Trev's Movie Dump: June - July 2016

Oh, yeah... I was writing a post and forgot about it. What else is new? 

Green Room

Anton Yelchin, you will be missed. 

This was a fucking great -- yet brilliantly simple -- movie about a punk band that plays a shitty show at a neo-nazi rally (not by choice; more because they need money to get home), and there they accidentally witness these skinheads murder someone. Of course, after something like that, you know shit's about to go down. However, this film keeps to story mostly contained. For nearly the whole movie the band is at a standoff will the neo-nazis as they remain trapped in their green room holding a nazi hostage as they attempt to negotiate their escape. 

While Yelchin (the band leader and the main protagonist of the film) gives a fantastic performance, there's definitely some other great talents in this film. We've got Arrested Development's  Alia Shawkat doing a great job as a fellow bandmate, but the scene stealer definitely goes to the leader of this nazi party... Patrick Stewart. 

This film originally caught my eye when it circled through Sundance. Now that I've seen it, it certainly deserves the praise it's received from critics. Check it out if you have the chance. 

Star Trek Beyond

Anton Yelchin... My heart weeps again for you. 

Here's you run-of-the-mill Hollywood blockbuster. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Not that this film will go down in the history books as an amazing piece of cinematic art, but it was fun. Kirk and the gang get marooned on an uncharted planet with an unknown evil and have to team up to fight the enemy and save themselves. 

It's important to note that Simon Pegg scribed this Star Trek story. And I think he did a fine job. It reminds me a bit of Star Trek: First Contact where the gang finds themselves out of their elements and without their ship having to improvise with what's around them to save the day. 

Oh, and if you were ever wondering why the first trailer was cut to the Beastie Boys' Sabatogue, well there's a good reason for that. It might be in the movie. And there might be a callout to it where someone remarks, "Ugh, are they playing classical music?"

Yup, that joke made it in. 

Finding Dory

Pixar has done it again. Did we need another Finding Nemo movie? No. Am I gad we got one? Absolutely.

I had a lot of fun with this film. While I'm kind of lost on where it stands against it's predecessor -- perhaps I need to watch Finding Nemo again, it's been a while -- it definitely has the power to stand on its own two legs. 

Watching the film, I did keep getting visions of Modern Family for some reason. Then I realized that the two major additions to the cast are Ed O'Neill and Ty Burrell. But the cast holds the film together for another chapter in this adorably cooky, undersea world.

Question: Does this hold up to Disney's other major animated summer film, Zootopia? I'm gonna have to give it to Zootopia on this one. While Finding Dory is certainly worth everyone's time, Zootopia is a beast (pun intended) that's hard to dethrone. 

Ghostbusters (2016)

Speaking about movies we didn't need...

Ugh... I so wanted to love this movie. Instead, I only kind of liked it. No, this wasn't a bomb on any level. I didn't walk away from despising it like some other films this summer (*cough* Batman v Superman *cough*), but I did envision a few things they could have done better. 

Now I have no criticism on the cast. They're all great and have excellent chemistry together (something I would demand a Ghostbusters movie to have -- plus who knew Chris Hemsworth was so funny?). But the big thing that stands out to me was that Sony (in true Sony form) chose to reboot the franchise and not make this a sequel already building off what's been laid down. In the process of rebooting, they ended up with a story about some disgruntled dude who's figured out how to unleash angry ghosts onto the world in a world where no one really believes in ghost except for our heroes. Most times the film felt trite and seemed to rely heavily on a bunch of flashy CGI ghost in the third act fight sequence to really sell the film. (I do have to admit, Kate McKinnon's part in the final battle is pretty great. Just wish there was more to praise in the final act than just that.)

In short, the film is more of an example of "style over substance." However, I think there was a story here that was ripe for picking and somehow got overlooked. Here's my take...

The world has reverted back into a mindset where no one believes in ghosts. In fact the Ghostbuster as a whole met a very unhappy ending after the second film. A new mayor stepped into power in the 90's and discredited all the work the Ghostbusters had done convincing the general population that they were a big hoax. Nearly thirty years have passed and no one has heard from them since.

