Harold Ramis | Geekscape

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Vacation (2015)

by MCDaveJuly 28, 2015

When Harold Ramis passed away last year, a comedic legend was lost. But while most people who look back at Ramis will see Dr. Egon Spengler from the Ghostbusters films, his greatest achievements came from beyond the camera where he directed classics like Caddyshack, Groundhog Day and National Lampoon’s Vacation. Fast-forward a trio of decades and a promising young team of writers and directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, turn to funnyman Ed Helms to revive the Griswold’s family legacy. And let’s just say, Harold Ramis would be extremely proud of their decision

When regional pilot and a grown up Rusty Griswold (Helms) detects some serious troubles at home, he decides to spice things up by taking his unenthusiastic family on a road trip to the majestic theme park from his childhood, “Walley World”. But in typical Griswold tradition, what was supposed to be a fun-filled bonding experience turns into a hellish road trip that pushes each of them to their respective limits. Yet, if they can just make it to “Walley World” and ride the epic Velociraptor roller coaster, perhaps the trip will be worth it after all.

Unlike many (and I do mean many) 21st century comedies that rely on shock value to generate amusement from its crowd, Vacation finds humor in a reminiscently familiar place. Capturing all of the mannerisms and bone-headed charm of former patriarch, Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase), Ed Helms gives a nostalgic performance that is a breath of fresh air from all of these poorly written and contemporary comedies. The writing and directing duo, Daley and Goldstein, mold together a brilliant concoction of the older films with some modern edgy twists that allow Vacation to stand as a solid film all on its own. Each new member of the Griswold family plays a vital role to the story and truly encapsulates the all-for-one tradition of the iconic franchise.

Despite many riotous laughs and unforgettable scenes, Vacation fails to go from start to finish without a hiccup. There are a handful of over-the-top and unrealistic situations that would usually plague a film such as this, but Helms and his co-stars always guide the audience back to the Griswold family norm, which is too good of a place to resist. Another noticeable blemish resides in the somewhat hefty collection of jokes that don’t pan out. Although these moments are sporadic, but evident, throughout the entire film, it becomes routine to let them pass by with ease as more of Vacation‘s cheeky and hysterical humor is always quick to follow.

In an age where reboots, remakes and sequels are typically off base and disappointing, Vacation serves as a gratifying reminder of when a new branding is handled with respect and class. While I must caution that the film is by no means an instant classic like its original source material, this new entry delivers an abundance of laughs and proves to be a worthy inclusion to the franchise. The actors go all-out and it pays huge dividends by the time the credits roll. If you’re a fan of the Griswolds, then don’t miss your chance to relive another adventure with one of our favorite movie families.

GRADE: 3.5/5

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Happy 30th Anniversary, Ghostbusters! Here Are Our Ten Favourite Quotes From The Film!

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 8, 2014

To celebrate the official 30th anniversary of the film Ghostbusters, I will be putting together my new Lego Ghostbusters set, watching the movie, and sharing my top ten quotes from the film, in no particular order (mostly because I couldn’t choose which was my favorite!)

10. To start off, I’ve always loved the commercial, so it has to be in the top 10:

9. Easily Winston’s best line, and clearly one of the greatest in the film, finishes up this little scene when the boys are fighting Gozer:

Gozer: [after Ray orders her to re-locate] Are you a God?
[Ray looks at Peter, who nods]
Ray: No.
Gozer: Then… DIE!
[Lightning flies from her fingers, driving the Ghostbusters to the edge of the roof and almost off; people below scream]
Winston: Ray, when someone asks you if you’re a god, you say “YES”!

8. Another favorite is the scene in the mayor’s office with the infamous Walter Peck:

Ray: Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here.
Peck: They caused an explosion!
Mayor: Is this true?
Venkman: Yes it’s true. This man has no dick.
Peck: Jeez!
[Charges at Venkman]
Mayor: Break it up! Hey, break this up! Break it up!
Peck: All right, all right, all right!
Venkman: Well, that’s what I heard!

7. And while I love all of the scenes between the possessed Dana Barrett and Venkman, I have to go with one of these two:

Dana: [as The Gatekeeper] I want you inside me.
Venkman: It sounds like you’ve got at least two or three people in there already.

Dana: There is no Dana only Zuul.
Venkman: What a lovely singing voice you must have.

6. One of the more subtle quotes that always gets me:

Ray: Listen… do you smell something?

5. This line is just one of those iconic moments of the movie, so it had to be here:

Janine: Hello, Ghostbusters… Yes, of course they’re serious… You do?… You have?… No kidding! Just gimme the address… Oh sure, they will be totally discreet. Thank you!
[hangs up]
Janine: WE GOT ONE!

