I love Phoebe. She’s the best thing, 100%. It’s a great performance. She’s great. The movies around her aren’t.
But mostly I just dislike the family shit. Busting ghosts as a family, with mom and the brother and the step dad. I can’t stand that idea. Never have. Phoebe and Trevor, who looks 12, working as a Ghostbusters(which was good to see this latest movie make a meal out of. Peck was right!) is another thing I dislike. That whole Jr Ghostbusters thing. Yeah Trevor is technically an adult. I don’t care. He looks 12. His face annoys me, his voice annoys me. The kid is an empty husk of nothingness. Okay, that’s harsh. It was bad casting and worked against the movies.
I just want a fresh start. Leave everything from the last 2 movies behind. That unfortunately includes Phoebe. And the Spenglers.
Also. Did I miss something? Why are they calling themselves the Spenglers? They abandoned their original last name for the last name of this person they don’t know?
Anyways. Here’s a reason why we need to cut ties to this and start anew. Money.
This second weekend drop will be above 60% me thinks. The Sunday to Monday drop was huge. This will probably end up as the lowest grossing GB film.
You do what I just said, with the cast I just named, that’s interesting. That’s something I think people will see and go “Ryan Gosling as a Ghostbuster? Ken? I’m there”.
One last roll of the dice. Take a big swing. The cast will cost a lot. Christmas release. Lose Jason & Gil(sorry guys). If they aren’t going to hire me to write it, I’d hire Greg Daniels, Mike Schur, Armando Iannuci, Craig Mazin and/or Dan Harmon.
Those are the only known names that I think would get the tone of ghostbusters right. Directors? Again if I’m not available I’d get Gore Verbinski to direct it, Todd Phillips, before they won Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once I’d say the Two Daniels, Adam McKay, I would’ve said the Russo Brothers once upon a time, Shane Black,
There. That’s the formula for a successful Ghostbusters movie. Hire the names up there. Of course that will never happen in a million years but a man can dream.
Ur insane. No offense. I mean that in the nicest way possible.
As much as I loved ur script. HELL NO. U ain’t coming 4 my Phoebe!!! That girl is too precious. & Gary! Podcast! Nooooo way. Come on Rich, these r wonderful characters. I kno u see that.
I haven’t seen ur Frozen Empire thoughts but 2 me it seems 2 address almost every1 of ur Afterlife problems. I’ve seen it twice now & it’s so much fun. . It’s so great to have a GB.movie back in theatres!!
I def recommend ppl see it twice. I was a little taken aback on 1st watch. It surprised me.
I kno this is about the future but does any1 think Mckenna does such a good job as Phoebe she should warrant sum award consideration?
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995639 time=1711592836 user_id=47215]Also. Did I miss something? Why are they calling themselves the Spenglers? They abandoned their original last name for the last name of this person they don’t know?
[/quote]
Is it actually in the movie anywhere that they’ve ever called themselves anything else?
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995639 time=1711592836 user_id=47215]Anyways. Here’s a reason why we need to cut ties to this and start anew. Money.
This second weekend drop will be above 60% me thinks. The Sunday to Monday drop was huge. This will probably end up as the lowest grossing GB film.
You do what I just said, with the cast I just named, that’s interesting. That’s something I think people will see and go “Ryan Gosling as a Ghostbuster? Ken? I’m there”.
[/quote]
I know you say at the end that this stuff “will never happen,” but I guess the question is, you understand it’s because none of those people would want to do it, right? Most of them have better things to do than be in the third contemporary go at a franchise that appears to be floundering even with the original characters back and a significantly reduced budget. They’re playing to the fans already and it doesn’t seem to be working. I think pretty much everyone you named would look at jumping on board an expensive Ghostbusters movie as a sign of desperation on both their part and the studio’s.
I think we can move on from New York. As most of the filming was done in the UK the Ghostbusters should think about opening a London Office. There’s plenty of mythology they could explore. The Ghostbusters facing something like Sam Hain would have a better effect among castles, and scenery like Tintagel. Maybe even the tower of london.
If Jason and Gil continue to borrow from RGB Rudd could be inheriting property from a relative that leads them to London leaving Finn, Lucky, and the OG’s behind in New York. Rudd takes Phoebe, Podcast and maybe Ray with him.
