Showing posts with label dan aykroyd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dan aykroyd. Show all posts

4/18/2012

Ghostbusters (1984) Review

Ghostbusters  (1984)
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And the answer is absolutely YES!
I won't get caught in the main synopsis of the movie, I'm guessing you know the story and the actors. If not you should be asking your self where have you been the last twenty years or so...now lets get into it!
Video Quality on this release is in full 1080p using the MPEG-4 codec on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Disc). This is a great catalog release. It is so refreshing to see a studio not attempt tweaking the original image with digital noise reduction and edge enhancement. This is a faithful to the source transfer. Clarity and resolution is where this transfer shines, all the little signs, switches, knobs and so forth are all clearly defined displaying an excellent depth of field. Colors are nicely saturated and accurate displaying good natural hues.
As for the Bonus Materials: these are presented in Standard Definition 480i and High Definition 1080i with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.
*BD-Live - Keep in mind that BD-Live requires the user to be on a "Profile 2.0" capable Blu-ray Disc Player and connected to the Internet to access online content via the studio (in this case Sony). Once online you can access content such as downloadable trailers for other Sony Blu-ray Disc release upcoming and already available. Title specific content in this case is actually included. 2 different Ring tones are available which are just dialogue from the film. Standard rates apply to get these I'm sure, nothing is 100% free these days.
*"Cinechat" - This BD-live application allows viewers to chat with friends and family while watching the film. A easy to understand tutorial is included.
*"Slimer Mode" is a Blu-ray exclusive feature that is using Bonus View which requires the user to be on a "Profile 1.1" or higher capable Blu-ray Disc Player. If you are capable of it, this is worth the time to watch all the way through. A neat "Ghostbusters" border frames the film while it's playing; at the same time a Picture-In-Picture track plays interview clips featuring the cast and crew looking back at the production. It is complemented with additional still photographs and behind-the-scenes video. A pop-up trivia track is also inserted into the mix, showcasing interesting facts about the film and its shooting locations.
*"Blu-Wizard" - A BD-Java feature that will allow viewers to create their own play list of special features by selecting only those of interest. Once activated, a pop-up marker indicates when that particular feature is available to view. *Audio Commentary - Director Ivan Reitman is joined by co-writer/actor Harold Ramis and associate producer Joe Medjuck. It is unfortunate that they weren't able to update the commentary (originally recorded in 1999 for the DVD release) with thoughts from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, or Sigourney Weaver. This is very informative track but unfortunately it comes across as dry. Opcional subtitles are included.

*"Scene Cemetery" (9 minutes - SD) - This is a collection of 10 deleted scenes that while fun to see in their own right aren't missed in the film.

*"1984 Featurette" (9:45 - SD) - This is a fun vintage featurette shot for the original 1984 release. Featuring behind-the-scenes footage and short interviews with cast and crew talking about the various aspects of making this beloved movie.
*"Cast and Crew Featurette" (10:53 - SD) -This is a short 11 minute featurette originally recorded for the 1999 DVD release.It is a collection of interviews with Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis talking about the film and its impact in general. *"SFX Team Featurette" (15:22 - SD) - This is a panel discussion with the original F/X team.They discuss their experience of working on the film.

*"Multi-Angle Featurettes" (SD) - This is broken into three sections: "Spook Central Exploding" (2:49), "She's A Dog" (2:00), and "Crossing the Streams" (1:23). Here you can watch the rough video and animation work in before-and-after stages from three particular scenes. *"Storyboard Comparisons" (SD) - Also broken into three sections: "Slimer" (2:13), "Dogs Drag Dana" (2:09), and "Atop Spook Central" (2:04). you can watch the hand-drawn storyboards and compare them to the film's finished cut.
*"Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car" (15:37 - HD) - Sony and the filmmakers had the hero car restored to its original glory for the promotion of "Ghostbusters: The Video Game". Interview clips include Dan Aykroyd and the talented crew of people who worked on the refurbishment of the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance. The real treat is seeing the process of breaking down the car and building it back up to look better than it ever has. Once it is restored Dan Aykroyd was invited to see the Ecto-1 in all it's glory and it is a pleasure seeing the genuine joy he displays at being reunited with the old girl. *"Making of Ghostbusters: The Video Game" (11:18 - HD) - A promotional fluff piece for the video game has the cast and creators sharing their thoughts about the game and its storyline. Brief clips of the video game are interspersed throughout. The game looks like a fun trip down memory lane. The graphics look authentic to the "Ghostbusters" films.
*"Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery" (HD) - This is a beautiful slide show highlighting the restoration process, whilst Elmer Bernstein's music plays in the background. *"Ghostbusters: The Video Game Preview" (1:43 - HD) - Simply this is the trailer for the now available video game.
*Theatrical Trailers (HD) - A collection of previews in HD `The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut,' `Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' `Men in Black,' `Fired Up!,' `Paul Blart: Mall Cop,' `So I Married an Axe Murderer,' and `You Don't Mess With the Zohan'.
Hope this was useful.
At the end if you ask me this si a must have!


