Her REEL Review - 'Cause Girls Watch Movies, Too

Picture of Review Thumbnail featuring the cast of the film.  Every once in a while, a franchise returns after years of silence and reminds you exactly why you enjoyed it in the first place—not because it reinvented cinema, but because it made you smile. Now You See Me Now You Don’t is that kind of movie. After nine long years, I took myself out on a movie date to see it, and honestly, it felt like stepping back into a familiar magic trick where you already know the setup, but you still enjoy watching it unfold. Before anyone asks: yes, the world is buzzing about Wicked for Good , and no, this isn’t that review. That one is coming later. But while everyone is distracted by flying houses and emerald-green lighting, this little heist-magic-film slipped into theaters—and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. One thing I appreciate about this series is the cast chemistry. We’ve had three different directors across the franchise, yet somehow it all still feels cohesive. That’s the cast. That’s ...

There is a certain generation—older millennials and boomers—who may find it unthinkable that someone has reached adulthood without seeing Planes, Trains, and Automobiles . I was one of those uninitiated viewers until this week, when I finally watched it with my high school film club. What surprised me most wasn’t that the film is beloved, but how instantly I understood why it earned that place. With a screenplay written, produced, and directed by John Hughes, and starring Steve Martin and John Candy, the film has all the makings of an American comedy classic. I simply don’t know how I let it pass me by for so long. I’ve always been a John Hughes fan— The Breakfast Club sits comfortably among my favorite films of all time—and even his lesser-discussed works like Curly Sue are staples in my home. Hughes had an unmistakable pen and an undeniable eye, and his collaborations with John Candy produced characters whose warmth and humor feel singular to 1980s cinema. Just days before watchi...