil, and all the sexual innuendo have to go away. Also a shame, and a loss compared to the first one.
* The teenagers: the main characters, on the other hand, were an improvement, especially from a kid's perspective. Max, the previous protagonist, was very annoying - I never liked him. And considering the Sanderson Sisters are so enjoyable to watch, I think it was a clever addition to make the new girl, Becca, also a witch. There are, still, annoying teenagers - Cassie and her boyfriend - but the fact they are not the protagonists makes it easier to enjoy.
The last scene, where the three girls are walking together as the new coven is the movie ending I wish I had seen as a child. I believe I wasn't the only kid in the 90's that loved witches, so choosing to embrace the magic of the original movie was a good change, in my opinion.
* The plot: the new story is similar to the original, but has its own terms. I enjoyed the idea that, on a second comeback, the witches would try something new.
The ending was interesting. As a kid's movie it wasn't surprising, but it was better than the first. It worked with the general theme and it made sense story wise. More than that, the ending was better than the beginning.
I mention this because I believe the first movie, although having a more cohesive plot in general, has the other way around. Hocus Pocus 1 starts amazing, has a fun middle, but the ending is meh. The only thing cathartic is Binx's final arc.
In Hocus Pocus 1 the sisters HAVE EVERYTHING TO WIN. They got the potion, they got the kids. The new day is almost there. But no, they decide to put everything at risk, because Winifred was upset the little girl had called her ugly or something. I've always found this incredibly frustrating. I know the Sisters are dumb - this is part of the fun - but I've never bought they'd be THAT dumb. They were feared and dangerous, after all. Even as a young child, I've always hated this aspect of the plot. It ends the suspension of disbelief, a pure case of lazy writing.
In Hocus Pocus 2, the Sisters actually win. They get everything they want. Once they have everything needed for the spell, they do it! The thing is that their hubris makes them disregard the cost of the spell. And this is a level of impulsiveness and somewhat dumbness that is believable. Also, the Sisters's arc - Winifred's, in particular - is thematically related to Becca's and her friends. The theme of sisterhood/coven is reflected in both stories, which make them stronger emotionally. In the original the Sisters are just an obstacle to Max's and Binx's emotional arcs.
Finally, I guess it was the ending - that worked much better - that really saved the movie for me. So, in a final retrospect, considering that the Sanderson Sisters were as enjoyable and funny as I remembered, that we, as an audience, were granted an ending that made sense, and the fact that the evil witches were defeated by the good ones, the movie was worth watching.
Pacto Brutal: O Assassinato de Daniella Perez (2022)
Justice for Daniella
A deep and emotional dive into a murder that shocked Brazil, that brings to the table not only the circunstances of the crime, but also many layers of the unfolding events. Daniella death was only the beginning. The young artist wasn't only killed; her reputation was tarnished and even her body couldn't rest in peace. I was too young to remember the details about the case, but old enough to be mislead by the sensationalist media. So a documentary like this one is important to bring to the light - and to Brazilians' collective memory - not only what really happened, but also the much darker reality we can't help but witness: the incompetence of the justice system, the corruption of the police and the horror circus created by the same media that fuelled the ego of the murderer. But, more than that, the series emotional core - Daniella's family, in particular her mother Gloria - reminds us that beyond all the horror, there are people. People who remember, 30 years after. Gloria's remarks are deeply impactful.
Encanto (2021)
A well told family arc: plot holes crack the structure, but strong emotions and beautiful symbolism fill the gaps
Disney's recent works have bored the hell out of me. I'm a huge animation fan - but pretty visuals and catchy songs are not enough if there's no interesting story to be told. Surprisingly for me - considering my expectations for this movie were pretty low - Encanto's charm doesn't rely only on it's beautiful looks, but also on a well told story. Are there plot holes? Yes. Are there twists and surprises? Not really. But still, the structure is strong enough and the emotions flow swiftly.
This time Disney goes a little more simple, more personal. The focus is not adventure, and the stakes are not the destiny of a kingdom. The thing to fight for is the family connection and their home. The gifts and magic are visual codes that symbolize what goes within the family, their personality and relationships.
And finally we can watch a movie in which the story unfolds (almost) properly. Every scene has a function and resonates with the main theme. That's an achievement that may sound basic, but which was lacking in many of the latest Disney's movies. In recent years they've repeated the following formula: a very heavy handed expositional first minutes, kind of interesting beginning, emotional ending (the one thing everyone remembers) and a long, boring (and sometimes disposable) middle. Encanto breaks the curse; from the previously mentioned sins, the only one it commits is the rushed exposition. The middle manages to be as interesting as the beginning and the ending. It's cohesive.
The humor is childish, but not too silly or annoying. I think the story speaks to adults more on it's themes, which is one of the triumphs of the movie. The fear of losing their home (again) really struck a chord with me. And I could see my own "vovó" in Abuella; someone hardened by suffering and traumatic loss, attached to material things (casita, in the case) and the idea of perfection, trying to compensate for all the things from the past that she couldn't control. It's refreshing to see a rather complex character being represented in a Disney movie. A movie that, more than that, doesn't have a villain. The conflict lies in the family dynamic and thus is more grounded. The ending is deeply moving.
I also enjoyed the older sisters' symbolic gifts. Luisa, the one who carries a heavy weight on her shoulder, as some kids in every family often do, is gifted with super strength. She's the (way too) hard worker, her hands support everyone else, and she mustn't complain. Then there is Isabela, the oldest one, trapped in a conservative notion of femininity, having to suppress her wild nature and submit to perfectionism, pretty flowers and the obligation to marry and have children.
That being said, although the main plot is well done, not everything goes smoothly. Normally I don't mind plot holes - I believe it is virtually impossible to build a story with none of them. But the problem here is that some plot holes are distracting. And that's a huge deal, storywise.
The first one that distracted me is minor, but summarizes the root of them all. Lazy writing. Just laziness, really. Because they could be easily fixed and that makes everything more frustrating. Right after the first minute of exposition, we are presented with more exposition, but now in a song. Kids want to know what Mirabel's gift is.
And that's the thing. How, in such a small village, would anyone NOT know about Madrigal's gifteless member?
But the most annoying plot hole is the way Dolores' gift - hearing everything - is handled. So, she knew about Bruno all the time? Why didn't she tell anyone about it - if, in a different scene, it's SHOWN she can't keep a secret? Didn't she hear Abuella's concerned prayers? This is all very distraction, because it misleads the viewer to wonder about Dolore's secret agenda. But, as there's none, it ends up just being a disturbance to the plot's fluidity. And the way the script attempts to address the issue is just ridiculous. One brief line during the last song... Lazy, lazy, lazy. That'd be easily fixed if Dolores' gift was something different. Her power is only relevant to one scene, after all.
Finally, I believe that there was a clear effort to represent a different culture. But, there are moments that betray the original source and reveal it's American veins - like Isabela saying 'I hate you' to Mirabel, something I've only seen in movies from the US. Disney also stripped the story off its religious undertones, leaving only the vague symbolism of the candle. I really enjoyed the movie, but I still have mixed feelings about a very big corporation making profit from other cultures. At least this time they managed to bring a beautiful family story, with a moving portrayal of forced displacement. A movie that is enjoyable from beginning to the end, despite its flaws. 8/10.