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Thread: Ghostbusters (Paul Feig)

  1. #1
    Moderator Dead & Messed Up's Avatar
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    Ghostbusters (Paul Feig)


  2. #2
    Moderator Dead & Messed Up's Avatar
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    Okay.

    Mostly.

    Sort of.

    I don't even know.

    As a huge Ghostbusters fan growing up, it was a lot of fun seeing a new take on some of the mythology, new steampunk twists on the designs. The chemistry between the cast worked well, even if the relationship between Wiig and McCarthy felt a bit half-baked and over too soon - there's an intriguing backstory to Wiig's character that never really comes back. Instead, it fills in the blanks on why she's about to make a bad decision. MacKinnon's the MVP, Leslie Jones surprised me with her relative chillness (relative because it's Leslie Jones). I was worried her "power of Patty" stuff from the trailer would be indicative of her tone, but that's the biggest she gets, and she instantly locks in during the "hangout" scenes.

    Wish there was more for Neil Casey to do. He was so fantastic in Other Space as the space-faring gilled dork, and he brings fantastic presence to his underwritten scenes as spiteful nerd Rowan. There's a subtext that the film never quite threads back into the main story, where he resents being bullied for most of his life-- when he later borrows the body of Chris Hemsworth, it's the bullied triumphing over the bully, pathetic sleaze taking the power of a beefcake chunkhead, but that development just sorta hangs there.

    It's a Feig movie, so there are many smaller lines that land, but he never quite builds up to a huge punchline - not in the way that the original film could confidently build a minute of straight drama and stake-raising that caps with Bill Murray announcing, "This man has no dick" or "We get this guy laid, we won't have any trouble." That's not a critical error (Feig's gonna Feig), but it's undoubtedly a comedy of the modern era, with modern rhythms (and with most of the comedy shot in singles and mediums - the four busters are rarely cooperating together in a single shot / nitpick).

    Once the climax hits, the film falters, too fearful maybe of losing overseas audiences and opting for a needless Real Big Thing (Ghostbusters II similarly missed the mark with its Statue of Liberty, ehr... joke? Was that supposed to be funny?). There's also a whole lot of the heroes rolling around, using all their different weapons, and generally "being awesome." Maybe someone someday will realize just how dull being awesome is, and how much more interesting it is when heroes aren't awesome and have to work their asses off to save the day.

    I'd recommend a matinee for the more open-minded to a big fat Hollywood remake, and/or for those who don't have axes to grind with Feig and his overall style. There are fun things in the movie, and I smiled through a lot of it and even laughed pretty goddamn hard at times (Chris Hemsworth's name for his pet, MacKinnon's comment on corpse utility), but the flick deflates in the final stretch. It's a missed opportunity, but a watchable and often-entertaining one.
    Last edited by Dead & Messed Up; 07-12-2016 at 03:21 PM.

  3. #3
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dead & Messed Up (view post)
    Maybe someone someday will realize just how dull being awesome is, and how much more interesting it is when heroes aren't awesome and have to work their asses off to save the day..
    It feels like the list of directors that understand this begins and ends with Whedon. Imagine he directed this? The hang out scenes would be by far the best parts of the movie.
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    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    It feels like the list of directors that understand this begins and ends with Whedon.
    I'd say the Russo's do it even better.

  5. #5
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Skitch (view post)
    I'd say the Russo's do it even better.
    Nah there was no Mjolnir-like scene in Winter Solder or Civil War.
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    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  6. #6
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Man, I tell you, I really did want to like this movie, but this was seriously bad, you guys. :\

    As a comedy it falls completely flat. Only two jokes in the entire thing got a chuckle out of me, and the rest were complete groaners, with Kate McKinnon becoming my front runner for worst performance of the year so far. Like, seriously, I can't remember the last time I cringed so much at a performance, I don't know what that was supposed to be.

    Everyone else did mostly fine, though the cameos from the original cast are even more gratuitous than BvS' cameos (not to mention the sheer amount of callbacks throughout, which become almost as bad as The Force Awakens). And I was particularly impressed by Leslie Jones, who I had feared was going to be the most annoying based on what they showed in the trailers, but they honestly reserved her worst stuff for there, and she's fine otherwise.

