Licorice Pizza

There is something inherently charming about Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, with it's intriguing characters, period setting and relaxed narrative. At it's heart, it's a unlikely romance but it's also about it's characters as they inhabit a very specific place and time, in this case 1973 in the San Fernando Valley. It's quirky and different in a way that only a Paul Thomas Anderson film can be and I couldn't help but fall in love with it. 

Gary Valentine (played by Cooper Hoffman) is a somewhat successful child actor who has appeared in a few movies and T.V shows by his age of 15. On school picture day, he crosses paths with Alana Kane (played by Alana Haim), who is significantly older at the age of 25 and works for the company doing the school photos. Smitten, Gary strikes up a conversation and although she rebuffs his advances ultimately accepts to meet him for dinner and a friendship develops. When he needs a chaperone for a press appearance in New York, he recruits Alana to accompany him when his mom Anita (played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis) is unable to go. When roles begin to dry up, Gary begins a Waterbed company with his friends and Alana. When Alana decides she wants to try acting, Gary introduces her to his agent, leading to a very successful audition with actor Jack Holden (played by Sean Penn). She goes out to dinner with him that night, she gets roped into participating in a motorcycle stunt with Jack on a golf course cooked up by a very inebriated film director, Rex Blau (played by Tom Waits) and Jack. Meanwhile, their Waterbed company takes off, leading them on such assorted misadventures as a extended encounter with notorious hairdresser turned Hollywood producer Jon Peters (played by Bradley Cooper). 

The film was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and is in a way a return to form of his earlier films which centered on unique characters populating the San Fernando Valley in films such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and perhaps most directly to this one, Punch Drunk Love. Much like the latter film, this one is a very unconventional romance. Much of it is one sided, with Gary very much infatuated with Alana, but Alana understandably rebuffing his advances. Still, there is something that keeps her coming back to him and soon a friendship and partnership develops between the two. It is not like anything I really have seen in a film before. The closest I can think of is the unrequited love William has for Penny in Almost Famous (which, curiously, also takes place in 1973). The film itself takes on an almost episodic nature as it traverses Gary and Alana's various adventures together, whether it is on a press appearance for a film Gary was in (leading to an amusing run in with the film's star, Lucille Ball expy Lucy Doolittle (played by Christine Ebersole) or setting up their waterbed company and everything beyond that. Anderson drew inspiration for the character of Gary from the early life of former child star and current Hollywood Producer Gary Goetzman, based on stories Gary had told him. He then peppered the story with assorted oddball characters that occupied Hollywood at the same time that Gary and Alana would have run into, some fictionalized, some not so much.  Anderson, who shot the film with Michael Bauman, did a fantastic job not just capturing the time period, but also the look and feel of 1970's films. It probably helps that they used older film lenses and shot on 35mm film.     

The film has a fantastic cast, starting with the two leads. Cooper Hoffman is great as Gary. He really captures Gary's drive and maturity well beyond his years. He's a fascinating character in that he's only a teenager, but can keep pivoting from one thing to another when something doesn't work out, always able to pounce on the next opportunity. It's these qualities that keep drawing Alana back to Gary. Alana Haim is equally fantastic in the role of Alana, a role Paul Thomas Anderson wrote specifically for her. She wonderfully captures how lost Alana feels as she tries to figure out what she wants her future to be. She tries several things throughout the movie and yet keeps getting drawn back to Gary who comparatively seems to have it all figured out. The film is also populated with a number of actors in smaller parts that nonetheless leave memorable impressions in the film. Sean Penn has an interesting turn as Jack Holden, clearly based on Hollywood actor William Holden. Alana meets him when she is auditioning for a film and he initially seems like a potential romantic prospect, despite being significantly older. Of course, he turns out to not quite be the person he appears during the audition later on when Alana joins him for drinks in an amusing turnabout that Penn handles quite well. Christine Ebersole has an amusing bit as Lucy Doolittle, clearly based on Lucille Ball, during a press promotion appearance with Gary and assorted other cast members for the film "Under One Roof" (clearly Yours, Mine and Ours). But easily the most memorable one for me was Bradley Cooper as the eccentric and wild Jon Peters. He shows up late in the movie but just steals every scene he is in and is hilarious in the role. What should be a simple waterbed delivery for Gary, Alana and his friends turn into a pretty crazy adventure they probably could not have predicted. 

Overall, Licorice Pizza is one of my favorite movies of 2021. It has a fun, unique plot led by two fantastic actors playing unique and interesting characters. It is a Paul Thomas Anderson film through and through, with it's episodic and sprawling storyline that I was never quite sure where it was going. I was absolutely enchanted with this film from beginning to end. Based on some of the reactions I've read to this film, it is certainly one where one's mileage may vary. But, if what you've read so far sounds appealing, chances are you will enjoy it too.     

