John Candy: I Like Me (2025)

A portrait on the late actor who starred in 43 films in his 43 short years. Still remembered fondly by fans and all who knew him, he was larger than life, but known for his kind heart and gentle nature. If you're looking for dirt, you won't find it here. No one has nary a bad word to say about him. His only demons were the ones he was battling in silence. A lot of his story is told in his own words, as well as through his SCTV castmates, and especially his collaboration with John Hughes. He resists being typecast as the fat man, while seeming very secure in who he is, which remains relevant 30 years after his death. Like John Belushi or Chris Farley, he appears to live on with each new generation.

3 smiles through the pain out of 5

Note: Hearing Catherine O'Hara give John's eulogy hits doubly hard now. R.I.P.

Zombie Town (2023)

A kid's zombie movie, where nothing scary ever happens. After watching a cursed film, the town's inhabitants are turned into the walking undead. Based on R.L. Stine's novel, it has all the professionalism of a high school production. All the characters are insufferable, two-dimensional tropes. Full of harmless monsters that aren't even a threat, and predictably boring tripe that amounts to less than nothing. The shitty Zoom cameo from R.L. Stine was probably the scariest part and I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing any zombie makeup.

It was such a crime to have Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase together again after 32 years and only have them share one small scene in the end credits that was obviously intended for the blooper reel. What a waste all around.

½ a film reel out of 5

The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978)

Long before Spinal Tap, there were The Rutles, a parody of The Beatles created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes. Seamlessly blending archival footage with newly filmed sequences, this mockumentary chronicles the rise and fall of the Prefab Four from Rutland. It benefits from knowing the history of The Beatles because it follows the details so closely and the music pastiches capture that era perfectly. There are times it hinges so closely on authenticity, you miss the joke entirely because it's not being played for laughs. It maintains a bit of that Monty Python rhythm, while Eric Idle plays a number of roles throughout.

3½ tight trousers out of 5

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

The band is getting back together, save for John Belushi who passed away in 1982 and was the beating heart and soul of it. This 18 years too late sequel isn't great, but it's a lot better than I appraised it back when it was first released. Of course, it suffers from the deficit of Jake Blues, who is the main impetus for "getting the band back together" in this sequel, while John Goodman more or less fills the role of Elwood's new sidekick. The years have been kind to this film, as it's aged much better than my memory of it. It mostly serves as tribute to Belushi and all those who have fallen since, including many performers who are featured here. This film is more musical performance than actual plot, but it's frequently entertaining and just weird enough to command my attention.

3 Bluesmobiles out of 5

The Blues Brothers (1980)

One of the most successful movies based on a Saturday Night Live musical sketch featured John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues. Recently paroled, and looking to get back in good graces, they're on a mission from God to prevent the foreclosure of the Catholic orphanage where they were raised, all the while being on the run from cops, neo-Nazis, a country band and a mystery woman out for blood. The music is great, the spirit is anarchic, and it's just a fun time for all involved. Contains some of the most expensive action sequences ever filmed, not to mention fabulous cameos from legendary music performers. This is a time capsule worth uncovering.

5 police chases out of 5

Caddyshack II (1988)

Sequel to the 1980 classic comedy is a major downgrade in quality, although with the benefit of hindsight, it's not nearly as bad as it's been painted. Chevy Chase is the only actor who returns, but he's joined by Dan Aykroyd (who takes over the Bill Murray role) and Jackie Mason (who plays the Rodney Dangerfield character). Plus, that gloating animatronic gopher is back. The biggest slight against it is that they toned down the naughty R-rated humor and whiffed it with a watered-down PG rating, ensuring that no one is happy.

2 Kenny Loggins songs out of 5

Coneheads (1993)

Let's address the elephant in the room: Yeah, they look like butt plugs. Based on the popular SNL sketch, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprise their roles as aliens from the planet Remulak who crash land on Earth and whose cover is that they're from France to explain their eccentricities. It's a one-note joke, but never short on creativity, and the practical effects are weird and cool. This one is an oddity, which makes it appealing to fans of bad media. It's the kind of bizarre approach that reminds me of The Addams Family at times. Jam-packed with so many bit parts from SNL alumni, I had to leave out half of the credits.

