Bedknobs and Broomsticks

"It is not what things are; it is what they seem to be."

Apprentice witch Eglantine Price (Lansbury), spends her time alone working on mastering her spells. But on a trip to town, she is forced to take in three children from London: Charlie (Weighill), Carrie (O'Callaghan), and Paul (Snart). That evening, when they attempt to run away, they see Miss Price trying to ride her broomstick and figure out her secret.

To keep them from telling, Miss Price enchants the knob from the bed the children sleep in with a traveling spell. When the knob is on the bed, it will take the inhabitants anywhere. They use the knob to travel to London to get Professor Emelius Browne (Tomlinson), Miss Price's correspondence class of witchcraft instructor. And they travel the globe searching for a special spell to end the war.

Growing up I watched this film a lot... the Isle of Naboombu sequence was / is so cool, and I loved some of the songs. Plus it was a Disney movie, and as a child I thought Disney could do no wrong. Watching it for the first time in years, I was struck with how slow some sequences move. Not that they don't work... but it's not as cool now (sadly).

The Isle of Naboombu is still cool. Like it's predecessor Mary Poppins, this film has live action characters interact with cartoon characters in a drawn world. The background is stunning and the characters are funny. It would have been great to have this section a little longer. The cast is great... Angela Lansbury is great in the lead, and has the best songs in the film, such as "The Age of Not Believing." The rest of the cast is good as well, but not as well known. Overall, I enjoyed my trip down memory lane with this film!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) 139 minutes
Director: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Angela Lansbury as Miss Eglantine Price
David Tomlinson as Professor Emelius Browne
Roddy McDowall as Mr. Jelk
Cindy O'Callaghan as Carrie
Roy Snart as Paul
Ian Weighill as Charlie

Ghostbusters 2

"It's late, I really ought to put him down."
"May I?"
"Yeah, if you want to."
"You're short, your bellybutton sticks out too far, and you're a terrible burden on your poor mother"

Five years after saving the world, the ghostbusters are forced to find alternate jobs to support themselves. Dr. Venkman (Murray) is the host of a paranormal talk show, which no refutable psychic wants involvment. Dr. Stantz (Aykroyd) opened a paranormal bookstore, and Dr. Spengler (Ramis) studies human behavior. But all that changes when strange things begin happening to Dana Barrett's (Weaver) baby.

They investigate further, and discover a river of pink slime underneath the city. The slime feeds on negative energy and, when provoked, causes ghosts to appear. The surge in ghost activities puts the Ghostbusters back in business. They discover more abnormal activity at the museum where Dana works... in the form of an old painting being restored, and the sketchy musuem curator Janosz Poha (MacNicol). Who or what wants the baby, and can the Ghostbusters stop them?


The cast from the original film return to save the world a second time. And at times, that is what the film feels like.... a repeat of everything that happened (better) in the original. There are good moments, and it is entertaining, but it pales in comparison its predecessor.

It is nice to see the minor characters get more to do... such as Rick Moranis' Louis, who was underused in the original. He gets a romance, and gets to defend the ghostbusters in court (the quote below)...

"I think you guys are making a big mistake. I do mostly tax law and probate stuff occasionally. I got my law degree at night school."
"Well, that's fine, Louis. We got arrested at night."

4th Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson gets to do a little more, but still isn't as involved as the non-Ghostbusters. While Bill Murray still gets the majority of funny lines, the parts of writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were expanded. They get funny moments, and even get their own funny lines.

Doing a sequel gave the filmmakers a chance to use gags that didn't make it into the original film, such as the fur coat that comes alive and attacks it's owner. But the slime theme... no. First of all it's pink slime, and second of all, couldn't you have a cooler paranormal substance?

Overall, when this film is on TV I watch (even though I own it), but I don't love it as much as I love the original (which I also own).

Ghostbusters 2 (1989) 108 minutes
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz
Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett
Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler
Rick Moranis as Louis Tully
Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore
Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz
Peter MacNicol as Dr. Janosz Poha
Wilhelm von Homburg as Vigo
William & Henry Deutschendorf as Baby Oscar

Ghostbusters

"Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?"

"Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."

The Paranormal department of Columbia University is inhabited by 3 scientists: Drs. Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Ramis). Stantz and Spengler spend their time researching the paranormal and meeting anyone with a rare experience, while Venkman spends his time mocking thei endeavors. Everything changes when they witness an actual ghost, and are fired from Columbia.