West Side Story (2021)

 

When I first heard that Steven Spielberg was going to remake West Side Story, my first instinct was, Why? But the more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe that was one that could use a fresh look. As much as the 1961 movie is a classic, some aspects to it have really not aged well. Also, I was just excited at the thought of Spielberg doing a musical. He had flirted with the genre several times throughout his films, with big musical numbers in both 1941 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But he had yet to make a full blown musical until now. Now having seen it, I can say he absolutely crushed it. 

By now, most people probably know the plot of the film. Set in the West Side of Manhattan which is quickly being demolished to make way for the likes of Lincoln Center and newer and more expensive high-rises, two rival street gangs are fighting for the territory that remains. One gang is the Jets, led by Riff (played by Mike Faist) and the other is the Sharks, led by Bernardo (played by David Alvarez). After their latest scuffle is broken up by Officer Krupke (played by Brian d'Arcy James) and Lieutenant Schrank (played by Corey Stoll), Riff feels it's time the two gangs had a rumble and goes to recruit the newly paroled Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) to join them. Tony refuses, wishing to go straight after his recent stint in prison. Still, he shows up at the neighborhood dance where he encounters Maria (played by Rachel Zegler). Maria came to the dance with Chino (played by Jose Andres Rivera) at the insistence of her brother, Bernardo. It's love at first sight for the two, which angers Bernardo, who is less than thrilled with the match. In the heat of the moment, Bernardo agrees to Riff's call for a rumble so long as Tony attends. Maria and Tony meet again later that night on the fire escape outside her apartment and make plans to meet up for a real date the next day. Meanwhile, tensions continue to grow between the Jets and the Sharks, setting the stage for an ultimate showdown between the two gangs for control of their neighborhoods. 

The film is directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Tony Kushner and the two throw themselves into the material with a sort of energy and fearlessness that is infectious. This new version of the classic musical has the right amount of reverence for the original stage show and movie, while also carefully fleshing out the story and characters in meaningful ways. The changes they make are small in the grand scheme, yet meaningful. In this version, Doc is replaced with his widow Valentina (played by Rita Moreno), who is a bit of a surrogate parent for Tony. I also appreciated that they made wannabe Jet member Anybodys (played by Iris Menas) canonically transgender in this film, whereas previously he was portrayed as a tomboy girl. They also move around a few of the musical numbers, with "Maria" and "Tonight" once again being back to back with "America" moved to the following morning. Still, the songs remain the same iconic songs Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim originally wrote, so much so that I found myself singing along a couple times without even entirely being aware of it. The musical numbers are wonderfully realized by Spielberg and choreographer Justin Peck, utilizing a bit of Jerome Robbins original choreography from the 1961 film in certain points, but largely breaking free and creating their own for much of the film. There is so much energy and fire behind these numbers it took my breath away to watch. The actors perform it flawlessly as Spielberg captures it all with the help of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski as the camera moves around and throughout it all. I was continuously blown away at the way Kamin shot this movie, the way he and Spielberg use light throughout the movie, with the scope frame and the lens flares. Early in the film, when Tony and Maria first meet under the bleachers at the dance, with the light pouring in between the wooden slats, adding a dream like feel to the sequence. Of course, all this changes once they're discovered and reality intrudes. Kamiński's photography in the film is lush and gorgeous in a way that had me enraptured to the screen. The film clocks in at a whopping 156 minutes, but moves with such passion and the speed of a freight train that I hardly felt it at all.  

The cast of the film is top notch. Rachel Zegler blew me away as Maria, both in her singing and acting. She really captures Maria's aching desire to find her own independence and not rely on Bernardo and Anita. Maria grows a lot over a remarkably short time period the film takes place in and Zegler captures it all perfectly. Ansel Elgort has been getting a fair amount of criticism in his performance as Tony, but I thought he did well in the roll personally. He handled the singing and dancing quite well, to my surprise, and also captured the struggle of Tony quite well, who wants to go legit and break free from the Jets, but still finds himself getting pulled back in. Mike Faist gives us a very different Riff than I was familiar with from Russ Tamblyn's iconic portrayal in the original film and this film is all the better for it. Don't get me wrong, I love Tamblyn's Riff, he was my favorite character in the original film. But Faist breaks free from that and gives us a Riff that feels a bit more on the edge and a bit more dangerous. There is a devil may care attitude and nihilism to Faist's Riff that I find very compelling. Ariana DeBose is great in the role of Anita, who is both Maria's best friend and her brother Bernardo's girlfriend. She is a fantastic singer and dancer as well as handling the more emotional aspects of the role with great care and sincerity. David Alvarez does well with the role of Bernardo, grounding it nicely and capturing that Bernardo is only doing what he thinks is best in the way he looks after Maria and pushing her to date Chino. And of course we have the amazing Rita Moreno as Valentina. It's a supporting role in the film, but a meaningful one. I loved her scenes in the film with Ansel Elgort and the way they played off one another in a surrogate parent-child relationship that worked perfectly. She also gets to perform "Somewhere" this time around, recorded live on set and absolutely crushes it. 

