dan aykroyd Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are bringing sexy back -- and that image should make you ripe for nightmares tonight. If you doubt me, look to Variety, who reports that Dan Aykroyd, Anna Faris, and Justin Timberlake are set to go to Jellystone in Yogi Bear, which Eric Brevig is directing for Warner Bros.

Aykroyd will be voicing Yogi, and he really is the most obvious choice to play the picnic basket thief. He's funny, he sounds gruff, and if it was live-action it would be a very terrifying thing to see. So thank goodness this is being done as a CG / live-action hybrid.

Timberlake will be voicing Boo Boo. Yep. The man who wants to love your mother, put his d*ck in a box, and who will cry you a river will lend his vocal talents to playing Yogi's diminutive sidekick. In this update of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, expect Boo Boo to be a lot more of a smart aleck. (I was going to say "sassy," but I think that would be a far different Boo Boo.)

Though Faris has done voice work before, it sounds as though she might be one of the live action elements to this unholy hybrid. Variety says she's set to play a documentary filmmaker. Presumably she discovers the tourist robbing bears, and makes a film of them. Or she has to help them preserve Jellystone against evil developers. Either way, she'll have to talk to big rubbery CG bears, and it might be kind of weird. What would be even weirder is if one or both bears fell in love with her, so let's hope she falls into the arms of whoever plays Ranger Smith. Shooting is expected to start in New Zealand next month.

Our Favorite Montages might be a relatively new feature around these parts, but since we started sharing some of our favorites in the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking about movies that I know back to front with a brand spanking new point of view. Back in 1984, I couldn't have told you what a montage was (and considering I was only 9 at the time, you can hardly blame me) but I did love Ghostbusters ... and I loved that song.

So if you had to place this montage into any category, you would have to go with the 'media montage'. Back in the golden days of cinema, this kind of segment would usually be accompanied with spinning newspapers and the like, but in 1984 it was all about talk radio and tabloid television. In this montage we watch our trio finally making a success of their paranormal extermination business, and with fame knocking at the door, they even get a little saucy 'ghost action'. Plus, if you're of a certain age, you get the added bonus of cameos from media types like Casey Kasem, Roger Grimsby and an obscenely young Larry King.

Now, by '84 I was familiar with the world of music videos and that's what this segment seemed like to my pop-culture saturated little brain. But as I've grown up and educated myself in the language of film I know it's much more than that, and that's why it has earned a spot among my favorites -- and brother, I still love that song.

After the jump: a compilation of 'busting montages from Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II...

So many comedians don't really play well with others. They're mostly scene-stealers with little regard for anyone who gets in their way. So it's always a treat to find some that click together. If they click, their connection usually passes on to the audience. Two mega-comedians, Adam Sandler & Seth Rogen, team up for the first time in this week's Funny People. It remains to be seen just what kind of chemistry they'll have, or if it deserves to be repeated, but in any case, it's a good time to revisit some of cinema's greatest comedy team-ups. [Note: I thought I would stay modern and therefore exclude Martin & Lewis, Laurel & Hardy, Fields & West, Abbott & Costello, Hepburn & Grant, Hepburn & Tracy, etc. Just because it goes without saying.]

Well, usually this works the other way around, but for once, a modern film is getting a classic update...at least when it comes to the trailer, anyway. This time, a dedicated fan by the name of whoiseyevan has made a trailer for the Ghostbusters movie that could have been...if it had been made in 1954. Taking over the roles made famous by Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray are crooner Dean Martin as Dr. Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), Fred McMurray as Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis), and who else but Bob Hope could fill Murray's coveralls as the smart-a**, Dr. Venkman?

All those classic 'busting' touches are there, which is probably what made this fan-trailer such a success. Then again, I might be biased because they managed to work in one of my favourite lines from the film in one of the title cards. So even if you aren't impressed with the result, you have to hand it to whoiseyevan and his knowledge of spook and spectre movies from the 40s and 50s. Heck, he's even got a line of dialogue with Martin calling himself a Ghostbuster! Now that's what I call a happy coincidence.

After the jump: Ghostbusters 1954 Vs Ghostbusters 1984...

Harold Ramis is the comedy writer and director everyone's cribbed from, from Sandler to Apatow. After leaving "Second City TV," Ramis went on to write, direct, and occasionally star in comedic touchstones like Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, Groundhog Day, and of course, Ghostbusters, which have starred a slew of loveable losers fighting to get their sh*t together in the army, on the golf course, or in the middle of a war with supernatural beings. After taking a few years off, Ramis is taking it back to the beginning with this summer's Year One, which stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as loveable loser cavemen who, when Black's Zed accidentally burns down the village, find themselves in the middle of a very familiar holy war. Read on and find out what the big daddy of buddy movies had to say about evolution and self-improvement, male full frontal nudity and the lack thereof, and what the heck is up with Ghostbusters 3.

Year One opens nationwide this Friday, June 19th.

Cinematical: How much more stressful is it to deal with marketing a summer blockbuster and competing with the other movies that are out?

Harold Ramis: You know, it's the same level of stress every time you make a movie, because you've pinned all your hopes and dreams on it and you've fantasized what success will be like, but at the time you can't escape fantasizing what failure will be like. [laughs]

I conceived this movie on a big scale, to do a Biblical epic comedy. I knew it was ambitious and when the studio said "Yes, we'll do it," and it became real, I thought, "Oh my God!" [laughs] It's one thing to fail small, but to make a big movie that doesn't work is so risky.

Rocky, Rambo, Indy, all of the old icons are making their way to the big screen, and as we know, our favorite ghostbusters are hoping to head in that same direction. But rather than just jumping into the action, we learned back in March that this Ghostbusters sequel would have the old pros handing over the reigns and mentoring a new batch of ghost fighters. Now if Dan Aykroyd has his say, this will mean creating a larger new core team that will finally increase the female ghost-fighting power.