2½ rows of teeth out of 5

Tommy Boy (1995)

One of the most beloved comedy duos of all time was the short-lived team-up of Chris Farley and David Spade, who developed a winning chemistry together on Saturday Night Live which successfully translated to the silver screen. Portraying the dumb, fat oaf with a heart of gold and the smarmy, sarcastic asshole who serves as his foil, they hit the road together as Tommy (Farley) becomes heir apparent to his father's auto parts empire while Richard (Spade) must keep him in check. The laughs in this movie are infectious and hit more often than not. It's a shame we didn't get to see more of these two together before Farley's life was tragically cut short. For some people, this might just be another dumb buddy comedy, but it's a great example of how do it well.

4 Holy Schnikes! out of 5

My Girl 2 (1994)

Of course, they always have to ruin everything with a sequel. This isn't as bad as I remember it, but it still feels like a betrayal to my memory of the original.

It's two years later, and Vada is now an angsty teen eager to learn more about her deceased mother, so she hops a plane to Los Angeles where she develops friendly feelings for another boy. It has the same great topical soundtrack of the '70s which transports you to a different era. It doesn't hit nearly as hard as the original film, but it takes you back to an age of innocence long lost past, while also somehow retaining that feeling of being quintessentially '90s.

3 La Brea Tar Pits out of 5

My Girl (1991)

It's 1972, and Vada Sultenfuss is an 11-year-old girl whose mother has died and whose dad is preoccupied by running a funeral parlor in the basement. She's a hypochondriac who is obsessed with death and tries to find meaning by joining a summer writing class and hanging out with her friend Thomas J. Meanwhile, her dad begins courting a new romance which reopens some old wounds.

I suppose a lot has to do with when you were born and your memories of growing up, but this film arrived at a perfect point in my formative years where it affected me throughout my life. To the point where I can almost transpose my own memories of childhood onto this film. Vada represented everything I looked for in a girl and Anna Chlumsky brings enormous charm and heart to her performance. Even now, I can still remember how I felt watching this as an easily impressionable kid. It doesn't hurt that I also saw myself in Macaulay Culkin at that age. This is a movie with real soul which contemplates some deep truths, especially for a coming-of-age film.

4½ mood rings out of 5

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

The best Ghostbusters sequel since Part II. Unfortunately, this one involves too many moving parts and not enough focus on the original Ghostbuster crew, which is really all anyone wanted. Still, it's an entertaining picture that strives to bring back what we all loved about the original, even though it feels bloated with one too many storylines and characters (as you can glean from the poster above). I honestly wouldn't mind more films in the series in this vein, although time seems to be running out and the actors aren't getting any younger.

As for the plot, we're back in NYC, and it's cold. That's really all you need to know.

3½ ecto-containment units out of 5

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Trading in the laughs per minute for a heartwarming family dramedy, Jason Reitman (son of original director Ivan) lovingly constructs his film as a tribute to its fallen star (and original writer) Harold Ramis. As such, it functions as an homage to the entire franchise, even as it essentially resurrects the old Ghostbusters gang (and Gozer) and recycles the plot of the 1984 film. What sets this apart is that it centers around Spengler's legacy and takes place in the quiet countryside rather than the bustling streets of NYC.

At first I was put off by this tone, until I realized there was no way they were ever going to replicate the spirit of the original, so they might as well try something different. Unfortunately, we really miss the presence of the original cast's camaraderie—in particular Bill Murray's wry wit—and this becomes glaringly obvious anytime they appear on screen together. Let's face it; the only reason this film is successful at all is because of the goodwill of the original.

If I could sum it up in even simpler terms, this is the Force Awakens of the Ghostbusters franchise.