I had been looking forward to this film with anticipation ever since I saw the first trailer for it and I have to say it managed to exceed even my high expectations. Everyone in this film is firing on all cylinders with fire and energy to spare. There is a reverence to the original stage show and 1961 film while also breaking free from it, while also grounding the material with a bit more grittiness. It's smartly updated without removing anything we loved from before. The same themes of racism, gentrification and immigration are all here just as they were in the original. It's every bit as good as the original film if not, dare I say it, maybe even a little better. But then again, why bother remaking something if you're not going to do it as well or even better than before? Either way, Steven Spielberg and his cast and crew definitely understood the assignment. 

Single All the Way

I should preface this review by stating that I am a sucker for Romantic Comedies, especially ones set around the holidays. So naturally, I was excited for Single All the Way, which stacked it's deck in my favor in so many ways that is was practically guaranteed that I would love it and, no surprise, I did. 

Peter (played by Michael Urie) has a successful life living in Los Angeles as a photographer and shares and apartment with his best friend Nick (played by Philemon Chambers) and Nick's dog Emmett. When he breaks up with his boyfriend and finds himself faced with another Christmas home for the holidays as the single guncle, Peter suggests Nick accompany him home and pose as his boyfriend. His family already knows and loves Nick and it would help deflect all the prying from his well meaning family. Nick hesitantly agrees and they're off to Nick's family home in New Hampshire, where they are greeted by his mother, Carole (played by Kathy Najimy) and father, Harold (played by Barry Bostwick). To his surprise, he discovers his mother has set him up on a blind date for the holidays with someone she met at her gym, James (played by Luke Macfarlane). Peter begrudgingly agrees to go through with it and to his surprise, the two hit it off well enough and agree to a second date. On the other hand, Harold always felt Peter was a better match with Nick and admits as much to Nick. Likewise, seeing Peter hit it off with someone has Nick re-evaluating his feelings for Peter. Deciding to do some meddling of their own, Harold, Nick's sister Lisa (played by Jennifer Robertson) and Peter's nieces Sofia and Daniella (played by Alexandra Beaton and Madison Brydges) conspire to get Peter and Nick to spend as much time together, volunteering them both to help with the local Christmas pageant that is put on every year by their eccentric Aunt Sandy (played by Jennifer Coolidge).   

The film was directed by Michael Mayer from a script by Chad Hodge. Like most romantic comedies, the outcome is pretty much a foregone conclusion, so the thrill is in getting to that ending and in that regard, Mayer and Hodge have created a warm and delightful holiday Rom-Com that manages to feel fresh even while operating within a familiar setup. It helps that the film is refreshingly free of any sort of homophobia or angst that usually accompany gay-centric films. Instead, the film focuses on the developing love triangle between Peter, Nick and James as well as Peter finding himself with having to make a decision about his future: does he want to keep working in L.A when the warm embrace of home is suddenly feeling so enticing? And who can blame him when home is such a loving place full of delightfully colorful characters? Still, the film does have an undercurrent the subtly illustrates the complexities of gay life that adds some substance to the film beyond the frothy holiday cheer, perfectly exemplified when early in the film Peter is chewing out his latest boyfriend on the phone after discovering he's married - to a woman - and pausing to say "I won't judge whatever journey you're on, but just hope you don't do this to someone else!" acknowledging that not everyone feels they can be out of the closet. The film also touches on small town gay life versus big city as Peter and James discuss it over their first date.    

The film has an impressive cast led by Michael Urie as Peter. There is something so relatable and endearing about the way Michael Urie portrays Peter as he tries to navigate everything he's feeling and tries to decide what he wants to do. Philemon Chambers is equally charming as Nick, a children's book author who supplements his income working as a handyman. Chambers have a nice, easy-going chemistry that makes sense for two guys who have been friends for a long time. It also fits for two characters that may have deeper feelings for one another that they may not have initially realized. Luke Macfarlane strikes the right note as James. It would be so easy to fall into that common Rom-Com trap where the other potential love interest is so obviously a wrong match but in this case James is a wonderful and charming guy that under any other circumstances might be a great pairing for Peter. Of course, this plays perfectly into the plot of the rest of the movie as this new potential love for Peter finally forces Nick to realize his true feelings. Kathy Najimy is fun as Peter's well meaning mother, who can't help but meddle but always comes from a place of love and support. Likewise, Jennifer Robertson is a delight as Peter's sister Lisa, but then again I may be biased because I love her from her role as Jocelyn on Schitt's Creek. Likewise, gay fave Jennifer Coolidge manages to steal every scene she's in as Peter's crazy Aunt Sandy, who apparently has a similar gay following or so she attests. I also enjoyed Alexandra Beaton and Madison Brydges as Peter's nieces who are clearly Team Nick and actively join the shenanigans to make sure these two end up together.  

