Author: thehorsesheadblog

#283) Ghostbusters (1984)

OR “Zuul Me Once, Shame On You”

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis

Class of 2015

The Plot: New York City is swarming with ghosts, and only disgraced scientists Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, & Egon Spengler (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, & Harold Ramis, respectively) can stop them. After being evicted from Columbia University, the trio rent an abandoned firehouse and creates the “Ghostbusters” business. Peter tries to woo client Dana (Sigourney Weaver), who is at risk of being possessed by ancient demigod Zuul and signaling the end times (“Dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA!”). Joined later by the severely underwritten Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), this team ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “One of the most popular, quotable films from the past three decades” and praises Murray as well as the film’s “infectious insanity”. There’s also a reverential essay by filmmaker Adam Bertocci, whose webpage “Overthinking Ghostbusters” ultimately led to the film’s NFR inclusion. Truly, Adam is the change he wants to see in the world.

But Does It Really?: Readers, it’s time you learned the truth: I like but don’t love “Ghostbusters”. It’s funny – at times even hilarious – and I am 100% behind its NFR inclusion, but overall the movie just doesn’t click for me. Dan Aykroyd wrote an overcomplicated ghost movie that Harold Ramis had to drastically edit, and Bill Murray was given free rein to Bill Murray all over it. In fact, I’ll argue that the movie wouldn’t work without Murray as the audience surrogate. I can hear your cries of heresy already, so I’ll conclude by saying that “Ghostbusters” is a good movie and deserving of preservation, it’s just not a personal favorite. See, internet? Sometimes other people don’t like the same movies you do, and that’s okay.

Everybody Gets One: Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, songwriter Ray Parker Jr., Casey (and Jean) Kasem, and #MyTwoCents author Larry King.

Wow, That’s Dated: The non-Elmer Bernstein parts of the soundtrack are very ‘80s. Plus, this is a movie that showed just how far visual effects could go without computers. Matte paintings, stop motion, this movie throws in everything.

Title Track: Four words: Who ya gonna call?

Seriously, Oscars?: Second only to “Beverly Hills Cop” at the box office, “Ghostbusters” was nominated for two Oscars. The film lost Special Effects to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, and the title number lost Original Song to “I Just Called to Say I Love You” from…you can’t name the movie can you? I bet you didn’t even know it was from a movie.

Other notes

• This opening scene at the New York Public Library is a good reminder: Please support your local library. In this post-FilmStruck world I’m forced to live in, the DVD/Bluray selection of my library is indispensable.
• Is the title “Ghostbusters” or “Ghost Busters”? Am confused. But hey, at least they’re not tacking on “Answer the Call” after the fact.
• “Back off, man. I’m a scientist.” That line kills me every time.

• Dana and Louis reside at New York’s famous Matte Painting Towers.
• Dear Rick Moranis, I know you don’t like making movies anymore, but you are missed.
• Oh god, Venkman and Dana have one of those “He’s stalking me but we’ll still end up together” romances. Ugh.
• I appreciate that this film doesn’t fall into the “there’s no such thing as ghosts” cliché. While they may not believe in ghosts, most of their clientele admit that the apparitions are real.
• So there’s plenty of paranormal activity in New York, but the Ghostbusters are the only business in town? Surely rival ghost businesses would follow shortly. Why couldn’t “Ghostbusters II” have been about that?
• Shoutout to Annie Potts as receptionist Janine Melnitz. That may be the best line reading of “Whaddya want?” in any movie.

• Keep your hands where I can see them, Zuul! Don’t you be feeling up Sigourney Weaver!
• The scene where Dana levitates was an on-set practical effect that Ivan Reitman picked up from directing the Broadway musical “Merlin”. Some good came from that train wreck after all.
• William Atherton as Peck is the kind of movie douchebag that only existed in the ‘80s. He is perfection, much to that actor’s future detriment.
• That Zuul theme sounds like Elmer Bernstein is getting ready for “The Black Cauldron”.
• Everyone loves the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but they couldn’t get an actual food mascot for this scene? Was the Pillsbury Doughboy too expensive?

