by Alan on Mon May 12, 2025 6:17 am "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!"
Ghostbusters is a 1984 sci-fi-comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984. It was produced and directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Ernie Hudson. The film's original release grossed nearly USD $230 million in the U.S., and over $50 million abroad during its theatrical run, making it the second best grossing film in 1984, only $5 million behind Beverly Hills Cop.
It was followed by a sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989), and two animated television series, The Real Ghostbusters (later renamed Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters) and Extreme Ghostbusters. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Ghostbusters the 44th greatest comedy film of all time. The American Film Institute ranked it 28th in its list of the top 100 comedies of all time (in their "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs" list). In 2005, IGN voted Ghostbusters the greatest comedy ever. In 2006, Bravo ranked Ghostbusters 76 on their "100 Funniest Movies" list.
In the middle of the film's initial release, to keep interest going, Ivan Reitman had a trailer run, which was basically the same commercial that the Ghostbusters use in the movie, but with the 555 number replaced with a 1-800 number, allowing people to call. They got a recorded message of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd saying something to the effect of "Hi. We're out catching ghosts right now." They got 1,000 calls per hour, 24 hours a day, for six weeks.
Michael Ensign, the actor who played the uppity hotel concierge in the Sedgewick played virtually the same character in the film adaptation of Pink Floyd's The Wall. The cartoon initially featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Peter Venkman, instead of Bill Murray. Lorenzo Music also played the voice of Garfield. Bill Murray then went on to play the voice of Garfield in the live-action movie.
"Help me Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again. Please, God, let me live again."
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story The Greatest Gift written by Philip Van Doren Stern.
The film takes place in the fictional town of Bedford Falls shortly after World War II and stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose attempted suicide on Christmas Eve gains the attention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) who is sent to help him in his hour of need. Much of the film is told through flashbacks spanning George's entire life and narrated by Franklin and Joseph, unseen Angels who are preparing Clarence for his mission to save George. Through these flashbacks we see all the people whose lives have been touched by George and the difference he has made to the community in which he lives.
The film is regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world, although, due to its high production costs and stiff competition at the box office, financially, it was considered a "flop." The film's break-even point was actually $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. An appraisal in 2006 reported: "Although it was not the complete box-office failure that today everyone believes... it was a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were."
It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars without winning any, but the film has since been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.
Please take the time to watch or re-watch these two films before the voting begins next week. You can use this thread to post reviews after having watched them, campaign for your preferred movie, or just discuss the movies in general.