Much like last year's delightful The Christmas Setup, Single all the Way is a sweet and charming gay Holiday Rom-Com that is endearing without being cloying and while being a bit predictable finds ways to freshen things up a bit along the way. With a stacked cast of wonderful actors keeping things fun and entertaining and able direction from Michael Mayer and a script from Chad Hodge that knows how to play with genre conventions made this a fun and easy-going Holiday treat. When it comes to Christmas Rom-Coms, I couldn't ask for anything more. Movies like this are cinematic comfort food, best enjoyed cozied up with a mug of hot chocolate.   

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

 

I went into Ghostbusters: Afterlife with pretty high expectations. I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for so long only to have the release repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic. Now that is has finally arrived, I am happy to report it was definitely worth the wait as a worthy follow-up to the first two films. The question is, how does it stack up to the first two films?  

Facing eviction from their apartment, Callie (played by Carrie Coon) is forced to move with her two kids, Phoebe (played by McKenna Grace) and Trevor (played by Finn Wolfhard) are forced to move to the home her estranged and recently deceased father left her in Summerville, Oklahoma. Her father, of course, was former Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. He was a bit of a recluse and lived alone, with no one really knowing what he was up to, known around town as the Dirt Farmer due to his digging around his land, but never growing anything. Soon enough, they settle in for the Summer at least, with Trevor getting a job at the local diner and Phoebe being enrolled in a summer school science course taught by Gary Grooberson (played by Paul Rudd), who passes the time by showing the class old VHS movies. Bored with the movies, Phoebe and her new friend known as Podcast (played by Logan Kim) go to check out what Gary is doing while the class is watching movies. He explains that Summerville has been experiencing earthquakes on an almost daily basis with no earthly reason why. He is researching to try and figure out why when there are no fault lines, no fracking, not even any loud music. Meanwhile, Trevor accompanies his co-worker Lucky (played by Celeste O'Connor) and a bunch of her friends on a ride through the countryside, winding up at an abandoned mine outside of town. The quickly leave when some strange rumblings come from deep within the mine. While exploring the house, Phoebe discovers a hidden panel in the living room floor and upon opening it, discovers a Ghost Trap inside. Further exploring also reveals a PKE meter and Egon's old proton pack. Likewise, Trevor finds in the Barn the old Ecto-1 under a large tarp and begins working on getting it up and running. When Phoebe brings the trap to school to show Podcast, Gary recognizes it immediately. After school, the three power it up and try it out, opening the trap and unwittingly release a ghost trapped inside, which leaves the area immediately and flees directly to the mine. Researching the area, they discover the old Mine was owned by Ivo Shandor, who also was the architect of the building Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver) lived in and was the head of the cult of Gozer. Realizing that deep in the mine lies a temple for Gozer worship and the same thing that happened in New York in 1984 is about to happen again in Summerville and Egon was trying to stop it. With no other choice, the suit up to face down Gozer once and for all, with some well timed help from their Grandfather's old friends, Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (played by Ernie Hudson). 

The film was directed by Jason Reitman from a script he co-wrote with Gil Kenan. For the most part, this film is a welcome breath of fresh air for the series. With the previous three Ghostbusters movies (yes, I said three!) all taking place in New York, the change of scenery to a small Midwest town makes for an interesting change of pace. There is a bit of a mystery to the film as well, as Egon's grandkids start uncovering what Egon was up to and what he was trying to do with his very unique set-up around his house that keeps the plot pushing forward as they weave in bits and pieces of the Ghostbusters mythos we know and love. There is a certain joy in watching these kids uncover their Grandfather's past that they knew nothing about, especially Phoebe who is in some ways very similar to Egon in her love for science and her intellect. It's heartwarming in the way they show her sort of posthumously bonding with her Grandfather as she uncovers her research and even manages to fix his proton pack. Jason Reitman handles these scenes perfectly and I'll admit, I even found myself getting a bit choked up. Trevor likewise has his own moments as he starts fixing up Ecto-1 and getting it running again. It's pure joy when they have their first field test as Trevor, Phoebe and Podcast find themselves chasing a unique ghost with a taste for metal through the town, and in true Ghostbusters fashion, leaving plenty of destruction in their wake. As a fan of the animated series, it was also a thrill to finally see the gunner seat and remote controlled traps incorporated into Ecto-1 as well. The only place the film begins to falter for me is at about roughly the two-thirds mark when Gozer starts to make her appearance and the plot starts to feel really familiar for anyone who has seen the first film. Still, Reitman and Kenan manage to work in enough surprises to keep things entertaining, even if I knew exactly where it was going.  

