Movie #348 - Knocked Up

Knocked Up
2007 - Rated R - 2 hr 9 min
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig

Knocked Up was one of those movies that came out and everyone raaaaaaaaved about it. "Go see it! Go see it! It's hillarious!" I waited till it came out on DVD and saw it at home, expecting really good things.

Instead, I felt like it wasn't as funny as it could have been. And Katherine Heigl annoyed the piss out of me.  Especially in the delivery room when she's arguing that she can't get induced because her birth plan says no drugs... when the doctor says the baby's health and safety is at risk.  What?! Helllllllooooooooo?

I'm a mom and I wanted a natural delivery. But when the doctor said, "Your baby needs to come out now," I did not argue for a second. I said, "What do I sign?"

Sorry, kids. But that one irksome scene isn't the only issue I have.  Heigl and Rogen have absolutely no chemistry.  I really want to like this, cuz I love these guys and Judd Apatow.  I don't hate it... but I think it got talked up to me too much and the only way to go was down.

Movie #227 - Ghostbusters II

Ghostbusters II
1989 - Rated PG - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol, Harris Yulin, David Margulies, Kurt Fuller

Yay, they're back! Even Slimer is back!

This movie finds the Ghostbusters in some legal trouble that's quickly solved by a ghostly attack. Cool.  Sigourney Weaver is in trouble again, or her baby is, and this makes me worry for her future.  This poor woman! Will it ever stop?

On a side note, the baby on a ledge scene now makes me nauseous, thanks to motherhood.  Seriously.

As a sequel, this movie holds up well.  It revisits these well-loved characters without overkilling the jokes or self-indulging too much.  They face new problems and come up with even bigger solutions. I cite the "Libby" hijacking incident--a step above and beyond the Stay Puft marshmallow man.  But strangely, it works.

It was fun to watch these back to back, something I'd never done before.  Good times were had by all... or....me. Yay.

Movie #226 - Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters
1984 - Rated PG - 1 hr 45 min
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson, David Margulies

Classic.  Really, this movie is a classic.  I'm not sure how "technical" all that ghostbusting equipment really is (though I'm guessing most of it's imagined), but they make it seem like the real deal, in terms of how they attempt to explain and use it.  Scientific or not, you really want these guys to find and "bust" some serious ghost ass.

Watching the movie this time, I was impressed and surprised at how good the effects are.  They're not as good as they would be today, but for 1984, they're not bad at all.  Actually, the "streams" are decent and, as long as the creatures aren't moving, most of the ghosts/demons look okay.  It's not CGI, but it definitely doesn't distract you.

Anyway, what I love about this movie is the campy approach.  They don't take it too seriously and they embrace the weird concept.  A movie like this was ahead of its time, considering the ghost tv show craze that's happening now. Did they make it trendy to hunt for ghosts? I don't know about that, but they did make it look almost fun.