• You know what? I would have given this movie the Special Effects Oscar. The effects never get in the way of the comedy, and they hold up surprisingly well. Hats off to Richard Edlund, John Bruno, Mark Vargo, Chuck Gaspar, and the whole effects team that Columbia didn’t credit to save money.
• Wow, this movie really doesn’t give a shit about Winston. His screentime was greatly reduced once Eddie Murphy turned the part down, and Ernie Hudson gets 8^th billing in the credits. 8^th! And he’s a Ghostbuster! That’s gotta hurt.
• I must confess that at the end of the day, bustin’ makes me feel good.

Legacy

• “Ghostbusters” was an instant hit in summer 1984, with merchandise sprouting up everywhere. The film’s classic status has only grown over the years, with hardcore fans dubbing themselves…“Ghostheads”. Side note: Like “-gate” in a scandal, not every fandom needs the suffix “-head”. It worked for The Grateful Dead because, you know, it rhymed.
• While the filmmakers initially refused to do a sequel, they eventually relented with 1989’s “Ghostbusters II”. It’s…the first movie again.

• A third movie has been stuck in Development Hell for almost 30 years. The plotline was eventually recycled into the “Ghosbusters” 2009 video game.

• There have been two animated series based on the movie. The immediate follow-up “The Real Ghostbusters” made a star out of Slimer, while “Extreme Ghostbusters” lasted three months in 1997.

• Not every movie on this list inspires an Improv Everywhere stunt. Just this and “The Deer Hunter”.

• “Who ya gonna call? Someone else.”

• Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 has become a popular destination for Ghostheads (still sounds weird). It was saved from closure in 2011, and is currently undergoing a two-year renovation.
• And last but not least, an all-female reboot in 2016 that DID. NOT. RUIN. ANYONE’S. CHILDHOOD. Get a life, you damn misogynists!

Further Viewing: Another premake! This one takes its cue from the countless, largely forgotten ghost comedies that preceded “Ghostbusters”.

#282) Felicia (1965)

Directed by Bob Dickson, Alan Gorg, Trevor Greenwood

Class of 2014

In 1965, UCLA students Bob Dickson, Alan Gorg, and Trevor Greenwood were all active in the civil rights movements of the time; Gorg in particular was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). It was through CORE that he met a teacher at Jordan High School who introduced him to Felicia Bragg, a 15-year-old student living with her mother and her siblings in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood. In an attempt to show white audiences that African-Americans were not the stereotypes they had been portrayed as in film and TV, the three filmmakers chose Felicia as their subject for a documentary.

“Felicia” is a short chronicling an average day in Felicia’s life. She talks candidly about her family’s daily struggles, her experience at the predominantly African-American Jordan High, and her belief that Watts can only improve if people stay and “build it up”. Felicia herself is remarkably mature and composed for a teenager, with an optimistic outlook on her future that makes her wise beyond her years. This look at 1965 Watts had an unexpected layer added when the Watts riots occurred shortly after filming. It was the largest civil unrest in L.A. until the Rodney King verdict 25 years later, and “Felicia” is a reflective counterpoint to those events.

Over the last 50 years, “Felicia” has been shown in schools across the country not only as a time capsule of 1965 L.A., but also as a demonstration of effective documentary film making. For these reasons, “Felicia” is a welcome addition to the National Film Registry.

The NFR write-up for “Felicia” includes two essays: one by film professors Marsha Gordon and Allyson Nadia Field, and a recollection of the production by co-director Alan Gorg.

P.S.: To the best of my knowledge Felicia Bragg is still alive and living in Los Angeles. Does anyone know anything else about her? There’s very little information out there, though I suspect that if Ms. Bragg wanted to publicly talk about the film, she would have by now.

#281) Midnight (1939)

OR “Power of a Czerny”

Directed by Mitchell Leisen

Written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz.

