Discuss the Ghostbusters movie that was released in 2016.
#4889736
Saw the movie. I remember from previous discussions of downloads it's frowned on here. Though I watched it streaming from a website.

Reading the comments above, I don't understand why people like Holtzman. The actress sure, she played the part very well. She and Chris Hemsworth did a great job portraying their roles. But Holtzman herself was just lame. Technobabble and creepiness and the general GB16 stupidity and trying to be Peter Venkman with lame one liners nearly every freaking second of the movie (like the rest of GB16). That's all there was to her character.

What I liked, even though its a bad movie: Had two halfway decent jump scares, ruined by a lame scene afterwards. Like Melissa McCarthy hiding herself away from the ghost with the classic rattling of the door, but followed by the ton of snot scene. When the GB16s were trapped under the Stay Puft balloon that was great. Best cameo of the movie, lol, and their faces being smushed and them still talking was great physical comedy. Shame about the lame scene with the itty bitty pocket knife afterwards.

And maybe that's a point worth mentioning about this movie. Why some scenes were good enough for people to like, but the movie still ended up being bad. I read other reviews before that one major problem with this movie was not everybody can be the wisecracker, you need normal deadpan people around to make the jokes have funny impact. Having everyone trying to be the funny guy, with the stiff and lame dialogue, meant nobody was funny overall.

For me, what emphasied the above point, is that they kept trying to make a funny one liner through out the whole movie. It's as if they kept throwing crap on the wall, hoping futilely that something would stick. Same with the after credits scene, none of them were good, and I see why Feig cried trying to shoot the big dance scene, but they kept showing after credits scene one after the other as if trying to find something good while making the final cut of the actual movie.

So I think the movie overall could have been better, if they hadn't made constant attempts at jokes and paid more attention to setting up a good joke once in awhile instead. So I guess one other thing to like about the movie, is there might be potential there, though hoping a sequel will be far far better than the first is pretty hopeless.

(I am glad to have seen the movie, only because now I can say I have seen it, while talking about the controversy.)
#4889749
HunterCC wrote:(I am glad to have seen the movie, only because now I can say I have seen it, while talking about the controversy.)
Yay, Hunter's seen it! :mrgreen:

Question, you used the word "lame" a lot in your review, what does that mean to you when you think/say that?
Alphagaia, HunterCC, Sav C liked this
#4889784
JurorNo.2 wrote:
HunterCC wrote:(I am glad to have seen the movie, only because now I can say I have seen it, while talking about the controversy.)
Yay, Hunter's seen it! :mrgreen:

Question, you used the word "lame" a lot in your review, what does that mean to you when you think/say that?
Lol, thanks.

Wow I did overuse that word "lame", should have mixed synonyms more, but that's what I was thinking to describe the movie, from about 16 minutes in to the rest of the movie.

Basically I meant "bad not horrible" re: GB16. Usually when I say "lame", it's about a joke that's not offensive or bad personally, just stupid and falling flat.
Last edited by HunterCC on February 6th, 2017, 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sav C liked this
#4889787
HunterCC wrote: Reading the comments above, I don't understand why people like Holtzman.
I don't get it either. I mean, McKinnon is no doubt a talented, funny person. But like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, she needs a leash. Someone to help dial it back a bit...like a director or something?
Image

Or I could be wrong...just another stick in the mud.
Image
HunterCC, pferreira1983, SpaceBallz and 1 others liked this
#4889800
Sav C wrote:While I liked the jokes and enjoyed the movie, I get what you're saying--there was room for more sophistication with the jokes. Certainly the story had room for improvement too, but I liked it anyways.
Yeah, I think humor is one of the most subjective things out there.
featofstrength wrote:I don't get it either. I mean, McKinnon is no doubt a talented, funny person. But like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, she needs a leash. Someone to help dial it back a bit...like a director or something?

Or I could be wrong...just another stick in the mud.
Lol at the funny pics. Kinda feel sorry for whatever Tommy Lee Jones is going through. Yeah, I figure people might have appreciated the job McKinnon and Hemsworth did more than their characters. I didn't care for Will Smith's character in Collateral Beauty, or Chris Pratt's (Star-Lord!!!) character in Passengers, but those guys turned in great performances too.

