Bill Murray is charming and goofy in Stripes, but as has been pointed out the film is just a little too long, or, the last half hour could have been something different. The first two thirds of the film are fun and solid, though some of it is a little dated, and some of it…
Tag: harold ramis
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – Jason Reitman
Ignoring the 2016 film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife leans into its nostalgia, ties itself firmly directly to the 1984 original and while it can be seen as a little oversentimental in its final act, it checked all the boxes I needed for a Ghostbusters legacy sequel. Callie (Carrie Coon) is a single mother whose absent father died…
Meatballs (1979) – Ivan Reitman
With a script that involved Harold Ramis, a score by Elmer Bernstein, Ivan Reitman, his first major motion picture, directs Bill Murray in his first starring role in the Canadian-made summer classic, Meatballs. Does it all stand up? It really doesn’t. But is there a lot of fun to be had in the film, yeah…
Groundhog Day (1993) – Harold Ramis
Bill Murray headlines in one of my favourite comedies, Groundhog Day, which sees Murray as Phil Connors, a smarmy weatherman who thinks he’s better than his yearly assignment to head to Punxsutawney, for Phil the Groundhog’s yearly prediction on winter. He’s joined by his new producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliott). Following…
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) – Lamont Johnson
Produced by Ivan Reitman, a score by Elmer Bernstein, a cast that includes Micheal Ironside, Ernie Hudson, Molly Ringwald, (an uncredited) Harold Ramis, and Deborah Pratt, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone is an odd little b-movie science fiction film that tried to cash in on the re-blossoming fascination with 3D back in the early…
Caddyshack (1980) – Harold Ramis
Caddyshack remains one of those comedies that just stays with you. And it has stayed with me since I first saw it as a teenager in the 80s, Bill Murray and his nemesis, the gopher puppet delighted me to no end, while Chevy Chase’s zen-like and self-confident (verging on the arrogant) golf player Ty, exuded…
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) – John Landis
Ten Bad Dates With De Niro brings me this John Landis comedy classic from the late 70s for my viewing enjoyment. It tops the list of Unlikeliest Films Ever Judged ‘The Best of All Time.’ And while the film is brilliantly funny, boasts an all-star cast and has made the song Louie, Louie iconic, there…
Ghostbusters II (1989) – Ivan Reitman
They’re back! Ghostbusters II from 1989, is the next ghost title in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book, and it has been a long time since I actually sat and watched this one. It’s undeniable that the first film is the better one, but there are some cool things at work in the follow-up…
Ghostbusters (1984) – Ivan Reitman
A chapter on ghosts in the cinema, as illustrated by DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, would be remiss without covering the 80s comedy classic, Ghostbusters, starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis. I remember when I first heard about this movie, first heard the classic song, saw…
Heavy Metal (1981) – Gerald Potterton
I remember seeing issues of Heavy Metal on the magazine rack when I would buy my Starlog and movie magazines growing up on CFB Kingston. I was young, I was there when I was ten and eleven, but I remember being intrigued by the covers I saw. They were appealing, fantastic art, beautiful women, and…
The Mind Reels 