Class of 2013

The Plot: Eve Peabody (Claudette Colbert), a showgirl from New York, ends up in Paris with only an evening gown and an empty purse. She becomes chummy with taxi driver Tibor Czerny (Don Ameche), and although there is a mutual attraction, Eve runs out on him. She ends up crashing a black tie affair, posing as “Baroness Czerny”. Only Georges Flammarion (John Barrymore) catches on, but is willing to keep Eve’s cover if she helps break up the affair between Georges’ wife Helene (Mary Astor) and the charming Jacques Picot (Francis Lederer). A weekend at the Flammarion estate goes well until Tibor shows up as “Baron” Czerny and all kinds of hilarity ensues.

Why It Matters: Both the NFR write-up and the expanded essay by film expert Kyle Westphal praise underrated director Mitchell Leisen, and, when they get around to it, mention the cast and screenplay.

But Does It Really?: Where has this movie been all my life? Buried under all the other great movies from 1939 is this charming, funny update of Cinderella. Colbert expertly leads a very fun cast, with Ameche and Barrymore in fine support. Yes, the unsung Leisen expertly navigates this ship, but it helps when you’ve got a well-structured Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett screenplay to work with. “Midnight” is tough to track down, but it is worth it if you love well-crafted farce.

Everybody Gets One: Alright, I’ll give the man his due. Though largely forgotten today, Mitchell Leisen rose to the rank of director after being a costumer and art director for the likes of Cecil B. DeMille. Leisen primarily succeeded helming light, pleasant-looking screwball comedies like “Midnight”. This is also the only NFR appearance for actor Monty Woolley, best known for his role as “The Man Who Came to Dinner”.

Wow, That’s Dated: Taxi drivers on every corner, that’s the big one. If this film was made today, Tibor would be a Lyft driver, and I don’t see them organizing anytime soon.

Take a Shot: Eve says the title once about an hour into the film, stating, “Every Cinderella has her midnight.”

Seriously, Oscars?: Oh, if only “Midnight” hadn’t been released in 1939, the undisputed “greatest year of movies”. Like its long-delayed NFR induction, there were just too many other films from that year worthy of recognition, and “Midnight” received zero Oscar nominations.

Other notes

• Claudette Colbert has a lovely handle on Wilder/Brackett dialogue. It usually comes off best when uttered by smart-alecky characters like Ameche’s, but Colbert elevates the material, which is hard to do with writing that’s already this solid.
• Don Ameche had to wait another 47 years before finally winning an Oscar for “Cocoon”. Isn’t that nuts?
• I love Claudette Colbert, but Eve is from the Bronx? Please. It may be the only aspect of the part that first choice Barbara Stanwyck could have improved upon.
• Almost didn’t recognize Hedda Hopper without one of her giant hats. Hedda had been a Hollywood actor for over 20 years by the time she appeared in “Midnight”. It was around the time of this film’s release that Hedda’s gossip column started to take off.
• I can’t tell if this movie is leisurely paced or if it just got much bigger laughs in the ‘30s.
• So John Barrymore is capable of giving a non-theatrical performance. The story goes that Barrymore was in decline from years of heavy drinking (he died three years after “Midnight”) and relied on cue cards for his lines. Any struggles Barrymore had off-camera are undetectable in the final film.
• How does anyone in France take the police seriously when they’re wearing those little capes?
• I’ll guess that no one suspected Eve was the imposter because Zoltan Karpathy had the night off.
• Not surprising for a Wilder/Brackett screenplay, there are a lot of gems in the dialogue. Two of my favorites: “My mother taught me a few things, too” and “Let’s wait for the cognac”.
• Eve has a pretty sweet set-up at the Ritz. It’s like “Home Alone 2”, except there’s no egomaniacal loser telling her where the lobby is.
• Only in a Wilder screenplay would a character be knowledgeable about the Hungarian subway system.
• Tibor got 1600 cab drivers to help him find one woman? Forget Missed Connections; French taxis are the way to go!
• Why is Mary Astor always involved in a love triangle in these movies?
• Shout out to Rex O’Malley as Marcel, Helene’s gay bestie.
• Coincidentally, “Midnight” was added to the NFR the same year as another modern take on Cinderella: “Ella Cinders”.
• The single funniest shot in the movie involves Tibor driving up to the Flammarion estate. “Park it!”
• One line with a whole different meaning nowadays: “You have such a gay wife.”
• And then Tibor and Eve embellish their charade by inventing a daughter named Francie. DON’T TALK ABOUT OUR CHILD, TIBOR!
• You may need a refresher course on French divorce proceedings of the ‘30s before watching this film’s third act.
• A society that approves of a husband spanking his wife with no hesitation; that’s why you’ve never seen this movie.

