Bill Murray

Director : Jason Reitman – Cast Includes : Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace

Has it really been 32yrs since Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters II hit the screen? and why didn’t someone ask Jason to get behind the camera and film Afterlife earlier, boy how I’ve missed this supernatural franchise… : GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is MAGNIFICENT… the humor, those kids, the music, the cameos and those little mashmallow folk gave me goosebumps and the memories I hold dear from those classic 80s movies came flooding back… as I sat watching the film from my favorite seat in my local cinema I could feel my heart pound like a jack hammer, my legs tapping with excitment and my mouth in the smile position right the way throughout as the nostalgia and the film’s energy swept over me like a ghost performing a flyby… I felt the way Reitman handled the opening ten minutes was vital for the direction of the movie and for me it was PERFECTION… although we don’t see his face we know it’s Egon, the chase scene with the ghosts, the trap not working and inside the farmhouse the crossover from old to new just felt so right… on-top of that Afterlife has such a likeable, fresh looking cast led by the front by the formidable 15yr old Mckenna Grace who steals EVERY scene she’s part of with her witt, her mannerisms and the action scene’s she embraces such as when she boards the Ecto-1 and takes the gun seat in her stride, she’s crazy good for someone so young, Paul Rudd once again delivers his charm with the scenes in the local Wallmart facing off against the Mini-Pufts and demon dog being one of the many highlights and what can I say about Logan Kim who makes his movie debut playing podcast, what a talent reminding me so much of Vern in Stand By Me this kid is going places… : unlike Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters back in 2016, which by he way was lots of fun AFTERLIFE is a game changer, sticking more to the original two in sentiment and style and as a fan it’s EVERYTHING that I hoped for and so much MORE !! ps…there’s also a couple of after credit scenes so don’t leave your seat early ★★★★★

For me the rules of a great Festive Movie are quite simple : try and make the person who’s watching feel good, put a big Cheshire Cat smile on their face and spread that heartfelt message of love, hope and well wishes far & wide : each year around early December our home is full of Christmas Cheer and we love nothing more than to revisit some of our favorite movies : alternate festive treats such as Die Hard and Gremlins, classics of yesteryear such as The Goonies and Raiders but without question each and every year the Absolute Top Four always get a looking : Richard Donner’s magnificent Scrooged, Frank Capra’s emotionally acclaimed It’s a Wonderful Life, The Griswalds send me into hysterics in Christmas Vacation and Ron Howard magical family movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas : for me these movies embody everything that makes this time of year so special……. what’s you favorite festive movies?

OK first up I never wanted to see this movie made and not because of this nonsense “all female” thing either, I just love the original films, like many they’re part of my upbringing since the original was released back in the mid 80s I must have seen the film 100 times or more Aykroyd, Ramis and Murray are three of my film heroes so discovering that they were doing another film remake and this time it was my beloved Ghostbusters I was at first mad as hell, I wanted to scream the social media house down, I guess I never wanted a movie more than this one to fail miserably but luckily for me like most things I calmed down and accepted that even without my blessing this reboot was going to happen one way or the other – Paul Feig happens to be one of my favourite modern comedy directors, films such as Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy have all made me cry with laughter so taking the mantle for this remake was a big thing for him and I just prayed, kept my fingers crossed that he was up to the task…..

