452: Ghostbusters: Answer the Call

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_00]: 159. Let's get to the Ghostbusters reboot from 2016, also known as Ghostbusters Answer The Call, which is directed by Alphiq, co-written by Fiegaswell but also Katie Dipole who wrote the heat for Paul Fiegaswell as some episodes of Parks and Rec, Haunted Mansion, the reboot film.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: It stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wigg, Pete McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Act Woods, Ed Begley Jr. Charles Dance, pretty decent cast Chris Hemsworth and the Snaps is

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Aaron Gilbert and Abbi Yates, nuclear engineer, Jill and Holtzman and Subway Worker Patty Tolin band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think, firstly, getting out there, this is my favorite of the five besides the original, which I know is probably a hot tick.

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: I know some people hate this movie for some reason in comparison to the others. This is my favorite by far of the sequels and reboots.

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And so getting right into it, I know there's the whole ridiculous controversy of when this one was announced and they got for bid had women in the lead roles.

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I think that's the most people as they still continue to do make such a fuss over there being a reboot spin off whatever and women being the lead instead of men, oh my god, how terrible.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And so that immediately had review bombing and all this stuff in it probably was one of the causes of the movie flopping, but of course the other two after this haven't really done very well either.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't think it was really that, but when that was going on, it was completely ridiculous. I, of course, did not care at all considering everyone in this movie. I loved still love.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I loved Paul Figue. I think the heat spy, Bridesmaid's is still probably his best movie so far, but this one would be second on the list, I think.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I went into this one not really being a big ghost busters fan at that point in time and didn't know really what to expect.

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And even when I first saw it, I enjoyed it. A lot more than other people seem to, I still please comment if you're on YouTube or on bank camp wherever and let me know why this movie doesn't work and comparison to the others if that's how you feel.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: But especially having watched all five of these together as I did just recently for this show.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_00]: To me of the four new films. This is the only one that actually captures the spirit and comedic nature of the original because ghost busters 2 as I already talked about pretty dry.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it does have the essence of the first one. But of the latter two films after life and frozen empire which will get to you and I like those movies don't get me wrong and I like that they are trying something different, totally.

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But this to me feels like an actual comedy that writing is comedic that performances are comedic whereas I feel like the latter two films are almost too serious.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And I enjoy spending time in this world, I wish there had been more. I don't know why since this one didn't do well. It didn't get a sequel when then after life didn't do very well either and it got frozen empire and possibly another one so I don't get that.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: But I would happily so much rather have seen ghost busters 2 of this reboot than of afterlife and I think that this one, I buy far had the most fun with this one and I watched the extended cut which there's not a huge difference between that the actual and the extended but the characters. I think all lead for performances are iconic. I love everyone in this movie. It's not perfect. It's not a masterpiece.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: But like I was never bored. I was laughing consistently and once again, it didn't feel like it was trying too hard to ground this in some sort of kind of stranger things ask world or tone and even talking about the not the performances visually the movie looks awesome.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it looks in terms of special effects looks way more colorful and interesting and cool than anything in afterlife or a frozen empire or into.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I think especially this is probably the only third act of the five films that I enjoy the most or that I actually enjoy and I'm not wanting it to be over like everything jumping you know jumping all the way to the end here.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: The fight in New York City with the greens and the blues the possessed Chris Hemsworth acting like Peter Pan the boogie boogie man, ask ghost walking through the city the fog and smoke through time square. I think this movie like I cannot believe how well this movie held up visually. I was worried but there's also the pinstripe ghosts like look of the ghost the old fashion Victorian dresses that they wear.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Everything about this movie visually is top notch especially in comparison to the others and so that was something that had me hooked.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: But the four main women they work together so well the writing and it helps the.

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: The demo has a lot of comedy with what I was just saying earlier as opposed to the writers of afterlife in frozen Empire, which is Jason Wrightman and Gil.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Keenan who I mean they have some comedy to their name but not a lot where his kid did.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: is a true comedy writer and you see that in the writing.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: But how they create that world, how they create the right atmosphere where I'm feeling like,

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: all right, I'm in a new Ghostbusters movie.