The cast for the film is phenomenal. McKenna Grace is a joy to watch as Phoebe. She brings such a unique presence to the film and makes her character so endearing. She is smart and adventurous, not unlike her Grandfather. She loves science and discovering new things. I also loved the little touch that when she gets nervous she tells "Dad Jokes" to try and break the tension, which of course pays off beautifully in the climax. Finn Wolfhard does well as Trevor too. It would have been so easy to play him as this angsty teen who's mad he has to move to the middle of nowhere, but Wolfhard downplays that aspect and while we get a sense of Trevor's displeasure at their situation, it feels genuine rather than forced and it helps that his character does try to make the best of it rather than sulk all the time. Carrie Coon has a trickier role as Callie, Egon's daughter. For much of her life, she's believed her father abandoned her and her mother and resents him for that. Made even worse, she now has to deal with his house and mountain of debt. Still, she's trying desperately to look on the bright side despite it all and Coon manages to balance those two sides of her character quite well. Paul Rudd is a delight as Gary Grooberson, who works as a science teacher at the local high school, but is using his Summer School gig to pay the bills while he does his own research. Rudd plays Gary with plenty of adorkable charm that he has down pat by this point, but I still find a joy to watch. A lot of the exposition about what is going on falls to him but he handles it quite well as he explains what happened back in 1984 New York to the kids and relates it to what is happening in Summerville now. Of course, there is a bit of a blossoming romance between Gary and Callie, which Rudd and Coon make work effortlessly. Logan Kim is a delight as Podcast and makes a great partner in crime for Phoebe as the two bond early on over their own unique interests. Celeste O'Connor gives a fun performance as Lucky, who has a bit of a flirtatious relationship with Trevor and soon gets pulled into the new generation of Ghostbuster antics as well. And last, but certainly not least, it was an a real thrill to see the remaining three Ghostbusters show up on screen again with the return of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. Of the three, we get to spend the most time with Ray Stantz, who shares with Phoebe during a phone call what had happened to the Ghostbusters since we last saw them. I also appreciated that they finally revealed what had happened to Winston after the Ghostbusters initially disbanded in this film. But all three slip back into their iconic roles with ease. 

Overall, as a life long Ghostbusters fan, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is everything I could have wanted in a belated follow-up. It has plenty of humor, adventure and a surprising amount of heart as well. It's not only a worthy follow-up, but it's also a loving tribute to both Egon Spengler and also Harold Ramis too. They handled both aspects perfectly but I'll leave it to the viewer to discover just how. It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for the Ghostbusters, because if the post-credits scenes are any indication, we're not done yet and I for one can't wait.  

Ghostbusters II

 

It took five years for us to get a sequel to Ghostbusters and once it finally arrived, it may not have been what people expected. With some curious plot choices and a somewhat darker tone, this proved to be a far more divisive film than the original. Still, it's one that I've always enjoyed despite it's flaws. 

The film picks up five years after the events of the first film. The Ghostbusters have since disbanded and pursued other jobs. When Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver) and her newborn infant Oscar are on the way home from the store, she unwittingly rolls the stroller through some pink slime that has oozed up from below the sidewalk. To her shock, the stroller takes off on it's own racing down the sidewalk and then stopping suddenly in the middle of the street. Frightened and not knowing what else to do, she pays a visit to Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis), who agrees to reach out to Ray Stanz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and the two will investigate. Although she requested they not include Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), he gets the information out of them when he pays a visit to Ray's occult bookstore and discovers what the two of them are up to. The three of them arrive at Dana's apartment and when they discover nothing unusual about Oscar, his room and toys or the stroller itself, they investigate the street where the stroller stopped where they get PKE readings that are off the charts. Posing as utility workers, Peter, Ray and Egon start digging and discover to their shock that way below the street, in an old subway tunnel there is a huge river of psychokinetic slime running under the city. Meanwhile, Dana is working in a New York museum restoring works of art. One of the works being restored by one of her co-workers, Janosz Poha (played by Peter MacNicol) is a huge portrait of Vigo the Carpathian, who was a 16th century tyrant and magician. Turns out the painting is haunted by Vigo's ghost himself and possesses Janosz, ordering him to bring him a child to be reborn into. Because of his infatuation with Dana, Janosz chooses Oscar. When Dana and Oscar are attacked again, this time in their apartment, they flee to Peter's apartment since they didn't know where else to go. This spurns the Ghostbusters to begin investigating Vigo's portrait after Dana mentions how much it creeps her out. Upon closer examination, they discover the portrait shows the same river of slime they found running under the city. Mounting an expedition underground, they discover the river of slime leads all the way to the museum...and Vigo. 