    But I know this is a movie that's going to receive a lot of hate (mostly from people who likely aren't even going to see it, sadly), and I hate to jump aboard the hate train, but this movie really just didn't work for me at all. As a comedy it's a complete bust, as an action movie, well, let's just say that the big showdown in the streets between our heroes and a series of ghosts felt like one of the most tacked on action sequences I can recall in a movie. But I actually really liked the initial setup for the team coming together, and it had moments here and there where it felt like the plot might be coming together and I really wanted things to turn around for the better, but then another groaner of a joke would quickly dash away those hopes over and over again.

    It's not absolutely terrible, but it's not good by any stretch of the imagination, either. And it's a real damn shame, because I actually can see where there could have been a good movie here, because there are some good ideas here, and the actors do mostly do well, even if their actual jokes rarely ever land. But this thing needed some seriously better direction all around, and Paul Feig was very much not up to the task.

  7. #7
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dead & Messed Up (view post)
    There's also a whole lot of the heroes rolling around, using all their different weapons, and generally "being awesome." Maybe someone someday will realize just how dull being awesome is, and how much more interesting it is when heroes aren't awesome and have to work their asses off to save the day.
    Seriously, what was up with this scene? This was such an embarrassingly misguided sequence, I don't even know what they were thinking with this.

    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    It feels like the list of directors that understand this begins and ends with Whedon. Imagine he directed this? The hang out scenes would be by far the best parts of the movie.
    Oh man, Whedon could've worked wonders with this movie! Dammit, why'd it have to be Paul Feig?!

  8. #8
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    This was such a blast from the start and did a good job keeping the momentum up, despite an obtuse choice for a villain. I enjoyed this miles more than Feig's other films, but my main gripe... I'm not sure we needed the character Kevin. Nevertheless, I felt like the film did an incredible job of not only defining these new characters but succeeding as a summer blockbuster experience.

  9. #9
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Without question, the original Ghostbusters is one of those movies that’s impossible to hate, and its legacy will stand the test of time. But this remake deserves a chance for doing something different with its concept and cast. The film’s sense of humor is the biggest flaw; ranging from well timed quips organic to each character to surface-level referential jokes, so it’s really hit-and-miss, and other times, it feels like some jokes could have gone a little further. But the new characters have a fun dynamic with each other and have their own standout moments, the cameos from the original cast are hilarious and organic to the story, the action sequences are fun and the visual effects look great…I don’t know what else anyone would want out of this other than a very entertaining blockbuster, and that’s exactly what this is.

    PS. Kate McKinnon is amazing and a star in the making and her eccentric character steals the show.
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  10. #10
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Funny how Kate McKinnon is getting raves (mostly) in America, but the European critics are saying she's the absolute worst thing in the movie.

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  11. #11
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Ivan Drago (view post)
    PS. Kate McKinnon is amazing and a star in the making and her eccentric character steals the show.
    I'd love to see her in something else, just to see what she's actually capable of. 'Cause I can see potential there, and if she had dialed it down for this performance, I can even see this working as well. But god damn did she over-do it in this movie...
    Last edited by TGM; 07-18-2016 at 03:05 AM.

  12. #12
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    Quote Quoting Zac Efron (view post)
    I enjoyed this miles more than Feig's other films,
    I'd probably watch this again before I'd re-watch Bridesmaids, but Spy was far superior to either of those, and that one is still really only just okay. Paul Feig's really just not all that great a director. :\

  13. #13
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I'd love to see her in something else, just to see what she's actually capable of. 'Cause I can see potential there, and if she had dialed it down for this performance, I can even see this working as well. But god damn did she over-do it in this movie...
    I actually thought Feig's style of humor was dialed down significantly for this, whether it was due to studio interference or the PG-13 rating. He got away with a little, but it was really tame for the most part.
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  14. #14
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    Ive heard pro and con on this flick from trusted sources...yet Im waiting patiently for 8s review. Been noticeably quiet, sir. Whats the word?

  15. #15
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Ivan Drago (view post)
    I actually thought Feig's style of humor was dialed down significantly for this, whether it was due to studio interference or the PG-13 rating. He got away with a little, but it was really tame for the most part.
    I wasn't so much talking about his style of humor in that post, rather McKinnon's over-the-top performance in particular, which could've done with some dialing down on I felt.

