Ghostbusters II (1989) - Reitman's unjustifiably maligned sequel

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The 4th Ghostbuster, played by Ernie Hudson, gets to be on the poster for Ivan Reitman's sequel Ghostbusters II here, - but still without a starring poster credit

Five years after the events of the first Ghostbusters, the four guys have nothing to do anymore; New York is cleansed of evil spirits. But then a portrait of an old crook at the museum where Dana (Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters (1984))) works wakes to life, and he wants her child!

Ghostbusters II is written by co-writer/stars Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers (1980)) and Harold Ramis (Analyze This (1999)) and directed by returning filmmaker Ivan Reitman (Foxy Lady (1971)).
Incredibly enough the sequel to the sensational 1984 original hit is as wacky as the first time around. It is predictably bigger in scale and still seems to have an anarchistic reckless attitude towards what was possible effects-wise at the time of production.
Ghostbusters II has some new, fun supporting actor performances, including Peter MacNicol (Tangled: The Series (2017-20)) in a very silly, spasmic performance as Dana's boss, who becomes a pawn of the evil Vigo. Bill Murray (The Lost City (2005)) continues to be a treasure here, and I love the revamped version of the beloved title song by Ray Parker Jr..

Related posts:

Ivan Reitman: Evolution (2001) - Reitman's sci-fi crazy-comedy is thoroughly entertaining
Ghostbusters (1984) - Reitman and Co. conjure up the gleeful pomp and circumstance of the 1980s 

 Watch a teaser for the movie here

Cost: Estimated 37 mil. $
Box office: 213.3 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 5.76 times its cost)
[Ghostbusters II premiered 15 June (Hollywood) and runs 108 minutes. The long gestation of the movie was mainly due to reluctance by the film's stars. Reitman, Murray, Ramis and Aykroyd negotiated "low" upfront salaries, (Murray though reportedly was paid 7 mil. $) in exchange for box office profit percentages, lower than 10 % each but reportedly still "high". Animated spin-off series The Real Ghostbusters (1984-91) had spun a large child fan base for the franchise, necessitating that the sequel be more family friendly, - less scary, without smoking etc.. Reitman hired ILM for the film's effects, as he had been unhappy with the effects done by Richard Edlund for the first film. Shooting took place from November 1988 - March 1989 in New York and California, including Los Angeles. New York City authorities were cooperative to the point of allowing shooting on Manhattan's Second Avenue while the Soviet Union's president Gorbachev was in town, which already closed down 40 blocks. Reshoots took place in March and April, including on location in New York, as its ending needed changing, while the premiere was pushed forward to avoid clashing with Batman (1989), making the finalization of the film highly stressful. The film opened #1 to a 29.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 4 weekends (#3-#4-#2-#4) and grossed 112.4 mil. $ (52.7 % of the total gross). The film made less than half of its original in North America but almost double of the first film's international gross and was the 8th highest-grossing film worldwide of the year. Murray's disappointment with the film made another sequel impossible for the coming decades. Following Ramis' death in 2014, Reitman sold his, Ramis, Murray and Aykroyd's creative control of the franchise to Sony for an undisclosed, large sum. Their 2016 female reboot Ghostbusters flopped. Reitman's son Jason Reitman directs a second direct sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2020). Reitman returned with Kindergarten Cop (1990). Murray returned in Quick Change (1990); Aykroyd in Michael Jackson's music video Liberian Girl (1989) and theatrically in Driving Miss Daisy (1989); and Weaver in Alien 3 (1992). Ghostbusters II is rotten at 53 % with a 5.32/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ghostbusters II?

Ghostbusters (1984) - Reitman and Co. conjure up the gleeful pomp and circumstance of the 1980s

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Something fresh that's funny and ominously spooky at the same time is promised on this effective poster for Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters

Three guys who are fired from university paranormal scientist positions instead begin hunting ghosts in the Big Apple. More specifically an evil entity by the name of Zuul, which comes out of sexy New-Yorker Dana's (Sigourney Weaver (Alien (1979)) refrigerator.

