I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, directed by Gil (Poltergeist 2015) Kenan, who cowrote with Jason Reitman, is a sequel to the renewed franchise's sentimental Afterlife and the fifth in the cinematic series.

This time, Carrie Coon's Callie Spengler nurtures her paranormal-partial kids, Finn Wolfhard's Eric and McKenna Grace's Phoebe, at the famous, NYC, firehouse headquarters, where they're re-teamed with original, crew members, Bill Murray's Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson's Winston Zeddemore and Annie Pott's Janine Melnitz, capped by Paul (Ant-Man) Rudd's father-figure Gary Grooberson, who like his main squeeze, Callie, loves his save-the-day job. William Atherton's Walter Peck re-emerges within the mayhem, joined by Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, Kumail Nanjiani (as a significant yet humble firemaster) and Emily Alyn Lind (as a woeful, friendly ghost).

So, what have the Ghostbusters been called upon to quell this time? It appears a mysterious orb has been lifted from its imprisonment and (of course) tampered with to wreck a Day After Tomorrow, freeze down across the city, led by a vengeful, neo-Gozer/Steppenwolf-ish fiend named Garraka, aka the Death Chill.

The entertainment doesn't rise as much from the daunting scenario, which may be the most cataclysmic of any Ghostbusters flick or animated adventure, but rather the crew's reaction to it. (To succeed, any Ghostbusters chapter must be character-driven, and Frozen Empire proves no exception.) Also, as with Afterlife, the new strand isn't an all-out laugh riot, even if comic relief does occur (e.g. Slimer's gooey resurgence, accompanied by a gang of mini, Stay Puft Marshmallow Men; Nanijani is often quite the hoot, as well).

Frozen Empire could be considered a gift to the Alternative 3, conspiracy-theory crowd, which maintains that the world is changing enough to end. Such prophesized threats never quite seem to reach fruition (thank goodness), but at least Frozen Empire delivers the non-warming goods and with no less than a welcome onslaught of spiffy effects. It's a little, major film with a big heart, and as long as one perceives it along the lines of Haunted Mansion 2023 and not Dune: Part 2, it should more than serve its intimate intent. 

Also, let's not overlook the fact that Frozen Empire works as a cool (pun intended) springboard for yet another sequel. I mean, if something ain't broke, there's no shame in tapping it for all the spectral cheer it's worth. 😁

I saw the Dead Don't Die...

I like horror comedies...zombie comedies, from "King of the Zombies" to "Return of the Living Dead". In more recent years, the likes of "Fido", "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland" have enthralled me, due to their kooky yet identifiable characters and set-ups. On the other hand, I thought "Zombie Strippers!" missed the mark, getting too damn high and mighty in its world-affairs views: no laughs in any of that. 

Now comes writer/director Jim "Dead Man" Jarmusch's "The Dead Don't Die" (not to be confused with the Curtis Harrington flick featuring Reggie Nadler). It's a flesh-eating zombie fable with particular focus on a trio of deadpan, Ohio police officers who must combat the infestation.  

Portraying these Buster Keaton variants are Bill "Zombieland" Murray as droopy Chief Cliff Robertson (surely a homage), Adam "Force Awakens" Driver as reliable Officer Ronnie Robertson and Chloe "American Psycho" Sevigny as queasy Officer Mindy Morrison. 

Steve Buscemi costars as Farmer Frank Miller (yet another homage or perhaps, just an unjust, conservative jab?); Danny Glover as downhome Hank Thompson; Tom Waits as narrative Hermit Bob; Rosie Perez as Chilly Billy-ish Posie Juarez; Caleb Landry Jones as monster-merchant Bobby Wiggins; Selena Gomez as comely hipster Zoe; and Tilda Swinton as Zelda Winston, an enigmatic undertaker with a straight-outta-"Doctor Strange" bent. (To prance among these stand-out supporters, we're supplied enough cameos to make "The Dead Don't Die" the proverbial, flesh-feasting "Around the World in 80 Days"; I suppose my fave come-and-goer is Iggy Pop, though I'm partial to Pop...Waits, too, for that matter.) The ensemble performs with pouts, frowns and sardonic wit galore. When a statement-making moment strikes, it stomps on Middle America: case in point, Miller's crass, reinterpreted cap.

And that's the film's blundering misstep. "The Dead Don't Die" is a big, environmental, blame game, signaling out those who aren't considered erudite (rural folks, you know) for the world's "problems". The film's frackin' (pun intended) failure, therefore, falls on Jarmusch, whose propaganda spoils what could have been an appeal-to-all "Night of the Living Dead" meets "Fargo" meets "Plan 9" meets "Twin Peaks". 

Some will say that Jarmusch's intent references George A. Romero and Larry Cohen, but those filmmakers planted care and consideration into their advocacy, covering both sides of issues. "The Dead Don't Die'"s agenda is an example of gory reversed discrimination: a bloody, biased, one-trick pony that invades the space of its quirky characters.   

Though a number of folks will hail the approach as progressive, that sorta slanting has never been my cup of tea, whether jammed in horror, fantasy or comedy.  In other words, highbrow ignorance is distasteful, no matter how dryly it's gnawed.