First, this fantastic love note to the most criminally under appreciated character in the 'Busters universe, Janine Melnitz. I was an avid watcher of the Ghostbusters cartoon (not gonna lie) and one of the things I loved most in the cartoon was the sexual tension between Janine and Egon. I might've identified a little bit with Janine's long smoldering, unrequited crush on the dreamy Dr. Spengler.
Anyway... author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas makes some really interesting points in her comparison of the two major female roles in Ghostbusters, Dana and Janine. For one, she notes how class is used to draw the differences between the two:
Dana’s Central Park West and Janine’s Brooklyn render them a world apart. Dana’s status as a career woman renders her strong, impressive, desirable – and the film takes her more seriously as a result. Her transition to supernatural ‘gatekeeper’ becomes a symbol of the privilege her wealth and class affords her. But for Janine, work is something you do to survive: in her case, ‘women’s work’ becomes something foolish, goofy, banal.And yet... Well, you should read the whole thing. It's a delightful and insightful piece that made me, a die hard fan, see the film with a fresh perspective.
The second piece you should read is a beautiful tribute to Harold Ramis by his daughter, Violet. Violet reveals that when she was a kid, at the height of Ghostbusters mania, her father offered to go trick or treating with her AS REAL GHOSTBUSTERS. And she said NO!!
Read the piece and you'll understand why she said no, and even cheer for her.
I've also been reading an actual book (remember those?) about the making of the first two Ghostbusters movies and I have some thoughts on that for when I see the new movie, soon. ...