Ghostbusters is written by co-writer/co-star Dan Aykroyd (Dragnet (1987)) and co-writer/co-star Harold Ramis (Bedazzled (2000)) and directed by Ivan Reitman (Foxy Lady (1971)).
It is a delightful 1980s horror-comedy bonanza with a hilarious Bill Murray (Rock the Kashbah (2015)) at the film's front and center. Rick Moranis (SCTV (1980-81)) as Dana's neighbor is also a riot.
Ghostbusters is a throw-back to a fantastic era where experimentation such as an FX-heavy comedy with no intellectual property behind it, - a costly, unproven and original concept, - enjoyed full studio support. It is a colorful, highly entertaining and damn good time.

Related post:

Ivan Reitman: Evolution (2001) - Reitman's sci-fi crazy-comedy is thoroughly entertaining

Watch an original trailer for the film here

Cost: Estimated 30 mil. $
Box office: 295.7 mil. $
= Blockbuster (returned 9.85 times its cost)
[Ghostbusters premiered 7 June (California) and runs 105 minutes. Aykroyd was inspired by his family's fascination with ghosts and with ghost comedies of Hollywood yore. The studio paid Universal Pictures 500k $ for the rights to the Ghostbusters title. Reitman requested the 25-30 mil. $ budget by simply tripling the budget of his preceding film Stripes (1981). John Candy was sought for the neighbor Tully role but turned it down; Eddie Murphy was meant to be the 4th ghostbuster Winston but turned it down, and the role was diminished prior to filming to the regret of its eventually star Ernie Hudson, who goes unrecognized on the film's poster. Shooting took place in New York and Los Angeles from October 1983 - January 1984. Production shut down streets in New York during rush hour, angering residents including writer Isaac Asimov, and necessitating an officer pull his gun on a taxi driver refusing to comply. With Hollywood's major special effects companies already busy on other projects, Columbia Pictures supported Richard Edlund, fresh off Poltergeist (1982), with 5 mil. $ to open a new SFX company named Boss Film Studios and create the effects for Ghostbusters. The effects cost 700k $ more to complete and included Steve Johnson's 300k $ Slimer ghost, created with inspiration from the late John Belushi while taking cocaine. Columbia spent an additional 10 mil. $ on prints and marketing. One trailer included a toll-free number with a pre-recorded message from Aykroyd and Murray, which reportedly got more than a million calls in 6 weeks. The film opened #1 to a 13.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another 14 weekends and was in the top 5 for another 7 weekends, grossing 229.2 mil. $ in its first release there (81.2 % of the total initial gross). It has made more in subsequent re-releases. It was the 2nd highest-grossing film of the year in North America, behind Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Ghostbusters is the highest-grossing comedy of the 1980s. Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters #1 Billboard Hot 100 theme is thought to have contributed 20 mil. $ to the film's success, but Parker was sued by Huey Lewis for plagiarizing the bass line in his I Want A New Drug (1983): The two settled out of court, and Parker sued Lewis for saying that Parker "stole the song" in a 2001 VH1 episode, leading Lewis to then pay him an undisclosed sum. While Hudson worked for half his fee to get the role as Winston, the real stars received gross profit percentages; Murray at top reportedly earned 20-30 mil. $ from the film. Tons of merchandise were sold, as well as 400k VHS copies initially in North America, at the incredible unit prize of 79.95 $, accruing a further 32 mil. $. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Effects, lost to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Best Song (Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters), lost to Stevie Wonder's I Just Called to Say I Love You from The Woman in Red. It was also nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won 1/2 BAFTA nominations and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. The film inspired an animated TV-series (The Real Ghostbusters (1986-92)) and a sequel series, as well as a less successful (still majorly successful though) movie sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989) with the filmmakers and cast back, which disappointed Murray, impeding a second sequel: Instead the female reboot Ghostbusters (2016) was made to financial mire: A new sequel with a new cast, directed by Reitman's son Jason Reitman, is set for release this summer as Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Reitman returned with the music video for Parker's Ghostbusters (1984) and theatrically with Legal Eagles (1986). Murray enjoyed a 6-year hiatus after the smash before returning as a leading star with Scrooged (1988); his first role was, however, in Nothing Lasts Forever (1984); Aykroyd in the same film; and Ramis in Baby Boom (1987). Ghostbusters is certified fresh at 97 % with an 8.14/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ghostbusters?

Ghostbusters (2016) - Feig's reboot is the summer's light-heartedly funny, slimy major release

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The stars of Paul Feig's Ghostbusters in front of two flaring headlights

Ghostbusters is the reboot of the popular Ghostbusters movies, - two films, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989). It is written by Katie Dippold (The Heat (2013)) and Michigander master co-writer-director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids (2011)).