Is it actually in the movie anywhere that they’ve ever called themselves anything else?
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995639 time=1711592836 user_id=47215]Anyways. Here’s a reason why we need to cut ties to this and start anew. Money.
This second weekend drop will be above 60% me thinks. The Sunday to Monday drop was huge. This will probably end up as the lowest grossing GB film.
You do what I just said, with the cast I just named, that’s interesting. That’s something I think people will see and go “Ryan Gosling as a Ghostbuster? Ken? I’m there”.
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I know you say at the end that this stuff “will never happen,” but I guess the question is, you understand it’s because none of those people would want to do it, right? Most of them have better things to do than be in the third contemporary go at a franchise that appears to be floundering even with the original characters back and a significantly reduced budget. They’re playing to the fans already and it doesn’t seem to be working. I think pretty much everyone you named would look at jumping on board an expensive Ghostbusters movie as a sign of desperation on both their part and the studio’s.
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If their last name is Spengler then that makes the whole thing even worse. It would mean Egon married and no. Just…no. I can buy the man procreating. But would never marry. But maybe you’re right. Maybe it was Spengler all along.
Would those people go anywhere near this franchise? It depends. It’s not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. Gosling seems to do what he wants & doesn’t care much about perception. Kevin Hart has had a stalling career for a few years. He’s do it for sure for the right $. Stephen Merchant isn’t busy. He isn’t ungettable. He did Logan. I think if you asked them “Do you want to do a Ghostbusters movie” they’d probably say no. But with a great script and a talented director? Anything’s possible. And oh yeah. Money. That never hurts.
Gosling has worked with Shane Black before. Black isn’t above working on franchises that are well established & even struggling. A Ghostbusters movie written by Dan Harmon & Shane Black, Directed by Black? That would get people interested by itself.
Some actors and directors like the challenge. “Hey here’s this struggling franchise. Work your magic”.
If I was running Sony first thing I’d do is probably disband Ghostcorp. Spend a a good chunk of money on behind the scenes talent. No offense to the guys working now on these movies but the original Ghostbusters movies had a murderers row of concept artists, VFX guys, lighting teams, production design. Top dogs. Names like Bernie Wrightson, Ronn Cobb, Lazlo Kovac, Richard Edlund, Steve Johnston, Elmer Bernstein, John Decuir, Dennis Murren, Michael Chapman, Bo Welch.
Anyways, I’d take one final massive swing for the fences. Enough with the reverence for the sacredness of the franchise. Have your cake and eat it too. Be a Ghostbusters movie while making fun of being a Ghostbusters movie, and then by the end own being a ghostbusters movie. It’s a tight rope to walk.
Maybe pull a Real Ghostbusters or The Boys and have a Ghostbusters movie being made. A show trailer for it at some point. It’s this slick Oscar bait Hollywoodized melodrama. Ray conjured up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man because his dad was killed when Ray was a little boy in a car accident and the driver responsible was driving a Stay Puft Marshmallow Truck. In the Hollywood version of Ghostbusters Ray breaks down crying at the end saying “This is for you Daddy” as he crosses the streams. Ray is played by Matt Damon. Who goes on to win an Oscar for the role.
While out west Ray meets up with Hollywood writers as part of Winston’s new franchise outreach and the movie can just take the ■■■■ out of the whole thing. Or have him meet with Toy developers. Ray: “Where’s the Ray toy fellas?” Nervous executive “Um our internal data suggests no one would want to play with a Ray action figure. So instead…meet Aaron” the executive holds up a beautiful blonde blue eyed chiseled looking Toy. Ray “Aaron looks a little too…Aryan” exec “No it’s just Aaron. We were going to go with Brad but…Brad is a stupid name! Idiotic! Ridiculous!” there’s an awkward silence. The executive suddenly looks like he wants to cry. He shakes out of it as the toy presentation continues. One of the other toy company execs leans in and whispers to Ray “His wife left him 6 months ago for her personal trainer. She originally suggested the name Brad” Ray “Oh. I see. And the trainer’s name was…” “Yeah. Brad”
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995649 time=1711609929 user_id=47215]If their last name is Spengler then that makes the whole thing even worse. It would mean Egon married and no. Just…no.