While talking with the LA Times about the particulars of the third film (he says Sigourney Weaver is in, as are the ectoplasmic specialists, and that he wants Harold Ramis to direct), Aykroyd said that he's pulling for a "new generation" ghostbusting team. This one would have five members, at least a few of whom are women. Specifically, he's hoping for Alyssa Milano (who lent her voice to the new game), and Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku. "I think they're amazing."

I get the feeling that they're trying to go for a more sleek ghosbusting feel, rather than simple comedy. Neither actress is a big name in the world of laughs, and both have their feet firmly planted in the supernatural fighting biz. So this becomes a bittersweet yay: women are entering the flock, but will we see some of that classic comedy go out the window as the story gets modernized? I like it when things get a little more slick, but please -- not too slick.

Are these the two women you'd like to see fighting the ghosts? Or, would you wish for a more comedic bent with someone like, say, Tina Fey? Who should be the lady ghostbusters?

It's one of those projects folks are approaching very carefully as if it were a bomb ready to go off. All of these guys -- Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ivan Reitman -- they know that if they're going to bring this franchise back, it'll have to be on their terms and it'll have to only happen if the script is stellar. It's been 20 years since the last Ghostbusters movie, and while a lot of us would certainly welcome another installment, we know what happened to Indiana Jones after 19 years away ... so, yeah, take your time, boys.

MTV recently got the chance to ask Harold Ramis for a status update on the sequel, and he confirmed that the old cast (Ramis, Murray, Aykroyd and probably Hudson) would be returning, but ... as Ramis notes, "We're all going to be in it in different kinds of roles. We're going to be the sage mentors. There are going to be young Ghostbusters." Yup, that confirms the mentor angle and the younger Ghostbusters -- who may or may not come from the Apatowverse -- but it's early and things can change; Ramis later adds that he's still waiting to see a first draft of the script, from Office (and Year One) writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who are consulting with Ramis, Reitman and Aykroyd as they go. As far as who'll direct the thing, Ramis said he and Reitman are kinda hoping "someone else will do it." Personally, I have a feeling it'll be either Ramis or Reitman who ends up helming, but I guess we'll see.

Are you excited for this version of Ghostbusters, with older, familiar faces mentoring the new recruits?

Look, I'm thinking the same thing you are: Here comes Hollywood to screw up another one of our beloved franchises by re-imagining it for this new, hip generation. Whenever they try to mess with nostalgia, it always comes back to bite them in the ass -- but could things be different with a franchise like Ghostbusters, which gave us two films ... and, let's admit it, only one real classic? Here are five ways to make a cool Ghostbusters sequel ...

1. Get the Apatow crew involved

When you look back at the original Ghostbusters, you see names like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis and Ivan Reitman. Back in 1984, these were the folks who made us really laugh. These were the young-ish voices of the time; the guys you wanted to pay money to see because you knew they'd be worth it. Today, the same can be said for guys like Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Steve Carell, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson. At least a few of those names should show up in the sequel in order for it to have a really good shot of succeeding with fans.

2. Get a director who understands the franchise (ie: Harold Ramis or Ivan Reitman)

While there's a very good chance we'll end up seeing Judd Apatow's name tossed around as producer (no way he's directing this), the best way to hold on to what we love about Ghostbusters is to bring on a man who was there for the first two and knows what, exactly, makes this franchise work. Ramis has been working with the Apatow clan a lot lately (directing Year One, appeared in both Knocked Up and Walk Hard), and is perfectly capable of directing and acting in a film (Hello Egon cameo!). He'd by my choice for this, and, I'm sure, will also lend his voice to the script.

For awhile now -- and ever since it was announced there would be a new Ghostbusters video game -- those Ghostbusters live-action sequel rumors have been all over the place. The latest, shoveled out through Dread Central last week, claimed that the sequel was going forward -- with all four original Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis) returning -- along with "Seth Rogen and the crew from The 40 Year Old Virgin." Yes, word on the street had it that the new ghost hunters would be played by Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Romany Malco.

Hey, as a fan of all those dudes, I personally think it's a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, Rogen knows nothing about the so-called collaboration. I asked him about it earlier today during the Pineapple Express NY press day, and it kinda took him by surprise. "Really? That's f**king rad! No one's told me about it, you're the first one. You got a script? [laughter] "Yeah, no -- are they actually remaking Ghostbusters? Sounds fun, though -- I'm psyched about it ... but are you sure I'm not playing Slimer?" Rogen joked, following that up with his trademark deep, cough-like laugh.

So, sorry Ghostbusters fans -- at least you have the video game to look forward to. And, who knows, enough people get onboard with the idea and maybe this wild rumor will eventually become reality. Question is, would you want it to?

I'm sure you've all heard about the upcoming Ghostbusters video game (we've talked about it here and here), and how this was as close as we were going to get to a Ghostbusters III since, well, it was an all new story and all four Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson) were reprising their roles (in voice form) for the game. Not only that, but Annie Potts, William Atherton and Brian Doyle-Murray lent their voices too. Sadly, both Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis did not join the party. The script for the game was written by Ramis and Aykroyd (who wrote both Ghostbusters live-action movies), and, well, a lot of your favorite ghosts (like Slimer, Gozer, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Vigo) will make an appearance, along with a brand new enemy.

All that being said, the game's trailer can be seen up top -- and it features that totally retro '80s trailer voice with scenes from the live-action movies alongside those same scenes in the video game. Very cool stuff. The game itself (which I believe hits stores on October 14th) looks pretty damn cool, and if this is the only sequel we're going to get, then, well, I'm game. How about you?

[via Spout]