Ghostbusters

Rating:
Summary: If there's something strange...
Review: Ghostbusters is a bona fide classic movie. It has aged spectacularly well and definitely deserves re-watching. I'm sure everyone knows the story by now. Three University professors in parapsychology in New York City get kicked out for being too weird, set up a private ghost-catching company and happily save the world while becoming rich and famous and getting the girl. What a perfect piece of capitalist propaganda from the heart of the Yuppie world, NYC in the eighties! Still, the basic "American Dream" story is easily recognizable and appreciable through any number of leftfield distortions, and the vitality of the script and the brilliance of the lead performances prevent the movie from being too cloying or schmaltz-y. The humor retains a wicked, cutting edge, and certain set pieces are brilliant- Witness, for example, the opening scene of the movie, as Murray turns a psychology experiment into a pick-up scenario. These scenes are still as funny now as they were then, unlike certain other Eighties movies that seem to have lost their cutting edge over time, for example, Teen Wolf or Ferris Beuller's Day Off.
The supernatural side to the movie (and this was the movie that paved the way for the X-Files, Harry Potter and Crossing Over) is incredibly well set out, as the prophesies begin to come true (just like "The Omen"...) and the group struggle to make sense of what's going on. The science, while pure hokum, is also right-enough to be convincing, and the worlds of religion and politics also get gently mocked too.
The special effects don't really stand up against the stuff we're used to these days - the hell hound seems particularly lame - but Slimer and Stay Puft exude a certain charm missing from modern CGI.
My only quibble with this movie is the very end, where the evil god trying to destroy the world seems content to rely on...Mr Stay-Puft. ("No I'm not personally going to kill him - I'm going to put him in an overly elaborate easily escapable death situation and then just assume everything went to plan, what's wrong with that?") One would assume that an evil being intent on destroying the world after so many centuries of waiting would have a Plan B.
Anyway, go watch Ghostbusters today, and thank god this is one movie they never defiled by making a sequel! Oh no - wait a minute....

Rating:
Summary: Who ya gonna call?
Review: I have a small posse of favorite comedians. Somewhere towards the top of that list, along with Steve Martin, is Bill Murray. He's been around since the early 80s, getting his start on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" after Chevy Chase left for his own career in Hollywood. Murray worked live for a few years before -- like those prior to him him -- gradually making his way into the film world.

I like all of the comedians in "Ghostbusters," come to think of it. Dan Aykroyd is another great subtle comedian, with a great knack for writing as well as acting. It was Aykroyd, after all, who is primarily responsible for "The Blues Brothers." And Harold Ramis, who later became a director, with an impressive resume of such films as "Vacation," "Groundhog Day," and "Analyze This."

Then there's also Rick Moranis, a meek nerd character who is very underrated and very funny, a sort of Woody Allen Lite. He was Dark Helmet in "Spaceballs," Barney Coopersmith in "My Blue Heaven," and that wacky inventor in "Honey I Shrunk the Kids."

Yes, one could say that "Ghostbusters" is built on a firm base, scripted by Aykroyd, Ramis and Moranis (who is uncredited) and directed by Ivan Reitman ("Kindergarten Cop"). It's a clever little story with a simple premise and lots of laughs -- a band of failing friends unite to make a hoax ghost-busting company, but soon real ghosts do show up and they're in over their heads.

It starts in New York City. Peter Venkman (Murray), Raymond Stanz (Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Ramis) are three Columbia University scientists laid off after their grant expires with no results from the trio in return. Down to nothing, they cook up the brilliant (or crazy) idea to create a "ghost-busting" company.

But they immediately realize that it won't be as easy as it seems to get a little extra cash, because Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) comes to the men looking for help. Her apartment is infested with strange happenings, and her next-door neighbor, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), is having problems of his own.

They pretend to solve the situation and the men suddenly become a citywide phenomenon, attracting media attention and constant customers at their front door. They become so popular, in fact, that they are joined by Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson), another down-on-his-luck city guy looking for a good-paying job.

However, Walter Peck, EPA (William Atherton) doesn't believe that the Ghostbusters are really ridding any ghosts at all, so he has them thrown in jail. But an ethreal baddie named Gozer (Slavitza Jovan) soon appears in Dana's apartment complex, and weird happenings occur, forcing Peck to free the Ghostbusters once and for all so that they can bust the ghost and send it back to where it came from.

Sounds corny, huh? It's meant to be. Everything about this movie is campy and goofy, and that is exactly what Ramis, Aykroyd and Moranis wanted when they collaborated. And it is very funny.

I don't know, there's something in me that loves "Saturday Night Live" humor. Sure, the show has its dry spots, but I love it. Many people I know don't find it all that funny, and not as consistent as something such as "The Simpsons," but I love to watch it, I love the humor, and I love the actors.