We open on the long lost daughter to Venkman (played by Wiig). She's worked her whole life to distance herself from her father's "work" and establish herself as a bonafide particle physicist. Despite trying to distance herself from her father's past, there are those out there who still "believe" that ghosts are real. Meet Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon -- bonafide ghost hunters/ghost bloggers who's obsessions have led them to track down Wiig and interview her about her father. Unfortunately, timing couldn't be worse as Wiig is set to start her next big move in her career that will once and for all distance herself from her father... joining forces with an illustrious Columbia school particle physicists (have this be a stern, no nonsense man... think Idris Elba) as they explore the potential in harnessing the power of dark energy.

McCarthy and McKinnon are escorted off the college building before the school's pivotal dark energy experiment can begin -- but the two manage to sneak off into the college's library recognizing it's importance to the Ghostbuster's previous line of work (where they made their first ghost sighting in the 80's). 

Wiig watches as Elba commences the dark energy experiment. Almost instantly everything goes wrong and a giant particle explosion sends a wave of ghostly blue electricity throughout the building, expanding through the campus, eventually the blast radius sweeps across the whole city. 

Wiig regains consciousness to see Elba severely injured as campus security and faculty jump in to rush him to the hospital. 

Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the library, McCarthy and McKinnon geek out on being someplace relevant to their heroes, the Ghostbusters. Right then, the blue particle wave sweeps through the library startling the two girls. Suddenly, McKinnon's paranormal activity equipment begins to beeping uncontrollably. Next thing you know, McCarthy and McKinnon turn around standing face-to-face with a paranormal figure -- a ghost! Before they can make a move, the ghost lets out a scream and chases them out of the basement.

McCarthy and McKinnon reconvene on the campus quad (both terrified and overjoyed at what they just saw). From the distance they see Wiig escorting an unconscious Elba as he's loaded into an ambulance. They rush to Wiig exuberantly trying to explain what they just saw, but what with the recent disaster and all, she has no time for their shenanigans and accompanies Elba off in the ambulance. McCarthy and McKinnon try to follow but the EMT (Leslie Jones) stops them cold before driving off to the hospital.

At the hospital, Jones wheels Elba into a patient room for his injuries. Wiig stands beside her mentor's side as McCarthy and McKinnon (who've followed the ambulance) burst into the hospital making a ruckus, still overly excited about their ghost sighting. Wiig finally becomes fed up with the two of them and gets into a loud verbal confrontation once and for all telling them there's no such thing as ghosts. Just as Jones tries to break things up and regain order in the hospital room, the power cuts. McKinnon's paranormal equipment starts ringing again.  

Everyone shuts up as McKinnon and McCarthy change attention and quickly look to follow the source of the paranormal readout. Wiig and Jones both follow after hearing that McKinnon's detector is slightly nuclear-powered and they're waving it around a crowded hospital.

McKinnon leads everyone down into the morgue. It's silent and eerie. Jones catches up to them insistent that they all leave the hospital immediately just when ghost-like body crawls out of one of the freezers where the cadavers are kept -- it looks to be some sort of mad-doctor looking ghoul. Dumbfounded, no one knows how to react. Snapping back to, McKinnon and McCarthy pull out of their duffle bag and reveal a working prototype of the original Proton-Pack. They charge up and let loose on the ghost managing to protect themselves while scaring the ghost off from the premises. 

Now that Wiig has finally seen the ghosts, she agrees to hear the others out. Hypothesizing that maybe the dark energy experiment could have caused a rift to allow this phenomenon to occur, McCarthy and McKinnon coerce Wiig into leading them to her father's shop (the old Ghostbuster HQ) in hopes of finding some answers. Without a car to drive them, Jones offers up her ambulance to escort them. 

Just as they all leave the hospital, Elba comes to. A doctor leans in to check on him. Holds up his fingers trying to get a response. Nothing. Then asks him, "Sir, do you remember who you are?" Elba slowly and softly speaks, "I am the one who serves Gozer. I am Zuul." 

Suddenly Elba grabs the doctor by the throat and whips him across the room. Several other staff and security members join in to restrain Elba, but to no help. After the room is clear, Elba walks out into the street causing the street lights he passes to pop and explode. His eyes focus on the power lines. Something intrigues him about the electricity and he marches on following its source. 

