NAKEDLY INGITING THE ANIMATED CULT CLASSIC 'HEAVY METAL'

<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV5gkvmm7SKxgTNhsioZ_Em5Lb5YruyixUkWho-peYe6hcMbmYDFf_cTPianjNUYuR19Pr1X6dCiDrs1AcPCd7-6clEDce3st3tOT7ejzJmnyr9KklVwsx4Dn1TBBsEigSVNjsSwtVOoDnHxkhg7ZdZkQgfgz-toJgB9kjwJY1n0CYix-VU8zrtMWlZTr/s1664/Screen%20Shot%202024-10-07%20at%2011.43.15%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1664" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV5gkvmm7SKxgTNhsioZ_Em5Lb5YruyixUkWho-peYe6hcMbmYDFf_cTPianjNUYuR19Pr1X6dCiDrs1AcPCd7-6clEDce3st3tOT7ejzJmnyr9KklVwsx4Dn1TBBsEigSVNjsSwtVOoDnHxkhg7ZdZkQgfgz-toJgB9kjwJY1n0CYix-VU8zrtMWlZTr/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-10-07%20at%2011.43.15%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: HEAVY METAL Year: 1981 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The best two stories from HEAVY METAL... producer Ivan Reitman's animated/cartoon anthology with a continuously-pulsating soundtrack of acts ranging from Devo to Sammy Hagar to Don Felder to Donald Fagan to Black Sabbath... have a beginning, middle and end, and either could have stretched into full-length features: starting with a futuristic film-noir homage with modernly-grungy cab-driver HARRY CANYON (voiced by <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/08/goodstreets.html">MEAN STREETS</a> actor Richard Romanus) that includes the usual pulp-signature glib narration, chain-smoked cigarettes, crooked cops, flying cars above grounded savage hoodlums and a luscious backstabbing dame...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p>And the last a fantasy... in the mesmerizing otherworld style of Roger Dean's progressive-rock album covers combined with Ralph Bakshi's animated-fantasy-flicks <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2024/10/LOTR78.html">THE LORD OF THE RINGS</a> and WIZARDS (while the urban-noir resembles Bakshi's <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2024/10/htraffic.html">HEAVY TRAFFIC</a>)... that gave this 1981 cult classic its gorgeous flying-avian-riding poster-girl TAARNA who, sword in hand, violently protects a village like an antihero from a Spaghetti Western...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, animation, cult, eighties, exploitation, fantasy, future, harold ramis, ivan reitman, john candy, music, neo noir, richard romanus, science-fiction

NAKEDLY INGITING THE ANIMATED CULT CLASSIC 'HEAVY METAL'

Title: HEAVY METAL Year: 1981 Rating: **** The best two stories from HEAVY METAL... producer Ivan Reitman's animated/cartoon anthology w...

EIGHTIES 3D 'SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdowg3UB1owfcU8BOHK62I6EbP-eD_XLLwjTvDenLqcEDoRNm0qeHhg1UCO37jZsHKHWm37r_XydIATVrQcO3v8yRmKGUgvv62hNQP_ESIC2AUhp2T5B9xTv5sNBs8DOS7f2BhzpY1vPQH/s1600/31.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdowg3UB1owfcU8BOHK62I6EbP-eD_XLLwjTvDenLqcEDoRNm0qeHhg1UCO37jZsHKHWm37r_XydIATVrQcO3v8yRmKGUgvv62hNQP_ESIC2AUhp2T5B9xTv5sNBs8DOS7f2BhzpY1vPQH/s400/31.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Molly Ringwald getting her mind sucked by the villain YEAR: 1983</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> One of those deliberate cult films without much of a following, shot in 3D in the early 1980's, and when formatted to 2D things zoom at the screen for what seems like no reason, which... like <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/10/jaws-3-sucks-greatly.html">JAWS 3D</a> and <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/04/friday-13th-3d.html">FRIDAY THE 13TH 3D</a> and other gems from this era... is half the campy fun...<br> <br> The sets, meanwhile, resemble a MAD MAX future combined with executive producer Ivan Reitman's nostalgically stylistic, homage-driven 1950's sci-fi b-movie aesthetic (with a Harold Ramis intercom voice-cameo). Then again, since Ivan's not exactly broke, there <i>are</i> gorgeous STAR WARS style matte paintings and theatrical-STAR TREK inspired ships, and the plot too is old school and pulpy, centering on a rogue bounty hunter, Peter Strauss as Wolff, sent to this not-so-desolate planet where three vixens have been kidnapped...<br>

3D, action, adventure, andrea marcovicci, eighties, ernie hudson, exploitation, fantasy, harold ramis, ivan reitman, michael ironside, molly ringwald, peter strauss, science-fiction

EIGHTIES 3D 'SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE'

Molly Ringwald getting her mind sucked by the villain YEAR: 1983 One of those deliberate cult films without much of a following, shot ...