Part of that love, I suppose, is what makes me enjoy "Ghostbusters" (1984) so much. However, believe it or not, "Ghostbusters" is not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as you might expect. It is very funny, but it isn't always a howler. It's more of an intelligent comedy, which is odd, since it is made by a band of guys from "Saturday Night Live" and such backgrounds.

Murray steals every scene he is in. This, along with "Groundhog Day," is the perfect vehicle for his comedic talents, ranging from the constant wise cracks to the constant dry ironic humor that I love so much. They key to his humor is not that he comes up with it, but the way he does it. Any comedian can use the blank glares, but the way he expressionlessly glares at fellow actors is a joke in itself. When Stanz admits that his one fear has always been the Stay Puff'd man, check out Murray's face. This is classic stuff.

As much a scene-stealer as Murray may be, he is nearly upstaged by Aykroyd and Ramis, who both provide a sort of counter-balance of lunatics and reason to Murray's flippant characteristics. The scene that everyone remembers it the finale involving the giant marshmallow Stay Puff'd Man, and whenever I think of Aykroyd's performance in this film, I think of that scene.

"Ghostbusters" is a very famous comedy, and for good reason. It's light, good-hearted, funny, and actually pretty intelligent, built upon a firm cast and script, which -- considering the majority of the actors' and writers' backgrounds of "Saturday Night Live" -- is almost as surprising as the film itself.

Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Sigourney Weaver!
Review: Upon a recommendation from my father, who, like me, is a big Sigourney Weaver fan, I took my allowance one Saturday, walked to Blockbuster with a friend and bought the Ghostbusters DVD. I watched it at my friend's house and once I started I yelled at her about not putting on subtitles. But I loved the movie. By the middle of the movie, my friend's dad and little sister were watching with us.
Ghostbusters is the hilariously clever, brilliantly designed, interestingly casted movie. They plot was a little strange, but that just added to the enjoyment of the movie. With Sigourney Weaver starring as Dana Barrett, Dr. Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) 'would-be-girlfriend' and Rick Moranis as the lovestruck, nerdy, neighbor of Dana Barrett's, Louis Tully.
After Dana encounters a strange creature in her refrigerator, she calls on the Ghostbusters, a business dealing with the removal of paranormal pests for help. When one of them, Venkman, sees Dana, he immediately falls in love with her. But when he is unable to locate the ghost in Dana's house, she shuns him with a 'You son't act like a scientist. You're more like a game show host.' Venkman leaves, still thinking about her. Later on, when Dana is possesed by the creature from her refrigerator it's up to the Venkman, along with his coworkers, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler (and Winston Zeddeman)to stop the evil Gozer from destroying the world.
This is a very interesting DVD. It's absolutely HILARIOUS! I was laughing nearly the whole time. If you need some laughs, buy/rent this DVD. You won't be sorry!

Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Movie
Review: Not to often will I call a movie perfect. However, Ghostbusters is one of those perfect movies.

After losing there jobs as scientists at the local University in New York three men Dr. Venkman(Murray), Dr. Spengler(Ramis), and Stantz(Aykroyd) set out to prove there right. They start a business to stop para-normal activity a.k.a Ghostbusting. They meet a Dana Barret(Weaver) who is having a ghost problem at her house. Venkman loves the woman and they decide to help her. In the meantime the rest of the city is in a craze over the ghosts and the ghostbusters are busting them like crazy. They hire some help Winston Zimmerman(Hudson). Back at Barrets though is a serious ghost uprising that is affecting her and her neighbor Louis. Will the Ghostbusters be able to stop it? Will Venkman keep his girlfriend? You'll just have to watch out and find out.

The movie was written by two of the stars Ramis and Aykroyd. They have written a perfect script. It has a great blend of humor. The comedey is slaptick, sarcastic, and very action oriented. Some of the greatest one liners ever spat out are in Ghostbusters.

Bill Murray is awesome. Dr. Peter Venkman is one of my favorite characters of all-time. Murray plays sarcastic roles to perfection and he does with Venkman. He is also quite charming in the movie. He really does steal the show. His one liners are classic. I'd laugh trying to say some of the stuff he says. That shows his caliber of an actor that he doesn't. He's one of the funniest guys in Hollywood if you like sarcasm. This role was suppose to have been played by John Belushi but his death gave the role to Murray.

Dan Aykroyd is great. He's one of the funniest men to ever live and grace a screen. The small or big it doesn't really matter. Ray Stantz is a great character. He's the kind of geek you wouldn't mind hanging out with. He's a sarcastic guy which Aykroyd can play to perfection. Aykroyd has played some funny people in movies and I rank Ray along side Elwood as his best ever.

