This reboot drew controversy on both sides of the spectrum. If you liked it, you were not a true fan of the series. If you didn't, you were a misogynist. It features actresses instead of actors as the Ghostbusters,
starting a ghost-catching business in New York. In this reimagining, the original Ghostbusters never existed - think of it as a parallel universe.
Call me a misogynist, but the movie is pretty bad. It relies more on action sequences than the original, which was a mistake, considering that the CGI looks worse than the original's blue-screen effects.
The female leads aren't bad actresses, but they aren't given much to work with. Whereas the original had contrast that made the comedic timing work, the authority figures in this one are even wackier than the Ghostbusters.
It's worth mentioning that there is a male assistant who is practically portrayed as mentally challenged. There's no need for that, considering that the original had female characters with a fair amount of agency.
This "Ghostbusters" remake isn't so much anger-inducing as it is tiresome. It follows the Hollywood trends of bad CGI action, as well as emphasis on diversity for marketability, without the craft needed to back it up. If you liked it, you're not betraying the original.
The 1984 classic still exists, and just watch that instead.
Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and UHD
Grade: D+
I don't often abandon movies midway, but this one...is special. "Glitter" appears at first glance to be a biopic, but it's actually a fictional story. Unfortunately, Mariah Carey's acting is wooden to the point that
she can't pass herself off as a character. She plays a singer who falls for a DJ she works with, who has leverage on her music career. The scenes transition with glitter effects, and when that is the most interesting part of
the movie, you have a problem. "Glitter" has no one to relate to, and doesn't even work as camp entertainment. Skip it.
Available on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray
Grade: F
"Goldfinger" is not the first Bond movie, but it set the formula in motion, with the action, one-liners, gadgets, and sets one would expect with James Bond. In this entry, he goes after a man known as
Goldfinger, who aims to infiltrate Fort Knox and smuggle gold, so that he can monopolize the trade. The next step in his scheme is to melt the gold, so the demand goes up.
After Sean Connery died in 2020, this particular Bond movie has come under scrutiny for scenes that go against the principles of #MeToo. While I don't condone acting like James Bond in real life, it's disrespectful to use Connery's death
as a political talking point. Also, the movie is 60 years old and not meant to be realistic. "Goldfinger" is a classic, even if it's not politically correct by today's standards.
Available on VHS, Betamax, CED, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-Ray, and UHD
Grade: A-
Based off Nickelodeon's "All That" sketch, "Good Burger" is the kind of comedy that reminds you: Sometimes, you have to be smart to be stupid. It features Ed as a dim-witted cashier at Good Burger,
a small business competing with the Mondo Burger chain, which has bigger burgers, but uses illegal chemicals to inflate the meat. When Good Burger stays in business due to its superior quality, the local Mondo Burger,
operated by Kurt, resorts to sabotaging them in various ways.
This movie is all-around silly, and that's exactly what it goes for. Abe Vigoda from "The Godfather" is strangely casted as one of the workers, but the film leans into its absurdity. There are puns, surreal dream sequences, and
moments that make little sense, but predicted internet memes at a time when half the country didn't have internet. "Good Burger" borrows its plot from other comedies, such as "Fast Food", but rather than being a cheap sex comedy,
it has family-friendly humor and higher production values. Take a bite out of this movie, and you'll see why so many 90's kids have come back for seconds.
Available on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray
Grade: B
In this underrated spy comedy, Jonathan, a college student and paintball enthusiast, goes on a vacation to Paris during spring break, where he meets Sasha, an Eastern European woman who seduces him. When she leads him to East Berlin, he becomes involved in a plot to retrieve
a stolen mysterious object from KGB agents.
While the movie starts with a sex comedy setup, it changes course, leading to action sequences that catch you off-guard. It feels like a product of the 80's, with Soviet villains, a synthesized soundtrack, and some politically incorrect character dynamics.
But for what it is, it's not a bad time.
Available on VHS, Betamax, CED, LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray
Grade: B