ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hey witches, let’s dig into Hollywood history like the Owens sisters dig into a grave in the 1998 movie Practical Magic.
Sandra Bullock. Nicole Kidman. Great hair. Practical Magic’s a cult classic. It even got a sequel this year.
But did you know critics were pretty dismissive of this spooky season (air quotes) “chick flick” “train wreck” for the (and more air quotes) “women and date crowd” when it was released in 1998?
The worst word critics used to describe Practical Magic wasn’t “sadistic” (which they used twice). It was “charming.”
Why does a clever and innocent-enough word ultimately feel dismissive? Stay tuned for a discussion on gender and whether or not it's fair to dismiss popular film when it's not high art.
Topics Include: The charm factor and gendered criticism | Continued debate… Roger Ebert: Friend or Foe? | The box office bang vs the critical reception bomb | The genre issue with witch movies | Did you read the book before you saw the movie? Novelist Alice Hoffman and literary adaptation
And, remember, there's a little witch in all of us! This season's/grimoire's theme is witch movies, so check out previous episodes on Hocus Pocus, The Craft, and I Married a Witch. Your homework for next week is to watch Blair Witch Project.
New here? Welcome to Silver Nitrate Witches and our Movie Review Brew. We’re here to explore the way we review movies! From experienced critics to posts from casual viewers, we want to talk about how we talk about movies, how that’s changed over time, what directions we see it going in, and more. We review the reviewers (and do a little tarot for movie characters!).
You can find your Silver Nitrate Witches on various online platforms @silvernitratewitches and @ljvalenza and @bellang303. Thanks so much to Fine Motor for the use of their songs "Movie" and “Highway Moon.” You can check out more about the band at finemotormusic.com. Thanks for listening, stay witchy, and keep watching movies.
