Practical Magic

Witchcraft Month: “Practical Magic” (1998)

“Practical Magic” (1998) has always been way ahead of its time. The film centers on sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) who are raised by their aunts (Diane Wiest and Stockard Channing) after their parents die. The sisters learn that long ago, their ancestor was scorned by a man and vowed that if any man tried to love her or her daughter, that man would die. So the curse took Sally and Gillian’s father, and in turn their mother. Growing up, Sally was deathly afraid of love, while Gillian went looking for it in all of the wrong places. Sally ends up falling in love and losing her husband to the same curse. Meanwhile, Gillian has met the wrong man. When fate reunites the sisters, the dastardly Jimmy (Goran Višnjić) sours their reunion. Continue reading Witchcraft Month: “Practical Magic” (1998)

#WomenInAction Month: The 10 Action Heroines Who Shaped My Childhood

Being a kid in the ’90s there really wasn’t a lot of female-led action films like there are today. In a lot of ways I’m kind of jealous that girls (and boys) growing up today have the opportunity to watch female-led action films such as “Wonder Woman”, “Captain Marvel”, “Black Widow” and the new Star Wars trilogy. As a kid, the female action characters were very few and far between, which is probably why I favoured watching action films that weren’t aimed at children such as “The Terminator” and “Alien”. To see characters like Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley not only be the main characters but also kick-ass and drive the action and narrative forward just blew my mind. Continue reading #WomenInAction Month: The 10 Action Heroines Who Shaped My Childhood

Animated April, Retrospective Review: The Prince of Egypt

“The Prince of Egypt” is one of the greatest animated movies of all time. It has a captivating story, unforgettable music, and beautiful animation which appeals to all viewers, even if they don’t practice one of the religions that feature the story of Moses. This was writer and artist Brenda Chapman’s first film as a director as well as the first animated film featuring a woman director at a major studio. Chapman would later go on to be the first woman to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars for “Brave” (2012). Continue reading Animated April, Retrospective Review: The Prince of Egypt

10 Films Directed By Women To Watch On Netflix NOW!

The following films surprised me, because of how they confidently upended clichés and presented new, fresh narratives with such ease that you wonder why we don’t normally get more like them. This is what happens when new voices —in this case, women who in their own league, have been given the creative control over a film as directors. Continue reading 10 Films Directed By Women To Watch On Netflix NOW!