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Not necessarily. It just means the mom, who Callie has never mentioned, must have been less present than Egon. Maybe she died in childbirth, which is the only explanation that immediately comes to mind where she’d be mad at Egon for being absent but not the mysterious mother.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995649 time=1711609929 user_id=47215]Would those people go anywhere near this franchise? It depends. It’s not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. Gosling seems to do what he wants & doesn’t care much about perception. Kevin Hart has had a stalling career for a few years. He’s do it for sure for the right $. Stephen Merchant isn’t busy. He isn’t ungettable. He did Logan. I think if you asked them “Do you want to do a Ghostbusters movie” they’d probably say no. But with a great script and a talented director? Anything’s possible. And oh yeah. Money. That never hurts.
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Yeah, well, money’s the big thing, and I think the bigger hurdle is that if Sony proceeds with more Ghostbusters content, they’re going to want to spend less, not more. Doubly so given that one of their biggest and most successful 2023 releases was a $25m rom-com (and they had another buzzy, albeit less successful one earlier in the year, which coincidentally was by the guys who almost wrote Ghostbusters 3).
I’m also not sure where you get the idea that Hart’s career is suffering recently. I’m not saying I agree with it, but I think Hart actually has the kind of career that the contemporary industry looks at as ideal. He’s more like a brand than a person, and people know him and his brand. His movies don’t even have to be huge hits because half of them go to streaming now, where they care about BS metrics like impressions and whatnot. He’s definitely not what one would’ve thought of as a movie star 25 years ago, but I suspect the way things are now, credit card commercials are actually considered a good thing.
In any case, I would suggest we look back at the information from the leaks, at the 2014 list of people Sony shopped Ghostbusters to before they went the reboot route, and all of those comedy directors and actors who were resistant to the idea of jumping on board, and that was back when Sony was planning on spending $150-$200m on reviving the series, and before there was the notion that there was an especially vocal fanbase to appease or a box office trend to overcome. Frankly, I think the likelihood that major stars or filmmakers are going to hop on board just because Sony has a wheelbarrow of cash is pretty low. Jason was lucky in that jumping on Ghostbusters was somewhat natural, and even then he got lots of accusations of nepotism and selling out. I think the likelihood that people will look at anyone major signing onto the series now as a cash grab, desperate to make up for the middling grosses of Frozen Empire, are even higher.
Not necessarily. It just means the mom, who Callie has never mentioned, must have been less present than Egon. Maybe she died in childbirth, which is the only explanation that immediately comes to mind where she’d be mad at Egon for being absent but not the mysterious mother.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995649 time=1711609929 user_id=47215]Would those people go anywhere near this franchise? It depends. It’s not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. Gosling seems to do what he wants & doesn’t care much about perception. Kevin Hart has had a stalling career for a few years. He’s do it for sure for the right $. Stephen Merchant isn’t busy. He isn’t ungettable. He did Logan. I think if you asked them “Do you want to do a Ghostbusters movie” they’d probably say no. But with a great script and a talented director? Anything’s possible. And oh yeah. Money. That never hurts.
[/quote]
Yeah, well, money’s the big thing, and I think the bigger hurdle is that if Sony proceeds with more Ghostbusters content, they’re going to want to spend less, not more. Doubly so given that one of their biggest and most successful 2023 releases was a $25m rom-com (and they had another buzzy, albeit less successful one earlier in the year, which coincidentally was by the guys who almost wrote Ghostbusters 3).
I’m also not sure where you get the idea that Hart’s career is suffering recently. I’m not saying I agree with it, but I think Hart actually has the kind of career that the contemporary industry looks at as ideal. He’s more like a brand than a person, and people know him and his brand. His movies don’t even have to be huge hits because half of them go to streaming now, where they care about BS metrics like impressions and whatnot. He’s definitely not what one would’ve thought of as a movie star 25 years ago, but I suspect the way things are now, credit card commercials are actually considered a good thing.