THE TIMELESS IMPRESSION OF GHOSTBUSTERS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k9hSPcS4Za5Exsm8mm35FgTaOOR-ZnaB2AXtOk7zKry1EFABnC87MmJapqjt5c-yYO2-dGeTG0wcFJIL3Y6l6jmdET27edkJSmHREBo73ZI3eM3gz5aQfVo4FUDFzduEX-TGvPhiiUQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-20+at+2.32.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k9hSPcS4Za5Exsm8mm35FgTaOOR-ZnaB2AXtOk7zKry1EFABnC87MmJapqjt5c-yYO2-dGeTG0wcFJIL3Y6l6jmdET27edkJSmHREBo73ZI3eM3gz5aQfVo4FUDFzduEX-TGvPhiiUQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-07-20+at+2.32.56+AM.png" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>THE TIMELESS ORIGINAL CIRCA 1984</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> John Winger, Bill Murray’s lovable loser in the boot camp comedy STRIPES, the second of three collaborations with director Ivan Reitman beginning with MEATBALLS, had his very own theme song: a lazy piano-bar riff, whose likeness can be heard in GHOSTBUSTERS throughout Elmer Bernstein’s immense score, but only when Murray’s sarcastic Peter Venkman flirts with Signourney Weaver or clashes jovially with Dan Aykroyd's rambling Dr. Raymond Stanz, who Venkman describes as “the heart of the Ghostbusters.”And that would make Harold Ramis's Egon the lungs (or as Ramis and Reitman described him, the brains). Murray’s reluctant sidekick in STRIPES and the director of CADDYSHACK and GROUNDHOG DAY, Ramis is an essential ingredient to make the gadgets and demonic backstory completely believable and, as a team-up, one of the great things about GHOSTBUSTERS is seeing Murray play off of two science-minded serious guys. Aykroyd and Ramis wrote the film and obviously knew Murray had the stuff to steal scenes. Although the lead role was originally intended for Aykroyd’s cinema partner, the late John Belushi: who inspired the iconic green ghost, Slimer.<br>

annie potts, bill murray, comedy, dan aykroyd, eighties, franchise, harold ramis, ivan reitman, rick moranis, science-fiction, william atherton

THE TIMELESS IMPRESSION OF GHOSTBUSTERS

THE TIMELESS ORIGINAL CIRCA 1984 John Winger, Bill Murray’s lovable loser in the boot camp comedy STRIPES, the second of three collabora...