Legacy

• The production of “Midnight” made Billy Wilder seriously consider directing to ensure that his writing wasn’t touched. I believe the only actor from “Midnight” Wilder used in one of his films was Hedda Hopper in “Sunset Boulevard“.

• Leisen would go to direct another Wilder/Brackett screenplay: 1941’s “Hold Back the Dawn”. Wilder was a year away from directing his first Hollywood movie; I presume he took good notes during production of “Dawn”.

• Like “Ball of Fire”, “Midnight” was remade only a few years later with the same director. Mitchell Leisen helmed 1945’s “Masquerade in Mexico”, with Dorothy Lamour in the lead.

• Mitchell Leisen may have gotten the last laugh on Billy Wilder. Towards the end of his career Leisen directed a few episodes of “The Twilight Zone”, including obvious “Sunset Boulevard” knock-off “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine”.

#280) Slacker (1990)

OR “Before ‘Before Sunrise’”

Directed & Written by Richard Linklater

Class of 2012

The Plot: It’s Linklater, there ain’t no plot. “Slacker” is a single day in 1989 Texas that goes from one group of Gen X misfits to another. Among them, a taxi passenger (Richard Linklater) who contemplates his alternate universe options, a conspiracy theorist (Jerry Deloney) who claims we’ve “been on the moon since the ‘50s”, the film’s literal poster child (Teresa Taylor) pushing a sample of Madonna’s pap smear, a smattering of young filmmakers and artists, and more discussions of presidential assassinations than should be allowed in any movie.

Why It Matters: The NFR hails “Slacker” as “a touchstone in the blossoming of American independent cinema during the 1990s” and says the film has a “considerable quirky charm that has influenced a whole generation of independent filmmakers.”

But Does It Really?: Linklater has done better movies, but “Slacker” is the one that started it all. “Slacker” isn’t just a representation of one director’s work; it expands beyond that to a representation of a whole new genre: the Generation X indie. Using the thread of loosely connected vignettes, Linklater not only shows us a slice of life, but an entire community of modern bohemians. After watching “Slacker” I feel like I have a better understanding of what Richard Linklater was like in his ‘20s, as well as his environment and lifestyle in 1980s Houston. “Slacker” is an engaging film, and I’m glad there’s room for it on the NFR.

Shout Outs: “The Wizard of Oz” comes up in a discussion about Chaos Theory. Featured among the TV screens in Video Backpacker’s apartment are clips from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and…I’m gonna say either “Duck and Cover” or “The House in the Middle”.

Everybody Gets One: Born in Houston, Richard Linklater didn’t get into filmmaking until he was a young adult, when a viewing of “Raging Bull” showed him that film could be an expression of one’s self. Linklater founded the Austin Film Society (which is still going) and honed his craft on short experimental films before making “Slacker” on a budget of $23,000. Also making their sole NFR appearance: literally everyone else in this movie.

Wow, That’s Dated: This may be the definitive Gen X movie. Everyone is fresh out of college, struggling to pay rent, and having philosophical conversations about “Scooby-Doo” and “The Smurfs”. Also on display are an ad for Ron Paul’s 1988 presidential bid, and a slam on then-president George H.W. Bush.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar love for “Slacker”, but the film did receive two Independent Spirit Award nominations: Best First Feature (losing to “Straight Out of Brooklyn”) and Best Director (losing to Martha Coolidge for “Rambling Rose”). The Best Director category also included such future Oscars staples as Todd Haynes and Gus Van Zant.

Other notes

• This is what I call a “French Braid Movie”: each scene loops into the next. Some of the connective tissue is a stretch, but for this movie it works.
• Richard Linklater is Owen Wilson-ing so hard in his scene. He’s even got the same haircut.