The film was once again directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. This film does tap into some very interesting ideas, especially the idea that the slime running under the city is a physical manifestation of all the anger and hate that is festering in the city and is literally bubbling up to the surface at various parts of the city, as well as feeding directly to this film's big bad, the genuinely creepy Vigo the Carpathian. It is certainly something that reflects the New York City of the 80's. The idea that part of defeating the villain this time around is the Ghostbusters having to figure out a way to turn the tide of all the anger and misery of the city is a unique idea. Where the film stumbles a bit for me is in the beginning, where we discover the Ghostbusters not only are no longer in business but that they were sued for the destruction they caused during the first movie, have a court order preventing them from working as Ghostbusters and the general public seems to think they're frauds. It just doesn't seem to jive with the climax of the first movie as we see thousands of witnesses and plenty of press documenting everything. I'd especially love to know how they think the Ghostbusters faked a 100 foot tall marshmallow man rampaging down Central Park West and climbing a high rise, while on fire, like King Kong. Still, it's not long before the band is back together and on the case again to stop the end of the world...again. Once that happens, the movie picks up significantly. I did appreciate that this film is a bit darker and creepier than the original film, although a lot of that may have to do with Dana's infant son being in jeopardy several times in the movie (the ghost nanny in particular always freaked me out as a kid). Also, in-between the two films there had been the animated cartoon series, The Real Ghostbusters, so the filmmakers do their best to bridge the gap between the movies and the animated show, with an increased presence of Slimer, the little green spud shaped ghost, is notably different and more in line with his character in the show than the first film. Since the first film and animated show had become incredibly popular with kids, there is also an overall softening of some of the coarser elements we saw in the first film (no crazy sex dreams for Ray this time around, for example).  

The film reunites pretty much the entire cast from the original film. Bill Murray slips back into the role of the wise-cracking Peter Venkman with ease. As we catch up with him, he is now hosting his own paranormal talk show, but still remains friends with Egon and Ray. Ray, meanwhile, is living the quiet life and running his own occult bookstore. As always, Aykroyd perfectly captures the wonderfully pure and eccentric Ray Stantz. Likewise, Harold Ramis does great as Egon, although he gets to loosen up and have a bit of fun in this one at times, which is a refreshing change. Sigourney Weaver is given a bit more to play with this time around as Dana is now a new mother, having both been married and subsequently divorced in the five years since we last saw her. Clearly things hadn't worked out with Venkman, and the movie makes it clear he is not Oscar's father. Still it's not long before those same sparks are flying between Dana and Peter again and the two continue to play off each other wonderfully. Ernie Hudson is given a bit more to do this time around as well as he actively participates in investigating this new slime with Egon and Ray. My only complaint is his character shows up at the beginning of the movie to work a birthday party with Ray as Ghostbusters to entertain the kids and then disappears for a large stretch of the movie until the Ghostbusters are back in business. It would have been nice to get a scene where Ray, Egon and Venkman have to talk him into coming back and see what Winston had been up to since the Ghostbuster were largely out of business. Rick Moranis also gets a bit more to do this time around since Louis Tully is working as not only the Ghostbusters' accountant but also their not entirely effective legal representative as well. He also has a bit of a romance going on with the Ghostbusters' receptionist Janine Melnitz, played memorably by Annie Potts. Peter MacNichol is memorably goofy as Dana's boss at the museum, Janosz, who sports a unique and undetermined accent throughout the film that always cracks me up. MacNichol also does well with the creepier side of the role once his character gets possessed by Vigo.      

Overall, Ghostbusters II is not as good as the original but the more times I see it the more I love it. Yes, I do have my nitpicks with it as I detailed above but it also has a lot of heart and charm to it. I do wish we got a third film with all four original Ghostbusters together (Bill Murray was notoriously the lone hold out for a third film) but I am grateful for the two that we do have. It may not be perfect, but it still is a worthy follow-up to the iconic original film. 

Ghostbusters (1984)

 

I was really young the first time I saw Ghostbusters, probably like 1987 or 1988 because I remember being really excited when Ghostbusters II was coming out in theaters in the summer of 1989 (more on that one later). We owned the movie on VHS and I watched it countless times to the point where I had the movie memorized (in fact, I still do). I've just been a huge Ghostbusters fan and I struggle to recall a time in my life when I wasn't. So, naturally, I thought that with the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, now would be a perfect time to take a look back.   