In any case, I would suggest we look back at the information from the leaks, at the 2014 list of people Sony shopped Ghostbusters to before they went the reboot route, and all of those comedy directors and actors who were resistant to the idea of jumping on board, and that was back when Sony was planning on spending $150-$200m on reviving the series, and before there was the notion that there was an especially vocal fanbase to appease or a box office trend to overcome. Frankly, I think the likelihood that major stars or filmmakers are going to hop on board just because Sony has a wheelbarrow of cash is pretty low. Jason was lucky in that jumping on Ghostbusters was somewhat natural, and even then he got lots of accusations of nepotism and selling out. I think the likelihood that people will look at anyone major signing onto the series now as a cash grab, desperate to make up for the middling grosses of Frozen Empire, are even higher.
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Your last sentence gives people waaaay too much credit. A cash grab? Lol. People don’t care about that or low box office grosses. You do. I do. But people? No. Let’s be honest here. Most movies are cash grabs. People don’t care.
You aren’t sure where I get the idea that Kevin Harts career is suffering? He hasn’t been in a big movie in about 5 years. Look at his filmography and IMDb page. The Man From Toronto? Kevin would 10000% do a Ghostbusters movie for the bag. (I’ve actually briefly met Kevin Hart and he’s a really nice guy. His bodyguard is like a legit magician and claimed he came up with the idea for the Penn and Teller “■■■■ Us” Tv Show). He’s the only person I am positive without a doubt would do it.
And most people will do anything for money. The list of those who won’t is small and includes Josh Hartnett. Shit Martin Scorsese will pimp himself out for visa commercial or what have you. If i said “Hey Ryan Gosling. Here’s 15 million and a passion project greenlight” you think he says no to that?
And as for the leaks, I mean, they had top filmmakers like Lord/Miller and the Russo’s banging at their door. The leaks mention specific set of people like the Apatow crowd weren’t interested. And I think alot of filmmakers/actors were wary of Ivan Reitman breathing down their neck.
All it takes to pique the interest of top talent is other top talent. Ivan was seen as passed his prime. You get a Shane Black/Dan Harmon/Richardless on a Ghostbusters project, it’s a different thing.
The only name I mentioned that probably would be the hardest is Gosling. And Stone. But The Nice Guys kinda reinvented how people see Gosling working with Shane Black might be doable. Black did a Predator movie and a 3rd Iron Man so it isn’t beyond him.
Another thing I’d consider is making it R Rated. Really put something on the line, change it up.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]Your last sentence gives people waaaay too much credit. A cash grab? Lol. People don’t care about that or low box office grosses. You do. I do. But people? No. Let’s be honest here. Most movies are cash grabs. People don’t care.
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I would say “cash grab” is pretty close to the top of the list of complaints I see regular people lob at movies all the time.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]You aren’t sure where I get the idea that Kevin Harts career is suffering? He hasn’t been in a big movie in about 5 years.
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Again, I really do think given how the celebrity ecosystem is changing these days, I honestly think that his agents believe the streaming stuff he’s pumping out constitutes “big movies” and that they would probably argue that he’s one of the biggest stars in the world. And he does have Borderlands coming out. Does this make sense to me, personally? No. I think the streaming stuff is vaporware. But I would be really surprised if you asked Kevin Hart himself if he thought his movie career could use a jumpstart and he said yes.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]And as for the leaks, I mean, they had top filmmakers like Lord/Miller and the Russo’s banging at their door.
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Lord and Miller turned down Ghostbusters. The studio asked them, not them asking the studio.
When they talked a little more about it in 2022, their comments didn’t suggest that those reports from 2014 were incorrect. They worked on it some, even developing it a bit with Ivan, but they were the ones who put it aside.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]Another thing I’d consider is making it R Rated. Really put something on the line, change it up.
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Blech. Why? For one, that limits the audience further. If you’re talking about making a massive $200m blockbuster that needs $600m to be in the black, R-rated is not the way to go. Secondly, Ghostbusters is generally thought of as a four-quadrant, family-acceptable (not quite family-friendly, but something that can skate by depending on the family, like an MCU movie) movie. I remember some people I saw commenting online (regular moviegoers) were upset that they put the one f-bomb in the 2016 movie because they felt it was unnecessary.