After a physics professor at Princeton loses her job due to a ghost-believing past book, she and her co-author friend and two other ladies form the Ghostbusters to fight New York City's burgeoning ghost problem.

Ghostbusters marks a big change for Feig, who has directed comedies with strong protagonists (Bridesmaids and Spy (2015)). Here he is rebooting an almost fabled property that sort of has four protagonists. It is clear that he and Dippold, (who has written a lot of TV and the so-so buddy comedy Heat), have been careful not to upset the framework laid out in the original films. The new Ghostbusters is very respectful in its approach in terms of tone and story, and that makes it a good, fun time - just as the original films - but nothing more than that. I wonder if the film mightn't have been even better, if the makers had dared kick the bucket (the old films) with a bit more reckless wildness. Another, possibly greater fit to the reboot might have been director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black 3 (2012)).

The leads are now four very funny women: Melissa McCarthy (The Boss (2016)), Kristen Wiig (Nasty Baby (2015)), Kate McKinnon (Finding Dory (2016)) and Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live (2014-16)). They all have funny moments and some that don't work, but the film isn't anyone's best. Chris Hemsworth (Thor (2011)) is used gratuitously as the team's hunky but brainless receptionist.
The film opens with a funny utilization of Zach Woods (Silicon Valley (2014-16)). The main characters aren't, regrettably, really set up, - they just appear. Charles Dance (City and Crimes (2003)) is no fun at all as the principal of Princeton. We later get better fits in Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire (2010-14)) and Matt Walsh (Veep (2012-16)), Andy Garcia (City Island (2009)) as the city's douchy mayor and cameos from the original films' Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers (1980)), Sigourney Weaver (You Again (2010)) and, in an actual part, Bill Murray (Space Jam (1996)). Since a third film with the original cast didn't come to happen for about 20 years mostly because of Murray's unwillingness to commit, it is somewhat curious to see him finally come back for this strange skeptic part.
For those fearing something not in line with the original films, there's nothing to fear about the new Ghostbusters. It is told in an old-fashioned, heavy way without much freshness to it. For my taste, they could have taken all the proton/gamma/ghost lingo nonsense out and given us some more character-based depth and fun instead. Ghostbusters is dedicated to its silliness, which is nice and befitting, (just don't ask yourself how they even operate as a kind of company in New York with no income at all through the whole film.)
The silliness and likability of the stars gets coupled with some genuinely exciting effects. The 3D use is an integral part of the film, and there's several really exciting ghost monsters, all of which are incredibly animated and have a neat throw-back, 1980s vibe to them. This is fun for everyone but will maybe especially delight kids who see the film.
All in all, Ghostbusters might have been greater, but it's still among the best major live action films of this summer, which admittedly won't go down in history as a great one for huge films.

Related posts:

Paul Feig: 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Spy (2015) - Feig and McCarthy score spy spoof gold!
The Heat (2013) or, Prissy and Offensive in Boston  
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Bridesmaids (2011) - Subversive comedy with laughs a-plenty 

The nasty ghost Slimer from the original films is back in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 144 mil. $
Box office: 180 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[Ghostbusters premiered July 9 (Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre) and runs 116 minutes. A third film with the original Ghostbusters stars was in development for about 20 years, mostly barred from happening due to Murray's reticence. Feig and the all-female cast came in as the fixed idea in 2014. Filming took place in Boston and New York from June - September 2015, with reshoots in LA in May 2016. 6 companies handled the film's estimated 1,700 visual effects shots with the biggest chunk handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks. The film's release was marred by intense hate-speech, trolling and racism targeting the cast online. It opened #2, behind The Secret Lives of Pets, to a 46 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it has grossed 117.2 mil. $ to date. The film suffered a serious blow when Chinese officials suddenly denied it a release in the country based on different bogus reasons, (belief in ghosts harming China, the film not attracting the interest of Chinese etc.) Ghostbusters is certified fresh at 73 % with a 6.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ghostbusters?
If you want to see a sequel to it happen, you need to go and buy tickets!

The Frighteners (1996) - Jackson's FX-driven ghost comedy madness

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One of the reasons for The Frighteners' box office failure according to its director Peter Jackson was its suggestive poster

A small town ghostbuster, who also gets the town's loud ghosts to haunt in the first place, gets into trouble when a mass murderer, who has been dead for decades, begins slaughtering people from the beyond, dressed as the grim reaper.