Yeah, a leash, direction, comedic timing in that movie, something to make a joke funny. Went back to watch Red Letter Media's (Half in the bag) GB16 review, and some things make more sense now. GB84 delivered clever comedy in different ways. One example: When the police bring Louis to the fire station. Janine wearily asks: "Picking up or dropping off?" The cop replies "Dropping off". That hilarious dialogue carries so much exposition with so few words. The police are seeing weird stuff happen, and are delivering ghost-related crazy people for the GBs to check out. Contrast that with GB16 Rowan and other characters carefully reciting every bit of plot point like they are explaining the scene to a room of third graders. Rowan's exposition to.... himself (why?) was particularly lame.
LeChuck liked this
#4889806
Currently having the worst morning of my life so I'll have to hold off on responding because I can't guarantee I'll be calm. Nothing to do with you Hunter, just my own stupidity. God why I did I even bother getting up this morning...

EDIT: Ugh, sorry to veer off topic, just I lost my very expensive bus pass this morning, I did not need that to happen. I'll just have to dive into the Christmas money emergency fund I guess. Please continue with the conversation!
#4889811
JurorNo.2 wrote:Currently having the worst morning of my life so I'll have to hold off on responding because I can't guarantee I'll be calm. Nothing to do with you Hunter, just my own stupidity. God why I did I even bother getting up this morning...

EDIT: Ugh, sorry to veer off topic, just I lost my very expensive bus pass this morning, I did not need that to happen. I'll just have to dive into the Christmas money emergency fund I guess. Please continue with the conversation!
Crap, can you call it in missing/stolen and get a free/discount replacement?
#4889815
HunterCC wrote:
JurorNo.2 wrote:Currently having the worst morning of my life so I'll have to hold off on responding because I can't guarantee I'll be calm. Nothing to do with you Hunter, just my own stupidity. God why I did I even bother getting up this morning...

EDIT: Ugh, sorry to veer off topic, just I lost my very expensive bus pass this morning, I did not need that to happen. I'll just have to dive into the Christmas money emergency fund I guess. Please continue with the conversation!
Crap, can you call it in missing/stolen and get a free/discount replacement?
Well I most likely lost it on the bus, I don't know which one, and it's just a small piece of paper, it's unlikely they'd find it. And there's no replacements or refunds. From now on I'm going to switch to the mobile version of the pass to avoid the danger of losing it entirely. Thanks for caring though, I appreciate it! :crunch:
HunterCC liked this
#4889838
DarkSpectre wrote:I know that we don't agree on much, but that does truly suck. Thankfully you can store so much stuff on your phone now.
Thanks! Yea I'm just incredibly scatter brained, I can't be trusted to keep track of important things, lol.
Alphagaia liked this
#4889853
HunterCC wrote: GB84 delivered clever comedy in different ways. One example: When the police bring Louis to the fire station. Janine wearily asks: "Picking up or dropping off?" The cop replies "Dropping off". That hilarious dialogue carries so much exposition with so few words. The police are seeing weird stuff happen, and are delivering ghost-related crazy people for the GBs to check out. Contrast that with GB16 Rowan and other characters carefully reciting every bit of plot point like they are explaining the scene to a room of third graders. Rowan's exposition to.... himself (why?) was particularly lame.
I won't disagree with you. I think ATC is aimed at a younger audience, as most blockbusters are today.
pferreira1983 liked this
#4889971
JurorNo.2 wrote:Well I most likely lost it on the bus, I don't know which one, and it's just a small piece of paper, it's unlikely they'd find it.
Kind of makes me glad in the UK we have Oyster cards. Where do you normally keep it? Make sure there aren't any holes in your pockets or bags. I've had holes in my pockets before and it caused a lot of problems.
JurorNo.2 liked this
#4889981
pferreira1983 wrote:
JurorNo.2 wrote:Well I most likely lost it on the bus, I don't know which one, and it's just a small piece of paper, it's unlikely they'd find it.
Kind of makes me glad in the UK we have Oyster cards. Where do you normally keep it? Make sure there aren't any holes in your pockets or bags. I've had holes in my pockets before and it caused a lot of problems.
I normally keep it in my wallet but there are times when you get distracted while settling in on the bus and forget to put it back.
#4889987
JurorNo.2 wrote:I normally keep it in my wallet but there are times when you get distracted while settling in on the bus and forget to put it back.
Ah crap, I see where you're coming from. Since it's a piece of paper it's easier to lose. I'm really forgetful as well. I have nightmares about forgetting my bag or my umbrella on buses or at places I've just left. :oops:
JurorNo.2 liked this
#4889994
pferreira1983 wrote:
JurorNo.2 wrote:I normally keep it in my wallet but there are times when you get distracted while settling in on the bus and forget to put it back.
Ah crap, I see where you're coming from. Since it's a piece of paper it's easier to lose. I'm really forgetful as well. I have nightmares about forgetting my bag or my umbrella on buses or at places I've just left. :oops:
Last night I though I'd lost my phone until a friend randomly texted me and I could hear the notification sound. I was grateful, lol.
#4889995
JurorNo.2 wrote:
pferreira1983 wrote:Ah crap, I see where you're coming from. Since it's a piece of paper it's easier to lose. I'm really forgetful as well. I have nightmares about forgetting my bag or my umbrella on buses or at places I've just left. :oops:
Last night I though I'd lost my phone until a friend randomly texted me and I could hear the notification sound. I was grateful, lol.