I know you don’t like the kid-friendly direction the series has gone, but given that’s the direction they’ve gone with the Jason Reitman/Gil Kenan movies, and with the legacy of the cartoon, I think it’s safe to say that Sony will never go in the direction of an R-rated Ghostbusters.
It seems pretty likely the next live action movie will entail Phoebe’s arc about being an adult. Afterlife was her as a child discovering her legacy. FE was her as a teen searching for kinship.
I would say “cash grab” is pretty close to the top of the list of complaints I see regular people lob at movies all the time.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]You aren’t sure where I get the idea that Kevin Harts career is suffering? He hasn’t been in a big movie in about 5 years.
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Again, I really do think given how the celebrity ecosystem is changing these days, I honestly think that his agents believe the streaming stuff he’s pumping out constitutes “big movies” and that they would probably argue that he’s one of the biggest stars in the world. And he does have Borderlands coming out. Does this make sense to me, personally? No. I think the streaming stuff is vaporware. But I would be really surprised if you asked Kevin Hart himself if he thought his movie career could use a jumpstart and he said yes.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]And as for the leaks, I mean, they had top filmmakers like Lord/Miller and the Russo’s banging at their door.
[/quote]
Lord and Miller turned down Ghostbusters. The studio asked them, not them asking the studio.
When they talked a little more about it in 2022, their comments didn’t suggest that those reports from 2014 were incorrect. They worked on it some, even developing it a bit with Ivan, but they were the ones who put it aside.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995685 time=1711645048 user_id=47215]Another thing I’d consider is making it R Rated. Really put something on the line, change it up.
[/quote]
Blech. Why? For one, that limits the audience further. If you’re talking about making a massive $200m blockbuster that needs $600m to be in the black, R-rated is not the way to go. Secondly, Ghostbusters is generally thought of as a four-quadrant, family-acceptable (not quite family-friendly, but something that can skate by depending on the family, like an MCU movie) movie. I remember some people I saw commenting online (regular moviegoers) were upset that they put the one f-bomb in the 2016 movie because they felt it was unnecessary.
I know you don’t like the kid-friendly direction the series has gone, but given that’s the direction they’ve gone with the Jason Reitman/Gil Kenan movies, and with the legacy of the cartoon, I think it’s safe to say that Sony will never go in the direction of an R-rated Ghostbusters.
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God damn it. I had a whole reply written out to this a few hours ago and when I hit submit I got signed out and lost all of it. I couldn’t be bothered to do it all again so let’s see how I do here.
I feel like I need to point out that I don’t ever think any of these things will happen. This is just “Fantasy”. If I were in charge kind of thing. I know Sony is NEVER making an R rated ghostbusters movie. But Sony is also mostly inept and have zero idea what they are doing. So they’ve got that going for them.
Ok. No offense to the people that you talk to but that’s not really something average people care about. Maybe after a trailer comes out and it looks like shit. Ok I’ll buy that. People will say that after they’ve seen some footage But not too many John and Jane Q public are going “Nope I won’t see that movie it’s a cash grab”. That’s not a thing. After they see a bad trailer? Sure. People love to complain mostly about CGI and superhero movies. I don’t know who you are talking to but “cash grab”. It’s such a generic meaningless complaint too. It means nothing. What, all the other movies were done for kindness? For the “art” of it. No. If somethings a sequel, saying it’s a cash grab is about as good of an observation as “it’s in colour”.
As for the Miller/Lord thing what I meant is that there were filmmakers ready and willing to play in the Ghostbusters sandbox. I didn’t mean they were literally banging on doors. When you are as big as those two are you don’t usually go to studios pitching existing IP unasked/uninvited. Who approach who doesn’t really matter but that we know some big talented teams were at least open to the idea. What stopped most people in that case would probably be Ivan Reitman. Reitman hadn’t had a hit in awhile, he has a reputation. Paul Feig was worried about it.
So for the R rating. Doing away with the 4 quadrant demographic bullshit is exactly what they need. A little anarchy or the appearance of it. I’d spend big on talent but the movie itself wouldn’t need to cost 200 million. You do an R Rated Ghostbusters with the cast I mentioned automatically it seems different. A little sexy. Dangerous.
