Ghostbusters is fun romp through an ecto-plasmic New York. It was also an audience boosting, industry defining classic. And that seat-of-the-pants journey is reflected in the energetic and revealing documentary Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters from Paignton director Anthony Bueno.
Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters exposes the supernatural comedy flick’s innovation in terms of cinema special effects. And it’s a fantastic insight into what goes into actually getting a film made.
In an absorbing and suprisingly speedy 96 minutes, director Anthony pieces together the work that went into the box office success.
Admittedly, you don’t write on a film site without a fascination for the finer points of filmmaking. And Cleanin’ Up The Town manages to shine a light on the unsung creative talent in a way that sometimes feels like a thriller. (Ok, so that maybe a little over-egged because of our inherent film geekiness… but not by much.)
And Cleanin’ Up The Town manages to tread new ground. The Netflix series The Movies That Made Us has an expose of the making of Ghostbusters. Fun as the Neflix offering is, Cleanin’ Up The Town offers a more focused insight into the film, covering early concept ideas and drawings, as well as the development of the script into the Ghostbusters that we all now know.
It’s the behind-the-scenes touches of stills, art and script that adds to the film’s charm. And in amongst the informative interviews is the charm of Harold Ramis, filmed before his death in 2014, says Peter Bradshaw in his Guaridan review.
There’s no notoriously difficult-to-pin-down Bill Murray, and we don’t get an earful of Ray Parker Jnr’s infinitely catchy tune. But it’s more than made up for by what you do get, along with the joy that’s shared about the creative innovation under pressure.
Thorough without being scholarly, and snappy without being glib, catch Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters. And if you can, with a director’s Q&A. Find out where on the website, Facebook or Twitter.
