B8
MOVIE REVIEWS
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 16 - 31, 2016
By Alan Samuel
By Alan Samuel
Ghostbusters (PG) ***
Déjà Vu!
What goes around comes around . Prepare to get your freak
on with Ghostbusters. Inspired by the hit of the 1980s this sly
remake switches the boys for the girls. Nice casting by Columbia Pictures zeroes in on all sorts of modern shenanigans in the
big apple itself. Don your protective gear and head off to your
local Cineplex Odeon site anywhere in B.C. To get your fix of
green slime supreme.
Melissa McCarthy (Spy) and Kristin Wiig (Bridesmaids)
take off where Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray left off. Well, not
quite. It’s blue collar versus white collar as these feisty babes
lock horns then forgive all when they get the call to deal with
an army of ghosts wrecking havoc on New York.
Aided by two accomplices and a humorous Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as a clueless office boy this Ghostbusters can’t
compare or compete with the original Classic. Still, there is
great chemistry among the ladies, a series of well-timed cameos and some savvy and snappy special effects.
There are enough jokes, inoffensive for the most part,
and heated exchanges to make this chase down those ghosts
movie entertaining and fit for the whole family.
Lights Out (PG) ***
Blind Spot!
Horror movies are meant to chill. And kill. You just know
you’re in trouble when at times near the start of a film audiences giggle - unless it’s a comedy. Alas this is the fate that follows
Lights Out, a rather tepid thriller from Warmer Brothers hoping
for converts at various Cineplex Odeon sites across B.C. Best
of luck rallying the masses with franchise juggernauts Star Trek
and Jason Bourne looming sort of large on the horizon.
And having a respected name like horror guru James Wan
on the marquee is no guarantee for success. Like the title
says Lights Out refers to some strange goings on when in the
dark. Ghosts come n all shapes and sizes as witness to the
little comical Ghostbusters. Forget about the movie competition here. Our on hour and twenty-two minute story is mostly
confined to a house where a mom lives with her young son.
Mario Bello acts just fine as an on edge mom Sophie trying to cope with some “mental” issues that is driving her kid
around the bend. Good casting as the hard as nails though
scaredy cat son Martin sees Gabriel Bateman.
Mean spirits can be anywhere. With this kid falling behind
and going stir crazy like mom it’s up to big sis Rebecca to return home like a knight in shining armour to save the day. Well,
not so fast. Just fine as not quite ready for time motherhood as
the poster child for good parenting is Teresa Palmer due largely
to her min-conventional lifestyle.
How this family of misfits come together or falls apart is
part of the engagement In Lights Out. Alas, it turns out to be a
simple story of a haunted house with some screwy inhabitants.
Not exactly prime time fodder for the thrill seekers set.
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