REMASTERED GREEN OF GHOSTBUSTERS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuhOEpBtP4XZ1shxA4FHvIS9_W1dPez3MRROjcf50VVisCPSSKfcr-6MJ1JV1ZFZ1YNkLqPtJz8pgw7A8D7Q2BbpGB_i8mkbL2r9X6a6l6a2bnCCsYNOn3TPpJqawzrc644eLdYN1QLA/s1600/ghostbusters1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuhOEpBtP4XZ1shxA4FHvIS9_W1dPez3MRROjcf50VVisCPSSKfcr-6MJ1JV1ZFZ1YNkLqPtJz8pgw7A8D7Q2BbpGB_i8mkbL2r9X6a6l6a2bnCCsYNOn3TPpJqawzrc644eLdYN1QLA/s1600/ghostbusters1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghosting in theaters again</td></tr> </tbody></table> Insanity is described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So then, watching the same movie over and over and expecting the same results would be half-crazy… And this week, GHOSTBUSTERS has reentered theaters for the 30th Anniversary, and it looks better than ever... Even after, so far, seven viewings in seven nights by yours truly... <br /> <br /> What really stands out in the remastered digitization is the color green. Not just Slimer, the rambunctious ghost based on John Belushi, who provides the GB’s their first chore, but things as simple as Dan Aykroyd’s collared shirt in the beginning, and tinges of Bill Murray’s dress clothes on the first day they set up office... <br /> <br /> Mind you, since this was 1984, Green refers to the color, not the Environment. Strange that this movie’s villain is, of all things, a persistent stiff-suit working for the EPA. Dickless would be extremely well hung in today’s PC climate. That being said, as the lead weenie herein, character-actor William Atherton ruled in a Ted Knight-like CADDYSHACK unapologetic jerk-bully fashion. And while his Walter Peck gets drenched in melted marshmallow, a year later, Mr. Atherton would practically drown in REAL SCIENCE popcorn. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLOAhS8az6t75Ji_yHlS0S92TVjhKKB0ii30ZWVGsw3mp9pYx1AjXELi3hiFcXGBAndUkyYC-T_3dnLITudgL6srAB8yh9ItgQwFy3f0ZLTPdd7K3yFEg4RXuoBRe2lVE4QlYm9p1wuM/s1600/4.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLOAhS8az6t75Ji_yHlS0S92TVjhKKB0ii30ZWVGsw3mp9pYx1AjXELi3hiFcXGBAndUkyYC-T_3dnLITudgL6srAB8yh9ItgQwFy3f0ZLTPdd7K3yFEg4RXuoBRe2lVE4QlYm9p1wuM/s1600/4.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman</td></tr> </tbody></table> So there it is... of all the gorgeous remastering accomplished for GHOSTBUSTERS, soon to be transferred onto an official Blu Ray release, the color green is the most prominent... even moreso in clothing than building exterior and interior... <br /> <br /> Actually, <i>everythin</i>g looks really incredible... And best yet, no CGI was added... What was great then looks even better now...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJzk3g5UwTYxNeZUH7LkQjk8ebSTCvTWccE_jKZF0J1mfghX6kyonAQMHxRpo3AWzGx0vYP7W7KILPb1Dj20H1naPd3qcUEdCz5GuRYRZN2M9NLO4SoK32fkC-hkHeSAwZilAZ0PRrSg/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJzk3g5UwTYxNeZUH7LkQjk8ebSTCvTWccE_jKZF0J1mfghX6kyonAQMHxRpo3AWzGx0vYP7W7KILPb1Dj20H1naPd3qcUEdCz5GuRYRZN2M9NLO4SoK32fkC-hkHeSAwZilAZ0PRrSg/s1600/3.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Ray Stantz</td></tr> </tbody></table> So if you’re reading this, watch GHOSTBUSTERS the way it was intended: a thoroughly amazing film that somewhat derailed a legitimate cult following because of the initial box office success, the Top 10 title track (Keith Forsey's groovy instrumental break during the Revelations scene, and Elmer Berstein's dramatic score are much cooler than the Ray Parker Jr song) and the fact Bill and Dan were already popular comic actors... <br /> <br /> But cult cinema is based on risk – and a movie about hunting ghosts resulting in a standoff against a giant Marshmallow Man… if that ain't a gamble, nothing is. The fact GHOSBUSTERS turned out so perfect makes it seem predestined for greatness. And yet, there are countless avenues wherein things could have gone the other way (like the sequel)...<br /> <br /> Writers Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis created a world so vibrantly bizarre that it takes Bill Murray’s constant sarcasm to bring things down to Earth. This combination works to counterbalance the farfetched yet completely involving premise, providing some of the funniest one-liners in history... And not to forget the sexy and smart Sigourney Weaver, who grounds Murray as he grounds the science while ultimate credit's due to Ivan Reitman, whose creative direction gives this big budget extravaganza the kind of subtle nuances that makes repeated viewings worthwhile...<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt6XsKKdBprMwGzTld4BR3WpWsSRSJ9Rt2qOlZN1H-izYYoxJJoxaxQVIQdYugZgW3gmTdwUeem9XYCHWvN4EMOPpaZxfGvFGycLID6CT_P0NkffjjXa_j1FCfl_ZR004X9JopYwc3f0/s1600/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt6XsKKdBprMwGzTld4BR3WpWsSRSJ9Rt2qOlZN1H-izYYoxJJoxaxQVIQdYugZgW3gmTdwUeem9XYCHWvN4EMOPpaZxfGvFGycLID6CT_P0NkffjjXa_j1FCfl_ZR004X9JopYwc3f0/s1600/55.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Atherton nails the token jerk as Walter Peck</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOJwUcVMBaSizIYWFFebl5Qu6E2cMn3ezlbC4E5tyUkByvsnLg-v3Mnk0RAKfAJrt5K5k7QYPvytYycc2FBdjuc6c72Sl8aR-_4HcwffaPyQ4vPs-Kpij7UtIZJg-Manp7tRqh49PyHw/s1600/title01_220934496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOJwUcVMBaSizIYWFFebl5Qu6E2cMn3ezlbC4E5tyUkByvsnLg-v3Mnk0RAKfAJrt5K5k7QYPvytYycc2FBdjuc6c72Sl8aR-_4HcwffaPyQ4vPs-Kpij7UtIZJg-Manp7tRqh49PyHw/s1600/title01_220934496.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The late Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler... He collects spores, molds, and fungus...