Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

With the holiday season over,I searched The Electric cinema (the oldest working cinema in the UK) site to see what screenings they were kicking 2020 off with. Having enjoyed the first Ghostbusters & the animated shows, (yet to see the second film!) I was happy to find a doc on Ghostbusters 1 was playing soon,with a Q&A from the makers, leading me to find out if If there's something strange,In your neighbourhood.

View on the film:

Taking 12 years to make, (just like Boyhood!) directors Anthony Bueno & Claire Bueno set their Proton packs to a stunningly detailed examination of the first Ghostbusters, with the Bueno treating everyone from the cast,to the puppeteers with equal importance. Along with footage from the film and production photos, the Bueno's use delightfully quirky animation, which along with bringing to life recollections from the cast/crew, also links to the history animation has with Ghostbusters.

Detailing the hours of cut footage in a 50 minute Q&A after the screening, the Bueno's unveil fascinating behind the scenes archive material which has been unseen until now, from original concepts designs, models, and test runs on how the ghosts looked/moved, (Stay Puff sure got crispy!) to interviews going into the changes made to Ernie Hudson/Sigourney Weaver's plot lines.

Whilst Rick Moranis (who has retired) and Bill Murray, (who has a rep in Hollywood for being a jerk,he stopped Ghostbusters 3 from being made for decades) don't appear, the Bueno's easily overcome this with fantastic interviews from Dan "Crystal Head Vodka" Aykroyd and visual effects art director John Bruno, to Harold Ramis final interview about the first Ghostbusters.

I think it's a huge credit to the filmmakers (Anthony and Claire Bueno) that they were able to elicit such fond reminiscing from the cast and crew of Ghostbusters - the making of which has become at this point, well-trod subject matter. As documentaries go, it's very tech-heavy, but everyone on camera is personable and clearly happy to be there, and I enjoyed myself considerably. Though Bill Murray's absence is inescapable, I applaud the efforts of all involved to coalesce and make up the difference. There's some real heart to this.

The icing on this dessert is the late Harold Ramis, and it is an undeniably joy to see him again.

I've never left a review on here in my life, but I just had to for this doc. From start to finish it's purely about the making of this unique and special movie, with the highest access to all the key figures involved (minus Murray unsurprisingly). I've watched a few retrospective Docs that pad the run time and try patch over that they couldn't get the access they needed by adding nonsense cultural impact sections. Like interviewing fans and asking their opinion on why the property has remained relevant. I personally couldn't care less what some nerd at a comic convention thinks about Ghostbusters, or why its special to them. This thankfully, covers the inception, development and execution of the movie itself ditectly from the people who made it and gives you a greater appreciation of things you now take for granted. An example being what an insane risk putting a 40 foot marshmallow man in the 3rd act of your movie was.

Several years ago in a pub in Putney, London, my friend Dominic told me that his mate was making a documentary on Ghostbusters and was at that time travelling the states carrying out interviews.

I've waited patiently for this and it's finally here, and wow! What an achievement. So many films about films spend too much time interviewing critics and film specialists, and the odd cast member who could be bothered to show up. This one gets pretty much everyone and it's hugely insightful.

Great stories from actors, puppeteers, stunt men and William Atherton. Insight into the creative processes that worked out how to put proton packs, ghosts and giant Marshmallow men on to the screen.

A wonderful labour of love and a timeless record of one of the films that really managed to bottle lightning.

I can't wait for the sequel!

This is a great documentary, behind the scenes, how it was written, the casting...I'm just surprised it's taken so many years to materialize. I thought in the wake of the new movie coming out it would at least get a mention but no...this is about the first Ghostbusters movie from the 80's. A great insight.