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not in a Ghostbusters imitation or a knockoff.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like all right, this could be the new series of Ghostbusters films

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: that I would absolutely would be okay spending more time.

[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: And like it's long.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I will say, that's really one of the only issues I have with the movie is

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_00]: it does feel too long.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I think all these movies should be right around the hour 45 minute mark total.

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And this one is with the extended cut like 2, 10, maybe 2, 15.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: So I do agree there are points from like, Oh, Jesus, this is still going and like we

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: still have a little ways to go.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, I'm not upset that I'm spending time with Kate McKinnon.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And whereas in the latter sequels or the narrative sequels in terms of the original,

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I get kind of bored spending time with those characters.

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't really know, can't tell you anything about people like Paul Rudd,

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Kerry Coon, like there's so little impact,

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_00]: even though I don't mind spending time with them,

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I still like those actors.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: There's really so little development to who they are as people and how much

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_00]: fun I have with them in comparison to this one.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And if I just watched this one by itself or I'd watch those by itself,

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe I wouldn't be thinking about it as much.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, All right, I want to do all five of these together.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's really compare them side by side and I'm glad I did because

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_00]: besides the stupid hate that I got for having women in the lead role to reboot it,

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't really see why this movie gets trashed so bad.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Like people say, Oh, this is horrible.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Like I cannot believe how bad it was.

[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Like this is one of the worst comedies of recent memory.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't get it.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Like this movie is so much funnier for a variety of reasons.

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00]: It has so much more of a popable inviting, welcoming, enjoyable atmosphere than

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: a lot of other action comedies do that I really genuinely.

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not trying to be like contrarian or just make noise actually and really kind of confused

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: even again when I first saw him like why are people hating this so much?

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe that's because I have a low level for comedy.

[00:07:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know where I like kitty dipoles and politics previous works,

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: but I think this movie is genuinely very, very solid and it really made me feel so much better.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Really gave me a mood boost.

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Talking about specific scenes the opening at the mansion,

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_00]: fantastic where there's Zach Woods trying to play a joke on these customers for like a tour,

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: like a ghost tour and then that the look of that ghost, the blue,

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: oh amazing. So good.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And then Kristen Wigs character trying to get tenure and then her reuniting with

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Melissa McCarthy who have had this falling out and

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Kristen's worth and I just saw him in Fiorio so he's amazing in that.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_00]: He really has grown so much as an actor and he has such good versatility at this point

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_00]: like he's not like just a pretty face. He actually is a very good actor dramatically and

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_00]: comedically, but he is so funny in this.

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_00]: The whole thing where he doesn't have glasses or lenses to his glasses

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_00]: and he says, alright, Mike and I listen and he puts his fingers through

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: his glasses and the writing for him is very, very good to if you really pay attention to it.

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: It's so clever. Just a very subtle dry confusions that he has about

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: normal everyday social gatherings or his the name of his cat.

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I love his character and that's such a good and very refreshingly enjoyable side character.

[00:09:29] [SPEAKER_00]: But Kate McKinnan, I love her and everything. She's amazing one of the funny

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_00]: people alive. I think she's incredible in S&L and I love seeing her in movies

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and in TV and I think the look of her character and possibly some people get bored of this.

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I think every time I cuts to her and she's making some ridiculous face or if you pay attention

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_00]: to her in the background, hysterical.

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy very good as well.

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're more the typical version of themselves. Not say that's bad but

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I think if I had to point out my least, the least impactful performances it would probably be

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: them. I think it would be Chris and Wig, Kate McKinnan and Chris Hemsworth would be

[00:10:11] [SPEAKER_00]: the winners from the performance wise but they're still very good.

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: The metal show, the rock show where the ghost possesses the mannequin so good.