With faith renewed in his colleagues, Venkman suggests starting their own ghost catching business. Their first paying customer, Dana Barrett (Weaver) has another dimension inside her refrigerator and eggs that fry themselves on the table... and her neighbor, Louis Tully (Moranis) is attacked by a demon hound. Meanwhile, business picks up and the trio hire a receptionist, Janine (Potts), and an additional ghost buster, Winston (Hudson), to keep up with the demand.


Who ya gonna call? With a catchy title song (written by Ray Parker Jr.), memorable one liners, and a well-known comedic cast, this film is anything but forgettable! I grew up watching the 1980s Ghostbusters cartoon, and grew to love the film. Bill Murray delivers a slew of sarcastic and funny lines, and has the best exchanges of the film

"Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that?"
"That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me."

While Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (who doubled as the writers of the film) get some funny lines, they mostly function as the catalyst for Venkman. The fourth member of the team, Ernie Hudson, has the least screen time and only a few memorable moments on screen... his character is introduced last, but after he is a part of the team, he still doesn't fit in. I'm not sure if the fault is the actor, who I can't remember seeing outside the Ghostbusters franchise, or the script. Perhaps the problem is the other big players... Murray and Aykroyd were SNL giants, and Ramis holds his own... but adding another comedian could be too much.

The effects seem dated now, but work with the film. The actors are the focus, with the effects adding to the story. Unlike today, when a film like this would be more about the ghosts and all the cool things that could happen with all the technology we have, with the actors serving as props for the effects. I prefer seeing the actors and the story at the focus. An excellent film that you keep coming back to....

Ghostbusters (1984) 105 minutes
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz
Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett
Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler
Rick Moranis as Louis Tully
Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz
William Atherton as Walter Peck
Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddmore

Knocked Up

"I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant... with emotion?"
"Pregnant with a baby."

It's one night... what could happen? That is the question successful TV correspondence, Alison (Heigl), asks after receiving a promotion at work. She celebrates by an evening of drinking, and hooks up with slacker Ben (Rogen). Realizing, the next morning, they have nothing in common, the relationship ends.

But Alison learns she is pregnant. When she tells Ben, they have the conversation above. Neither knows what to do, so they turn to the people in their lives for advice. Ben turns to the stoners in his life: his father (Harold Ramis), who encourages fatherhood, and his roommates: Jonah (Hill), Jason (Segel), Jay (Baruchel), and Martin (Starr) who give conflicting advice. Alison turns to her family: her mother (Joanna Kerns) encourages abortion, while her sister Debbie (Mann) embraces the idea of a niece.

With the minimal opposition, they decide to move forward with the pregnancy and attempt a relationship. Debbie's family make an effort to bond with Ben. He plays with her daughters Charlotte (Iris Apatow) and Sadie (Maude Apatow), and finds a kindred spirit in Debbie's husband Pete (Rudd). Meanwhile, Alison tries to hide her condition from her coworkers and friends, while looking for someone to deliver the baby and trying to coexist with Ben.


I should start by saying I watched this on TV, so the language and such was minimal. Much better than I thought it would be. I can understand why many women were offended by the film, and Katherine Heigl comments about the the way the women are portrayed in contrast to the loveable manner of the men. While the film casts a better light on the male characters, you don't dislike the female characters...
The characters are entertaining and abrubt / awkward, but still have heart. I'm still not an Apatow fan, but I can respect the heart he is willing to show in the midst of the raunch... and hopeful / positive outcomes.

Knocked Up (2007) 129 minutes
Rating: R for sexual content, drug use and language.
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Seth Rogen as Ben Stone
Katherine Heigl as Alison Scott
Paul Rudd as Pete
Leslie Mann as Debbie
Jason Segel as Jason
Jay Baruchel as Jay
Jonah Hill as Jonah
Martin Starr as Martin

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

"The only thing I'm good at is pissing people off"

Trying to get into the U.K. Academy Awards, journalist Sidney (Pegg) brings a pig, who he claims is "Babe," on a leash. But his true identity is revealed, and he is kicked to the curb. After the show, he leaves the pig in his hotel room and crashes an after party... but things get out of hand, and Sidney ends up becoming a headline (for the wrong reasons).