Meanwhile, Jones' ambulance pulls up to the iconic fire station that is Ghostubuster's HQ. The team steps inside to see the place in relative shambles. In the back we hear commotion to reveal Stantz and Winston running around tinkering with their own science experiments. (Clearly they've recognized the particle wave that's washed over the city and are trying to make sense of it.) They quickly brush off their visitors saying they don't do interviews nor do they track down ghosts anymore. Wiig identifies herself as Venkman's daughter and Stantz's eyes grow bright as he makes the connection and greets them warmly. McKinnon and McCarthy freak out like they're meeting the Beetles, followed by an energetic conversation as they share with Stantz and Winston their own ghost-busting equipment. 

As everyone mingles with one another, the front door opens and in steps Venkman absently going about his business before he looks up to see Wiig -- this is the first time he and his daughter have made eye contact for the in years. An awkward lull takes over the room before Jones' radio breaks the silence. They get word of Elba's attack.

The team decides they need to go track Elba down to see if he's alright and what's going on. The girls look for support from the old men, but they refuse to help. It's just not what they do anymore. 

This leads into the second act, where the bulk of it follows the girls they track down Elba's wave of destruction (coincidentally has them visiting every major power source in the city) as they try and figure out what the hell is going on since the dark energy explosion. And encountering the occasional ghost here and there along the way. 

Finally the team discovers that Elba is somehow absorbing the city's power for his own nefarious needs -- which they don't know yet what that is. The only things that does register a concern is that the next major power source is located at Ghostbuster's HQ. It's the giant storage container imprisoning all the ghosts they captured over the years. 

Note: I know the container was shutdown by the EPA in Ghostbusters (1984) releasing all the ghosts inside, but in this world they had a few years back on the job (up through Ghostbusters II) to recapture everything before they quit for good. 

Cut to the Venkman, Stantz, and Winston hanging back at HQ studying all the ghost-sightings popping up all over the city, when Elba comes-a-knocking. Immediately Elba recognizes this is not like the rest of the power sources. He senses the spirits within the area. Spirits thriving off the storage container's power field. 

Elba storms in to get what he wants. To the best of their abilities, the Ghostbusters try to fend him off -- even suiting up their old equipment in the process. They put up a good fight, but Elba manages to overcome them. 

Elba makes his way to the container, ready to unleash the power just when the girls all arrive. They scream at Elba to stop, McKinnon even using one of her own gizmos to push him back. Elba stumbles away from the machine angrier than ever. He opens a loose electrical conduit, grabbing the live wires, and sends a surge of electrical energy straight at the girls. At the last second, Venkman leaps in front of the blast taking the brunt of the hit in his gut. 

The girls are saved, but Venkman's body lays on the floor... motionless. 

With everyone defeated, Elba marches up to the ghost container and shuts it off, unleashing all the spirits contained within. He laughs and mutters, "the great Gozer may finally return," before strutting out the front door. 

In the wake of Elba's disaster, Jones immediately runs over to Venkman checking on his vitals. He's slipping, and slipping fast. They need to get him to a hospital. 

Before they run Venkman to the ambulance, Stantz explains how disastrous it will be for the city if they Elba call up Gozer. They mention how they've met with the likes of Gozer before and it could mean the end of NYC if they don't stop it. They give the girls the rundown that Elba is likely headed to the top of a building downtown (the epicenter for paranormal activity in the first movie) to summon the demi-god. 

The girls agree to stop Gozer if Stantz and Winston take Venkman to the hospital. In the process, Jones hands the ambulance over to Winston... and Winston hands the keys to the Echo-One to Jones. Allowed access to all of the Ghostbusters' equipment, the girls finally suit up in the jumpsuits, each now dawning their own Proton-Pack. 

Wiig shares a moment with her father (finally they're starting to bond) as he's loaded into the ambulance before both parties depart headed in separate directions. 

The new Ghostbusters drive through the city as the recently freed ghosts run rampant tearing NY apart. The girls make their way to the building that stands at the nexus to all the activity and prepare to ascend to the roof. (Slight nod to the first film that the elevators are out and the girls have to take the stairs -- McCarthy bitching the whole way up.)

They finally arrive on the roof to see Elba opening a portal (similar to what was triggered during the first dark energy experiment --  only much, much bigger). The girls try and stop Elba, but they're too late. The portal successfully opens, zapping Elba in the process. (This action frees Elba from Zuul's possession.) Then out from the portal, Gozer steps forth. 

Cut back to the hospital as Winston and Stantz come careening in with Venkman, bleeding half to death. Despite the hospital being nuts with injured people, they get the attention of an doctor and Venkman gets pulled into the OR. Just as the doctor begins to start surgery on Venkman, the mad-scientist looking ghost from the first act appears and starts tearing up room. 

