Ghostbusters (2016) review – better than the original? I have no idea.

I actually have not seen the original Ghostbusters (1984). Therefore, I did not have anything to compare to this 2016 version.

(Before I start, I’ll quickly mention that I happened to watch this at an old-school Drive-In theatre; my first time watching a movie here in 19 years since The Lost World: Jurassic Park).

The good: Some of Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy’s random jokes and references (Patrick Swayze, Jaws) were laugh-out-loud worthy.

The not so good: The whole climax. Battling ghost in New York was not entertaining.

In this movie, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy’s characters were once friends who drifted apart. They wrote a ghost book together and share a fascination with these haunted spirits. They reunite one day when they learn that some ghosts are showing up in their neighbourhood. Or something. Eventually four women end up together hunting (and busting) ghosts.

Unfortunately, the actual story was not entertaining. What was funny, however, were the random jokes by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. I can’t help but semi-spoil one where at one point, Wiig references the mayor from Jaws. The delivery and the randomness of these types of lines are gold to me.

Chris Hemsworth also appears in this film as a clueless moron who get a job as the ladies’ secretary, based on his hot Thor looks. His part was mildly humourous, if not, just plain absurd (I just realize that this was the first time never seen Hemsworth in anything outside of the Marvel films).

The climax is forgettable with shooting and blasting at CGI ghost characters. I’d rather have the ladies talk more and make more obscure pop culture references. If you’re looking for something mindless with a few laughs  (just a few), you can check this out but it definitely won’t be the summer hit you’ll be talking about a week later.

Ryan RFT

Ghostbusters (2016): 5.5/10

 

 

 

RFT Review: Captain Fantastic (2016) = 7/10

What RFT liked: Great performances by Viggo Mortensen and the children (all six of them!)

What RFT did not like: I don’t want to spoil anything but family events in the last part of the film seem strange.

Captain Fantastic stars Viggo Mortensen as Ben, a single father raising his six kids in out in the great wild. Ben doesn’t like how society operates like the education system, commercialism or the processed food. He feels his way of life is better. His slogan: Power to the people and stick it to the man. Therefore, his kids hunt for their own food, read books (instead of play on mobile phones), and climb cliffs for exercise and training. But the death of their mother leads them to travel into the city and venture into normal civilization (normal for most people anyway) to attend the funeral service.

 

It is intriguing to see how this family lives outside of regular society. Ben actually seems to be nice guy with good intentions. He is not portrayed as crazy for letting his kids grow up away from others but his views can be extreme. See, people all have different views about social culture; here in the Toronto area, there is controversy over the school system pertaining to sexual education as some don’t agree about the way it is taught to children; author Naomi Klein wrote No Logo, a book about anti-commercialism, while others love the big brands.

People can debate about politics, health care systems, racial issues, bicycle lanes, sports, or whether or not Pokemon Go is good exercise or plain stupidity. But people somehow find a way to conform and meet somewhere in the middle. But not Ben. He and his family are so far on the extreme that the oldest son wants to go to college because he feels like a freak; he explains to his father that no matter how book-smart he is (he can speak 6 languages apparently), he feels that he actually doesn’t know anything. This comes after his (likely first ever) interaction with a girl which leads to his funny and cringe-worthy ramble about having kids and marriage. They just met a few hours ago!

I should note that all the kids give great performances and will make you laugh at how different they are from kids nowadays. One of the youngest siblings seems to be an encyclopedia of information acting like a real-life Wikipedia which makes for a few giggles.

While these ‘Lord of the Flies’ kids can be awkward, some get seriously injured while doing their Tarzan stunts. Here, Ben’s way of life doesn’t seem so perfect after all. It’s like watching a debate and seeing one guy with all the answers finally realizing he actually doesn’t know everything. It is this journey that makes Captain Fantastic worth a watch.

• Ryan RFT

 

 

The Purge: Election Year (2016) Review -I vote Yes to this

RFT score 7.5/10

Once a year, The United States of America, has the purge night; 12 hours where all crimes are legal. Even murder. Woah. It’s a interesting concept and each movie seems to expand on it a little more, making The Purge: Election Year an enjoyable ride.