3 mini-Pufts out of 5

GHOSTHEADS [2016]

Mega-Ghostbusters fan Brendan Mertens shows his love for the film franchise with the documentary fan-flick Ghostheads.
It mostly centers around a number of dedicated fans from all over the map who share their adoration for the films through cosplay, internet forums, conventions and various other forms of geek-love.  As an added bonus it interviews cast & crew from the movies and animated television show for whatever reason.  It could have heavily benefited by exclusively focusing on stories of it's fans and instead wastes a lot of time on the celebrities sharing their foggy memories of the films they made over 20 years ago.
As a whole, it's an aimless mess by never really knowing exactly where it's headed or what it wants to say besides the obvious but it's heart is in the right place and that's enough for this Ghosthead.

2½ ghostbusting ringtones out of 5

BEING CANADIAN [2015]

TV writer Robert Cohen travels across his homeland in order to find out what it actually means to be a Canadian, which up until now seemed to be a pretty much a mish-mash of everything and nothing, in this humorous documentary, Being Canadian.

Starting his journey from the East coast and ending up on the West coast, Cohen interviews a gaggle of Canadian celebrities (and curiously, Ben Stiller) to see what their thought on the matter is.  As it turns out, all our exports are funnier than hell and don't really have a straight answer either.  Besides being the politest folks who drop f-bombs left, right & center, drink beer by the gallons and are fully aware they're an odd hybrid of Pip-pips & Americans, nothing is really answered here.  Instead it's merely a light, funny good time that is serves a crash course in Canadian history, geography and bad '80's TV I'd rather forget ever existed.

3 beachcombers out of 5

PIXELS [2015]

With lowered expectations Chris Columbus' Adam Sandler sci-fi/comedy, Pixels, is actually pretty watchable as something mildly entertaining.
It is indeed a fantasy universe when it's folks like Sandler, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage & U.S. President Kevin James saving the world from aliens who have taken the form of classic '80's arcade characters.
It'd be too easy to dismiss Pixels as simply dumb but it really is just that.   Sandler steps back, yawning, and allows Gad & Dinklage to steal every scene they're in which makes for the best bits in the movie (which still isn't much).  There was a lot of potential to get something as hilariously imaginative as Ghostbusters but instead we get another Evolution.
Funny how all three films mentioned in this review feature Danny Aykroyd.  Coincidence?

2 Paperboys out of 5

Tammy (2014)

The husband & wife duo of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy bring us the story of one Tammy, a deeply immature and uncultured woman. At the crossroads of her life, she makes a hard left turn into debauchery and degradation. Much like McCarthy's previous comedies, the humor is at times crass and the acting forced. Many scenes deserve trimming for the lingering improvisation. The characters are well fleshed out and quite specific. McCarthy is reminiscent of Chris Farley at his best in her role of the overzealous yet lovable Tammy. A surprisingly strong supporting cast (Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Gary Cole, Allison Janney) slightly elevate the simple plot, but only enough for a handful of truly comedic moments.

2½ viking burials out of 5

Ghostbusters II (1989)

After saving the world the first time around, the Ghostbusters have fallen on hard times. Now, 5 years later, they’re called upon once again to rid New York of paranormal phenomena. I never understood why this movie gets such a bad rap. Yeah, it’s not as good as the original, but few sequels ever are. I still think it holds its own as a great movie, and the living Vigo painting and river of pink slime are classic. More or less follows the pre-established formula of the original, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Aside from that, it’s more fun with Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston and company.

3.5 hopping toasters out of 5

Ghostbusters (1984)

Bustin’ makes me feel goooooood!

Another defining movie of my youth. No matter how many times I watch it, it never seems to get old. And the special effects still look as good as it did back then. SCTV and SNL veterans Aykroyd, Ramis and Murray had no idea what a cultural phenomenon they had on their hands when they made this picture. Since then, it’s literally exploded. There’s not much else I can say about it that hasn’t been said before. It’s quite simply a modern comedy classic.

5 particle accelerator proton packs out of 5