Stantz and Winston look to one another on how they're suppose to stop this guy -- then they catch a glimpse at a radiation symbol for the x-ray room. 

Back at the skyscraper roof. The Ghostbusters square off with Gozer as the demi-god poses the same question to them as it did with the previous Ghostbusters: "Chose the weapon of your destruction." The girls all look at one another. Give a smile and without even responding, they let loose on Gozer. 

Proton beams fly everywhere and they zap Gozer all across the roof. They keep the battle up with no sign of winning -- Gozer is too fast. Then Wiig spots Elba waking up, free of possession. He remarks that he can close the portal if he tinkers with one of their Proton-Packs -- changing it into a make-shift dark energy bomb. Elba tells Wiig that they'll need to detonate it from within the portal with Gozer inside.

At the hospital, the devious looking ghost hovers over Venkman (who doesn't look to good despite still cracking wise at the apparition). Suddenly, Stantz appears with a crash cart converted to send out (very inaccurate) streams of electricity. It doesn't stop the ghoul, but it certainly pisses him off. The ghoul takes off chasing after Stantz. Running down the hall, Stantz leads the goul into an x-ray room where Winston is waiting. As soon as Stantz in clear, Winston lets loose the radiation trapping the ghost and destroying it. 

Stantz and Winston rush back to the ER to see the doctors back at work on Venkman. They look to the heart monitor, it's flat. They're too late. Venkman has died. 

On the rooftop, the girls seem to be losing their fight with Gozer. Finally McKinnon has had enough. From her duffle bag she pulls out one of her personal contraptions -- a Proton-Cannon. She sets it up and launches a shot at Gozer. Dead hit. It sends Gozer flying back into the portal. 

With no time to spare, Wiig (tied off with a rope around her waist) jumps into the portal with the dark energy bomb. The girls hold onto her as she travels into the void. 

In the void, Wiig sees a massive, never-ending sea of the paranormal all swarming around her. She forces herself to focused on the mission and activates the dark energy bomb. She releases the weapon into the darkness of the void and yanks on the rope to be pulled back. The girls start pulling her. Wiig ascend up to the portal out of the void until Gozer reaches out from the dark and latches onto her foot. Gozer begins to pull Wiig down. There's no escape. 

Suddenly, the ghost of Peter Venkman appears holding his hand out for Wiig. Wiig can't believe it. She's seeing the ghost of her father. Venkman kisses her forehead goodbye before leaping down on Gozer and breaking the demi-god's grip on Wiig. 

Wiig is finally pulled free just as the dark energy bomb detonates shutting the portal behind her -- the consequence also stops the paranormal power running throughout the city. Everyone on the rooftop revels in their victory before Wiig gets up and rushes off to the hospital. 

Wiig gets to the hospital and is directed to her father's room. She enters the room to see it's empty. Looks like he's passed away. Suddenly we hear a toilet flush and Venkman saunters out of the bathroom -- a nearby nurse curses Venkman for walking about after recently recovering from his near death experience -- was dead on the OR table for a two minutes. Tears well up in Wiig's eyes as she goes to hug her father who doesn't seem to have any memory his spirit having helped save his daughter.

A few weeks after the dark energy incident, the girls gather back at Ghostbusters HQ -- having to fight through a swarm of media hovering outside. Inside, Stantz explains that their phones have been ringing off the hook since the incident. Ghosts are still out there, and the city is going to need help. 

Suddenly the phone rings. Venkman eyes the girls, "Go ahead. Answer the call."

The final shot is of the girls riding out of HQ in the Ecto-One, siren blaring, zooming pass the media as they barrel down the city street to respond to the call. 

So, yeah... Borrowing from what worked in other films (and what worked in this film), this is something more like what I would have wanted to see. I think I'm just really into the idea of seeing the torch being handed down from one generation to the next. And what's even more infuriating is that all of the original actors make cameos in this film -- Bill Murray actually has a bit of a legitimate role -- but they're all playing other characters. I just... I don't agree with what they did at all. And the box office numbers tell me most other people likely have similar feelings. (For Christ's sake, they lost opening weekend in the box office to a CGI film of talking pets.) 

That aside, it's doubtful we'll see another sequel with this new cast and it's a shame. There was a lot of great talent on that screen. Just some shitty execution.