Tag Archives: Stockard Channing

Practical Magic 2 Review – Movie Review

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TL;DR – For me, the sequel improves on the narrative while bringing the charm in spades.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Xolo Maridueña on the ground after being hit by a car.

Practical Magic 2 Review Introduction

Well, it’s time for round two when it comes to magical adaptations. I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first Practical Magic yesterday. But joyfully messy was not on my list, which makes me wonder how it will hold up to a sequel all these years later.

So, to set the scene, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) are sisters, with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), from the infamous Owens family. The whole town thinks they are witches; well, that is because they are. Twenty-five years after the first film, Sally’s elder daughter Kylie (Joey King) is discovering that the family curse might not be all done and dusted when her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) is gravely injured. This leads to a flight to England to try and break the curse once and for all. 

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Practical Magic (1998) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – While narratively it is a bit all over the place, there is a core to it that still translates in 2026.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that was used to view this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

A pentagram drawn on a man's chest in whipped cream from a can.

Practical Magic Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a bit of a blind spot for me. When I think back to the cult classics of 1998, my touchstone was Ever After: A Cinderella Story. But with the Practical Magic sequel upon us, I thought it was time to fix this potential mistake and see if the film can still resonate in 2026.  

So, to set the scene, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) are sisters from the infamous Owens family. The whole town thinks they are witches; well, that is because they are. They live with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), and maybe a curse that affects every woman in their family. It is this supposed curse that caused Gilly to run away from the town, and Sally to buck history and fall in love with Michael (Mark Feuerstein). Sally moves back in with the aunts with her daughters Kylie (Evan Rachel Wood) and Antonia (Alexandra Artrip) and gives up magic for good, until one day Gilly calls needing help from her abusive boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic), and things go very wrong.

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Knuckles: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – When it leans into the absurd, it is a delight, but a lacklustre narrative holds it all back.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this series.

End Credit Scene – What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno has a mid-credit scene.

Knuckles burrows up from the ground.

Knuckles Review –

When the first Sonic the Hedgehog film came out, I did not know what to expect, but now we are two films in, we know the vibe we are working with. But the question is: are we ready for spin-offs? Well, that is the query we are looking at today as the Idris Elba-voiced Knuckles takes the show.  

So to set the scene, during Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Knuckles (Idris Elba) was tricked into working against Sonic (Ben Schwartz), but they all worked it out in the end. Now, Knuckles starts his day by going through a deadly obstacle course just to get the blood flowing. But he hasn’t quickly got the hang of Earth when it takes down a construction crew trying to fix the house, thinking they were invaders. Desperately trying to find meaning in his life, Knuckles is visited by the aberration of his mentor, Chief Pachacamac (Christopher Lloyd), who gives him a new quest. Find someone to become his mentor so he can pass on his echidna ways. Who is that apprentice? Well, enter from stage left Wade (Adam Pally) and his quest for bowling glory. Now from here, we will be looking at the series as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.     

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