Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters II

These are two classics from the 80's. I love them dearly and will be basically laying down my puff piece about them right here..or should I say 'puft' piece.

Ghostbusters
(1984) [Trailer]
Director: Ivan Reitman (IMDB)

I have fond memories of this film as a child and I have seen it too many times to count. A lot of people would say they don't make films like this anymore, and a lot of people are right.

The Ghostbuster's story doesn't really need to be told but just in case you were living on a stranded island over the last 30 years, I'll give you a quick recap. Three guys (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis) start one of the coolest business endeavors ever...ghost busting. They soon realize, once business starts booming, that there's a paranormal shift in the world and the dead are coming back to life in record numbers. After the crew catch a shit ton of ghosts some asshole from City Hall comes to Ghostbuster Headquarters and releases them all. The mayor finds out, gets pissed and hires the Ghostbusters to save the day once the city starts going to hell, literally.

Ghostbusters has everything you need in a block buster film. Great special effects (for the time), a great story, great comedy, and plenty of great action. Bill Murray (probably my favorite comedic actor ever) is amazing in this. I couldn't honestly imagine anyone coming close to filling his shoes (Hollywood take note if you're deciding on casting anyone else for part three or a reboot.) The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man scenes are amazing, absolutely amazing. If you don't agree, you're insane. What a genius idea for a bad guy. This is one of the best action comedies of the 80's, if not, ever.



Ghostbusters II
(1989) [Trailer]
Director: Ivan Reitman (IMDB)

The team returns five years later to do battle with the dead. All the original cast members are back except that dick, he was replaced with another dick. Ghostbusters always has to have a dick.

It's a few years after the boys saved the entire city of Manhattan from evil, and now they're all doing bullshit jobs. You would think that they'd be heralded as kings and be given the royal treatment; however, they are not. They are a joke now...so that's what being a hero gets you. Nothing! Well turns out, there are no more ghosts to bust...until one day when there's something strange in the neighborhood (get it? Ray Parker Jr baby!) Well the busters find out there's a river of slime that's running under the city and it's feeding off NYC's negative energy. The river leads right to Vigo, who's a Carpathian war lord whos come back from the dead and resides in a Van Gogh at the local museum. The shit hits the fan when New York's anger final reaches it's boiling point and the boys have to come save the day.

Part two, in my opinion, isn't as good as part one, but it's still pretty good. The Statue of Liberty just doesn't live up to Stay Puft and the beginning drags a little at first. Other then that, it's pretty amazing. Everything direction-wise I liked about the first, is definitely in the second. I enjoyed my rewatch, these movies are a good time, go watch them now.