(Originally Released on February 15th)
By Dash Jordan
Hey kids, it’s Dash. How was everyone’s Valentine’s Day? That’s great. Mine was great too. See, I was originally going to do my next article this past Sunday. But, I decided to be sweet and romantic for the day and put my work aside so I can spend some much needed time with that special someone in my life. Besides, I wasn’t about to have my girl go all Ronda Rousey on my ass.
By the way, Ronda…feel better. You’re still the queen. Anyway, speaking of going all ‘Road House’ across someone’s face, Patrick Swayze was by far one of the great human beings whoever lived. But, in my opinion…’Road House’ was not his “best” movie. Now, before you guys begin rioting and burning my house down, would you at least like to know what is?
I ain’t afraid of no Swayze!
‘Ghost’ is a 1990 romance-thriller directed by Jerry Zucker. The film stars Patrick Swayze as Sam; a recently-deceased boyfriend who comes back as a restless spirit to find out who was behind his murder and watch over his girlfriend, with the aid of a reluctant medium. Upon release, ‘Ghost’ was the highest-grossing film of 1990, and has won several awards; including Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress(Whoopi Goldberg). But, is it really that good?
Hey, I was kidding! Anyway, you think that with a title like ‘Ghost’, it would be the kind of horror-romance that relies more on the horror elements; much like Francis Ford Coppola’s remake of ‘Dracula’. I certainly felt that way when I first watched this movie back in the 90s. Just the poster alone made think that this was gonna be some twisted, disturbing, gothic & erotic love story with Whoopi Goldberg’s comedy thrown into the mix so the whole thing doesn’t up end too depressing…I was kinda right. But, this was not the horror-romance I was expecting. Was ‘Ghost’ twisted and disturbing? Yes, but not in the typical-horror kind of way. It’s the kind of way that can make you think. Where do we go after we die? How painful would it be to have our loved ones taken away from us? How much more painful would it be to watch our loved ones have to cope and move on after we’ve left them here on Earth? Can we ever see them again? I personally don’t believe in all of that ghosts and spirits stuff, but these are the kind of things this movie made me think about.
But this is a love story, is it not? So, what of our two main leads? They were pretty good. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore have what is probably some of the best on-screen chemistry ever, in my opinion. I’ve already stated how I’ve felt about Swayze, and he’s just as good at showing raw emotion as he is punching someone in the face or…dirty dancing. Then there’s Demi Moore as Molly. She’s always been a hit-or-miss actress to me. She’s decent in a few movies, but then she does dumb stuff like ‘Striptease’, ‘G.I. Jane’ & ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’. So yeah, I’m not easily impressed by her acting. But, this is her best role, in my opinion.
As for the supporting cast…it was pretty good too. Especially from the late, great character actor Vincent Schiavelli; credited in this movie as the “Subway Ghost”. He may not be in this movie for very long. In fact, he probably has about five full minutes of screen time. But, I was always so fascinated with his backstory. Threatening and rageful one minute, funny and sympathetic the next. I won’t give too much away, but it’s definitely one short yet memorable performance.
However, the actor who really stole the show and I think we can all agree, it was Whoopi Goldberg. A truly talented actress in her own right with films like ‘The Color Purple’, but its Goldberg’s comedic works that have always left an impression on me. Not all her comedy was great, sure. But when she’s funny, she’s brilliant! Whoopi Goldberg plays Oda Mae Brown; a con artist who pretends to be a psychic medium, although she comes from a family of legitimate psychics. Then, she meets Sam who convinces her to help him use her psychic powers to communicate to Molly from the other side. I know, a sitcom waiting to happen. Well, you wouldn’t be too far off. I absolutely love the chemistry and bantering between Swayze and Goldberg. The movie already had genius writing and two believable stars behind it, but I believe it really was Goldberg that made the movie just that much more memorable and she really deserved that Oscar.
What also made ‘Ghost’ memorable was the special effects. Obviously, special effects from 1990 are going to look dated to most moviegoers. Especially, when you consider the fact that we live in an age where CGI dinosaurs, monsters and giant robots have taken over the big screen. But, there’s just always something about the movie effects from the 80s and 90s when done right. ‘Ghost’ is one of those cases where its done so well that it almost seems timeless and has such a unique charm.
I don’t care, it doesn’t seem as cartoonish as some films today.
Now, let’s wrap this up. Listen guys…as a man, I’m telling you all to put your manly pride aside for a few hours. This is a really good movie with a sweet story, great acting, good effects, funny moments, and even a few creepy moments thrown in for good measure. ‘Ghost’ is the perfect date movie. I hope you guys watched it this year or are planning to check it out on next year’s Valentine’s Day. Allow me to also say that I-
Watch it, Reynolds! I’ll get to you soon enough. Don’t make me call 20th Century Fox to have your mouth sewn shut again! Until then, Gotta Dash!
Rating: 8/10
Written by Shane Moose
Ghost(owned by Paramount Pictures)
Entourage(owned by Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO, Closest to the Hole Productions, Leverage Entertainment & RatPac-Dune Entertainment)
Avatar(owned by 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Dune Entertainment & Ingenious Film Partners)
That 70s Show(owned by 20th Century Fox Television & Carsey-Werner Productions)
Deadpool(owned by 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, The Donners’ Company & TSG Entertainment)
Deadpool: The Video Game(owned by Marvel, High Moon Studios & Activision)
A special thanks to the three big F’s in my life(Friends, Family & Fans) for helping me get this far, pushing me to go even further and for putting up with me when I try going further than that. To hell with my limitations!