  16. #16
    White Tiger Field Stay Puft's Avatar
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    McKinnon is great but her character... is certainly lacking a bit. She really only has one or two great moments, but that's also true of the rest of the cast (Wiig's backstory, for example, which is a nice moment). The writing is the weakest link here quite easily, which is such a shame, because it drags down the very good work so many people are putting in to make this succeed. It ended up being exactly the movie I suspected it would, but with the added bonus that Feig actually stepped up a bit and did some good work (but still not great; he nails the look and feel of Ghostbusters in many places, but fails to apply any sense of style consistently, not unlike Spy). I liked how the ectoplasm and proton streams and such would pop outside of the frame, not just out of the screen when wearing 3D glasses. It actually made me jump the first time. The special effects are exceptionally well done on the whole, and the biggest compliment I can give it - even if it's just a simple gimmick - is that it helped the film stand out amongst the other blockbusters this summer. I felt like I was watching an event, that it was worth coming to the theatres to experience this movie.

    Overall, I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. I'd get in line for a sequel.

    But I could have done without the cameos, the incessant references to the earlier films, the routine third act, etc. Also, like Ivan said, the humor is too hit or miss. Some of it had me nearly crying, while other stuff (like Wiig and McCarthy arguing about putting the cat back in the bag) felt completely misguided and pointless and made me sit and stare with a blank expression. I think part of the problem is how incessantly "jokey" the film is trying to be. The original film takes a moment to establish a more spooky, supernatural tone, and doesn't build humor into that until Venkman is on screen, but this one goes straight to lame jokes and one liners during the mansion tour, with nothing but bit characters (Irish proof fence, etc.) and every one of those lines crashed and burned. (I was wincing in pain until about the time McKinnon's character popped up, actually, but once the Ghostbusters get to the mansion, the chemistry and rhythm really started to work for me.)

    So eh it's not great but I made peace with what it would be and was surprised how much I still enjoyed it. Probably the best case scenario with this creative team. (I might prefer Spy but it's close, and it's really just typical studio stuff that brings it down, e.g. the pandering to nostalgia, which with the cameos and such was probably a damned if you do and damned if you don't scenario. So I'd really like to see a sequel now that this team has been established.)
    Last edited by Stay Puft; 07-19-2016 at 12:47 AM.
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  18. #18
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Also, a trend I've been noticing, as I've been perusing both positive and negative reviews: people who liked the movie tend to like Kate McKinnon best. People who didn't like the movie tend to like Leslie Jones best.

  19. #19
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    Re: that video

    - Weird to me when people talk about the virtues of "art" when addressing corporate product. (And then she talks about how "art" should push boundaries while on a set dressed with Ghostbusters toys).

    - Some of these people could be "reviewing" junk food and it wouldn't make any difference. "Guys, guys, guys. Don't get me wrong. I love fast food. Love it. When I was a kid, McNuggets changed my life. But now McDonalds wants to change the menu and serve breakfast all day? No. That's just wrong. It violates the spirit of everything I connected with as a child. The new menu isn't even close to the greatness of the old menu."

    - Dan Ackroyd drove the production of this movie. He pushed for another sequel for years and years and it didn't happen because Bill Murray refused to do it. But a lot of fans blame faceless, mindless "Hollywood executives" for this movie and how it turned out. How did Ackroyd avoid any blowback from all quarters?

  20. #20
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    I'll be honest that I dislike comic book girl... immensely.
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  21. #21
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Eh, she's not the most well articulated and I don't agree with everything she says, but she often does make some good points I think.

  22. #22
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    McDonald's Breakfast Menu during the day is great. They can't preheat the stuff, so it's always hot if you order it after 10. lol.

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  23. #23
    But there are no McGriddles so what's even the point?

  24. #24
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Sycophant (view post)
    But there are no McGriddles so what's even the point?
    Wait, they got rid of McGriddles?! :O

  25. #25
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    Quote Quoting Sycophant (view post)
    But there are no McGriddles so what's even the point?
    Huh. They have McGriddles on the all-day menu here. Maybe its regional?

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