If someone asks if you are a god, you say, "yes!"

If there was one movie I had to watch for the rest of my life, desert island style, it would probably be Ghostbusters. It's really a no brainer. There isn't a movie I enjoy watching more at any given time. It might be because another one of my idols, Bill Murray, is on the top of his game in this film. Maybe it's the memories I share seeing this movie as a kid, remembering it being one of the films every member of my immediate family agreeing to the greatness Ghostbusters exutes. Maybe it's the fact that I know every line to this film inside and out. Maybe it's the audacious dick jokes throughout the film that went unoticed as a youth. It could be all of these factors. Regardless, ask any person my age and I'm sure they are going to share the love of Ghostbusters to an almost equal worship.

For me, some of the greatest comedic films came out in the late 70's and 80's. The output of the original SNL cast, the greats from the Great White North from SCTV and a slew of other brilliant comedians like Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder churned out monster film after monster film. Monolithic beasts of hilarity like Stripes, Silver Streak, Spies Like Us, Caddyshack, Back to School, Better Off Dead, 48 Hours, etc. The list goes on. For me, Ghostbusters takes the cake as the finest of these. It mixes action and adventure with ridiculously fast paced jokes that help move the story along. The level of talent is remarkable, with Harold Ramis playing the hilariously nerdy Egon Spangler, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz the doughy and loveable best pal, Bill Murray as the amazingly snarky and witty Peter Venkman and Ernie Hudson as the straight man in Winston Zeddmore. It was perfect casting chemistry. Although Winston is not in this scene, the below scene may be one of the greatest and most hilarious scenes in all of cinema, right up there with Dennis in Monty Python & The Holy Grail:





I've seen this movie probably more than any other film of all time. I watched it constantly as a youngster, it was in regular rotation while working at the video store and I still crack it open from time to time. Although it's a Ghostbusters 2 reference, comparing villains and people I don't like to Viggo the Carpathian was a constant in my life and still is. The Real Ghostbusters cartoon was also amazing although strange at times since Slimer was a good guy. I drank my fair share of Ecto Cooler as a kid. I had the power pack with the rotating foam rod as a kid and would run around the backyard slaying imaginary ghosts. I own the soundtrack album on vinyl and break it out for the amazing song "Cleanin' Up the Town" by the Bus Boys. I desperately want to steal a framed felt picture of the Ghostbusters insignia with the tagline "They're Here To Save The World" from a friends house. I want to go back in time and go see this movie on the big screen or open up a movie theater and have this play at midnight along with other classics like it. It's an experience I never tire of. I can't wait for the Ghostbusters video game.

Nostalgia is a problem I deal with every day. There is no cure for it except to deal with it face first. I guess it isn't a problem at all. Nostalgia is a great feeling to have, but thinking back on good times is something fleeting. Ghostbusters is one of those movies, along with a few others on this list, that bring these nostalgic feelings. Luckily, these feelings are greated with great laughter. Childhood memories of the best times well up and I wish I would never grow up. As I grow older, and now 25 (which I realize isn't really that old) that those times are long past. A bittersweet sadness comes to my eye. Well, good thing I have the DVD of Ghostbusters at the ready to transport myself back to a simpler time.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher
13. The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill
14. Ghost Busters (1984) dr. Ivan Reitman

Up Next: This Is Spinal Tap (1984) dr. Rob Reiner