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvLsqetsqOPTAJ273flHViW4Oi6p8VX2-ZakWgTXEi2Nzg0jndWW6gqv86TKNwZjzP3RVgAgb3IaPYnscXbfus2MTl2bhHvlg2-BobJOJLr7O2YddVBttAPtHOma6T2ClfOKPvO8rWBo/s1600/44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvLsqetsqOPTAJ273flHViW4Oi6p8VX2-ZakWgTXEi2Nzg0jndWW6gqv86TKNwZjzP3RVgAgb3IaPYnscXbfus2MTl2bhHvlg2-BobJOJLr7O2YddVBttAPtHOma6T2ClfOKPvO8rWBo/s1600/44.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creator Dan Aykroyd wrote a super long script years before GHOSTBUSTERS got green-lit</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlfUCRP-W3QbP9BTPcKkaCj1ca5-ll4xjrc-fXt1xqWwhcAJpu0A5WZlTM5mEif69kxsSJ8BW-9yR7OXgOnK8Rh-BHr-z6XXQvy87K5_ttXaySBhvJlznBVLtXAHo7riSfS78wPYE2CQ/s1600/66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlfUCRP-W3QbP9BTPcKkaCj1ca5-ll4xjrc-fXt1xqWwhcAJpu0A5WZlTM5mEif69kxsSJ8BW-9yR7OXgOnK8Rh-BHr-z6XXQvy87K5_ttXaySBhvJlznBVLtXAHo7riSfS78wPYE2CQ/s1600/66.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spook Central Matte Painting wide shot, right before the final standoff...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg893-cgyS8X0OeNXCpNt36hOqemmc0MmE6ThcsqSMjuJcqIMkMUZiVrLePQqefHVsUSK1TNkWAoViFpLS13uHcaDX1RDQug4L8xcshL2_6BfNBPE_gBti4GtiVw-zL6mPHg2UyMqkfs/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg893-cgyS8X0OeNXCpNt36hOqemmc0MmE6ThcsqSMjuJcqIMkMUZiVrLePQqefHVsUSK1TNkWAoViFpLS13uHcaDX1RDQug4L8xcshL2_6BfNBPE_gBti4GtiVw-zL6mPHg2UyMqkfs/s1600/0.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signourney Weaver watches the GHOSTBUSTERS make the news</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50xYgSnPbgpVZxOdJqwEnGDC0wkfRvk6XDEYoR4o8wQ84iLwWcKudldgCpDyx57XMFXg4fpoJ0JI6_8RnYaJX9ZpRqp-YqXGzc15vPftcgQ-knn2pU-f7b_M1WMrVpv2aW7TLNaZ-WFM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50xYgSnPbgpVZxOdJqwEnGDC0wkfRvk6XDEYoR4o8wQ84iLwWcKudldgCpDyx57XMFXg4fpoJ0JI6_8RnYaJX9ZpRqp-YqXGzc15vPftcgQ-knn2pU-f7b_M1WMrVpv2aW7TLNaZ-WFM/s1600/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newscaster and a throwback hippie who walks onto the scene</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNg1D3rYPg9nReDmlEzVRtrnfWCbf99Fhud6By921p0k8X-okFF5RebH4WTezE0pK5cxD04LoG6BtZZPuIuhjZvNsV99MWfO2QG46RCKXljQuXypxLpA6AyxHysNI3JsUM_VJkA0PTSk/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNg1D3rYPg9nReDmlEzVRtrnfWCbf99Fhud6By921p0k8X-okFF5RebH4WTezE0pK5cxD04LoG6BtZZPuIuhjZvNsV99MWfO2QG46RCKXljQuXypxLpA6AyxHysNI3JsUM_VJkA0PTSk/s1600/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The GHOSTBUSTERS make USA TODAY headlines as Egon gets dressed</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirtcjr69IaRppPgbO5aoB9YhyphenhyphenyNc27xQVivzviYGiA8nR2Zgskgke3FidUdRbP66JcIMK1yieVZ7kF5cun2506yvaOjgMeTgo53TeiiRJXOP_Ma7ClsuXipAen3C-VpiM93O9svd0884/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirtcjr69IaRppPgbO5aoB9YhyphenhyphenyNc27xQVivzviYGiA8nR2Zgskgke3FidUdRbP66JcIMK1yieVZ7kF5cun2506yvaOjgMeTgo53TeiiRJXOP_Ma7ClsuXipAen3C-VpiM93O9svd0884/s1600/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW YORK POST covers the GHOSTBUSTERS </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EWCb2gYBDy0HBVlhVEmf5D7mohm7mqsepYMETYJCK7ZjPcc_AmiGdxqiLzrZ3Wt4NXMDyd2NHd3FNKGKyNmhW_fTWf-jS9aUxgPeyO97lYRqTseEGLzd5ks5ljRyrHFFkaPi1seKH9Q/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EWCb2gYBDy0HBVlhVEmf5D7mohm7mqsepYMETYJCK7ZjPcc_AmiGdxqiLzrZ3Wt4NXMDyd2NHd3FNKGKyNmhW_fTWf-jS9aUxgPeyO97lYRqTseEGLzd5ks5ljRyrHFFkaPi1seKH9Q/s1600/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry King covers the boys and TIME magazine too</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclsNMUmT1u99whHmrlrqej7p6o7O7pUWlLJIoqxCCacCGam_EbKDb3L0YT5K5L1mW7iShCeqPQ2f9thRNUaS5pw1Wh94TtJQTNImwmbNMZ05smGx2XRRfkaf7g1daA4Y-VO-jHwp4_Jg/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclsNMUmT1u99whHmrlrqej7p6o7O7pUWlLJIoqxCCacCGam_EbKDb3L0YT5K5L1mW7iShCeqPQ2f9thRNUaS5pw1Wh94TtJQTNImwmbNMZ05smGx2XRRfkaf7g1daA4Y-VO-jHwp4_Jg/s1600/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egon, the brain of the GHOSTBUSTERS, and OMNI Magazine</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYvBYTHZlCuX0IAYRP3BtgIWhy6CO-97ILBTxGuUZNWUj-IUBOAUH0qx3J-mjay-9l_6dHnCEIHutZ7HnRlGNL9-feKKVPQdFEhXi49Ggfehpmmvt2d1fX9ue0rtv02ukqJttnXtB2lc/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYvBYTHZlCuX0IAYRP3BtgIWhy6CO-97ILBTxGuUZNWUj-IUBOAUH0qx3J-mjay-9l_6dHnCEIHutZ7HnRlGNL9-feKKVPQdFEhXi49Ggfehpmmvt2d1fX9ue0rtv02ukqJttnXtB2lc/s1600/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go see GHOSTBUSTERS in theaters, or order the Blu Ray when that happens...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fnvzZ6kWTsIO9FIVDqd6z3NvvamKYhogixR5j97RNKz4Lvo9lnmsM_88nShkaBzL1AfwhlcMCqymBi11XP0Xb3wQLGpDg18zIKwQ7ptszZQFyO1dqfpt-6I_kVVAAN5HtKaSL-Xb8LQ/s1600/joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fnvzZ6kWTsIO9FIVDqd6z3NvvamKYhogixR5j97RNKz4Lvo9lnmsM_88nShkaBzL1AfwhlcMCqymBi11XP0Xb3wQLGpDg18zIKwQ7ptszZQFyO1dqfpt-6I_kVVAAN5HtKaSL-Xb8LQ/s1600/joe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And last but not least, Joe Franklin: "How is Elvis, and have you seen him lately?"</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9OoxoCeedALVZJt-FXqFIqLuCOeFWnmi_n6BHFIgRXasGD8ABbcM7lENBmrbAj0YKHoFX8MGABF-LXajs78blMzg4sXdSJ9dPs4_m5ZXRSU3zI7MDZBnLI7hhEOy58RNafwSb1CLzLU/s1600/di.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9OoxoCeedALVZJt-FXqFIqLuCOeFWnmi_n6BHFIgRXasGD8ABbcM7lENBmrbAj0YKHoFX8MGABF-LXajs78blMzg4sXdSJ9dPs4_m5ZXRSU3zI7MDZBnLI7hhEOy58RNafwSb1CLzLU/s1600/di.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/08/ghostbusters.html">Click here for a much better GHOSTBUSTERS article/review</a></td></tr> </tbody></table>