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_00]: There's also the scene towards the end in the big climactic sequence where slimer comes back and he is driving the car

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00]: or that driving the act to one love that and the look of the act to one.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Great. A few one off funny scenes for me is when

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Melissa McCarthy and Chris and Wig recreate their high school or middle school science project presentation.

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: The scene in the alleyway where Melissa McCarthy tries out the blast or she flies all over the place

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and where Melissa McCarthy is getting upset over the wand ton soup towards beginning where she first reunites with Chris and Wig.

[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And also with the rock show I didn't mention where the flying ghost gets on top of Leslie Jones and she's walking through and she's like, I'm going to head out. I'm tired.

[00:11:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Or where Chris and Wig is oogling Chris Hemsworth when they first interview him and the alternatives to the ghostbuster icon

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_00]: with like the big boobs or where he just puts up the 7-11 logo. Perfect.

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_00]: The look of when Melissa McCarthy is about to get possessed or is getting possessed and she has the consistently green slime oozing out of her nose

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: and her ears like that looks really good and it looks completely believable. I don't know if that was actually effects or if that was some sort of practical thing

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_00]: but it looks awesome. The scene towards the end where Chris Hemsworth is in Times Square or the possessed version of him is and he makes the National Garden Policeman dance and then freeze in place

[00:12:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I feel like I could talk about this movie all day and there's not a single scene really that I dislike which is kind of rare for a movie like this.

[00:12:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Like it is so showy and big and big budget with a lot of big performances and actors I'm never really offended by anything. I would say really one of the only or some of the only flaws that's good to that before people get to upset, we hate this movie.

[00:12:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I think some of the stuff that doesn't totally work, I think the villain is a pretty weak like he's just a typical whiny, overlooked person who wants to get revenge on all the evil doers in the world for

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER_00]: pulling him or for wronging him, not respecting him. It's a pretty weak lame villain like I don't really care about him or he's not really that funny. He's not really that creepy. He's just sort of like it doesn't do a whole lot for me and then thankfully it's only in one scene but I'll be the first to say I love fallout boy. I grew up listening to fallout boy and bands like that and I still listen to them a lot so I'm a big big genuinely a big fallout boy fan.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_00]: But with how iconic how signature and how recognizable fallout boy is especially vocally, they were not the right choice for this reimagining of the ghost busters song. I get it, you know there are a big commercial band you want to sell this movie etc. I get that but in the context of the film it does not work. It feels way too like this is just fallout boy singing and that doesn't really work in this. It feels way too modern.

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Like tire assembly modern. It doesn't really work in terms of the rest of the tone of the movie it feels too slick and poppy whereas the rest of the movie doesn't really feel that way and so I'm glad it's only in that one driving sequence where they are going to the rock show or whatever it is. So that is one thing I'll point out I don't like that as much as I love the band not a fan of that song.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean maybe otherwise like outside the movie maybe but even so just there's just something about it does not mesh for me and I think that's generally how most people see that song. So besides that I feel like it's very under-perceated, very misunderstood.

[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And even on a more emotional dramatic level I felt like you know even in comparison to the others. I feel like I got to know them. I remember them more I could say more about their personalities and their performances.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And even other small little moments like this stuff with necessarily strong and other SNL member cheese hilarious.

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And the moment at the end where Chris and wig and Melissa McCarthy come back from the portal or whatever it is and their bleached hair is what it is and Chris him's worth is back to himself as normal and he keeps on catching food.

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_00]: That's being thrown at him like the bottle water the sandwich over and over and over again people are coming from like it shows you there are still good comedic directors and good comedic writers that you can use and create good calming and Hollywood needs to hire more like all feet he can do it.

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_00]: So I hope that even though of course this movie got sort of middle the road reviews I know some people didn't really like it but it didn't do very well financially and it has just been pretty much forgotten.

[00:15:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like especially since I have done these two newer films that connect to the original that makes it I guess more important or more credible which I think is wrong.

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_00]: So I would recommend hey give it a revisit you never know if you haven't seen it give it a try you never know so that one is a light four and a half out of five.