The most excitement I’d seen for Star Trek in a long time was when Tarantino was going to make an R rated Star Trek movie. Suddenly people who’d never see Star Trek got open to the idea. It was no longer a 4 quadrant film. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about.
An R rated Ghostbusters makes it lose that “ugh just another sequel” stink. It’s just different enough.
Plus if you do a Super Bowl spot? (Lol I kid I kid.)
As for Kevin Hart. A few years back I was in a conversation with a producer who was talking about why Hollywood won’t be satisfied with streaming. His point was Hollywood is an Ego driven place and nowhere is that ego stroked more than opening number 1 at the box office. Streaming has rankings but they are abstract. But when a star or a filmmaker knows people drove, maybe got a babysitter, paid cash money for tickets, just to see your movie? It’s a different thing. His point was streaming just doesn’t have that ego factor. Netflix released a brand new David Fincher movie and almost no one knew about it. Kevin Hart is basically making straight to DVD movies of the streaming era. His agents might be fine with that. But 5-8 years ago it seemed like he was The Man. He had great rapport with The Rock. His career is definitely in decline.
5-8 years ago Hart was opening number 1, getting really good numbers and even some big IP blockbusters. Now it’s a bunch of shit people don’t really watch. It shocks me that you can’t see his career is in decline. I should say, his reputation of having a good career is in decline. He’s probably still making money. So yeah those agent are happy
Anyways none of it really matters anyway. Sony is going to Sony. Which is make bad movies, ruin brands, Pat yourself on the back for it.
Wasn’t it suggested that the containment unit explosion cause a rip in the fabric of the universe … or something like that? And that the firehouse was a potential gateway?
So will we see a crossover with the 2016 ghostbusters?
While this may have some spoilers in it so be warned…
I didn’t mind it as a follow up film. As referenced some things I wish we would see again and the end credits set up like the first two films. It’s like Solo and Rogue One not having a star wars crawl…but the same ending credits. Either do them both or none and I don’t think doing none works for these.
I liked seeing the firehouse and really seeing it this time. The Ecto…But the PRC was nice too…maybe not the venue but a nice start. I’d like to see more with that as the main deposit area and the containment unit in the firehouse being dismantled…twice now it’s gone boom.
I would really like to see other setups. Other cities, other countries. Heck the last two GB films were filmed mainly in Canada and the UK. Lets get some teams going there. Dan and Ernie can stop in and help set up in some episode pilots. Busters and then engineers like this last film. I liked that. even in Spirits Unleashed. Callie can’t cook food well save for one dish from Phoebe let alone fix a Proton Pack. Having actual techs do this was a great thing.
For the main team having Patten join I would like. I was on the fence about him and Nadeem and I found I really liked them in this s tory. Podcast needs more though. Either have him bust or don’t have him. He should be wearing a belt and kit now…not the hand written patch suit.
Peck…I would really have seen the game idea that he is an oversight manager because frankly…he was the reason the damned unit blew the first time. He didn’t heed warnings or seek environmental protections to do so safely so it would have been fair to see him have to earn a place in the ladder of civil servants again while also keeping the group more in line with how this type of tech could be viewed…especially with kids using it…something I disliked the first time round but its a small town. NYC is a DIFFERENT story.
Loved a new villain but found the lead up to him…better then what happened when he was out frankly. Viggo was sort of the same…big talk…low shock. I’d like to see a series or a 2 part film where the threat is coming and then gets here and then its a big bedlam everywhere.
I would like to see the OG’s running things in a way where Ernie is the CEO but Dan runs the firehouse itself. Bill can step in at press things and speak for the group. I still feel Dan was rather put aside and it makes no sense…why would he just let Ernies character run the place and NOT be involved. He’s more part of the story in the Spirits Unleashed game then here though a better use of him then the previous film. All of them really. I think most of us are OK with the three OG’s running the business and not throwing packs on every film. Just give us meaningful use of them. We don’t see Dana this film but what about Ernie’s characters family, where are they?
In short…lets fast track some things here. Get the business moving to new places similar to the ROTGL game and make the team that runs out of NYC more connected and something beyond a name or face…Trevor…what does he DO?