annie potts, bill murray, dan aykroyd, eighties, harold ramis, ivan reitman, sigourney weaver, william atherton

REMASTERED GREEN OF GHOSTBUSTERS

Ghosting in theaters again Insanity is described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So then, watchin...

IVAN REITMAN DIRECTS KEVIN COSTNER IN DRAFT DAY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrnaL1McUiup9YIew-MVw7-WPuMR_2fEYMPYmObi5gavQDe6qC9hJFM1SGB_XPPibIOhtuO5veYsvJ1MGrKxzfTijha85TcOvLitMX1fUCRVIYeoGMO2gya9GUEhPtsPFGsZ_QE2czcM/s1600/draft-day-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrnaL1McUiup9YIew-MVw7-WPuMR_2fEYMPYmObi5gavQDe6qC9hJFM1SGB_XPPibIOhtuO5veYsvJ1MGrKxzfTijha85TcOvLitMX1fUCRVIYeoGMO2gya9GUEhPtsPFGsZ_QE2czcM/s320/draft-day-poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>year: 2014 rating: **</b></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> It's 2014, and Kevin Costner returns in one of several "comeback" vehicles…<br /> <br /> Just yesterday he was a slowburn action hero in THREE DAYS TO KILL, and now he only has one day, that’s right, DRAFT DAY, where Costner’s brooding Sonny Weaver Jr., the Cleveland Brown’s general draft manager and son of the recently-departed beloved ex-coach, has to make an extremely important decision… <br /> <br /> Although you’d never know Junior has anything on the line, at least not during the talky first half as director Ivan Reitman – in revitalizing the split-screen device by having characters invade the frame of the neighboring square – centers more on glossy aesthetic than moving the story along.<br /> <br /> Weaver's peripheral romance with Jennifer Garner’s executive lawyer, Ali, is dull and pointless, as are the conversations with his opinionated mother (played by Cult Film Freak’s favorite actress, Ellen Burstyn). In the lead, Costner remains in the kind of mellow mode he’s gotten away with in the past, and now just seems lethargic, hardly commanding the screen at all. <br /> <br /> But Kevin and sport's fans alike, have patience: behind the meetings and phone-calls there's an actual plot unraveling, which, surprisingly, is more like Clint Eastwood’s TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE than MONEYBALL: when a lucrative quarterback seems the <i>all too perfect</i> candidate to save The Browns, not only is there a light at the end of the tunnel, but an actual tunnel is formed… <br /> <br /> Thus DRAFT DAY gets somewhat intriguing: as the minutes tick down to the televised event the film's named after, we learn more and more about the desired QB’s Achilles’ heel (which only Weaver can spot), adding a mysterious element to a story that’s all talk and no play otherwise.

2014, ivan reitman, jennifer garner, kevin costner, sport

IVAN REITMAN DIRECTS KEVIN COSTNER IN DRAFT DAY

year: 2014 rating: ** It's 2014, and Kevin Costner returns in one of several "comeback" vehicles… Just yesterday he was ...

SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS VS KNIGHT AND DAY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oKrN-uq9C5Ukqq3jnaOGue03UCsz0CrsYic7maJe04YHREHwqhKTUfF5J7deXle9pL_hUbMit1jYAXwanJT6AXaG2JnXXJ9OCiUXv2pBtfvyiZMfDzHhp0DRWbiF7nx4WQ98wVO6uQI/s1600/H0xSwk150VJY3mVB0QxFk8L0r7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oKrN-uq9C5Ukqq3jnaOGue03UCsz0CrsYic7maJe04YHREHwqhKTUfF5J7deXle9pL_hUbMit1jYAXwanJT6AXaG2JnXXJ9OCiUXv2pBtfvyiZMfDzHhp0DRWbiF7nx4WQ98wVO6uQI/s1600/H0xSwk150VJY3mVB0QxFk8L0r7.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">year: 1998 rating: *1/2</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">Not to drop names, but watch your feet because here comes one now: There was a memorable afternoon spent at famous movie critic, author and television personality Leonard Maltin’s house, and he was discussing his abhor for the (at that time) new release KNIGHT AND DAY, where Tom Cruise and a reluctant Cameron Diaz go on a somewhat unexpected adventure… </span></b></i><br /> <br /> Being quite nervous, and trying to relate with a real critic, yours truly chimed in: “That seems like a high tech version of SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS,” wherein Leonard’s face narrowed to a caustically annoyed scowl, and he retorted loudly: “Well it’s not that bad!”<br /> <br /> No, Len, it certainly isn’t, and in actuality, NIGHTS, directed by GHOSBUSTERS genius Ivan “Who Should Have Known Better” Reitman, is even worse than… most things, really, being that Anne Heche had absolutely no chemistry with… not only Harrison Ford’s grungy small time tropical pilot Quinn Harris but just about everyone else: she seems completely awkward in a mainstream film, and simply tries too hard to be a universally likable, or in this particular case, a bankable actress…<br /> <br /> Starting with our futzy heroine, Heche’s Robin Monroe, a New York magazine editor whose fiancé Frank, played with horrendously forced, mopey countenance by FRIENDS star David Schwimmer, gives her an anniversary gift: a week long trip to a tropical island.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iX9nykEdYz5igj2Z82QoLaiNrZBCtDjGQm8C1fWVwFXL8NwePBygxaaVO5vTpd6_Ie_rcMXhOPsTvx2x0vU2yPSs29VT407PF70TRfZeGs1g0juKe8QxRHqlI9M92mHwkXtyArADlc8/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iX9nykEdYz5igj2Z82QoLaiNrZBCtDjGQm8C1fWVwFXL8NwePBygxaaVO5vTpd6_Ie_rcMXhOPsTvx2x0vU2yPSs29VT407PF70TRfZeGs1g0juKe8QxRHqlI9M92mHwkXtyArADlc8/s1600/Picture+2.png" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">My Lunch With Leonard</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> So far what we’ve learned about these characters isn't interesting enough to command cinematic attention, so it takes Ford’s cocky pilot… channeling Humphrey Bogart and yes, even Han Solo… to bring some intrigue to the proceedings, which never happens. Even when, after Robin is called back to New York for a work emergency, and she and polar opposite Quinn crash-land on a deserted island, his maverick persona never achieves the kind of rogue charm needed to counter Heche’s neurotic dizziness. Han and Leia they ain't.<br /> <br /> Backing up a bit: Heche’s performance is exceptionally horrific when, while the plane is about to crash land, she takes a load of pills and begins singing and acting… that’s right, <i>acting</i>… zany and humorous, achieving neither state... And when the unlikely couple finally begin to spark interest after battling snakes, drug pirates, and opening up about their own empty lives, the audience is left with a mediocre adventure that tries really hard for suspense despite the hollow characters.<br /> <br /> Sporadically cutting back to the resort, where Robin’s dopey fiancé dodges the seductions of Quinn’s sexy belly dancer girlfriend, is not only banal and unfunny but takes the viewer away from the deserted island, where, even though the most unlikely, uninteresting, an uneventful romance is shaping up, at least it's the story we paid for… Who needs two nightmares for the price of one?<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFm7p4j6GwmTlThU4vVFyDcNAg-gKClx0e9kRTMf6Qbl_R4h1VeGR1MHoJy6sKM8qmDfXE2n7HLAOLtUsyWw784ybYdQUxP5pYbhkK3mGE1_Z5VZbd7RqeOg-bPdlgzrRVRa6L94PsaU/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFm7p4j6GwmTlThU4vVFyDcNAg-gKClx0e9kRTMf6Qbl_R4h1VeGR1MHoJy6sKM8qmDfXE2n7HLAOLtUsyWw784ybYdQUxP5pYbhkK3mGE1_Z5VZbd7RqeOg-bPdlgzrRVRa6L94PsaU/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">year: 2010 rating: ***</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">Okay so here's an archive review, or more of a summary write-up, of KNIGHT AND DAY, being that Mr. Maltin despised this film, and it was (as described above) clumsily compared to SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS with the premise of a sturdy man and his reluctant damsel caught up in an unexpected odyssey...  And d</span></i></b><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">uring this time, pre GHOST PROTOCOL, Tom was at the peak of his downturn following the Brooke Shields medical lecture, the Oprah couch leaping, and a string of box office duds... </span></i></b><br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <i>KNIGHT AND DAY: It seems America is sick of the resilient, seemingly perpetual superstar Tom Cruise, which may be the reason for the disappointing returns of this over-the-top team-up involving rogue ex-CIA Cruise helping the "girl next door," Cameron Diaz, survive attacks from trains, planes, and automobiles. </i><br /> <i><br /></i> <i>But the movie itself isn't altogether bad, and being a satire of high-octane thrillers, delivering too much action with characters surviving too many close-calls than humanly possible, it works despite itself: on purpose. Without being too overly aware/LAST ACTION HERO about it, Tom is parodying his action-packed persona while Cameron Diaz never quite knows if her knight is on the right side, and either does the audience: except that it's Tom Cruise, who's always (excluding TAPS and COLLATERAL) gonna win. </i></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <i><br /></i></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <i>While the turnout is predictable, the twists in-between are still a fresh surprise. So while Leonard was right... compared to SIX DAYS, SEVEN nights, it's not that bad... On its own, KNIGHT AND DAY isn't altogether awful, either.  </i></div>