Are you secretly my wife? The amount of times I had to ring her cellphone only to discover it actually is in her handbag even though she looked through it twice is mindboggling.
JurorNo.2 liked this
#4891667
we watched it again last night and as someone who loved it I can certainly see the flaws a little more now after multiple viewings but there's still a lot to like.

I think for me, one thing I really liked is we have 4 new Ghostbusters who aren't clones of the original characters and I found I actually liked them all. It could have been so easy to fall into the trap of giving us more of what we already had but in different packaging but gotta say it was brave for them not to. I've had mixed feelings over the years about moving away from the core group across the various media, sometimes it works for me sometimes it doesn't but I thought this movie shows there is definitely room for more new unique characters in the franchise. So wether we get another film with the girls, a crossover with the original boys or a new team entirely I'm much more open.
JurorNo.2, Sav C, Alphagaia liked this
#4891741
Lee FW wrote:we watched it again last night and as someone who loved it I can certainly see the flaws a little more now after multiple viewings but there's still a lot to like.

I think for me, one thing I really liked is we have 4 new Ghostbusters who aren't clones of the original characters and I found I actually liked them all. It could have been so easy to fall into the trap of giving us more of what we already had but in different packaging but gotta say it was brave for them not to. I've had mixed feelings over the years about moving away from the core group across the various media, sometimes it works for me sometimes it doesn't but I thought this movie shows there is definitely room for more new unique characters in the franchise. So wether we get another film with the girls, a crossover with the original boys or a new team entirely I'm much more open.
Well, one of the great things about GB is that anyone can be on the team, as long as you have at least one geek in at least a support role. You just have to have good characters. I don't really see Sony throwing more money away on another movie with the GB16 cast, nor risking fan ire by recasting the originsls, so a new team seems more likely for the next movie. Whether Sony does it, or someone else eventually.
pferreira1983 liked this
#4891849
HunterCC wrote:I don't really see Sony throwing more money away on another movie with the GB16 cast, nor risking fan ire by recasting the originsls, so a new team seems more likely for the next movie. Whether Sony does it, or someone else eventually.
I'm amazed with all that money spent they didn't have enough to pay to film in New York. Was Melissa McCarthy's contract so expensive it ate up all the budget?
#4891970
Lee FW wrote:I got the impression it was logistics over cost that prevented NYC being a viable location, GB16 went all out with setting its action piece bang in the middle of the city and having organised shoots in central London I can only imagine that stress x100.
Are less movies being shot outside the studios these days? And is CGI a factor?
#4891996
Depends on where you wanna shoot. Let's take the Transformers movies for a moment... Just... let me explain. Michael Bay was able to send off huge pyrotechnic explosions in Detroit and have an INSANE amount of practical effects done in the city because it's no where NEAR as populated at New York City. NYC, however, is basically the world's largest mall at this point. Traffic is insane on any given day. Now, say you wanna film Transformers 19 - Shit's blowin' up because it prints money! You need to include a swath of recognizable buildings to ESTABLISH it's New York City. Freedom Tower, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty... do you have ANY idea how many major roads you'd need to shut down to do this? Do you have ANY idea how difficult it would be to set up HUGE pyrotechnic rigs and NOT cause a panic? Sure, people in the immediate area will know what's going on... but what about people on the other side of Manhattan? Or across the Hudson in New Jersey? 911 lines would be FLOODED. Let's get back to the roads for a second. New York City has a great grid system... in theory. In THEORY, everything SHOULD move in a controlled order. Now factor in pedestrians. Not so much tourists, but the locals... that Don't Walk signal? f*** it. I'm walkin' here! One person does it. Then another... then you have the unpassable SWARM of bodies that's tying up green light traffic.

