Hocus Pocus (movie) – Matt Lynn Digital

The Year 2023 in Movies

Continuing with the final part of our year in review, Matt Lynn Digital invites you to look back at the last year in reviews of books, movies, music and television. We look at these with individual categories, one per day through today. Today we share the forty-seven (47) movies from nine (9) decades reviewed by Matt Lynn Digital in 2023.

The top rated movie we watched in 2023 was The Godfather (1972). Earning 4.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5, the film presented solid exposition of the power dynamics and traditions for the family as established by the family patriarch Vito, along with the command-and-control structure of the working the business.

Four movies earned 4.5-stars in 2023, including the movie Oppenheimer (2023). The movie detailed the role American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer had in the development of the atomic bomb. The further movie Gone Girl (2014) was joined by There Will Be Blood (2007) and the movie Mystic River (2003).

(The 2023 movie **Killers of the Flower Moon**).

The movie Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) leads a dozen movies that earned 4.25-stars from Matt Lynn Digital. The ongoing murders of members of an affluent Native American tribe for profitable mineral rights, under the guise of marriage and love, made for a somber yet at times poignant movie. Other films to earn 4.25 stars included the movie The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), the biopic King Richard (2021), the biopic The Aviator (2004), the animated movie The Incredibles (2004), the pandemic-fueled horror movie 28 Days Later (2002), the alcoholism-fueled movie Leaving Las Vegas (1995), the coming-of-age movie The Breakfast Club (1985), the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters (1984), the political history movie Reds (1981), the independently released Friday the 13th (1980) and, finally, the movie Apocalypse Now (1979).

The mastermind detective movie Death on the Nile (2022) leads a group of nine (9) movies to earn 4.0-stars from Matt Lynn Digital in 2023. Other quality movies in this group include the movie The Hateful Eight (2015), the biopic Walk the Line (2005), the historical drama Gladiator (2000), the movie The Big Lebowski (1998), the psychological horror movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the comedy Home Alone (1990), the science fiction movie Planet of the Apes (1968) and, finally, the film noir movie The Maltese Falcon (1941).

(The 2019 movie **El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie**).

Eighteen (18) movies earned the 3.75-stars rating for 2023, led by El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). That coda to the Breaking Bad (2008-2013) television series spells out what happened with character Jesse Pinkman. Other movies earning 3.75 stars include the science fiction movie Alien: Covenant (2017), the animated movie The Secret Life of Pets (2016), the animated movie Inside Out (2015), the live-action animated movie Paddington (2014), the movie Chef (2014), the supernatural horror movie Oculus (2013), the biopic The Express (2008), the comedic movie Clerks II (2006), the science fiction blockbuster War of the Worlds (2005), the comedy Freaky Friday (2003), the movie Frequency (2000), the science fiction movie The Fifth Element (1997), the crime drama Absolute Power (1997), the family movie Hocus Pocus (1993), the neo-noir movie Blow Out (1981), the dystopian crime movie A Clockwork Orange (1971) and, finally, the animated movie Cinderella (1950).

A pair of movies led by the western movie Cry Macho (2021) earned 3.5-stars from Matt Lynn Digital. The other is the fantasy comedy Jack Frost (1998).

Alleged demonic possession was in play for the movie Nefarious (2023), which at 3.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 completes our reviewed movies for the year. Having felt manipulated by this film to make a political point, our feeling was that we could have enjoyed this movie more if the presentation had taken a different approach.

Matt Lynn Digital appreciates your continued interest in the content we offer. Should you have albums that you’d like us to review, or similar work to that mentioned above, please be sure to let us know.

Matt – Sunday, December 31, 2023

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the Kenny Ortega movie ‘Hocus Pocus’

Family friendly mixed with comedy and fantasy for the season brings us to the Disney Studios movie Hocus Pocus (1993), which turned 30-years old over the summer. The live action movie as directed by Kenny Ortega spans 300-years, dating back to October 31, 1693 to some the same day in 1993, bringing the Sanderson sisters across time in Salem, Massachusetts for a story written by David Kirschner, Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert.

(From left, **Kathy Najimy** as Mary Sanderson, **Bette Midler** as Winifred ‘Winnie’ Sanderson and **Sarah Jessica Parker** as Sarah Sanderson in the **Kenny Ortega** movie **Hocus Pocus**).

A trio of witches named Winnie, Sarah and Mary Sanderson lived in Salem, aiming for restored youth one Halloween‘s day in the last 17th century. Portrayed by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, respectively, Winnie, Sarah and Mary brought Emily Binx to the woods to conjure a spell that restores their youth while taking the young girl’s life. Emily’s brother Thackery confronts the sisters, unsuccessfully, and is condemned by the sisters to live forever as a black cat, riddled with the guilt of not saving Emily.

(From left, **Amanda Shepherd** as Emily Binx and **Sean Murray** as Thackery Binx in the **Kenny Ortega** movie **Hocus Pocus**).

Sean Murray and Amanda Shepherd portrayed Thackery and Emily Binx, respectively. Jason Marsden would voice Thackery as a cat, which brings us into the future to gain its fullest expression within Hocus Pocus. The sisters, with their youth, would not survive Halloween night 1693 since Elijah, friend of Thackery, alerted the townspeople of Salem that the sisters were responsible for Emily’s death. Three hangings and the casting of a resurrection spell were set into motion that night. Steve Voboril portrayed Elijah.

(From left, **Thora Birch** as Danielle ‘Dani’ Dennison, **Omri Katz** as Maximilian ‘Max’ Dennison and **Vinessa Shaw** as Allison Watts in the **Kenny Ortega** movie **Hocus Pocus**).

As a black cat for 300-years, Thackery Binx aimed to keep the sisters from their resurrection by protecting the cottage where his sister died. New to Salem after having moving there from out-of-state with Jenny and Dave Dennison, their parents, Max Dennison agrees to take his younger sister Dani Dennison trick-or-treating. Having met-up with Max’s romantic love interest, Allison Watts, Max, Allison and Dani end up at the cottage of the Sanderson sisters on the full moon Halloween night of October 31, 1993. Thackery summons the sisters back to life by satisfying an obscure set of conditions that satisfy the spell from three centuries earlier. Stephanie Faracy, Charles Rocket, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw portrayed Jenny, Dave, Max, Dani and Allison, respectively.

(From left, **Stephanie Faracy** as Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Dennison, **Doug Jones** as William ‘Billy’ Butcherson and **Charles Rocket** as David ‘Dave’ Dennison in the **Kenny Ortega** movie **Hocus Pocus**. Karyn Malchus portrayed the headless William ‘Billy’ Butcherson).

Realizing the stakes in play better than most, Thackery Binx convinces Max to take the Sanderson’s book of spells as he, Max, left the Sanderson cottage. The party heads to a cemetery for protection from the sisters, for hallowed grounds like those of a cemetery offer diminish the opportunity for present day mischief. The witches eventually come to the cemetery to provoke conflict, waking Winnie’s former love interest, Billy Butcherson as portrayed by Doug Jones, from the dead to pursue the kids. A charming and humorous remainder of the story follows from here, with cameo appearances from Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall to boot.

(From left, **Penny Marshall** as Medusa Lady and **Garry Marshall** as Master Devil in the **Kenny Ortega** movie **Hocus Pocus**).

Lynn of Matt Lynn Digital has found endless joy in watching Hocus Pocus on the cable reruns of the movie that partly account for the cult following acquired following the initial theatre run. My enjoyment of the film Hocus Pocus as directed and written by Kenny Ortega helps me rate the movie at 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, October 21, 2023