Tag: Ghostbusters

Twofer Movie Review – ‘Belfast’ and ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ – The Joys of Youth

A weird pair? Sure.

Do I care? No.

Let’s get to it.



Written and Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, Lara McDonnell, Gerard Horan, Conor MacNeill, Turlough Convery, Gerard McCarthy, Lewis McAskie, Olive Tennant, Victor Alli, Josie Walker
Soundtrack: Van Morrison

With respect to a bunch of movies that had their releases delayed by the pandemic, I’m not sure I’ve been as excited for a new film in the past couple of years now as I’ve been for Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast.

Now, admittedly, I generally see British Isles accents as a feature and not a bug, so I felt totally comfortable diving into Belfast in a theater, rather than the comfort of home where I can turn on subtitles, but the movie is so much more than that.

Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical tale of young life in Belfast at the start of “The Troubles” is, in terms of pure cinema, maybe the best thing he’s ever directed, which is something given his resume. The black and white palate (with color occasionally mixed in for effect) helps to put the story in its time, but the cinematography itself frequently evokes the perspective of a child, which is one of the major points of the whole piece.

If I have any criticism at all, it’s that, there is one, maybe two scenes that feel a bit out of place with the rest of the film, but the performances are all on point, it looks beautiful, it feels beautiful, and, while it does touch on some darker subject matter (such is life), it still manages to be a joyful film throughout. I doubt anyone will ever classify Belfast as a “Christmas Movie”, but it gets honorary status in my book.

It deserves every award bestowed.

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)



Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Oliver Cooper, Bokeem Woodbine, Marlon Kazadi, Sydney Mae Diaz, Tracy Letts
Soundtrack: Rob Simonsen

Speaking of movies pushed back by the pandemic though, I was admittedly more cautious heading into Ghostbusters: Afterlife, being a huge fan of the first and even second movie in the series.

I’ve said this before in relation to Star Wars: I do my best to be concerned with the quality of the movies in beloved franchises first, before examining fan stuff like “canon” (Rogue One didn’t pass muster).

By that standard, Afterlife may be the best of the recent “nostalgia films”, in no small part because somebody not only bothered to write a solid screenplay first, but then had the directorial vision to follow through on it, rather than letting the cast take over the movie with incessant improvisation (not that I’m talking about any project in particular).

Is there “fan service” in Afterlife? Yes.

Is it at an unforgivable level? I’d say no.

Honestly, the most refreshing aspect of the movie to me is its simplicity, both in the overall story and in the “action” set pieces. There aren’t 500 CGI shots that come from an impossible camera angle that instantly take me out of the movie; it’s mostly down to earth stuff that conveys a real sense of risk and danger.

Now, does it “match the tone” of the 1984 film?

For the most part, I’d say yes.

The beauty of the original is that, while it is a comedy film that makes us laugh, the world of the movie is treated 100% real, which allows you to make a sequel film decades later that is a slightly different animal; but, on a binary, the dry humor is still there in Afterlife.

Kudos to Jason Reitman, who was resistant to the idea of making “Ghostbusters 3” for a long time, but ultimately may have been the perfect person to do it.

And, I have to say, as much as the marketing team may have been playing up the Stranger Things comparisons, I would not make that comparison at all. Believe it or not, you can have multiple properties with kids in them that are not the same.

Rating: ★★★★☆

In Defense of: ‘Ghostbusters Ⅱ’

Original Release Date: June 16, 1989

Directed by Ivan Reitman
Written by Harold Ramis & Dan Aykroyd
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol, Harris Yulin, David Margulies, Kurt Fuller, Janet Margolin, Wilhelm von Homburg, Mary Ellen Trainor, Jason Reitman, Aaron Lustig, Richard Foronjy, George P. Wilbur, Walter Flanagan, Bobby Brown, Christopher Neame, Cheech Marin, Brian Doyle-Murray, Ben Stein, Philip Baker Hall, Kevin Dunn, Max von Sydow, Chloe Webb
Soundtrack: Randy Edelman

As I look at my calendar, I see that if not for corona we’d have another Ghost Busters movie to see this weekend.

Will it be good? Will it be another crushing disappointment? Who knows?

But, since we won’t know either way for quite some time, I figure now would be an appropriate time to revisit the original sequel to 1984’s Ghost Busters, that of course being 1989’s Ghostbusters II.

I will concede right off the bat that the biggest weakness of this movie is the biggest weakness of many a sequel: the plot is awfully similar to the first one. The chess board is the same, the moves are the same, it’s just some of the pieces that are a little different.

However, there is plenty to appreciate in its own right.

The first act in particular is a lot of fun, in no small part because we get to spend time with the characters in different and uniquely entertaining ways than the previous movie, since they’re not really Ghost Busters anymore. After the courtroom scene though, things start to get stale, because we’ve kind of seen it all before.

However, even in the highly reminiscent busting montage, there are some cool bits, like the dark grey suits (that I wish we saw more of), the Central Park jogger ghost, and whatever the heck is happening in that china shop.

It may be an obvious, if not lazy choice, but I appreciate that the movie remains deeply entrenched in New York. No doubt the interiors were shot in Los Angeles, like the previous one, but I love the little touches like Ray’s book shop on St. Mark’s Place, and the literal deep cut of featuring the pneumaic transit system in the main plot.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolute best new addition: Dr. Janosz Poha.

He may serve the same story function as Rick Moranis’s Louis Tully in the previous movie (just more knowingly nefarious), but the way Peter MacNichol throws himself into the role is downright admirable. It’s one of the best performances in either of the films.

Also, I know it’s nowhere near the genius level of Elmer Bernstein’s score from the first movie, but I actually enjoy what Randy Edelman brings to the table. Ghostbusters II has a slightly different tone than its predecessor and I think his music reflects that.

Lastly, I’d like to address an oft-repeated criticism of this film.

I frequently hear people say in reference to Ghostbusters II that “Bill Murray phoned in his performance.”

Now, I don’t know the man, so I don’t know for sure, but I hypothesize that this belief is borne out of thirty years of seeing this movie on television, because when I saw it on the big screen I didn’t get the impression that he was checked out. I think his character is attempting to mature from his frat boy ways, and his performance falls in line.

In short, Ghostbusters II may not elevate the material a la Empire Strikes Back or be nearly as quotable as its predecessor (although I think it might technically be the better looking one of the two), but in a world of terrible sequels, remakes, etc., it manages to be entertaining enough on its own.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)


P.S.
In ordinary times, I go by the firehouse fairly often.