Great. Wonderful.

Now, you wanna FILM on some of these MAJOR artery roadways. You literally CANNOT detour traffic unless it's for road repair. It's why after so many years, the costs for filming in New York has skyrocketed. You'll only ever really see smaller scenes being filmed on the streets of New York or just exterior building shots, then cut to inside... which is either a set or some other building entirely.

So, yeah, if you NEED your film to be in New York, it's WAY easier and cheaper to film in another city and dress it up with props, fake signs, and CGI to make it LOOK like New York.
HunterCC, JurorNo.2, pferreira1983 and 1 others liked this
#4892020
HunterCC wrote:
Lee FW wrote:I got the impression it was logistics over cost that prevented NYC being a viable location, GB16 went all out with setting its action piece bang in the middle of the city and having organised shoots in central London I can only imagine that stress x100.


Are less movies being shot outside the studios these days? And is CGI a factor?
I don't think so, I think we do more now than we did especially when you think back to the old WB/MGM classics that were mainly shot on the lot. On first hand experience London has seen a massive rise in location shoots over past year or so (but then again we have very little studio space now Disney has moved in + our pound has been shot to pieces so it's an attractive prospect for overseas financiers to shoot in the capital) I'd actually argue CG enhancements have made location shooting more viable (erasing Starbucks from your period drama has become easier than ever) Still....I'd pick being in a studio over sat on the cold street for 90 percent of the day any day!

All depends on the city and what's required of the scene really. I think the response above about NYC detailed it all pretty well. Something like Gotham or Billions can get away with a lot of exterior work...Ghostbusters or Avengers would struggle to pull off what they need to effectively.

Personally, compared to the original GB I think the results were mixed in how they cheated NYC in ATC, I love the brightness and cartoony feeling of everything and it definitely had a coherent look, no scene was overly jarring in the context of that movie world but if they were going for a realistic portrayal maybe a bit of grit would've helped sell it more.
Alphagaia, Sav C liked this
#4892135
Kingpin wrote:It may not have been so much the case of "didn't have enough", but whether it was cost effective to film in New York. Wasn't Boston offering incentives to film there at the time?
I think they should have spent more money shooting in New York with less budget going towards including tons of CGI. It would make what's there all the more impressive.
zeta otaku wrote:So, yeah, if you NEED your film to be in New York, it's WAY easier and cheaper to film in another city and dress it up with props, fake signs, and CGI to make it LOOK like New York.
I know, it's sad. With New Doctor Who occasionally they'll film a day in London to show off a landmark but pretty much most of the show is filmed in Cardiff with the city doubling for London, not too convincingly either. :-|
#4892145
pferreira1983 wrote:I think they should have spent more money shooting in New York with less budget going towards including tons of CGI.
It felt enough like New York, and there wasn't anything glaringly "not New York" in what we saw. The Dark Knight Rises was actually much more jarring that after two films made using Chicago, they suddenly switched to New York for the final part of the trilogy - or the various made for TV movies that show some stock footage of New York, and then cut to a location with the actors which is blatantly not Manhattan.

And if the difference is effects that look less convincing than what we got, and getting to have New York in all scenes, well, I'm happy with the choice they made (obviously based on prior discussion, you're not going to agree with me here).

Plus, with the way things went, it actually saved New Yorkers on extra headache of having Times Square shut down for X amount of time over several evenings. Let's not forget how even in the '84 original, a good portion of the city got backed up when they closed down Central Park West and Columbus Circle.
Sav C liked this

Make it that pack, sell it for $599. (While I […]

Yeah, we've been building this thing for ten[…]

Someone on FB found it. NARDA ELECTROMAGNETIC RADI[…]

It appears that some time today someone who […]