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| Movie Review: Ghost Town Alternate Title: Rest in Peace.
Story: Yes, the disagreeable
Bertram Pincus can see dead people after a botched colonoscopy and it
turns out that dead people are very annoying. These ghosts all want
something from him, so they can move on to another place. Co-writer
and director David Koepp begins the film with a bang
(actually a traffic accident) and the film stays engaging and fresh
for the first 30 minutes. The, like a ghost, the formulaic material
slowly emerges and the freshness evaporates before your eyes. How Betram
Pincus falls in love, how he finds his hidden goodness and how he manages
to help his ghosts fill the remainder of the film. This film falls in the pleasant, though predictable
category and Manhattan looks especially pretty in the late autumn. It
would be a terrific movie to watch on an airplane. Watch the trailer and see almost all of the funny
stuff in 2 minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjcyi6Vpx2U Acting: Ricky Gervias has great
comic timing but I did not believe his transition to the good guy. Greg
Kinnear is a fine screen presence. He is steady, easy on the
eye and gets better as he ages. Téa Leoni is
always fun to watch. She is interesting, in a non-cookie cutter kind
of way. There are a few fine, steady smaller roles by Aasif
Mandvi and Kristen Wiig.
Trivia: Greg Kinnear lived in Greece for a time and
can speak Greek. Aasif Mandvi's one Man Show "Sakina's
Restaurant" was the first play written by a South Asian American
to be produced Off Broadway. He is a regular on The Daily Show. Tea
Leoni planned on majoring in anthropology and/or psychology,
but dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College. She is married to confessed
internet sex addict, David Duchovny and they have two
kids.
Predilection: None, although I do like to see films
that were shot in Manhattan.
Critters: A giant Great Dane
Food: A Curry dish.
Sex Spectrum: No sex.
Blatant Product Placement: The MTA (Metropolitan
Transit Authority) has some big parts but they are not a good product
placement, that's for sure.
Soundtrack: Fun
Opening Titles: A sequence that introduces us to
the three main characters to set up the plot. Well done.
Visual Art: Manhattan looks stunning
Theater Audience: Crowded for a Monday afternoon.
Weather: Sun and hail.
Sappy Factor: 2
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: 0
Predictability Level: High
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: No
Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine.
Length: Under two hours.
LOBO HOWLS: 5
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