Paul McGuire Grimes, creator of Paul’s Trip to the Movies, reviews the new Ghostbusters, Road House on Prime, and Shirley on Netflix.

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (in theaters)

It feels great to have the Ghostbusters back in New York City saving the day. The new crew and some old friends are back in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the fifth film in the franchise. Carrie Coon stars as Callie Spengler, the daughter of original Ghostbuster Egon. She along with her kids Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and former teacher Gary (Paul Rudd) have set up shop in the Ghostbusters old stomping grounds at the Hook and Ladder 8 fire station in New York City. Their work is messy and causes city destruction leaving Phoebe without a job after it’s determined that as a minor she shouldn’t be a Ghostbuster. Meanwhile, Dan Akroyd is back again as Ray Stantz whose gift shop for supernatural artifacts if given an ancient orb that seems to possess strong telekinetic energy. Ernie Hudson’s Winston is running a secret paranormal research facility where they all gather and figure out the true history of this ancient orb that has the power to turn the planet into ice. The film also stars Kumail Nanjiani and reunites Bill Murray and Annie Potts.

–Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was written by director Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman which continues to play into everything we love about Ghostbusters. The humor and quirky characters are all there. The story has a better sense of incorporating our favorite legacy characters and the new cast while retaining that classic Ghostbusters feeling. You do feel them feeling a bit stuck at how to incorporate such a big cast and giving them something to do.

-McKenna Grace is the standout of the film with Phoebe trying to find her place in her family and in the world where she’s feeling like she’s not allowed. It’s a coming-of-age storyline that has the highest stakes in the film.

-Original cast member Bill Murray has very limited screentime, but he’s pure Peter Venkman perfection when we see him.

-There are pacing issues, as there’s a lot of build up with the various characters trying to piece this all together. It feels like a metaphor for Kenan and Reitman trying to make all these subplots come together by the climax.

-For me, these movies work best when they’re getting all geeky about the science and paranormal apparitions. It lets the humor, mystery, and horror elements work together.

– The film works and should please fans who want that classic Ghostbusters feel with beloved characters, iconic musical motifs, while living within the contemporary world that exists forty years after the original.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

ROAD HOUSE (Prime Video)

Patrick Swayze’s 1989 cult classic Road House was sexy, violent, and very macho. It’s now getting the remake treatment with Jake Gyllenhaal stepping into Swayze’s shoes. The remake of Road House opens with an exciting but rough cage match with Post Malone as Carter kicking ass in a scrappy ring taking down his opponent. Then walks in Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton who seemingly scares him off as Carter refuses to fight Dalton. It’s a seedy non-professional environment, but everyone remembers that Dalton was a former UFC fighter. It’s there where Dalton is approached by Frankie, whose played by Jessica Williams, to come work as a security guard at her bar, a road house aptly named, The Road House. Dalton reluctantly accepts and quickly learns there’s a reputation for the Road House. It’s a place where bottles are broken, fights break out, and macho tough guys think they rule the place. Dalton learns the hard way, and despite being able to hold his own, he finds himself caught up in a crime family looking to kill their way into owning the Road House.

-Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage

–Road House comes under the direction of Doug Liman whose action resume includes films like The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Edge of Tomorrow.

-You can feel a connection to the Swayze classic while this one certainly ups the ante on the brutality and goes in some different directions. You must lean in and view it like a Fast and the Furious movie where you accept the camp and the overall ridiculous nature at hand.

-It seems like Doug Liman and his cast all know the tone they’ve set out to give this film. Much like the original, this has a very loose main plot, a few unnecessary subplots, and a handful of cheesy one-liners and comebacks.

-This film seems to rely on the bar brawls and vendetta between the Brandt crime family versus Dalton and the Road House. The henchmen act tough but are dolts. Dalton can easily outwit them and thus take them down in two seconds flat.

-As Dalton, Jake Gyllenhaal is no stranger to these intense, physically fit characters. He still has the charm with Dalton but treats him as the silent but deadly type. Conor McGregor is clearly having a blast as a beast like killing machine who leaves a destruction of carnage behind.

–Road House is notably over the top right down and is perfect for an easy night on the couch with a cocktail or beer in hand. Your mind can escape for two hours if that’s what you want out of it.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

SHIRLEY (Netflix)

Shirley Chisholm is a political trailblazer, and yet, her name and legacy may not be known to many. Oscar and Emmy winner Regina King brings her story to life in the new Netflix film Shirley. Regina King gives a commanding performance as Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968. The film uses this to introduce the audience to her and then cuts to 1972 when she decides to run for President of the United States. She knows the race is stacked against her as no one will vote for a Black woman as president. She persisted by getting some money raised and hiring a team around her including Lucas Hedges who plays her National Student Coordinator and Lance Reddick as her chief advisor. Chisholm’s politic slogan was “unbought and “unbossed” and she pushed way through gender and race politics to form a grassroots campaign for the White House.

-Starring: Regina King, Lucas Hedges, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

-While Chisholm lead a full life, writer/director John Ridley wisely distills this film down to just following her 1972 presidential run instead of doing the standard full life biopic.

-Regina King wins over the audience with her force of nature approach to understanding Shirley Chisholm’s drive. You can also feel a sense of positivity even when she seems in over her head and needs a proper team to get her message out.

-As she claims, “Why does it always have to be a white man?” It’s an underdog story, but John Ridley’s script and his pacing seems to race through the complexity and weight behind it. You can almost feel him trying to cover as much ground as possible without letting the scenes breathe or give Shirley a chance to feel the weight on her shoulders.

-There’s an attempt to learn about her family life with Regina King’s sister, Reina King, appearing as Shirley’s sister. We also see how her campaign impacted her marriage, but these subplots don’t feel fleshed out enough.

– John Ridley is missing the gravitas that this story needs. You can sense Regina King giving everything she can in an impassioned performance, but she can’t overcome the glaring issues in storytelling.

– Much like Netflix’s film Rustin from last year, these films are a good reminder of influential people whose voices and stories may have been forgotten over time.

-It’s not a great movie but, I’m recommending it for Regina King’s performance and to build awareness to who Shirley Chisholm was.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS