bill murray – Geek Groovy

Ed Wood

Ed Wood

Directed by Tim Burton

(1994, Touchstone Pictures)

The story of infamously “bad” movie director, Ed Wood, Johnny Depp is excellent as the title character leading a truly stellar cast.

Martin Landeau plays a washed up Bella Lugosi, a role that earned him a best supporting actor Oscar. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Ed’s girlfriend with Bill Murray taking on the role of Bunny.

The French Dispatch

The French Dispatch

Directed by Wes Anderson

(2021, American Empirical Pictures/Indian Paintbrush/Studio Babelsberg)

What would the editor of ‘The French Dispatch,’ Arthur Howitzer, Jr. want his movie critic to write about the film, The French Dispatch?

This is the question I have been asking myself since screening the newest movie by director/avant garde artist, Wes Anderson. I believe he would want a fairly detailed piece on what the good folks of Liberty, Kansas would think of it.

Afterall, that is where ‘The French Dispatch” lives. A collection of articles from a team of ‘dispatch’ writers living in a small town in France whose stories are a part of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun.

The movie breaks its writers’ stories down into sections of the newspaper. For example, the first story is called, “The Cycling Reporter by Herbsaint Sazerac” played by Owen Wilson in which he goes around the fictional town of Ennui, describing for the reader (viewer) locations and residents. Other stories include articles by other “writers” played by Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright and the obituary section by the whole of the staff.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Directed by Jason Reitman

(2021, Columbia Pictures/BRON Studios/Ghostcorps)

For many years, fans of the original Ghostbusters have been asking if there would be a sequel. Sure, there was the sequel that dare not be mentioned, Ghostbusters 2 in 1988, but that just didn’t do it.

At one point, the next rumored movie in the franchise seemed to be getting some traction with the original team (without Harold Ramis who sadly passed in 2014) but then then the ghost in the machine had other ideas and we got Ghostbusters (2016) with an all-female cast including Melissa McCarthey, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Not only did fans seem to not have their needs satiated by this version of the Ghostbusters story, but they also seemed to have outright disdain for it.

Cut to 2021, and here we are with the long awaited “sequel,” Ghostbusters: Afterlife.