01 October 2009

6WH: October 1st

Ghostbusters (1984) directed by Ivan Reitman
Listen! Do you smell something? I think this is probably my favorite comedy of all time. I can't think of any other movie with as many quotable lines.

One aspect I've always appreciated about this film was that the supernatural stuff in the film was taken relatively seriously. The crazy architecture of Ivo Shandor and the return of an old god are very lovecraftian. Ghosts are kind of explained in scientific terms, with technobabble throwaways about P.K.E. readings, ectoplasm, laser confinement grids and proton packs. It all sounds plausible enough to buy into. The reaction of the public to the increase in ghostly activity is pretty true-to-life: religious people are freaking out, liberal magazine The Atlantic Monthly ponders on a cover "Do Ghosts Have Civil Rights?", a talk host hosts asks if the boys have seen Elvis. I'm sure Dan Aykroyd can be thanked for all of this, given his real-life beliefs. (9/10)