The Once and Future Witches

The Once and Future Witches

By:

Alix E. Harrow

Blurb:

In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Review:

The Once and Future Witches was on all the lists last year. It was nominated for a Goodreads choice award and probably other ones too. The author’s website is pretty lacking, so I’m not sure about that. Her previous book got nominated for everything, though. A lot of the time, when I read books like this, I’m disappointed. I like lighter fare, something not grounded in realism. That isn’t always the case, of course, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t with The Once and Future Witches.

The story follows three sisters. They grew up with an abusive father and are all struggling with what was done to them in their own ways. Set in the late 1800s, they live in a world that treats women as property. They don’t have the vote and have been stripped of any magical power they had through years of witch trials. The only things they have are the stories and words their grandmother taught them.

The magic in this world was fascinating. I enjoyed how fairy tales were included and the power they gave. The spells were all interesting and feel so accessible. What if I can say these words and clean my house? Ugh, if only. Honestly, it made me want to believe.

Anyway! There was a diverse cast of characters, strong women that weren’t cookie cutters, and just enough magic to make the realism less draining. The ending was good, but not too happy, which is what you expect from these types of books. I liked it. I’m going to look into Harrow’s previous book now.

4/5

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Murray Salem

Herschel Weingrod

Timothy Harris

Starring:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Penelope Ann Miller

Pamela Reed

Linda Hunt

Richard Tyson

Carroll Baker

Blurb:

A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal’s ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.

Thoughts:

Kindergarten Cop is too dark to be considered a straight comedy. There are comedic scenes, but there are too many people killed for that category. It’s kind of interesting. It never goes full comedy. There’s always this menacing undertone. Schwarzenegger nails his funny lines, though, definitely a better comedy actor than Stallone.

What really shines in the film are the kids. Whoever wrote the dialogue for them nailed it. The one kid obsessed with death, the other that likes saying penis and vagina, and of course the twins that say something their parents would never want them to share.

There’s technically a romance subplot, but it’s not worth mentioning. The bad guy and his mother are terrifying, not like zombie scary but leaning Umbrage scary. They’re not quite over the top, which adds to the menacing undertone.

I wouldn’t say Kindergarten Cop is a good movie, but it’s definitely entertaining and worth a watch, even if it’s just to experience Schwarzenegger’s one-liners.

Great Movie Re-Watch Update!

What I’m doing: I compiled a list of all of my movies organized by release year. Using that list, I’m re-watching every movie I own.

I’m finally finished with the 80s!!!! Oh my god, that felt like it took forever. There were many movies that I like in the decade and several that I’m ambivalent about. I really should get over the whole watching all of them even if they aren’t mine. (I’m not going to get over that). It took longer to get through this decade because my husband wanted to watch too many of the movies with me. I love watching with him, but he’s not up for a movie every night.

Several of the movies in the 80s were as good as I remember. Romancing the Stone, The Man From Snowy River, and Clue. I was also reminded how much I love Big Trouble in Little China and When Harry Met Sally. On the other side, some movies have not aged particularly well, and I’m unsure if I enjoy them as much as I used to. Namely, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future. It’s sad when something you loved as a child isn’t as good as you remember.

I’ve been more critical while watching most of the films in my re-watch. It’s not something I intentionally set out to do. It just happened. I think it’s made my blog posts better, but it’s hurt my enjoyment of the movies. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop at this point, though.

There are a few movies in the 90s that I’m skipping. Under Siege 1 & 2 as well as Starship Troopers. There might be a couple of others, but we’ll see. They’re my husband’s and I really don’t like them.

I have just over sixty movies in the 90s. Considering how long it took me to get through approximately forty from the 80s, I have no idea how long this will take me. Very glad I didn’t set a deadline for this little project.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

Chris Matheson

Ed Soloman

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Alex Winter

George Carlin

Blurb:

Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.

Thoughts:

I’ve watched Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure relatively recently. Still, I re-watched it. It’s such a feel-good movie that it’s hard to resist. It has a lot of quotable lines. It’s funny. There’s also time travel. It was made for me.

Surprisingly, it was a hit at its release. So many of my movies were slow burns, not finding their audience until years later. It’s nice to know that Bill & Ted have always been enjoyed. Hollywood, why can’t you make more lovable stoners?

Tango & Cash (1989)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Tango & Cash (1989)

Directors:

Andrey Konchalovskiy

Albert Magnoli

Writers:

Randy Feldman

Jeffrey Boam

Starring:

Sylvester Stallone

Kurt Russell

Terri Hatcher

Jack Palance

Blurb:

Framed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a mismatched LAPD crime-fighting duo has to put its differences aside to even the score with the evil kingpin who put them behind bars once and for all.

Thoughts:

The title and idea of Tango & Cash are awesome. You’ve got Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell as, basically, buddy cops. They’re taking down criminals in their own way until they’re framed by a weird old white dude that has a thing for mice. It’s a great premise, and the first half of the movie is fine. Sadly, the last half doesn’t make sense, and it’s clear that someone else directed it.

Honestly, reading up on the film, it’s a miracle it got made. They went twenty million over budget, and Stallone fired the director and the original director of photography. Supposedly he was also the producer, director, writer, and star all at one time. He wasn’t given credit for it, and the Wikipedia isn’t one I’d trust completely, so take that with a bag of salt. It’s possible he felt inferior because Russell is so clearly the better actor.

I’d say this is around the time Stallone’s career started to take a downturn. He still did some good movies, but they were more hit or miss. He’s a better actor than Schwarzenegger, but he’s got a type he can play, and he should stick with it. Stallone is definitely not a comedian. He should have learned that in Cobra, but he didn’t. His jokes did not land in Tango & Cash, and it made his character seem off. Stallone has the superior butt, but Russell has better comedic timing.

Apparently, Stallone is trying to make a sequel, but I don’t see Russell doing it. I didn’t read anything about them having issues, but I find it hard to believe that Stallone was a joy to work with.

Only one more movie left in the 80s!