Harold Ramis is awesome. He plays Igon Spengler in the movie. He is the loveable nerd. He is so nerdy it's funny. When he tells Janine he loves collecting spores, molds, and fungus. Thats great stuff a normal guy would never say. It's a shame Ramis hasn't stared in more movies like the rest of his ghostbusting mates. He's a great actor and is funny.

Sigourney Weaver is great in the movie. She plays off the other stars well. She is pretty in the movie. The movie wouldn't be the same without her. I think it's one of the better roles she ever did. I'd put it alond side Ripley as the best she's ever done. I like Dana a little better than Ripley because Dana won't kill you.

Rick Moranis is great as Louis. He is another loveable nerd you just love to like. Moranis has always played dorks, nerds, and under-achievers. Louis is a little of all three. He's one of the funniest side characters I can think of in a movie. He will definetly leave you laughing.

The special effects are great in Ghostbusters. You have to think this was a 1984 film. The ghosts look great. The dogs don't look so good, but you can only see that in the chase part with Louis. The ghostbusting equipment looks great. The explosions are good and it's some of the best special effects for it's time.

I love the theme song. Ray Parker Jr. sings it to perfection. If you haven't seen the movie I'm sure you've heard the song at some point. It's a great song that is catchy and will have you singing or whistling along side it.

Ghostbusters is a perfect movie. It has a perfect cast. It's a perfect script. There is a perfect mix of humor. The special effects are awesome. The DVD is a must own for Ghostbuster fans. This is one of the funniest and original movies you will ever see. It will leave you laughing and does what a movie should. It leaves you entertained.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie
Review: Ghostbusters is great because it has elements from many different genres: romance, action, science fiction, horror, and above all, comedy. I've never met anyone who didn't start singing along when they heard the ghostbusters theme song! An American classic.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie and DVD
Review: If you grew up during the 80's this movie defenitly has a special place with you. This movie still cracks me up almost 20 years later. The DVD is also one of the best put together around. It has a ton of extra's and actually is one of the better put together DVD's I have seen. Great edition to anybody's collection.

Rating:
Summary: An Incredible DVD of a Great Movie
Review: Ah, "Ghostbusters"... I wasn't around yet when it was released in theaters, but I saw it on video when I was very young and I have fond memories of the movie, the cartoon series, and the video games (well, maybe "fond" is the wrong word in the game's case, but anyway...)

It's nearly 20 years since this movie was released, and it remains just as enjoyable now as it did when I watched it as a child. Typically, good movies deserve good DVDs. Well, the folks at Columbia-Tristar have one-upped this, producing what is probably one of the best DVDs to have yet been released. While other good movies sometimes get sacked with sub-par DVDs, "Ghostbusters" truly gets what it deserves. This DVD is a model for what DVDs should be, but remember, "Ghostbusters" has some years on it, which is why the DVD can be this good. There's plenty of extras and featurettes to be collected over time to make a disc of such wonderful quality.

The main menu is a 3-D CG of New York City, where you can select various areas to enter, such as Spook Central, Feature, and Scene Select. Scene Select is also an option in the other sub-menus, but what makes them even better is that they themselves have sub-menus, so there are plenty of goodies in this disc for you to scour through when you're not watching the movie.

But why not watch the movie? There are plenty of ways to do it. You could watch it in normal widescreen, or you could have subtitles on, or info about the movie, or even a commentary track with Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis that pays homage to Mystery Science Theater 3000 with its use of shadows at the bottom of the screen. The picture is superb, the sound is almost perfect (in the early library scene, I still detected a minor bit of white-noise humming because it was so quiet, but the rest of the movie seems to be void of this,) and it's a great movie.

The special effects are very good too, and only during the horned-dog chase sequence is it ever noticable that these aren't really specters, and even then the creature can be viewed as a ghost (heck, they might have been aiming for that look for all I know.) Remember, this is 1984, back when stop-motion was still the big thing in special effects ("Clash of the Titans" hadn't even been out until the next year), so the CG effects were in their infant stages. Yet, the special effects blend with the movie perfectly and in turn, they end up looking better than the CG of today in most films.

And then, there's the music. This is the 80's, so it's expected that even a movie with a good soundtrack is going to have one or two cheezy 80's tunes on it. Thankfully, "Ghostbusters" has only one, and the rest of the music is great enough to beat it out, especially the infamous theme song, which I'm sure even people who haven't seen the movie have heard at least once before.

Among the extras are deleted scenes, suggested movies and trailers, trivia, storyboards, and the aformentioned commentary track. It has everything that a "Ghostbusters" could want and more. I'm happy to add "Ghostbusters" to my DVD collection and if you choose to do so as well, then you will be too.

