Ghostbusters 1 & 2

Bill Murray shines in Ghostbusters, a 1984 comedy written by pals Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (who also co-star as Murray's fellow spook-bashers), and directed by Ivan Reitman (who also directed Murray in Meatballs and Stripes). Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, and Ernie Hudson are the titular "ghostbusters," a team that hires out as well-paid exterminators of afterlife pests. Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, and Sigourney Weaver co-star, the latter as Murray's love interest, not to mention the target of a particularly nasty demon with Armageddon on its mind. Less fun is the 1989 sequel, which starts off on a bleak note as we discover that the ghostbusters have fallen on hard times and Murray's glib character is no longer with Weaver's (nor is he the father of her infant child). The lame story finds the boys trying to save New York City yet again, but from a far less entertaining villain this time around. Still, there are a handful of good one-liners (again penned by Aykroyd and Ramis) for Murray. Both films boast great-looking transfers and excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, with DVD extras on Ghostbusters including audio commentary (with Reitman, Ramis, and associate producer Joe Medjuck), deleted scenes, production and special effects featurettes, and DVD extras on Ghostbusters 2 limited to two episodes from the animated series The Real Ghostbusters--“Citizen Ghost” and “Partners in Slime.” The set also includes a 28-page "movie scrapbook." Popular and bargain-priced, this is recommended. (T. Keogh)[Blu-ray Review—July 7, 2009—Sony, 105 min., PG, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1984's Ghostbusters features a fine transfer and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with director Ivan Reitman, writer Harold Ramis, and associate producer Joe Medjuck, a “SFX Team” featurette (15 min.), an “Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car” featurette (15 min.), a “making-of” featurette on the new video game (11 min.), a cast and crew featurette (11 min.), “On the Scene with the Ghostbusters” (10 min.), nine minutes of deleted scenes, three multi-angle looks at different scenes (6 min.), six minutes of storyboard comparisons, a “Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Photo Gallery” montage of shots (5 min.), a “Slimer” viewing mode with picture-in-picture and additional trivia and behind-the-scenes features, a Blu-Wizard mode allowing viewers to select specific features, the BD-Live function, and trailers. Bottom line: an impressive Blu-ray debut for this contemporary blockbuster.]