Who Ya Gonna Call on Blu-Ray? Ghostbusters!

Still going through my very small Blu-Ray library and kind of reviewing them.  This time it's the great comedy classic, Ghostbusters....

Ghostbusters has been, since I was a wee lad, a favorite movie of mine.  It would be hard for me to review the flick objectively because of my deep seated love of it going back to my younger years.  I loved the cartoon, played Ghostbusters on the playground, had all the toys and my favorite was always Egon for some reason.  Maybe because of that cornucopia looking hairdo he rocked in the cartoon.  The great thing about this movie is that the reasons I loved it when I was little are different than the reasons I love it now.  Back then, I loved it due to the massive scale, cool ghosts and the idea that one could entrap them.  Also it had a giant Marshmallow man.  Nowadays, it's the humor that I didn't catch then, the great performances of the leads and the blue-collar idea of equating busting ghosts with that of being a fireman. Also it has a giant Marshmallow Man. It's a big comedy that puts all of these elements that I loved as a kid and as an adult and fuses them so seamlessly that makes it work as well as it does for as many people as it does.  I can't think of another high concept comedy off the top of my head the blends everything together so magically.  The special effects work very well for the time period and don't age as badly as you might think, but the movie doesn't work because of those effects.  Mainly it's the cast riffing on a terrific script and idea that's so absurd, they can make it seem a normal everyday thing.  Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson ground this thing and make it relatable to anybody who's just doing their job.  Their job just happens to be catching ghosts.

The blu-ray at first glance doesn't seem like it offers much, but after a quick look you'll find that its full of goodies.  It still has the commentary from the original DVD release that's very good, though now it no longer has the MST3K effect of their shadows watching the movie, but I can live with that.  You'll find a lot of fun docs, like the restoration of the Ecto-1 and an 1984 produced behind the scenes look.  There's a lot here about the making of the video game that I found interesting, as it reunites the cast and writers, even if it really has nothing to do with the actual movie.  Also available is the "Slimer Mode", which allows you to watch the movie with a trivia track and picture in picture interviews at pertinent moments of the movie.  It's very cool and informative.

Picture quality is great.  Yes, there is some grain to be had, but that seems to be how the movie was originally shot, so I'm not gonna complain about it.  The fact is, the movie is about as crisp and clear as it's ever been and it's the kind of movie you would definitely want to upgrade from the original DVD release to the blu-ray. 

This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and the blu-ray version is, barring a chance to see it in theaters, is the only way I would want to watch it from now on.  I'm very happy with it and it's a great price to boot.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit is Portable Fun

So, while everyone's throwing a big hubbub over the new Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, I, being the cheapskate that I am (not necessarily by choice, mind you) decided to go old school and finally pick up for Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the good ol' GBA.

As a fan of the Mario Kart series, I was anxious to finally pick up and play Super Circuit years after it's release. I've had a ton of fun on Mario Kart Wii and its always interesting for me to go back in the past a little bit to see how the games have progressed.

First off, Super Circuit is fun. It's a perfect portable game. The tracks are not so long as to take up too much time, yet they are long enough to not feel too cheap and tacked on for the sake of putting a Mario Kart game out. There is a nice selection of tracks to start the game off that each require it's own type of skill to master. Sure, as always, there is a track or two that sometimes feels unnecessarily frustrating, but the fun you have on the other tracks more than make up for it. Once you get the hang of sliding around corners, using the jump button to control those turns and coming out of them with a nice little boost to shoot you ahead of your opponents, you'll be having all kinds of great fun.

There are a few different modes to choose from. You can of course go for the classic Grand Prix mode with 50, 100, or 150ccs and test your mettle against your computer foes (I hate Peach). There is the Time Trial mode in which you can learn to master the tracks with no fear of being rear ended with a dreaded red turtle shell at the finish line, and then there is the Quick Run, in which you can simply load up any track you want and race against the CPU without worrying about doing an entire Cup. Unfortunately, you need another person with a Gameboy Advance and a connector cable to play Multiplayer and since I don't have that option, I can't comment on it. All I know is that I've heard that it is better if the other person were to have their own Super Circuit cart as well. You can play with only one game and a connector cable if you wish, but it will limit your character selection.

Super Circuit also harkens the return of the coins from Super Mario Kart, which means that the outcome of the race will rely on skill as much as it does luck. Whereas the newest incarnations of the Mario Kart franchise usually require an big chunk of luck (you tend to get punished for being good), you will have to collect as many coins as you can to help your speed and to keep you from spinning out each time you get hit, which will happen when you run out of coins. Collecting coins also brings up another cool thing about the game; if you collect 100 coins in each cup after getting gold in it, it will unlock that cup from the original Super Mario Kart. So, when all is said and done, you have the potential for unlocking another five cups for a grand total of 40 tracks to race. Not too shabby for a portable racing game.

Honestly, I found this game to be more fun than I expected. It's absolutely perfect for what it's intended for. When you are out and about and have your Gameboy Advance with you, it's great for playing bite sized chunks at a time. It takes very little time to compete in a cup and be done with it if that is what you wish. On the other hand, there are enough tracks and it is enough fun that you could sit in your living room or on a road trip and play it for hours. I recommend this game heartily for those that are fans of the Kart.

Ernest Goes To Camp on Blu-Ray, knowhutimean?

Just for the heck of it, I'm gonna start going through my blu-ray collection and reviewing what I have.  Which at the moment isn't much.  I'll start with our main man, Ernest...

Let's get this out of the way at the outset, you either like this guy or you don't.  He's either hilarious or excruciatingly dumb.  I identify myself as an Ernest fan, and I will admit that that has a ton to do with growing up as a child in the 80s.  He was a product of his time, aimed toward a certain audience and I was of that time and audience.  I find the man hilarious.  Ernest Goes to Camp isn't my favorite Ernest movie, but it is easily one of the better in his never-ending catalog.  The crown, for me, goes to Ernest Saves Christmas, but as with many, my movie introduction to the man came when he went to camp and made the staggering leap from inept handyman to inept, but caring, camp counselor.  Of course, I'd known Ernest for a while because of the prevalent commercials on tv at the time, but his brand of wacky and physical humor always did it for me.  I firmly understand that this humor isn't for everybody, but I enjoyed it.  I found Jim Varney to be, despite the quality of the movies he was in, a very gifted creator of characters.  The movies really took off when he was able to riff on different personalities, but unfortunately, he didn't do too much of that in his debut film.  Instead, he inhabits his character with the very quality of the name he'd given him and injected him with a massive amount of heart.  He may bumble around like a fool, but like the wayward kids he was put in charge of, he wins you over with his unending optimism and good nature.  It's refreshing to find a good, clean movie that you aren't afraid to show your kids that puts forth a nice message amongst all the silly goings on.  Best of all, you will learn what to never, ever do if you run across a mess of badgers.

The movie on blu-ray, unfortunately, isn't much to write home about.  The video quality is probably better than the dvd version, but I don't know that it's enough or the type of movie that mandates an upgrade to the superior format.  The special features are lacking, but it is a good price.  If you don't already own the regular dvd version and are a fan of the man in the hat and denim vest, it's a good, cheap pick up.  If you however already own the dvd, an upgrade probably isn't very necessary unless you're just a completist.  And if you are, as I said, it's not like the movie costs an arm and a leg.

I enjoy this movie, even as an adult.  The humor probably doesn't work on me as well now as it did back in the mid 80s when I was 6 or 7, but I get a kick out of watching the man do his thing.  If anything, re-watching the movie reminds me that I miss Jim Varney and I wish he was still around entertaining the kids and the kid in us with his wacky characters.