-Escushion

Rating:
Summary: [e-mail]
Review: The film "Ghostbusters" is a supernatural comedy directed and produced by Ivan Reitman and released by Columbia Pictures. Reitman is the producer of "Animal House" and the director of "Stripes". The film is a 1984 release and aprroximately 1 hour and 40 minutes long.
"Ghostbusters" made $23 million in the opening weekend which was a studio record at that time. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards for "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Song" in 1984.
The movie is about three doctors named, Venkman (Bill Murray), Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Spengler (Harold Ramis), who lose their job at the University because some people did not like their studies on paranormal creatures. They start their own business and become the Ghostbusters. While working, they meet Dana Barret (Sigourney Weaver) who sees strange things in her refrigerator. The Ghostbusters come to the rescue and stop the end of the world.
I would recommend this film to anyone who likes unbelievable, silly comedies. Bill Murray is exceptionally silly because of the jokes he tells throughout the movie. I also like the theme song because it adds to the comedy of the film. I would give this film 4 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Jennifer's "Ghostbusters" Review
Review: The film "Ghostbusters" is a supernatural comedy produced and directed by Ivan Reitman and is released by Columbia Pictures. Reitman is the director of "Stripes" and the producer of "Animal House". The film was released in 1984 and is approximately one hour and forty minutes long. It made $23 million in the opening weekend, which was a studio record at that time. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Song also in 1984.
"Ghostbusters" is about three doctors, Venkman(Bill Murray), Stantz(Dan Aykroyd), and Spengler(Harold Ramis), who lose their job at the University because no one believed in their research, so they started their own business exterminating ghosts for people who paid them. They called themselves the Ghostbusters. While the three doctors fight different paranormal creatures in Manhattan, NY, they meet Dana Barret(Sigourney Weaver), a violinist who sees strange things in her refrigerator and hires the Ghostbusters come to fight it. In the end the Ghostbusters save the world from disaster and Dr. Venkman gets the girl.
I would recommend this film to anyone who likes unbelievable, silly comedies. Bill Murray was especially funny because he was the goofy one. The theme song was catchy which is why it was a huge hit when it was released. It is definitely a silly film but it does keep you laughing throughout it. I give this film 4 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Ghostbusters, whaddya want?
Review: "Do you believe in UFOs, astral projection, mental telepathy, ESP, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full-trans medium, the Loch Ness Monster, and the theory of Atlantis?" Well, it doesn't take any of these to enjoy Ghostbusters, but it would help to say yes to Janine's question, which she poses to Winston Zeddermore, who applies for the position of backup ghostbuster.

After getting the boot from the university, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler go to business for themselves. After all, they are "on the threshold of establishing the indispensable defense science of the decade--professional paranormal investigation and elimination."

They get their first experience in using their unlicensed nuclear accelerators and other hi-tech equipment at the Sedgwick Hotel, where they hunt down a Class 5 full-roaming vapour. Yes, this is the gluttonous green ghost whose initial encounter with Venkman yields the memorable line from the latter: "He slimed me." Venkman laters gets his own back by saying, "Never slime a guy with a positron glider."

Enter Dana Barrett, whose refrigerator contains something more extraordinary than month-old yogurt that's turned into a science project. "You don't generally see that kind of behaviour in a major appliance," cracks Venkman, who taken to her, later allows a Freudian slip to his colleagues, "I'll take Ms. Barrett back to her apartment and check her out." As expected, nothing's there, but the scene contains a brief exchange I still remember. Dana: "That's the bedroom, but nothing ever happened in there." Venkman: "What a crime!"

Yes, the snappy dialogue is what really carries this movie, which once again reteams director Ivan Reitman with Bill Murray--q.v. Stripes, as does Billy Murray's wacky Venkman, full of goofy optimism, funny facial expressions, and who is described as more of a gameshow host than a scientist by Sigourney Weaver (Dana). She, Dan Aykroyd (Ray), and Harold Ramis (Egon) are great foils for his comical schtick. However, Annie Potts as the bookish Janine, their put-upon office assistant, complete with Cyndi Lauper-like Bronx accent, provides more solid support. Her emotions range from excitement they get their first call "WE GOT ONE!" and her disgruntled "Ghostbusters, whaddya want?" after Venkman insults her, to her concern for Egon, to whom she gets attached. William Atherton as the contemptible Peck from the EPA, becomes the butt of the funniest line in the movie. "Yes it's true. This man has no ...."

But the action is engaging, as is the 80's rock soundtrack, and the special effects may not be the digital stuff we see in today's movies, but for the time, I was impressed with them the same way 50's moviegoers might have been for Ray Harryhausen's special effects.

After enjoying this movie three times at the theatre, I kind of forgot about it. However, I remember hearing how Harvey Comics sued Columbia Pictures for copyright infringement, thinking that the white ghost inside the red banned circle and slash resembled Fatso from Casper a bit too much. Nearly 20 years after seeing this, I still enjoy this. So, who you gonna call?