After being thrown out of their labs on the campus of Columbia University, three paranormal researchers, Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis) decide to go into business for themselves starting a business offering their services in capturing and removing ghosts. Their efforts start off a little rough as their first real call ends with them causing some serious damage to a posh New York hotel. Their other client is Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver), who believes her apartment building is haunted when she sees a vision to another dimension in her refrigerator and a dozen eggs she just bought bust open and start frying on her kitchen counter. Business starts booming, leading the group to hire a fourth Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore (played by Ernie Hudson). In fact, they get so busy, the guys start to get the feeling all of this increased paranormal activity in the city is leading to something big. With further research, Ray and Egon discover that the Dana's building was designed by a worshipper of Gozer, a Sumerian God of Destruction. Her building was specifically designed to draw in and concentrate spectral energy to allow the return of Gozer and bring about the end of the world. With no other options, the four Ghostbusters have no choice but to suit up and try and stop it.  

The film was directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Dan Aykroyd came up with the initial concept, drawing inspiration from his own beliefs in the paranormal, which in turn came from his family's history of paranormal research dating back to Aykroyd's great-grandfather. When I started getting interested in the Paranormal myself, I was surprised to see the terminology that carried over from actual research, especially with the supposed occurrences of Ectoplasm dates back to the late 19th century). When his initial scope for the project proved too ambitious to film, Harold Ramis was brought in to help refine the story and craft the final shooting script grounding it in a sense of reality. The partnership worked well though as they crafted a dynamite movie that perfectly mixed comedy and chills that suited the film perfectly. Reitman likewise does a great job balancing the two moods of the film with both the comedic and practical special effects blending together seemingly effortlessly. The filmmakers do manage to pull off some pretty impressive effects in the film, with a number of them being completely practical, such as the mayhem the ghosts unleash, such as the aforementioned exploding eggs in Dana's apartment (which was accomplished by carefully inserting air hoses into the bottom of the eggs and disguising a giant griddle to look like her kitchen counter). Not to mention the climactic appearance of the 100ft tall Stay Puft Marshmallow man that remains an iconic element of the movie. Although, not all the effects have aged well, most of them have quite well. Bringing it all together is the fantastic score by Elmer Bernstein that really captures both the fantastical and comedic elements of the film perfectly.  

The film is perfectly cast with Bill Murray leading up the cast as the rascally Peter Venkman who is almost always ready to go with a sarcastic one-liner makes him an easy favorite among the group. There is something so adorably pure about how Dan Aykroyd plays Ray Stanz and the almost childlike excitement he has for every discovery they make, whether it's finding actual ectoplasmic residue or their first encounter with a ghost. You also get the sense there is a slightly more off kilter side to Ray, if a certain dream sequence he has that went right over my head as a kid is any indication. Yet, Aykroyd plays it all perfectly. Harold Ramis is great as the always serious and academic Egon Spengler. He plays the comedy of the role quite well without ever playing Egon like a stereotypical nerd. Sigourney Weaver does well in her role as Dana Barrett, who finds herself in way over her head with the sudden occurrences of supernatural activity in her life. She plays off Murray quite well, as Venkman takes a personal interest in her case. Ernie Hudson makes a nice contrast to the original three Ghostbusters, coming into the group initially as a bit of a skeptic but needing the job regardless. Still, Hudson does great in the role and adds a real everyman realness that helps ground the film. Rick Moranis has an amusing supporting role as Lewis Tully, Dana's accountant neighbor who gets pulled into all the supernatural happenings as well and has a recurring joke of constantly accidentally locking himself out of his apartment. Annie Potts has a memorable supporting role as the Ghostbusters' secretary and receptionist Janine, who also has a bit of a flirtation going with Egon as well. 

Ghostbusters naturally turned out to be a massive hit with all ages, spawning a sequel, two different animated series and a reboot in 2016 that proved to be a bit more...divisive (I, for one, loved it.). Still, it all started here with the 1984 original and it is easy to see why I caught the cultural zeitgeist so well. There have been a number of movies that have attempted to replicate this film's unique blend of the fantastical and comedic but none have quite managed to recapture it the way this film did. There are some films that truly fit the term "lightning in a bottle" and this film definitely is one of those. 

Home Sweet Home Alone

 

When it was initially announced that they were re-booting Home Alone I was a bit apprehensive. Hasn't this film series basically been done to death by this point with just re-hashing the same plot over and over again? Even Macaulay Culkin bowed out after the second one and really there was no more story left to tell. Still, this one is starring the adorable Archie Yates, who I loved in Jojo Rabbit, so I went in with an open mind. What followed only proved by initial fears. 