What RFT liked: More implications on society (from the Purge), ie. politics, murder tourism, purge insurance, protestors.

What RFT didn’t like: If you haven’t seen the previous movies, one character’s involvement might not be as appreciated.

 

In this third Purge installment, Senator Charlie Roan is running for president with her main goal of eliminating the annual morbid night. Some are with her and some are against her. The latter feel that the purge eliminates spending money and effort needed to help the poor. Additionally, it lets people release any anger built up inside (like that time some moron cut you off on the highway). While some powerful people try to take out the senator, Joe Barnes (Frank Grillo) has been hired to protect her. This leads to a long night for them to say the least.

This movie is entertaining. As I find the concept of the Purge is intriguing, I enjoy learning more about the implications that this annual event has on society. Along with political disputes, there are is also now murder tourism. A brief news clip of visitors from South Africa show them excited to take part is the killing. Purge insurance is introduced as a money grabbing scheme and we get a glimpse of the purge protestor group, an underground organization. All this make the story compelling to go along with the shooting, chasing, and stabbing.

Should you see the previous films? The Cloverfield Theory.

Yes. The Purge (2013) and The Purge: Anarchy (2014), show how this night affects normal people who want nothing to do with killing. The second movie shows this more while the first keeps things a little too confined within a single house. If the story in the house was released after Anarchy, I think it would have been more appealing. Similar to Cloverfield (2008) which explores an urban city dealing with an alien creature, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) stays inside a house leading to effective mystery and suspense of what’s actually happening outside. It doesn’t need to address the aliens directly, since the previous film already took care of that. I feel the first Purge movie could have benefited from this same strategy.

Also, without seeing the first movies, the audience might not appreciate Dante Bishop’s involvement as much as his story begins as a homeless man (targeted by rich kids as killing bait) in The Purge.

Therefore, if you haven’t seen the first two Purgefests, go see them then watch this. If you have seen them, then what are you waiting for? The Purge: Election Year is a lot of fun.

Ryan RFT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding Dory (2016) Review – New characters refresh Nemo universe

I watched Finding Nemo (2003) in the theatre. Since it was the only time I’ve ever seen it, I don’t recall many specific moments or details but I do know that I enjoyed it.

Therefore, I didn’t have much to think about or use as comparison when walking into Finding Dory (2016). I have to say, this movie is a fun time and lots of laughs. While Nemo and Marlin make a return, the focus here is on Dory and her emotional quest to find her parents. Here, her family bond is stronger than her short-term memory loss.

Some things RFT liked: Funny new characters, new setting (marine building).

Some things RFT didn’t like: The final scene was a bit too ridiculous.

A new character, Hank, an octopus, is introduced. He gets the second most amount of screen time here making this a refreshing sequel. He has his own goals of escaping this marine institute, and he crosses paths with Dory where they make an entertaining (and unlikely) team. Hank serves for pure and effective comic relief while Dory’s journey has more heart.

The octopus, along with some whales (Destiny and Bailey), a pair of seals, and a strange looking bird create a nice new look for the Nemo universe. While Crush the turtle makes a brief return, Finding Dory works well with the new breed of characters. However, stay after the credits (a la Marvel movies) if you want to see a few more familiar faces!

Without giving too much away, my favourite scene finds Dory being removed from a fish tank and spilling through some pipes. This is shown through Dory’s perspective and it demonstrates the chaos and speed of the events. Her ‘orange friends’ are with her one moment, and the next Hank is screaming things at her and she is unwillingly moving to a new environment. It feels effectively hectic and creates empathy for Dory.

I have to note the final act that involves a vehicle and a freeway. In a world of make-believe, even I had to think about the ridiculousness of what was happening. Perhaps, it was so ludicrous, it made it good fun.

RFT Review Score for Finding Dory: 7/10

Ryan RFT