steven@ism70.UUCP (06/06/84)
#N:ism70:13100015:000:1844 ism70!steven Jun 5 10:26:00 1984 Abridged Review from Lotusland: Note: _T_i_m_e and _N_e_w_s_w_e_e_k both liked Ghostbusters a lot. From _D_a_i_l_y_ _V_a_r_i_e_t_y, June 5. pp. 3 GHOSTBUSTERS Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Harold Ramis. Also Starring Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and William Atherton. Directed and Produced by Ivan Reitman. Written by Aykroyd and Ramis. Executive Producer: Bernie Brillstein. Photographed by Laszlo Kovacs. Production Designed by John DeCuir. Edited by Sheldon Kahn and David Blewitt. Music by Elmer Bernstein. Visual Effects Supervised by Richard Edlund for Entertainment Effects Group. From Columbia Pictures. 107 minutes. Columbia's _G_h_o_s_t_b_u_s_t_e_r_s is a lavishly produced but only intermittently impressive all-star comedy lampoon of supernatural horror films. Closer in scale, at an estimated $32,000,000 negative cost, to _I_t_'_s_ _a_ _M_a_d_,_ _M_a_d_, _M_a_d_,_ _M_a_d_ _W_o_r_l_d and _1_9_4_1 than modest spoofs such as the Bob Hope / Paulette Goddard _T_h_e_ _G_h_o_s_t_ _B_r_e_a_k_e_r_s, pic looks to good but not fantastic results in the Summer box office sweepstakes. Originally conceived as a John Belushi - Dan Aykroyd vehicle called _G_h_o_s_t_s_m_a_s_h_e_r_s before Belushi's death in 1982, the film, under producer director Ivan Reitman, makes a fundamental error reminiscent of the atypical 1946 Abbott and Costello picture _T_h_e_ _L_i_t_t_l_e_ _G_i_a_n_t by featuring a set of top comics, but having them often work alone than as a team throughout. This format, together with the usual pauses to look at the spectacular special effects, creates a comedy that works in fits and starts. Problem is the effects are far betterthan the film vehicle containing them.