*. | BETTE MIDLER and Sarah Jessica Parker star in t

comedy Hocus Pocus. .

Hocus Pocus *& * (Walt Disney)
Rated Mature (ai the Esplanade,
Capitol 6, Station Square, Eagle

“ Ridge and Guildford cinemas)

EVER MIND ‘“‘you
Hoare the wind .
2B X@ -beneath my wings.”
. This time around, the

-. Demonic Miss M can sing

ony

“you are the wind beneath
_my broomstick.”
As one-third of the Sanderson

'- sisters — and the Grand Pooh-Bah

of Witchdom — Winnifred (Bette

“2 (Midler) and siblings Mary (Kathy

Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah jessica
~- Parker) were very, very bad in
- 1693...
To remain eternally youthful, the

~ trio of witches were literally suck-

cing the life from children (great
-. movie for the kiddies, eh mom -
and dad?). Naturally, the vengeful

“4, people of Salem take exception to

their wicked sorcery and string —_,
 femupe =,

“But not before the time-honored
- Curse is laid on the townfolk:

nee &é The film’s

‘highlight is Bette

belting out I Fut a

Spell on You.99

:

when a virgin lights the black
‘flame, the witches will return for
one night to snatch the life force
-' from every child in Salem and
:.. Winnifred, Mary and Sarah will

then five forever.

’ Fast forward 300 years and a
likely candidate with a lighter ar-
tives from L.A, On Halloween
night (now isn’t that convenient),
15-year-old Max (Omri Katz) fool-
ishly gnts the candie in the di-
lapidated Sanderson house to im-
press schoolmate Alison (Yinessa
Shaw).

The two teens and Max’s little
sister (Thora Birch) can’t convince

Tim Belt

FILM REVIEW

their parents that all the weird
people out there aren't necessarily
trick -or- treaters — even with a
talking cat and stalking zombie in
town.

While the special effects are

. good, the filmn’s highlight is Bette

elting out / Put a Spell on You.
But the slapstick plot is more than
juvenile.

Peter’s Friends * /2(HBO Video)
Mature '

Meet Peter (Stephen Fry) — an
uppercrust Englishman who lives.
in a big hallowed manor in the .
countryside.

Now meet Peter's friends —
Maggie (Emma Thompson), a thir-
ty-something waif who really
thinks her cat is going to pine for
her when she's away; Roger (Hugh
Laurie) and Mary (Emelda Staun-
ton), a married couple who write
successful jingles together but also
share a tragedy that threatens to
throttle their marriage.

Then there’s TV scriptwriter An-
drew (Kenneth Branagh) and
Hollywood actress Carol (Rita
Rudner), a woefully mismatched
couple who met at an AA meeting
and cemented their relationship
over a glass of Evian water. Last,
but not least, is sultry Sarah
(Alphonsia Emanuel) and her latest
beau, Brian (Tony Slattery).

Not keen on commitment, she
gets entangled with men who are
otherwise “involved.” Sarah is
also the common denominator
with all the snen (a very friendly
sort), having slept with each of
them over the years.

A 10-year reunion of university
chums seemed a good excuse for
these ill-defined characters to
laugh a little (very little), cry a lot
and, eventually, end up in a big
group hug.

Yikes!

SHOWTIME HOTLINES
Famous Players . 681-4255
Cineplex Odeon ........ 687-1515

Derren oe

less beef club

kg

261271 assorted,

SENCEANSCLs

on

mth tare

fruit

renter

Foremost™ , 4 litre jug

Zz

hocolate, neapolitanorrainbow 41

AR EESRLLET EST GDERSS

A, 355 mi

e ju

17TH AND LONSDALE, NORTH VANCOUVER

Pricas in effect until closing Saturday, July 24/33, while stocks fast.
'e reserve the right to limit quantities.

SET AY Be ate Be a ect tid he

ee