anne heche, harrison ford, ivan reitman, nineties, romantic comedy

SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS VS KNIGHT AND DAY

year: 1998 rating: *1/2 Not to drop names, but watch your feet because here comes one now: There was a memorable afternoon spent at famo...

BILL MURRAY & HAROLD RAMIS WITH PJ SOLES IN STRIPES

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23Aky-sR9O1cJUWVoo0pv9pvkCp70QP1IgE21RVSLJx4lozKnLks-N9xuNH9Z4OEJBRNqWmgUNJYNXpBQB6wngnGD86ot4EjgpsxW6hulxYegS-YxHUQfXFPH_qcg6FYlueSf7jDF1QU/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23Aky-sR9O1cJUWVoo0pv9pvkCp70QP1IgE21RVSLJx4lozKnLks-N9xuNH9Z4OEJBRNqWmgUNJYNXpBQB6wngnGD86ot4EjgpsxW6hulxYegS-YxHUQfXFPH_qcg6FYlueSf7jDF1QU/s320/d.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harold Ramis as Zitsky</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <i>"That’s my favorite kind of acting," PJ Soles said in a Cult Film Freak interview, "when something’s real and the responses are real and, you know, Bill led the way and I followed."<b> </b></i><br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pJflK_NnrAMTgPc0JR364DPooDPPf47x92u73ZOovArIhKihRp4vuEu2eBX33xbTjhU0bFb44lG1UdPyVIrzE7qHeBKMr66LQ_qWxcAYT_jothyzSiwd-mXJ-nAGF_iR5ecmLDwRMzc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pJflK_NnrAMTgPc0JR364DPooDPPf47x92u73ZOovArIhKihRp4vuEu2eBX33xbTjhU0bFb44lG1UdPyVIrzE7qHeBKMr66LQ_qWxcAYT_jothyzSiwd-mXJ-nAGF_iR5ecmLDwRMzc/s320/1.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Bill Murray as Winger</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> After MEATBALLS, director Ivan Reitman and Bill Murray filmed STRIPES, starring Murray and Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the summer camp comedy and between both films directed Bill in the now legendary golfing venture CADDYSHACK…<br /> <br /> In STRIPES, when Bill Murray’s John Winger, attempting to prove to his best friend Russell Ziskey, played by Harold Ramis, that he isn’t too old and/or out of shape to join the military, after completing only several trudging sit-ups, Ramis quips: "I think you're ready for the Special Olympics!” Well if not that, the Army, where Winger decides to go after having enough of a nowhere existence, and being dumped by his hot blonde girlfriend, who feels John’s antics just aren’t “cute anymore.” One of the funniest scenes (embedded below) involves the two friends in the recruitment office, awkwardly answering a particular question long before the <i>Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell</i> era… "We're not homosexual... But we are willing to learn."<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwEtKDX_1F3fYa8cBmo75cPfUWof1IhRZRq7ilFWWyTwfml4-bKom8qoKThfXcUGlP3_q1CGeL5NY2MiZejMkHBrBLahB8bbg1F6i7JAk9s3pL2KVwMz9qgGeL_xrfaQiPfGOjQhOtk_X/s1600/87496_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="204" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwEtKDX_1F3fYa8cBmo75cPfUWof1IhRZRq7ilFWWyTwfml4-bKom8qoKThfXcUGlP3_q1CGeL5NY2MiZejMkHBrBLahB8bbg1F6i7JAk9s3pL2KVwMz9qgGeL_xrfaQiPfGOjQhOtk_X/s400/87496_full.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Damn we love PJ</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Since Bill Murray is usually the endearing, independent rogue, it’s often missed that STRIPES really is a bonafide buddy comedy. Throughout the boot camp classic, Ramis is right by Murray’s side – they even hook up with two lady MPs together. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nVdBx569LmtO3qFmyAok3zIzZscjeW1IJlPBf5x0Dwkc6U5sMr0Zs6sT7ywKY48yaLkMPSI9T8roGaBaYliyudC-8Ej7cTX9q8J_jC0slYX62xbRmUaatndL39VIn0YwaFJdYkCyJX4/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nVdBx569LmtO3qFmyAok3zIzZscjeW1IJlPBf5x0Dwkc6U5sMr0Zs6sT7ywKY48yaLkMPSI9T8roGaBaYliyudC-8Ej7cTX9q8J_jC0slYX62xbRmUaatndL39VIn0YwaFJdYkCyJX4/s1600/2.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>PJ Soles recalls STRIPES with Bill Murray</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: white;"><u>Winger’s girl, Stella, is played by ROCK N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL and HALLOWEEN starlet PJ SOLES, who recalls a sequence with Murray, along with Sean Young and Harold Ramis, when they use the general’s house for their own personal enjoyment… </u></span><br /> <br /> <i>Our scene that ended up being in the kitchen was outside, on a hill, looking at fireworks, and we were supposed to be going into the big kiss but instead, it was three o’ clock in the morning… </i><br /> <i><br /></i> <i>We were in Westwood. It was getting late. They shot Harold and Sean’s scene… their little love scene. And Ivan was, “Uh, I don’t know, we have to show somehow that you guys like each other. We’re gonna have to do something inside because we can’t go outside now, it’s too late. We can’t have lights outside. It’s a neighborhood.”  </i><br /> <br /> <i>We were talking in the kitchen… And Bill opens the refrigerator and takes out a carrot. And I just looked at him and said, “What are you gonna do with that?” And Ivan just said, “Bring the camera in here. Let’s roll it.” And we shot that in literally twenty minutes. With coverage and everything. And I love that. It’s one of my favorite all-time scenes and because of the fact it just happened so automatically.</i><br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgSOjhqbUpg2HXcYR_DNS6Q_O8NkiAlIwpHIBqTBgE2fgzF4qPhIy9XgSiVcp9n5rv3J5-VfjXjK0mhviigvIBc4JpHwp9Ncdm4zzicLg-Rk1gdbPl240typMwImKhGjLmbOUqxehmAM/s1600/bill_murray-stripes1981-1340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgSOjhqbUpg2HXcYR_DNS6Q_O8NkiAlIwpHIBqTBgE2fgzF4qPhIy9XgSiVcp9n5rv3J5-VfjXjK0mhviigvIBc4JpHwp9Ncdm4zzicLg-Rk1gdbPl240typMwImKhGjLmbOUqxehmAM/s320/bill_murray-stripes1981-1340.