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995740 time=1711701681 user_id=47215]Ok. No offense to the people that you talk to but that’s not really something average people care about. Maybe after a trailer comes out and it looks like shit. Ok I’ll buy that. People will say that after they’ve seen some footage But not too many John and Jane Q public are going “Nope I won’t see that movie it’s a cash grab”. That’s not a thing. After they see a bad trailer? Sure. People love to complain mostly about CGI and superhero movies. I don’t know who you are talking to but “cash grab”. It’s such a generic meaningless complaint too. It means nothing. What, all the other movies were done for kindness? For the “art” of it. No. If somethings a sequel, saying it’s a cash grab is about as good of an observation as “it’s in colour”.
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I didn’t say I thought it was a worthwhile complaint, I just said, yes, John and Jane Q public specifically, all the time, make this kind of comment. I am sure, from that audience specifically, I have heard that tossed off about a movie they don’t want to see no less than a million times. We’re talking coworkers, people who came into the Blockbuster or AMC where I worked, friends of family, people you make small talk with on airplanes. Nobody I know and talk to regularly, because those people are not John and Jane Q public, those are people who are passionate about movies and who have more complex and informed thoughts on movies. This is the mind of the average moviegoer. The mass audience. I don’t know if they care about it – it wouldn’t surprise me if every single one of them had a different interpretation of what it meant to be “a cash grab” beyond being a stand-in for “I don’t want to see that movie” (kind of like you said, it’s so generic it has no meaning) – but that is definitely a thing the average person says.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995740 time=1711701681 user_id=47215]An R rated Ghostbusters makes it lose that “ugh just another sequel” stink. It’s just different enough.
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I may have said this before, and I mean this in a “friendly rivalry” way, but I would like to peek at a world where your strategies were the route Sony took, just so we could see how off the mark some of your ideas are. I think you’d really be quite surprised how fully they do not pan out the way you expect them to.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995740 time=1711701681 user_id=47215]As for Kevin Hart. A few years back I was in a conversation with a producer who was talking about why Hollywood won’t be satisfied with streaming. His point was Hollywood is an Ego driven place and nowhere is that ego stroked more than opening number 1 at the box office. Kevin Hart is basically making straight to DVD movies of the streaming era. His agents might be fine with that. But 5-8 years ago it seemed like he was The Man. He had great rapport with The Rock. His career is definitely in decline.
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Look, I agree with you on streaming. Like I said, it’s vaporware. However, yeah, Kevin Hart had a bunch of #1 movies at the box office, movies he signed up to do based on a combination of his own desire and potentially at least some advice from those agents. He had the pick of projects, and even you still think he’s an obvious value added element, so it’s not like he’s unappealing. Do you not think he’s doing those streaming movies because he wants to do them, to work with the people involved, for whatever he gets out of it return (whether that’s the pay, the creative freedom, the convenience to his schedule, etc)? My guess is that Hart looked at Adam Sandler, who was also opening movies all the time and then largely left theatrical movies to work for Netflix, and wanted to have that arrangement, and does not think his star has fallen. You and I think streaming sucks compared to theatrical, but if Hart doesn’t, and Hart thinks those movies are treating him exactly how he wants to be treated, then said ego is sated. Lots of people online have observed that the movie star is dead, the person who could guarantee you a #1 opening just by being in something, and my guess is that Hart is of a generation that is not chasing that kind of #1. He just wants to be a brand that everyone knows instantly, and he is, so, that’s his version of stardom.
The first time the ECU was shut down, the momentary blast of spiritual energy created a rift = the cross-rip that aided in Gozer’s arrival. And it sounds like that rift didn’t close entirely. I see some ppl are mistaking the ECU as the rift but no. Which then means NYC was always haunted but btw GB1 and 2 they were restricted from going on calls+people stopped reported and/or PKE levels dropped low enough and btw AL and FE also people stopped reporting. It was just…luck I guess there was no big bad coming/released by accident during these lulls. Shrug.
That would be a mad, mad world indeed. Look, I’m not saying this is a guarantee or that it even has a better than 50% chance of working.
But it’s something different.