4. Then there’s Stay Puft:

Gozer: The Choice is made!
Venkman: Whoa! Ho! Ho! Whoa-oa!
Gozer: The Traveller has come!
Venkman: Nobody choosed anything!
[turns to Egon]
Venkman: Did you choose anything?
Egon: No.
Venkman: [to Winston] Did YOU?
Winston: My mind is totally blank.
Venkman: *I* didn’t choose anything…
[long pause, Peter, Egon and Winston all look at Ray]
Ray: I couldn’t help it. It just popped in there.
Venkman: What? *What* “just popped in there?”
Ray: I… I… I tried to think…
Egon: LOOK!
Ray: No! It CAN’T be!
Venkman: What is it?
Ray: It CAN’T be!
Venkman: What did you DO, Ray?
Winston: Oh, shit!
[they all see a giant cubic white head topped with a sailor hat, Peter looks at Ray]
Ray: [somberly] It’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

3. Of course, no list would be complete without the Twinkie:

Venkman: How’s the grid holding up?
Egon: Not good.
Winston: Tell him about the Twinkie.
Venkman: What about the Twinkie?

2. The fantastic attack on Gozer:

Venkman: All right, this chick is TOAST. Okay; sticks?
Ray, Egon & Winston: HOLDIN’!
Venkman: Heat ’em up!
Ray, Egon & Winston: SMOKIN’!
Venkman: MAKE ‘EM HARD!
Ray, Egon & Winston: READY!
Venkman: Let’s show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.

1. And of course, I’ve saved the best, most iconic line of the film, for last:

Venkman: He slimed me.

Of course, I’m sure some of you disagree, or feel I forgot some important ones. So feel free to comment with your favorite Ghostbusters quotes!

And for a little more fun, here’s a video:

Dennis Finocchiaro’s Five Favorite Harold Ramis Movie Quotes

by Dennis FinocchiaroFebruary 24, 2014

I’m a huge Harold Ramis fan, from his big roles like Ghostbusters to his smaller ones in Knocked Up and Groundhog Day. So I decided to root through some of the lines he is most famous for (in my mind) and post them.

#5 Knocked Up (2007): In a small role as Ben’s dad, I thought he was excellent. It makes me wish his scenes weren’t cut from High Fidelity, in which he was also supposed to play the main character’s father.

Ben’s Dad: Life doesn’t care about your vision. You just gotta roll with it.

#4 Stripes (1981): I think I love this one because I am a teacher and this reminds me of the way my job feels sometimes.

[when Russell is teaching English class]
Russell Ziskey: Okay, I know you’re anxious to jump right in and start speaking English, but there’s a couple of things I need to know first, because I’ve never done this before. So, how many of you would say you speak English fairly well, but with some difficulties?
[pause]
Russell Ziskey: A little English?
[a man raises his hand]
Russell Ziskey: Yes? You speak some English?
Man learning English: Son of bitch. Shit.
Class: [in unison] Son of bitch. Shit.

#3 Ghostbusters II (1989): This one explains his character in a short statement.

Dr. Egon Spengler: We had part of a Slinky. But I straightened it.

#2 Ghostbusters (1984): Then there’s the classic moment at the end of the movie.

Dr. Egon Spengler: There’s something very important I forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don’t cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I’m fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, “bad”?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That’s bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

#1 Ghostbusters (1984): I can’t possibly do a list like this and not include his comparison between ghost activity and a favorite snack treat.

Dr. Egon Spengler: Well, let’s say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning’s sample, it would be a Twinkie… thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

Honorable Mention: Ghostbusters (1984): This one shows how ahead of the times his character was, considering how much technology has changed since 1984.

Janine Melnitz: You’re very handy, I can tell. I bet you like to read a lot, too.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Print is dead.

Did I miss any great ones? Let us know in the comments!

Harold Ramis, Star of Ghostbusters and Stripes, Dies

by Dennis FinocchiaroFebruary 24, 2014

The comedy world suffered a huge loss today as Harold Ramis, better known as Egon to all fans of the 80s, died of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis after long battles with his health.

The star of Ghostbusters and Stripes also helped create Caddyshack and wrote films like Animal House, Groundhog Day and Meatballs.

He was also director of some amazing classics like National Lampoon’s Vacation, and was a part of the making of such films as Back to School, Armed and Dangerous and Analyze This.

‘MIB 3’ Screenwriter Hired To Write ‘Ghostbusters 3’

by Scott AlminianaJuly 10, 2012

Sony Pictures refuses to let the idea of Ghostbusters 3 fade away. They have now hired the screenwriter of Men In Black 3, Etan Cohen to rewrite the script. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were the last guys to take a crack at writing it but as we reported last week, Bill Murray didn’t feel the scripts were good enough.

Other than writing Men In Black 3, Cohen has written Idiocracy and Tropic Thunder. He will make his feature directorial debut with Paramount’s horror-comedy Boy Scouts vs. Zombies.

Sure, he’s (co)written some funny movies but is he the man that will finally write a great script for Ghostbusters 3? It’s been speculated for quite sometime that the threequel would see the original Ghostbusters (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray) pass the torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters. Is that really a movie anyone wants to see though? I grew up with the first two movies and love them, I just watched Ghostbusters 2 last night actually, but it’s been twenty-three years since the last one came out. I think a third movie just couldn’t possibly live up to the first two. I think Sony just needs to let this one go.

Source: Variety