Jeff and Pam McKenzie (played by Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper) are experiencing financial hardship and are putting their house on the market since Jeff is out of work and they can no longer afford it on Pam's salary alone. Crashing their open house is the mischevious tyke Max Mercer (played by Archie Yates) and his mom Carol (played by Aisling Bea) so Max can use the rest room. While there, Max briefly discusses a box on antique dolls Jeff finds in the closet and Carol mentions those can be worth a lot of money, especially one that was mistakenly produced with the face upside down. When Jeff realizes the doll is missing later, he believes that Max had stolen it. After a search on eBay and realizing similar dolls are going for $200,000 and more, Jeff and Pam set out to retrieve the doll. Meanwhile, Max's house is besieged by relatives on the eve of everyone departing for Tokyo for the holiday. To escape the madness, Max finds solace in the garage as he climbs into the back of the family SUV and eventually dozes off. When he awakes the next morning, he discovers his entire family has already left for the airport and he is now, you guessed it, home alone. Since the family is split between two flights due to a flight cancellation no one notices he's missing until they get to Tokyo. When Jeff and Pam show up initially to retrieve the doll, Max overhears them and misunderstands them, thinking they intend to kidnap and sell him. Afraid that if he calls the cops, they'll put his mother in jail for negligence, he has no choice but to defend himself and his home against the hapless couple. 

The film was directed by Dan Mazer from a script by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell. The resulting film is a pretty blatant and straight-forward re-hash of the original film almost beat for beat. To their credit, the filmmakers do mix it up a little bit. One interesting choice was to make the robbers, Jeff and Pam in this case, more sympathetic characters who are just trying to overcome their hardship and save their own family home. I also liked that they had their own houseguests for the holidays and therefore had to keep tryin to explain their whereabouts when they were off trying to sneak off to go and get the doll back from Max. However, with this set-up, it makes an already implausible scenario even more implausible because everything could be cleared up with a quick conversation that neither Pam nor Jeff seize the opportunity to have. The weaknesses for the film are many and readily apparent. The biggest one is by making the intruders more sympathetic, they make Max less likable as a result. Much of the time, he comes off as a spoiled brat and is missing the same character arc Kevin went through in the original film and therefore remains somewhat unlikable. Also, if we are sympathizing with the plight of Jeff and Pam, it makes watching them go through Max's house of pain far less satisfying as each fall victim to one booby trap after another, with a couple of them leaving me wondering which Macaulay Culkin movie are they really remaking: Home Alone or The Good Son. They also re-do whole scenes in the film with little difference from the original film which makes this new film just feel like a cheap imitation. The laughs in the film is few and far between while also missing any of the heart or sentiment that made the original the beloved Christmas classic it is. The filmmakers do manage to make this film somewhat a legacy sequel and it was fun to see Devin Ratray return as Buzz McCallister, now working as a police officer. I also got some amusement out of learning through his character that Kevin McAllister now owns a home security company (Macaulay Culkin had the good sense to stay away from this though).  

The film does feature a solid cast and you can tell they are doing their best to try and make the film work. Archie Yates displays the same sort of charm that I enjoyed from him in Jojo Rabbit throughout the film, but the writing does not do his character any favors. Much of the time he comes off as a bit spoiled and entitled and doesn't seem to learn anything from his situation. Still, Yates does his best with a characterization that is seemingly all over the place and only sporadically sympathetic. Rob Delaney is amusing as Jeff, whose bantering with Max is what sets up the whole huge misunderstanding the plot of the film hinges on. He makes his character largely likable, if a bit dumb, who is driven to do some unlikable things out of sheer desperation. Ellie Kemper plays off Rob Delaney quite well as the two become more and more determined to retrieve the doll so they can save their home. Neither one of them come off as particularly unlikable throughout the film and made the movie watchable for me. Devin Ratray makes a cameo appearance as Buzz McCallister from the first two films and manages to recapture the character pretty well. I did find it amusing when he reveals every year Kevin calls in a report of a child left home alone to mess with him. Kenan Thompson makes a few amusing appearances as Jeff and Pam's relator who finds himself in a frequently awkward position since Jeff and Pam don't want the kids to know they're selling the house until after Christmas and has to try and explain why he's there to the kids. 

Overall, there is very little in Home Sweet Home Alone to justify it's existence. The few changes the make to the formula wind up actually hurting the film overall. It's hard to tell what the filmmakers were intending with this one. I can appreciate them trying to mix things up a bit with this entry, but the plot is a mess as I found myself sympathizing with the adult characters more than the kid. For a Home Alone movie, it had me wondering who this was made for. Today's kids are going to be turned off by the fact that much of the focus is not on Max. The adults who grew up with the original films are going to see this as a shallow cash-grab. It left me scratching my head as the disappointment set in. All the more so because the film had potential with a good cast but it all just falls apart with a very ill-thought out script.