Dan Aykroyd Archives | Otaku No Culture

Ghostbusters Afterlife & Ultimate Set in Review

The difference between buying the individual releases of the Ghostbusters film on Blu-ray and the massive 4K box set is not just the cardboard.

Bluray Available to Purchase on Amazon USA (all countries)
4K Ultimate Collection (limited to USA)

The difference between buying the individual releases of the Ghostbusters film on Blu-ray and the massive 4K box set is not just the cardboard. It’s a fairly big box that can be put on a display shelf, and as for the individually cardboard sleeved discs, perhaps moving them onto proper cases is better. Those can be placed on the video library shelf.

The collectable edition has a cool green-coloured light-up effect when you open the faux ghost trap to reveal the packages. The study cardboard construction can take some bruising, but I’ll be trying to keep mine as prestine (still with the plastic sleeve) as possible and dusting it more often than usual. The two bonus discs is the reason why long time fans are buying this edition over the single. I’m still going through them all (as time allows) and find reading the recreation of Don Shay’s Making Ghostbusters book from 1985 the big bonus.

Continue reading “Ghostbusters Afterlife & Ultimate Set in Review”

Welcome to Travel Channel’s Hotel Paranormal. It’s Such a Lovely Place …

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Please check local listings for broadcast times.

Dan Aykroyd is the host and spokesman behind T+E’s (Canada) Hotel Paranormal. In the States, it recently debuted on Travel Channel. I doubt his involvement goes beyond that. If he was an executive producer, he’d most likely demand a better approach curtailing interest in the supernatural. I’m on his side when he hosted Psi Factor during the first season, but producers took it to a different direction he said he disliked–despite continuing and the show became more of a fictionalized drama.

For myself, it’s less about getting scared, but rather in understanding why locations are haunted. Kindred Spirits does a terrific job as keeping this focus and consistency. In Sarah Zammit‘s (series producer) product is across the board.

Continue reading “Welcome to Travel Channel’s Hotel Paranormal. It’s Such a Lovely Place …”

Identifying the Supernatural Lore In Feig’s Ghostbusters

timthumb By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Anyone is capable of being a Ghostbuster, and no degree is needed — filmmakers included. While I would have liked a continuation with the founding team, this rebooted product helmed by Paul Feig is fine. It succeeded at being very entertaining. For those craving the original team, I recommend Ghostbusters: The Videogame (available for the PS3, Xbox and PC) where Dan Aykroyd and team helped fashion the narrative. From that non-theatrical product, the idea of how to continue as a business is put forth: training a new generation is required or franchising out.

I read the many pitches to bring the original team back, but with all the waffling going on, ultimately (as Bruce Boxleitner said to me about TRON 3 during Fan Expo Vancouver 2014) it is up to the studio executives if they really want it or not. Ivan Reitman could not imagine directing another Ghostbusters movie after Harold Ramis’ passing. He gave creative control back to the studio. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Violet Ramis Stiel affirmed this fact in her essay for SplitSider. She further added, “There can be no Ghostbusters without my dad! They blew it by waiting too long and now it can never happen. At the moment, that felt right…

“This community grew out of the seed of the original films but has taken on a life of its own far beyond anything the creators could have imagined, and it’s beautiful.

Continue reading “Identifying the Supernatural Lore In Feig’s Ghostbusters”

Pages: 12

Ghostbusters Gets Animated for the 21st and ½ Century!

The Real Ghostbusters

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Yes, the Duck Dodgers joke is intentional (and off by 300 years), but let’s hope the task of creating a futuristic team of Ghostbusters will be good. Just when fans of this franchise thought they could not hate Sony Pictures, not Paul Feig, even more, perhaps there might be a silver lining coming with an all-new animated series simply titled Ghostbusters: Ecto Force. It’s unlikely to tread on what makes The Real Ghostbusters special.

No extra information is offered in today’s announcement as to what the treatment will be like. Ivan Reitman, the director of the original 1984 blockbuster, is helping to develop the series, and it will be set in the not too distant future of 2050. Ghost Corps, the production company established by him in March 2015 with Dan Aykroyd, Tom Pollock, Ali Bell, Alex Plapinger (and Sony) will be overseeing this project.

Continue reading “Ghostbusters Gets Animated for the 21st and ½ Century!”

How to Jimmy Ghostbusters Right & Why We Need Eugene Levy!

Ghostbusters-Old-and-New-Team-on-Jimmy-Kimmel-Live-Show By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

There’s no denying the fact that the character of Egon Spengler can not be replaced. If Harold Ramis did not pass away two years ago, perhaps the story Dan Aykroyd wanted as the next film might have gone forward. Instead, because time was running out in getting a product out, one of the four remaining co-owners grew impatient and decided on what to produce whether creator Aykroyd, director Ivan Reitman and comedian Bill Murray liked it or not. I felt their appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! was more of a company ploy to put to rest fan’s fears on whether or not the original party are 100% on board with the reboot.

Murray said he felt like a stepfather to the whole thing. As a stakeholder, shouldn’t he be more like a grandfather instead? The slight distancing to his product has to be noted. The quote used most often in other reports is him admitting, “This is a tough movie to pull off because it’s a big concept. There’s a lot on the plate – there’s a lot of expectation.”

Whether the comedy in this movie succeeds or not, my eyes are in the paranormal nerd speak. Is Feig going to bring new love to a serious hobby I adore or will I hang my head in shame? Spengler is still my hero because he gave the film a layer of straightforwardness I treasured!

Continue reading “How to Jimmy Ghostbusters Right & Why We Need Eugene Levy!”

Defining The Blues Brothers New Mission

51SogEqVm8L._AC_UL320_SR318,320_ The blues is alive with an all-new animation featuring The Blues Brothers to celebrate the musical genre. This performing duo are true champions. They are more than just cheerleaders to this cause and they are on a mission from God to spread the joy. The new generation tuning in this show will be introduced to musical legends (they will be re-recording their tunes specifically for this show) and new emerging talent. Music will be the highlight, and appropriately enough, he will be the name of an all-new character to guide the brothers on a tour all around North America to show how the genre has evolved.

My hope is that this show will spotlight the various styles found within the genre. The Chicago sound is very different from the Delta rhythm. The Big Band sound this band uses in their ensemble team (Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck “ Dunn, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Steve Jordan are the backbone of this group) is worth noting. In the traditional sense, blues is about one musician singing about women, whisky and wine. Papa Lightfoot made this fact well known.

Continue reading “Defining The Blues Brothers New Mission”