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Conrad Dunn at Psycho</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> And yet, STRIPES is not all fun and games. The opening twenty minutes, showing Murray’s downfall as a taxi driver, his breakup and the enevitable game-changing decision, has the somber cadence of a movie that’s not relying on joke-a-minute laughs. Winger is a real guy with real troubles, and has no idea what he’s getting into…<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fsRbgycrRE9tQgHmXXZV7D1Vx11-mbLJLO8Jip4jUm6o-roDtJI9SdMX9inHA44C2aMaFfc0jkvOAD9T2fg-fbArSxQ8cV_Qw5-Ap6pHzFRuOgM4YdIXx2semsNrIhA4PEJq7o_XrYjG/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="150" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fsRbgycrRE9tQgHmXXZV7D1Vx11-mbLJLO8Jip4jUm6o-roDtJI9SdMX9inHA44C2aMaFfc0jkvOAD9T2fg-fbArSxQ8cV_Qw5-Ap6pHzFRuOgM4YdIXx2semsNrIhA4PEJq7o_XrYjG/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="122" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>HulkaMania!</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Some great performances came out of the dire situation of two completely inept friends stuck in the hellish Boot Camp, including one scene leading up to the romantic tryst PJ Soles recollected...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> When Winger attempts to go AWOL and Ramis’s Russell chases him outside the barracks, the two have it out, arguing intensely surrounded by ominous tanks...<br /> <br /> Murray and Ramis are quite funny together, but they can get down and dirty too. There’s a real edge to their chemistry here... And in films before and after, Ramis wrote many of the characters that made Bill Murray an icon.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhmp4HP9eFvreV-kQbKxldJSIpwQ-uUpJ3E0hiXeT5Xdhs8jBug86ufCdD5-RSgCVGjuaUiWLLyqr7y3JcLcyjc-U9GKDwy2Qa-DVNA0yx05qwjpI8JwkKku8wXuIU1yjdI7ITqc5Os6U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+12.21.28+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhmp4HP9eFvreV-kQbKxldJSIpwQ-uUpJ3E0hiXeT5Xdhs8jBug86ufCdD5-RSgCVGjuaUiWLLyqr7y3JcLcyjc-U9GKDwy2Qa-DVNA0yx05qwjpI8JwkKku8wXuIU1yjdI7ITqc5Os6U/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+12.21.28+PM.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>This should be real!</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> One of the great character-actors from the 1970’s, Warren Oates, playing the gruff Sgt. Hulka, inserts an edgy brand of realism throughout the comedic proceedings. One scene that brings out intense acting on Murray's part has Hulka and Winger meeting alone in the barracks bathroom... Hulka takes off his helmet and challenges Winger to punch him in the gut, off the record. In this scene a subliminal connection occurs between the two loggerheads. Meanwhile, Oates' edgy dynamic is countered by John Larroquette who, playing the doofus Captain Stillman, is truly the unlikable antagonist and plays more for the zaniness of the picture.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OMjys8TI0pHhjaHSP3QAsECJLRIcQIMJjrrBqzwJXl4sd0S-U95hTgOExOIuUSk0IKCtFt_YDIG8mabMRNuoAUyyxjoV-j8lMqK1SOHX-0Zc1tBGTDZs-x41zJ-NshvKzBlbWZihqZ4/s1600/bill_murray-stripes1981-2210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OMjys8TI0pHhjaHSP3QAsECJLRIcQIMJjrrBqzwJXl4sd0S-U95hTgOExOIuUSk0IKCtFt_YDIG8mabMRNuoAUyyxjoV-j8lMqK1SOHX-0Zc1tBGTDZs-x41zJ-NshvKzBlbWZihqZ4/s320/bill_murray-stripes1981-2210.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>RIP for Harold Ramis on 2/24/2014</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> John Candy’s Ox is the endearing scene-stealer, and winds up, during the troop's night out, mud wrestling a bevy of babes... But let’s shed some light on a few wonderful character actors, including John Diehl as the dimwitted Cruiser, who has played everything from a vice cop to a psychotic… Speaking of which, one of the most memorable rants comes from Conrad Dunn's Francis <i>Psycho</i> Sawyer: “Now, any of you homos touch me, and I’ll kill ya,” he growls during the troop's initial introduction. Leading to Hulka’s now iconic reply, “Lighten up, Francis.” <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQABHmSVdN9Ln6LumJECiFcCZxPcLk_XJNgH5pb3l4Qmg-gaD4VU6r9spi8mvo5gL34QNfFo6HCDugNJCbgi2juId0QP4iaNcQ35oHlrYu0OWqOGFMgeuc-t-TFpJJNA9qKYYncKJ3mvi3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+12.14.55+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQABHmSVdN9Ln6LumJECiFcCZxPcLk_XJNgH5pb3l4Qmg-gaD4VU6r9spi8mvo5gL34QNfFo6HCDugNJCbgi2juId0QP4iaNcQ35oHlrYu0OWqOGFMgeuc-t-TFpJJNA9qKYYncKJ3mvi3/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+12.14.55+PM.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>StripesScore: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> While a majority of the film occurs at Boot Camp, the film suffers <i>after</i> the troop passes a last-minute drill test, and, being sent overseas, Winger and Ziskey, along with Stella and Sean Young's Louise, steal an all-terrain recreational vehicle and wind up having to rescue their fellow soldiers, who had gone after them (mind you, Hulka <i>never</i> gets captured). This segment is awkward, way too long and not very funny, but STRIPES is the quintessential military comedy no matter… Even the flaws pass muster… And “That’s the fact, Jack!”<br /> <br /> Like ANIMAL HOUSE, Elmer Bernstein's music plays for theme more than laughs. The piano bar riff embodying Winger's lazy countenance aside, a triumphant score blares throughout, as if part of a genuine gung ho war feature (yet also reminiscent of Berstein's patriotic marching romp from Steven Spielberg's zany 1941)...<br /> <br /> This allows the humor to subtly intrude upon the gritty location, which is a character in itself: Harboring two buddies (and real life creative partners continuing in GHOSTBUSTERS and GROUNDHOG DAY) who will always be remembered within the high ranks of cinematic glory.

