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Ghostbusters (1984)

Started by Chedney Honks, July 25, 2021, 10:04:12 AM

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Chedney Honks

I watched Ghostbusters last night with my wife who hadn't seen it before. I got it on 4K UHD Blu-ray from HMV in a 2 for £30 deal and I am sure I will keep hold of it. While it has some inconsistent grain which might be distracting at times, the overall picture quality was detailed and very natural, while the HDR really brought out the vibrant colours of the positron collider beams, the iconic verdance of Slimer and the bright red glowing eyes of the terror dogs. While the new Dolby Atmos mix doesn't add a great deal, it's clear and punchy and the soundtrack remains as energetic as ever.

The more I watch it the more I think Ramis is the highlight of the film. My wife thought Moranis was particularly brilliant. The whole cast is superb, though. Hard to find any fault throughout. Exceptional pacing. Soundtrack is absolutely banging. The sound of the ECTO-1 siren used to make me euphoric as a kid and I got goosebumps last night when I first heard it. That moment where the doors open onto the licence plate and the siren starts wailing and the car flies off into the street and the piano of 'Cleanin' Up The Town' kicks in. Utterly joyful.

The highlight of the film for me though is 'Choose the destructor' then the bassy thump...thump...thump and Ray's resigned delivery of "It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man" followed by his face through the buildings and then the screams. Absolutely incredible, so euphoric my wife was like what the fucckkkkk yessss 😃 The editing is perfect.

Anyone else heard of this film? I would definitely recommend.

Pauline Walnuts

Is that the one Red Letter Media call the perfect comedy film, followed by a clip of a so-so joke from said film?

It's no Ghostbusters (2016)

I thought Ghostbusters Two was way better.

Old Nehamkin

"You didn't even bargain with the guy!"

Replies From View

The thing that broke my brain about Ghostbusters 2 was the fact they used the Ghostbusters 2 logo as their actual logo on their car and fire station.

mothman

Never noticed that! Granted I watched it precisely once and that was at least 30 years ago.

bomb_dog

Quote from: Replies From View on July 25, 2021, 10:37:45 AM
The thing that broke my brain about Ghostbusters 2 was the fact they used the Ghostbusters 2 logo as their actual logo on their car and fire station.

But they were 'back' after being put out of business, so perhaps they felt like modifying their own logo. Perhaps there's a joke there in that they couldn't use the name of their old business so they sat and brainstormed but all they could come up with was 'Ghostbusters...2?'

Avril Lavigne

I always imagined they just wanted to rebrand with a friendlier image so the new logo has Mooglie making the peace sign.

Butchers Blind

Hope ghost blow job looked good in 4K.

Replies From View

Quote from: Avril Lavigne on July 25, 2021, 11:28:49 AM
I always imagined they just wanted to rebrand with a friendlier image so the new logo has Mooglie making the peace sign.

You have to reason that it's doing a peace sign, but it still breaks my brain.

mothman

Quote from: Avril Lavigne on July 25, 2021, 11:28:49 AM
I always imagined they just wanted to rebrand with a friendlier image so the new logo has Mooglie making the peace sign.

So that's where Cardinal Glick Kevin Smith got the idea.

cosmic-hearse

Walter Peck is the true hero of the film - a public servant defending the city against the Ghostbusters irresponsible Reaganite entrepreneurialism.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/176613/ghostbusters-harold-ramis-greatest-movie-ever-about-republican-economic-policy/amp/

I do love Ghostbusters, but in the same way I love the novels of Yukio Mishima or the music of Agnostic Front - with a number of caveats.

Shaky

It's a fucking great film, and the way it gradually ramps up from small scale hijinks in cramped spaces to apocalyptic, city-wide insanity has rarely been matched since. The characters are all brilliantly defined and the actors pitch it perfectly - lots of lovely, specific and organic little touches which aren't overdone (eg: Egon's love of chocolate bars).

Ghostbusters 2 has some nice set pieces but is far too much of a retread. That the redesigned logo was the biggest change says a lot.

Replies From View

Ghostbusters is terrifying when you see it as a child.  Then you watch it as an adult and it's miraculously become a comedy.


Someone clever must have written about this before.

cosmic-hearse

I went to NYC some years ago & was giddy with excitement visiting assorted Ghostbusters filming locations (the fire station the occult apartment block next to Central Park - though I was disappointed all the gnarly esoteric shit at the top didn't really exist).

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Replies From View on July 25, 2021, 11:59:10 AM
Ghostbusters is terrifying when you see it as a child.  Then you watch it as an adult and it's miraculously become a comedy.

If you want it to be scary as an adult view it through the lens of it all being libertarian propaganda and that the big state is the real villain.

beanheadmcginty

The sound of the proton packs starting up when heard through decent speakers is the greatest ever sound effect.

Icehaven

When I die I want to come back as the ghost librarian. Seriously though that bit scared the crap out of me as a child and even as an adult when I did a brief secondment in the old Brum central library I'd get freaked out if I had to go into some of the stacks or the basement because they had those high shelves and were eerily quiet.

cosmic-hearse

Quote from: icehaven on July 25, 2021, 02:31:34 PM
When I die I want to come back as the ghost librarian. Seriously though that bit scared the crap out of me as a child and even as an adult when I did a brief secondment in the old Brum central library I'd get freaked out if I had to go into some of the stacks or the basement because they had those high shelves and were eerily quiet.

