Telling Tales: October Movie Reviews

Ah October is here and not only does that mean crystal balls and flying bats, but iced frapps turn to apple cider and flip flops are exchanged for cozy socks! I'm channeling some nostalgia in the movie world as well as sharing a few new releases and special mentions that you might want to add to your watch-list.

Hocus Pocus 2

The first Hocus Pocus has been deemed as a cult-classic among movie goers, so it had some big pointy shoes to try and replicate that nostalgic feeling again! Initially, I was very hesitant about seeing Hocus Pocus 2, as the trailer made me wonder if this would just be a rehashing of everything in the first.

To my surprise, it was quite enjoyable! Lots of humourish puns, fun dance sequences and a feel-good message. Bette Midler stands out as the dominant, Winifred, and her witchy slightly clueless and submissive Sanderson sisters; Mary and Sarah (played by Sarah Jessica Parker and  Kathy Najimyare) are always a hoot. I also loved Billy, the quirky British zombie boy, played by Doug Jones.   

Spoiler* The only issue that made me roll my eyes was the deliberate product placement of the witches going into Walgreens for “potions”. It made me cringe a bit as I had the flashback from Ghostbusters Afterlife, where Paul Rudd’s character goes into Walmart to buy a tub of ice cream and has a weird encounter with little bitty stay puft marshmallows.

Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy

Get ready for a little Mummy time with comedic duo Abbott and Costello who take on more than they can wrap their heads around in the 1955 classic comedy/horror, Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy. Although it's available in colour, I think there is something really special seeing it in its black and white version. Although this movie was deemed as one of their worst by critics, I don't share that opinion. It's fun, silly and those snake-charmer scenes still give me a giggle.  

Finders Keepers

Find a missing leg pick it up, all day long you’ll have ...

Finders Keepers is a 2015 documentary film by Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel that will be stored into the “woah that was not what I had expected!” movie vault for a long time.

Who wants to fight over a missing limb? This should be a no-brainer, but when John Wood’s amputated leg is found in a grill sold at a North Carolina auction and picked up by entrepreneur, Shannon Whisnant, all hell breaks loose and this is where the story begins.

There is so much to unravel in this doc but I’m not going to spoil too much because it really needs to be seen. At times you cannot believe that human beings are battling over an amputated leg that was left for months in a storage unit. 

As the humour slightly dampens in some instances and turns rather dramatic, there is such a complex story underneath what some would deem as a farce. It’s anything but that. This is where the movie shines in such unexpected ways. The stories of John’s life are a mix of heart-break, redemption and soul-affirmation, but there is a huge impact of his families recollection of these events too. 

Also, with Shannon, the façade of what one would see as just another egocentric, greedy, money-hungry man, he has a jovial spirit but is also deeply wounded in his own ways from childhood well into his adult years, he just carries and delivers the pain differently. 

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Directed and co-written by Peter Farrelly, raise a glass to a story of friendship, war, politics, media sensationalism, corruption and the complexities of patriotism in The Greatest Beer Run Ever.

John "Chickie" Donohue (played by Zac Efron) is ready to leave his New York roots for a short while to track down his childhood army buddies in Vietnam and yes, deliver them a beer.  Witnessing more than he could ever imagine in the throws of war, Chickie’s views of life are changed in a blink of an eye.

Zac Efron is definitely the heart of the movie and carries the heavy weight in this one. He is such an underrated actor and once again proves his versatility in whatever role he takes on, especially on the dramatic front. I thought it was really well done showing how far a simple act of caring can go, no matter how outrageous it may seem at first. In the end, war has a way of bringing people together even though it can also tragically tear you apart.

💜Have you seen any of these films?  Drop me a note in the comments, or send me an email using my webform on the side and also let me know what you've been watching!