army, bill murray, comedy, eighties, harold ramis, interview, ivan reitman, john candy, pj soles, warren oates

BILL MURRAY & HAROLD RAMIS WITH PJ SOLES IN STRIPES

Harold Ramis as Zitsky "That’s my favorite kind of acting," PJ Soles said in a Cult Film Freak interview, "when somethi...

SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8bWz8eHD_8PSmUNyqZ0G8X647KoQpDNqdrrnY_0emKUt3zTYURyd7Evw7QR_r_G4Iwl_uarRzOI6pUEcYshRsx4g5Ha9fRuLSyEBNcZHQVhNPjOwrv5zWZYhONxayZ-Tbl1vMuHSoNXV/s1600/ringwald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8bWz8eHD_8PSmUNyqZ0G8X647KoQpDNqdrrnY_0emKUt3zTYURyd7Evw7QR_r_G4Iwl_uarRzOI6pUEcYshRsx4g5Ha9fRuLSyEBNcZHQVhNPjOwrv5zWZYhONxayZ-Tbl1vMuHSoNXV/s320/ringwald.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1983 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> One of those cheap science fiction cult films without much of a following. Shot in 3D in the early 1980's and then, after formatting to 2D, things zoom at the screen for no reason. The sets resemble a MAD MAX future if it were created by Sid and Marty Krofft. Actually, it's not that bad. In fact, bigwig Ivan Reitman produced this science-fiction yarn about a rogue bounty hunter, Peter Strauss, sent to a planet where three vixens are kidnapped. He's reluctantly aided by local <span style="font-style: italic;">brat </span>Molly Ringwald (a year before joining the <i>brat pack</i>) and Ernie Hudson: Lando to Strauss's Han Solo. A few mindless adventures lead to an underground cavern where Michael Ironside, as a gigantic robot-altered mutant, hosts a do-or-die match where Strauss must save Molly: who's become like a daughter and, well, although it's not that great, you'll be drawn in somehow.

3D, ernie hudson, ivan reitman, michael ironside, molly ringwald, peter strauss, science-fiction

SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE

year: 1983 rating: *** One of those cheap science fiction cult films without much of a following. Shot in 3D in the early 1980's a...