Now (sadly) demolished so those ghosts you feared are homeless   :(

monkfromhavana

Quote from: icehaven on July 25, 2021, 02:31:34 PM
When I die I want to come back as the ghost librarian. Seriously though that bit scared the crap out of me as a child and even as an adult when I did a brief secondment in the old Brum central library I'd get freaked out if I had to go into some of the stacks or the basement because they had those high shelves and were eerily quiet.

The same. Ghostbusters was one of if (if not the first) film I ever saw at the cinema. When the librarian came in I apparently dove off my seat and hid around my parents feet until it was over.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: Replies From View on July 25, 2021, 10:37:45 AM
The thing that broke my brain about Ghostbusters 2 was the fact they used the Ghostbusters 2 logo as their actual logo on their car and fire station.

I went to the Ghostbusters fire station in New York a few years ago and peered through the door window to see that they, disappointingly, had the Ghostbusters 2 logo on their wall.



Also visited Dana's apartment building


and the library


Anyway, that should be enough to tell you that I love the film an immense amount.

bomb_dog

But did you spin around a bit at the Lincoln Center too?

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: bomb_dog on July 25, 2021, 08:35:13 PM
But did you spin around a bit at the Lincoln Center too?

Dammit, knew I forgot something...

Johnny Textface

What's all the stuff about crossing the streams and not being able to cross the streams because bad. But they do don't they? They cross the streams. Is it a joke?

St_Eddie

#24
Quote from: Johnny Textface on August 03, 2021, 04:07:16 PM
What's all the stuff about crossing the streams and not being able to cross the streams because bad. But they do don't they? They cross the streams. Is it a joke?

I'm not sure if this is a joke post or whether you simply haven't seen the movie.  Regardless, the Ghostbusters find themselves in a hopeless, potentially end of the world situation during the climax and in a last ditch attempt to save the day, they take a gamble by crossing the streams.

Quote from: Ghostbusters (FIRST ACT)EGON SPENGLER: "There's something very important I forgot to tell you."

PETER VENKMAN: "What?"

EGON SPENGLER: "Don't cross the streams."

PETER VENKMAN: "Why?"

EGON SPENGLER: "It would be bad."

PETER VENKMAN: [ANNOYED]"I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, 'bad'?"

EGON SPENGLER: "Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."

RAY STANTZ: "Total protonic reversal."

PETER VENKMAN: [SARDONIC]"Right, that's bad. Okay, important safety tip. Thanks, Egon."

Quote from: Ghostbusters (THIRD ACT)EGON SPENGLER: "I have a radical idea. The door swings both ways. We could reverse the particle flow through the gate."

RAY STANTZ: "How?"

EGON SPENGLER: "We'll cross the streams."

PETER SPENGLER: "Excuse me, Egon. You said crossing the streams was bad."

RAY STANTZ: [PENSIVELY] "Cross the streams..."

PETER VENKMAN: "You're gonna endanger us. You're gonna endanger our client, the nice lady who paid us in advance before she became a dog."

EGON SPENGLER: "Not necessarily. There's definitely a very slim chance we'll survive."

[THE TEAM EXCHANGE LOOKS]

PETER VENKMAN: "I love this plan. I'm excited to be a part of it. Let's do it."

WINSTON ZEDDEMORE: "This job is definitely not worth another eleven-five a year."

Johnny Textface

OK thanks. Seems a bit risky and not something born out of a comedy idea. Aren't they always crossing those streams when they catch ghosts?

Chedney Honks

I've got a good question.

Why does it say in the song, "I ain't afraid of no ghost" when we see each member of the Ghostbusters in fear of several ghosts and apparitions on numerous occasions throughout the film?

St_Eddie

Quote from: Johnny Textface on August 03, 2021, 08:38:07 PM
OK thanks. Seems a bit risky and not something born out of a comedy idea. Aren't they always crossing those streams when they catch ghosts?

The concept of crossing the streams itself isn't rooted in comedy (I've never seen any proof or cited quotes from the creatives to support the ridiculous and bizarre theory that it's some kind of play on not crossing piss streams at the urinal).  Ghostbusters is more than just a comedy with constant gags.  It's also a horror, science-fiction and action picture.

The crossing the streams concept is setup in the first act and has a payoff in the finale (Chekhov's proton stream, if you will) and yes, it's risky because it's a last ditch effort to stop a demi-god from destroying the world.  The comedy lays within the characters reacting to the situations which they find themselves in, as evidenced in the quoted dialogue which I included within my previous post.

frajer

Quote from: Chedney Honks on August 03, 2021, 08:41:46 PM
I've got a good question.

Why does it say in the song, "I ain't afraid of no ghost" when we see each member of the Ghostbusters in fear of several ghosts and apparitions on numerous occasions throughout the film?

The song is a pack of lies, cocksure posturing. Later on it goes "never dreamt I got noshed off by a ghost neither". Bullllllshitttttt.

Avril Lavigne

Quote from: Chedney Honks on August 03, 2021, 08:41:46 PM
Why does it say in the song, "I ain't afraid of no ghost" when we see each member of the Ghostbusters in fear of several ghosts and apparitions on numerous occasions throughout the film?

'Cause it's a double negative so technically true.