However, his creativity / stupidity catches the eye of the editor of the American pop culture magazine Sharp, Clayton Harding (Bridges), who offers Sidney a job. But Sidney soon learns the magazine focuses on pleasing the celebs, specifically the clients of powerful publicist Eleanor Johnson (Anderson), which Sidney pisses off after their first meeting. His direct boss, Lawrence Maddox (Huston) isn't impressed with Sidney's attitude or opinions (especially his ability to alienate the celebs)... The celebs don't want to talk to him, including the attractive new actress Sophie Maes (Fox) who Sidney wants to impress. The only person who speaks to Sidney is co-worker Alison (Dunst), who hates him. Will he get the girl? Will he ever get a story?


My soul hurts. I expected much more than this...
I saw previews of this film, and it looked entertaining... plus it has Simon Pegg, how bad could it be? Without any knowledge about the film, or the memoir it is based on, I made the decision to watch this film...mostly because Pegg was in it. Pegg had yet to steer me wrong, from the feature films he co-wrote / starred in ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," and "Run, Fat Boy, Run") to the TV shows / mini-series that came before the films ("Spaced" and "Asylum"). His collaborations with director Edgar Wright and Nick Frost topped the charts, but overall I was still entertained with his comedies...

I'm not sure what went wrong... The cast is o.k., but none of the characters are particularly likable. Eventually you like Sidney, and you are supposed to like Alison, but the rest of the cast is too far removed or too obnoxious to be entertaining. There are funny moments here and there... like the opening sequence and killing the Chihuahua, and some nice moments, but overall Sidney stretches your patience. I think a different actor could have made the character work, but Pegg wasn't the right choice.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) 110 minutes
Rating: R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.
Director: Robert B. Weide
Starring: Simon Pegg as Sidney Young
Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen
Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding
Danny Huston as Lawrence Maddox
Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Johnson
Megan Fox as Sophie Maes

Brazil

"What is this mess? An empty desk is an efficient desk."

Despite his grim and drab surroundings, (gray and depressing), Sam Lowry (Pryce) escapes through his dreams. By day, Sam works for the government in an endless loop of meaningless paperwork. In his dreams, he is a winged hero soaring through the clouds and saving the ethereal woman of his dreams.

His well-connected mother, Ida (Helmond), wants Sam to have an executive job. In between her various plastic surgeries, she gets Sam a promotion. He prefers to stay out of the spotlight, and tries to turn down the job, but an unexpected complication changes his answer...

When a spelling error (caused by a dead fly smeared on the page) causes the wrong man to be imprisoned, Sam sees the woman haunting his dreams, Jill (Greist). To get close to her, he accepts the promotion from his father's friend Mr. Helpman (Vaughn). He gets a tiny new office and many "something for an executive" gifts. He uses his new connections and an old friend, Jack (Palin) to find and rescue Jill. Will his life reflect his dreams: saving the beautiful woman from an unseen force, or will Sam get lost in the paperwork.

"You got the wrong man"
"Information Transit got the wrong man. I got the right man. The wrong one was delivered to me as the right man, and I accepted him on good faith, as the right man. Was I wrong?"

This is one of those films that gets better with time... The first time I watched this film, for a class, I didn't know what happened. After several more viewings, reading blogs / movie reviews, and writing a paper about it, I can finally appreciate the mastery of Terry Gilliam. The man is amazing... but I digress.

The cast, sets, costumes (for the fantasy scenes especially), and script are stellar. The script is relatively basic (with a fantasy / dream sequence interspersed throughout the narrative, basically mirroring the main narrating), while simultaneously exploring deeper themes and making references to George Orwell's 1984. While there are funny moments and situations, the general tone is serious.

The role of Sam was tailored for Jonathan Pryce (the character was initially written as a younger man, but Gilliam wanted Pryce for the part), and he rises to the challenge of being a leading man. But the supporting cast are the real reason to watch. Michael Palin, in his 5th Terry Gilliam film, plays a serious character instead of a caricature that you laugh at/with, and once again delivers a memorable performance. Robert De Niro is the reclusive heating engineer, he works freelance and doesn't complete paperwork, Harry Tuttle. Despite only appearing in a few scenes, his character is mentioned throughout the film, and is also memorable. The entire supporting cast, regardless the size of the part, creates quirky but somewhat believeable characters.

Not for everyone, but a "must-see" for Gilliam fans and film students!

Brazil (1985) 142 minutes
Rating: R for some strong violence
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry
Robert De Niro as Harry Tuttle
Katherine Helmond as Ida Lowry
Ian Holm as Mr. M. Kurtzmann
Bob Hoskins as Spoor
Michael Palin as Jack Lint
Ian Richardson as Mr. Warrenn
Peter Vaughan as Mr. Helpmann
Kim Greist as Jill Layton