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Item Name: Ghostbusters; Studio:Columbia Pictures

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4/14/2012

Ghostbusters 2 (1989) Review

Ghostbusters 2  (1989)
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"Ghostbusters II" recieved a fair amount of bad press when it was first released, but it is a charming, well produced and yes, funny sequel to the first blockbuster. The film picks up five years after the original. We find the Ghostbusters out of business and broke, Bill Murray is hosting a bizarre cable access show called "World of the Psychic" and Ackroyd and Ernie Hudson are performing at children's parties. Aren't the parents nervous about the GB's wielding their proton packs around thier youngsters??
The story speeds up when the Ghostbusters reunite and discover the soul of an ancient tyrant resides in a portrait in a museum. The tyrant, named Vigo has decided to take possession of Sigourney Weaver's child so he can live again to rule the world. This plot seems more disturbing than the plot in the first film, but director Ivan Reitman gives us plenty of humor to counter balance.
While not as funny as the first film, "Ghostbusters II" proves to be an entertaining follow up to the first classic film. After years of viewing, "Ghostbusters II" reveals itself to be a classic in it's own right.

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Item Name: Ghostbusters 2 (Widescreen Edition); Studio:Sony Pictures

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1/13/2012

Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs (2005) Review

Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs (2005)
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While it's true that I found the production value lacking, I hate to see this video maligned by people with short attention spans and fragile egos. You must consider Akroyd's motivation in doing this. It's not for fame or fortune; he already has that. He risks credibility and marketability with this project; yet proceeds, albeit calmly, to express sincere belief in these " vehicles" moving in our atmosphere ( and just outside of it, too. ) I particularly found the infra-red footage very compelling. Strangely, no reviewer has mentioned it. Perhaps they turned it off too soon. ( There are, after all, no explosions or MTV-like editing tricks to hold your interest. ) There are many who found "March of the Penguins" boring and failed to consider the implications of that film as well. But for those seriously trying to understand our world and the times we live in, this video is an excellent wake-up call and jumping-off point for further study of higher technologies, alternative histories and our future. Decide for yourself. Don't let somebody else decide what is or isn't significant for you. ( That seems to be a common motif in our world now. ) Those with an open and inquisitive mind will be highly entertained to say the least, and maybe even profoundly affected.

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Explores past and present UFO sightings from around the world using testimonials of personal experiences and never-before-seen footage.Genre: Science FictionRating: UNRelease Date: 30-JAN-2007Media Type: DVD

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8/23/2011

50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004) Review

50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004)
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You know those movies where you see the trailer in the theater and then when you see the actual movie you discover all the good parts were in the trailer? Well, "50 First Dates" is not one of those movies. In fact, I can make the argument that while the trailer may indeed have most of the funniest moments in this film, it most decidedly does not have any of the best moments of the film. When you see the trailer about this movie in which Adam Sandler has to make a first impression on Drew Barrymore every day because she has no short term memory and wakes up every morning forgetting what happened the previous day, you would think that he discovers this the next morning when she wakes up in bed with a stranger and starts screaming. However, I am happy to report, "50 First Dates" is not that movie either.
I have been trying to think of last time a movie prompted tears in my eyes as often as "50 First Dates." We know that Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore) no longer has any short term memory because of a car accident, but what we learn before we meet Lucy is that Henry Roth (Sandler) is apparently the king of the love 'em and leave 'em of the Hawaiian islands. Thus the great irony is that he falls for the one woman who can forget him faster and more completely than any tourist he has ever dumped. What we also learn about are the extraordinary lengths to which Lucy's family and friends go make each day the same happy day for her. Lucy's brother Doug (Sean Astin) needs to lay off the steroids but her father (Blake Clark) is fiercely and lovingly protective of his daughter. Watching everything that he and his son do each night to reset the stage for Lucy's happy day got me big time.
Unlike "Groundhog Day," which only had a few minor flaws in logic (e.g., why does the music teacher claim Bill Murray as a student at the end?) there are giant holes in "50 First Dates" (e.g., how do the three guys manage to every day free to take care of Lucy?), but I do not care. The gaps are covered in just too many sweet and touching moments for me to object to George Wing's screenplay. The reason why I did not give "50 First Dates" is mainly because of the character of Ula (Rob Schneider), who represents the traditional "Adam Sandler" type of comedy in this film. There are a few moments where Sandler goes over the top (basically anytime his voice gets to the yelling level), but I could forgive most of those (the last song he sings redeems much), but every time Ula showed up it was like clips from another movie. The last time he shows up in the film I was really not happy to see him there because he was ruining a moment I had been eagerly awaiting.
One of the impressive things about this movie is that it does not cop out. Dr. Keats (Dan Aykroyd), Lucy's doctor, tells us repeatedly that Lucy is never going to get better and a lot of the power of this movie comes from the different ways in which Lucy and Howard deal with this hard reality. We also learn that for Lucy and his family there are what her dad calls "bad" days, and it because of them that Henry is inspired to try something different and provide another series of sweet moments in the film. As long as he refrains from going into overdrive, Sandler makes it totally believable that Henry would spend every day trying to get Lucy to fall in love with him. But it is Barrymore who is pitch perfect on both the comedy and the pathos of her role as Lucy. If Sandler did not know that he had found his perfect leading lady after "The Wedding Singer," then this film should do the trick.
The tagline for this film is "Imagine having to win over the girl of your dreams... every friggin' day" is a funny line, but it is as much misdirection as the trailer. Henry may treat his strange assistant Alexa (Lusia Strus) badly, but he could not possibly be more patient with Lucy. Even her skeptical father has to admit that he and Henry are kindred spirits. Because this is Adam Sandler we keep waiting for him to try and take advantage of the situation, but, to repeat myself, this is not that film. Yes, "Groundhog Day" is the better movie, but "50 First Dates" is also full of grace and more importantly the film finds of way of delivering on its promise. First kisses might be the sweetest of all, but in this film it is the last date that makes you surrender on the off chance you manage to hold off that long.

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50 FIRST DATES - DVD Movie

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