This is the basic story in New Zealander master filmmaker Peter Jackson's (Braindead/Dead Alive (1992)) 6th feature, written by his wife Fran Walsh (Meet the Feebles (1989)) and with Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future (1985)) in the lead. Robert Zemeckis (Flight (2012)) executive produced and probably suggested Fox based on their Back to the Future hit films (1985; 1989; 1990) together, and the infinitely likable Fox does well here again.
The Frighteners is a super fast-paced action-adventure/horror comedy driven by impressive, innovative special effects just like Sam Raimi's great Army of Darkness (1992) or Tim Burton's brilliant Beetle Juice (1988). The important difference, however, is that Frighteners in no way lives up to these other two gems in terms of neither plot nor laughs.
On top of this, the film marks one time that master composer Danny Elfman's (Men in Black 3 (2012)) trademark of loud and huge orchestrations just goes over the top and becomes too much. - The film is overly loud throughout and gives its audience no time to think or gather interest, but simply roars us down deeply into our seats.
The visual effects are impressive, though, and it is interesting to trail the immediate evolution of CGI, - from James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), over Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) and Chuck Russell's The Mask (1994), - into The Frighteners, where especially the moving wall and flying cloak effects are very close to being flawless.
Of the characters in Frighteners that unfortunately just don't work are the loopy FBI-agent (played by cult horror favorite Jeffrey Combs (From Beyond (1986))), the incredibly naive widow (played by Trini Alvarado (Little Children (2006))) and the theatrically evil co-conspirator (played by Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982))). The film just doesn't make you believe in them as characters, and my interest in them could not shift as fast as is required in order to enjoy this film that is brimming with silly gags one minute and then tries to conjure up real suspense the next.
Jackson was generous in his personal explanations as to why The Frighteners was a financial disappointment: The American distributor Universal Pictures, exceedingly thrilled with the film, moved its release up to the summer, which isn't normally a good time for horror, and this particular summer 'belonged to' Independence Day (1996). - The Olympics were opening in Atlanta at the same time. And Jackson also blamed the poster above, which, in his own words, "didn't tell you anything about the picture."- There seems to be some truth in that.
The Frighteners didn't hurt Jackson's career much, though, as we know: He went on to develop The Lord of the Rings for the first installment in 2001. He has since then also shown deficiency with visually 'stunning' serial killer material in the sound dud The Lovely Bones (2009), illusions of grandeur in the criminally long, disagreeable remake of King Kong (2005), and today, of course, he is back to hobbits and orcs in his Hobbit films (2012; 2013; 2014). Alas. - If only Jackson would go back scale-wise and make a 10 mil. $ horror film without CGI again. - Now that would be interesting!

Related posts:

Peter Jackson: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) - Jackson's Tolkien engagement ends on a note of cinematic ruin 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Jackson returns with overrated, artificial-looking turkey 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - Jackson's megalomania gives birth to the first third of an enormous fantasy whopper

The Lovely Bones (2009) - Despite qualities, Jackson's metaphysical crime drama is a wasteful jumble 

Top 10: Best gore movies 

1992 in films - according to Film Excess 
Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Braindead/Dead Alive (1992) - Jackson's best film ever is a gore classic!   
Bad Taste (1987) or, Peter Jackson's Hungry Aliens in New Zealand 

Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 26 mil. $

Box office: 29.3 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.12 times the cost)
[The Frighteners premiered 17 July (California) and runs 110 minutes. Zemeckis/Jackson were granted final cut privilege and one of the longest-approved (by Universal) shoots, which ran May - November 1995 in New Zealand, including Wellington, and in Oklahoma. Jackson wasn't able to swing the PG-rating that he had promised Universal, and they consequently had to accept an R-rating for Frighteners, (which basically keeps away the younger teen crowds that the film is, to some degree, aimed at.) Jackson's experiences here also made him realize the importance of good marketing. The film opened #5, behind holdover hits Independence Day, Phenomenon, Courage Under Fire and The Nutty Professor to a 5.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it was pulled after just 3 weeks, grossing 16.7 mil. $ (57 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Jackson returned with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). The Frighteners was Fox's last live-action feature, together with the great Mars Attacks! also a 1996 release. He has since mainly done voice work and TV-series due to his suffering from Parkinson's Disease. The Frighteners is fresh at 66 % and a 6.2/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Frighteners?