OK so now I have seen Ghostbusters the 2016 version and I want to share my views with you film fans out there – firstly it has to be said Feig goes above and beyond in respecting the original 1984 classic, he uses the old theme tune, gives cameo’s to the old cast and even dedicates the movie to Harold Ramis at the end credits (a nice touch I thought) – his young cast comprising of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth are all fabulous, McKinnon and Jones for me steal the show but in general Feig has managed to cast well all actors adding something to this reboot, Hemsworth is at times hilarious playing the dopey good looking secretary for the team, he actually wears glasses without the glass and keeps tripping over himself & that dancing at the end credits is worth staying around for – I love also the fact that the legend that is Andy Garcia plays the New York Mayor such a great actor and fabulous to see him back on the big screen – the films opening at the haunted mansion was a riot, Kristen Wigg’s character getting slimed is worth the ticket value in itself and them scenes involving Jone’s character in the subway and also the possessed dummy are so much fun, McCarthy being possessed and getting slapped by Jones was hilarious and then of course you have McKinnon just oozing style playing the oddball engineer who creates the teams Ghost busting weapons & looks equally at ease firing them bad boys – Overall: put aside (if you have any) your disagreement for this movie and go and have some fun – Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters is an amusing, entertaining picture, the cast rock & I promise you this movie will bring a smile to your face, my only small criticism is that the last 15minutes could have been handled better, a little OTT but that’s me being picky – Ghostbusters is a real blast !! ★★★½

Having grown up watching the Disney classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and The Jungle Book I was intrigued when hearing that Iron Man & Elf director Jon Favreau was working on a new live-action/CGI remake based on Rudyard Kipling’s story – anybody who follows me on Instagram or Twitter will know I’m not huge on this constant Hollywood obsession in remakes, reboots or re-imagining of the classic films of yesteryear, that being said I will always give a film the benefit of the doubt and I watch each one hoping for that gem, a remake that may possibly surprise and may even equal it’s predecessor !!

Well after visiting my local cinema complex I was not surprised I was blown away by what I had just seen – not many movies in recent times, let alone remakes have taken my breath away but Jon Favreau‘s epic take on this classic tale did just that – from its exhilarating opening watching the orphaned Mowgli race through the jungle to its heart racing climax with the villainous Shere Khan – The Jungle Book is gorgeous on every level, it’s seamless CGI is forgotten after the first few moments in the movie as your transported into a setting where animals fill your heart with song, laughter & maybe a lump in the throat, Favreau handles Mowgli’s heart warming encounter with Baloo the bear, the hissing, conniving of Kaa and the hilarious & complete epic-ness of King Louie singing that classic song “I wana be like you” with total respect of the original movie yet creates his own special deliverance of these beloved characters – his casting of the voice actors should be applauded and where on earth did he find the young Neel Sethi, this kid is perfect as Mowgli giving the film it’s heart, he’s certain to be a star of the future – Overall 2016’s The Jungle Book is a magical cinematic triumph, it’s a film that brings the feel good factor & family entertainment back to our screens and if you’ve seen Wolfgang Reitherman’s 1967 Disney classic then you may find yourself humming along to a couple of favourite tunes too – pure and utter brilliance, stop monkeying around & visit The Jungle Book at cinema’s now!! ★★★★½

Harold Ramis (1944-2014)

Posted by absolutebadasses on February 24, 2014

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 1980s, 80s, actor, analyze this, Bill Murray, caddyshack, comedy, death, director, film blog, film lover, film stills, films, friend, ghostbusters, groundhog day, harold ramis, harold ramis rip, images, instagram, John Cusack, love films, love movies, movie blog, movie still, movies, planet movies, rip, sad, scifi, stripes. Leave a comment

SAD NEWS the towering comic writer/director HAROLD RAMIS has passed away aged 69 – along with starring roles in the likes of Stripes & the two Ghostbusters movies (that he also co-wrote) Harold Ramis was also an accomplished filmmaker directing movies such as Caddyshack and Groundhog Day that both starred his good friend Bill Murray, Analyze This & Analyze That starring Bob De Niro & Ice Harvest that starred John Cusack – the movie world has lost another giant but the memory of Harold Ramis will continue to entertain with the many film’s he either wrote, directed or starred in – thanks for the laughs Big Man and don’t forget “Don’t cross the streams”

From the mind and the direction of the brilliant Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom & Rushmore) comes a tale of Gustave H, a hotel’s concierge and his friendship with a lobby boy at a famous European hotel between the wars….Ralph Fiennes looks like he’s having a ball in this the first trailer of Wes Anderson’s latest The Grand Budapest Hotel – the film lands early next year….

trivia: this movie is Wes Anderson’s seventh collaboration with Bill Murray