Big Summer Movies Part 4. (Part 4.5)

• Part 1 (Civil War)
• Part 2 (Civil War)
• Part 3 (Apocalypse)
• Part 4 (Ghostbusters)

...and it sure isn't "Independence Day: Resurgence", either. ;-)


Ghostbusters (2016)

Last time.

Did not have my Twinkies this time, and still no fuggin' Ecto-Cooler. B-(

Super-quickie rundown-

• Still love it.
• Hit me different this time. (more on this later)
• Was able to process it better. Last time, I was overwhelmed by the weird reality I was watching another Ghostbusters after 27 years. (again, more on this later)
• Still laughs in the theater. People like it.
• Still want more, in both deleted stuff, and a sequel.
• Still need to get "Ghosts From Our Past".
• My final order is GB1, GB16, GB2. 
• Will I go a third time? Probably, but it gets tricky with Star Trek coming, and people saying it's actually good. Was not counting on that.
• Rating, bumping it up to 9. Reasons below.

All right, now the differences...
(Mild spoilers this time)

Last time, I was mentally going "oh, here's this trailer scene, here's this bit from the set pics, here's that magazine pic, here's that vignette scene, there's that ghost from the toys, here's that cameo...".
Then, when I got home, I went through my digital scrapbook, going "that was in there, that was cut, that was in there, that was cut..".
But, I used to do that in the 80's as a kid with trading cards, and storybooks, and comic adaptations.
This film kind of brought back that old fun.

Now that I've seen the film, and know it from top to bottom, I could just enjoy it straight through.

Critics have said Kate McKinnon's performance was cartoony, and first go-round, I was like "no it's not, you monster!! You want all happiness on Earth to die!! A pox upon your poisoned evil soul!!".
Well, yes, it's cartoony.
But, that's why I liked it.
I was able to study her more, and it wasn't all random like the haters say, it was specifically chosen habits, and ticks, and a weird walk she has, it was a formed character.
A weird as hell one, yes, but a character.
It worked for me, might not for you.
I still love me some Holtzmann.
Backstory into how she ended up that nuts would be nice, (and we get the teensiest hint of it with the Sigourney Weaver cameo) another reason we need a sequel.

Holtzmann connects to another minor nitpick I discovered.
Holtzmann doesn't do the Holtzmann pose!!!
You know, gun slung across her shoulders, arms dangling over the handle and barrel.
It's on two of the posters, a billboard, shitloads of promo stills, merchandise, cosplayers are imitating it, and it's cut from the fuggin' film!
Son of a bitch!
WTF, Paul Feig!?
Of all the things to cut, you cut the pose!?!?
It better be in those missing 15 minutes.
Otherwise, Paul Feig raped my 40's!!

People who even hate the film said compared to the other three, Leslie Jones actually has the most grounded character, even though she's not as calm as Winston.
Agreed.
The only ones calling her a stereotype anymore are flat out hate-mongers.
I don't even wanna get into that shit.
Suffice to say, Twitter is a cesspool.

The Bill Murray cameo was more forced this time around.
I struggle with what it added to anything.
But, whatever.
Not the end of the world.

Some are whining that the villain is a mockery of the haters.
Well, the controversy hadn't happened while they were making it, but it works in hindsight, and seeing it through that lens, I like it even more.
Yep, it's you, assholes, the Busters shoot you in the dick.
Good on ya.
Take it.

I didn't read it as "nerds are bad", though, because the Busters are also picked on nerds, and they make that very point in the scene where they meet human Rowan for the first time.

I read it just as "nerds, don't be Rowan, be the Busters".

And trolls are Rowan.
They just fuckin' are.
They ain't exactly building Utopia, are they?

They're filling in the cracks of their wounded souls by seeking petty degrees of power, and that's exactly what Rowan does on a big scale.

More development of him would have driven that point home more, and I hope there's more of that in the extra 15 minutes.

Now, why it gets 9 stars.
I should have not been a chicken, and given it 8 last time.
So, 8 for the oversight, and that even with the flaws standing out more, so did the stuff I liked, so it's an honest 8 anyway.
Extra star because of the new stuff I noticed.
That being Holtzmann flirting with Erin, and the Rowan stuff.
Especially the Rowan stuff.
Half star each for those.
And I'd be lying if a point on that extra star wasn't tipped with a teensy blood drop of "fuck you", to Twitter.


So, final scores-

GB1= 10.
GB16= 9.
GB2= 7.


Bring on GB16-2, and GB-animated, Ghostcorps.
*Crosses fingers*


Next time,....no idea, really.
Maybe this a third time, maybe "Star Trek: Beyond", then this a third time, it's all wide open.