• Wow, this movie predicted global warming. We really need to stop ignoring the warning signs.
• So in Texas, everyone is a twentysomething white male that sounds like a Kyle Mooney digital short?
• One of the postcards left behind in the co-op features Uncle Fester from “The Addams Family”, as played by Jackie Coogan who, and I can’t stress this enough, was also the kid in “The Kid”.
• We have a boom mike! Even the greats mess up in the beginning.
• For those of you like me with zero street cred, Teresa Taylor is the drummer for Butthole Surfers.
• There’s a lot of mental illness in this film. What was going on in 1989 Texas?
• I’m just amazed Linklater was able to get this many actors for his first movie. More amazing, none of them are Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy or Matthew McConaughey.
• Promotional consideration for “Slacker” provided by Coca-Cola. Can’t beat the feeling!
• And then we get an extended monologue from the JFK assassination conspiracist. You can practically see the MAGA hat on this guy.
• I think the alternate title of this movie was “People Getting Out of Awkward Conversations: The Motion Picture”.
• The Funeral Hitchhiker guy is giving me a real Billy Bob Thornton vibe.
• In addition to the “Conspiracy-a-Go-Go” discussion, the Old Anarchist mentions the Lincoln and McKinley assassinations. Is anyone else concerned about young Linklater’s mental well being?
• And now a Hinckley reference? Is this an adaptation of “Catcher in the Rye”?
• AND footage of the Challenger disaster? You got some issues, Linklater. I know we’re all a little morbid in our ‘20s, but Jesus.
• Shoutout to cinematographer/editor Lee Daniel (no, not that one). As longtime readers are aware, I’m a sucker for one-take scenes.
• Uggggh, white dreadlocks. I would not have done well in 1989 Bohemian culture.
• Can’t you just imagine Quentin Tarantino watching this film in the early ‘90s and saying, “A movie where people over-analyze pop culture references? Hold my beer.”
• The Anti-Artist admits that all he does is “sleep and eat and watch movies”. And now you understand the life of someone who cranks out three movie blog posts a week.
• We leave you now with footage of an 8mm camera being thrown off a cliff.

• “This story was based on fact. Any similarity with fictional events or characters is entirely coincidental.” Nice one, Linklater.

Legacy

• “Slacker” launched the film career of Richard Linklater. His immediate follow-up was another slice of life called “Dazed and Confused”, and he’s been off and running ever since. My personal favorites of Linklater are “School of Rock” and “Boyhood”.

• This is the movie that inspired Kevin Smith to become a filmmaker, so that’s something we have to live with.

• “Slacker” is also responsible for popularizing the term “slacker”, though I believe Principal Strickland was the first person to use the phrase. Regardless, Linklater had hoped that slacker would take on a more positive connotation.
• Easily one of the best “Simpsons” episodes, “22 Short Films About Springfield” takes its general premise from this film. Mmmmm…steamed hams.

• And of course, the uninspired drastic departure of a sequel: 2002’s “Slackers”. Oh Jason Schwartzman, how could you?

For the better part of a year I’ve been telling people how I could not possibly do this blog without my subscription to the TCM/Criterion Collection streaming service FilmStruck. And now it looks like I’ll have to find a way.

Earlier this morning, FilmStruck announced that on November 29^th they will be going the way of Yahoo! Screen. I am, of course, deeply saddened by this news, but also grateful for the time I’ve had with FilmStruck. As of this writing, 46 of the films covered on this blog were viewed using FilmStruck, with a few more coming down the pike in the weeks to come. FilmStruck was a monumental help to me when it came to tracking down some of the NFR’s more obscure entries (Thank god they had “Decasia”), and was an indispensable library of popular titles I’ve just never gotten around to watching (“My Favorite Year”? Fucking hilarious).

So thank you, FilmStruck. Safe travels, and may we film geeks one day get the online platform we so desperately desire. In the interim, I have a month to cram in as many FilmStruck titles as possible! Tell the office I’m dead for a few weeks!

On a related note: anyone got any Criterion DVDs they can loan me? I promise I’ll give them back.