Right now there’s a stink on this franchise. Doing the same shit isn’t going to work. Making bold moves, losing some of the “4 quadrant” MCU Ghostcorp shit would go a long way with critics.
I would’ve loved to see how that QT Star Trek thing panned out so we could have some sort of concrete example. I think everyone who knows this town knew that movie was NEVER happening but for awhile there people were excited about Star Trek.
And look as much as I want trust the guy who said Kevin Feige wasn’t calling most of the shots on Sony’s Spider-Man movies, I think I’ll stick with what I know (i’m sorry. That was mean. I couldn’t resist. Hey. after reading the Flash script I thought it was going to huge & I’ll never live that down. I predicted Afterlife’s domestic almost exactly. Off by a few hundred dollars. But at my last job I’ll be forever known as the guy who thought Flash would be huge)
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4995790 time=1711765331 user_id=47215]And look as much as I want trust the guy who said Kevin Feige wasn’t calling most of the shots on Sony’s Spider-Man movies, I think I’ll stick with what I know.
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You were making a joke, but what I said was that Sony does most of the work making the movies. Sony comes up with people they want to hire and ideas they want to explore, and Feige comes in and tweaks and/or approves them. Then Sony goes off and does the actual production, post-production, marketing, and release of the movie, which puts Feige’s participation at something like 15-20% of the process. The point was that it’s not like Feige comes in with a completed script, cast, and crew, and then Sony just executes it, which is legitimately what the Marvel stans seem to think. I’m sure Feige loved No Way Home, especially given how successful it was both commercially and artistically, but while Feige probably explained the idea of the multiverse to Pascal, I gotta go out on a limb and suggest that the movie being a celebration of Sony’s history with Spider-Man is probably not something that Feige came up with (and, notice how nicely it goes with the Spider-Verse movies, which Marvel Studios is not involved with at all).
Sony – or in the case of the main Spider-Man movies, Amy Pascal – is steering, and Feige is in the passenger seat as a navigator. (And, love her or hate her, we can see what it looks like when Pascal is not steering a Spider-Man project, which would be Morbius, Madame Web, and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter.)
You were making a joke, but what I said was that Sony does most of the work making the movies. Sony comes up with people they want to hire and ideas they want to explore, and Feige comes in and tweaks and/or approves them. Then Sony goes off and does the actual production, post-production, marketing, and release of the movie, which puts Feige’s participation at something like 15-20% of the process. The point was that it’s not like Feige comes in with a completed script, cast, and crew, and then Sony just executes it, which is legitimately what the Marvel stans seem to think. I’m sure Feige loved No Way Home, especially given how successful it was both commercially and artistically, but while Feige probably explained the idea of the multiverse to Pascal, I gotta go out on a limb and suggest that the movie being a celebration of Sony’s history with Spider-Man is probably not something that Feige came up with (and, notice how nicely it goes with the Spider-Verse movies, which Marvel Studios is not involved with at all).
Sony – or in the case of the main Spider-Man movies, Amy Pascal – is steering, and Feige is in the passenger seat as a navigator. (And, love her or hate her, we can see what it looks like when Pascal is not steering a Spider-Man project, which would be Morbius, Madame Web, and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter.)
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I was joking but…
I take it you haven’t read “MCU The Reign of the Marvel Universe” by Joanna Robinson & Dave Gonzales? Check it out. It’s a really good warts and all telling. That book set the record straight.
Kevin Feige ran the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies the way he ran Disney productions. He picked the director, the writers, the actor, where it was shot and all the rest.
This is what the issue was when Disney and Sony came to loggerheads way back when during the break between Holland Spider-Man 2 and 3. Disney didn’t want them getting Kevin’s time and energy for free and so they changed the terms of the deal.
Sony does their own thing with the Venom movies and all the other stuff. The animated movies? That’s totally them. But anything MCU related? That’s Kevin.
Anyways I didn’t want to go into all this again I was just being an ass. Seriously check out of the book though.
ur script. HELL NO. U ain’t coming 4 my Phoebe!!! That girl is too precious. & Gary! Podcast! Nooooo way. Come on Rich, these r wonderful characters. I kno u see that.