R.I.P. Harold Ramis - 1944-2014

Sadly, more tragic new has prompted the writing of this blog tonight as I have just learned of the passing away of the great comedic actor/writer/director Harold Ramis.

I just saw a photo on Facebook that I could not agree more with, which read 'Respect to a man who has without doubt made you, or someone you know, laugh in his lifetime.' I thought this was a fitting tribute because Ramis will forever be remembered by the for both his iconic roles, and work behind the camera in the world of comedy. He was most famous for playing Dr. Egon Spengler in 1984 smash, and now legendary comedy, 'Ghostbusters'. Although he certainly wasn't a one trick pony. In his long and distinguished career, Ramis also proved his worth as a director, making us laugh with comedies like 'Groundhog Day' and 'Analyse This', as well as some episodes of the US version of 'The Office'.

Ramis as Egon Spengler

It was alongside the star of 'Groundhog Day', Bill Murray, that Ramis would form a strong friendship and on-screen partnership. They began working together performing sketches on 'The National Lampoon Radio Hour' in 1974, and the rest as they say is history with the pair working together on 'Stripes', 'Meatballs', 'Caddyshack' and Ghostbusters I and II.

Ramis certainly had no plans to retire however, which makes his passing even more heartbreaking. Younger fans will undoubtedly remember him for his roles in modern comedies 'Knocked Up' and 'Year One' (which he also wrote and directed). Not even a month has passed since the sudden death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and we find ourselves bidding farewell to another icon of the screen who will fondly be remembered in all of our hearts. The ability to make someone laugh is definitely taken for granted. It is an incredible talent and Ramis was laughter personified, so I'd just like to pay tribute to a great man who though may no longer be with us, will still have us laughing through his movies in years to come!

Total Film have done a feature on Harold's Top Five Films - If anyone's interested. please click here

Harold Ramis passed away in the early hours of this morning at North Shore with his family around him, whom I would like to offer my condolences to. He was suffering from a rare disease called autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, which involves the swelling of blood vessels.

Other news seems irrelevant when we are greeted with more sadness like this but I have to report that Amanda Seyfried has been cast as the female lead in comedy sequel 'Ted 2'. Seth MacFarlane will be reprising his directorial duties, and Mark Wahlberg is back in the frame as John Bennet who will not doubt be getting up to all sorts of mischief with his furry foul-mouthed friend. How this will affect Mila Kunis' role as Lori Collins however remains unclear, despite Deadline reporting that she may not even appear at all, MacFarlane is yet to give any official word. Yet, he obviously has a lot of faith in Seyfried who will be appearing in his next movie due for release 'A Million Ways To Die In The West'. As for plot MacFarlane is still keeping his cards close to his chest, but I'm sure profanity, pop culture references, crude humour and all-out hilarity are a safe bet!

'Ted 2' will open on 10th July 2015

A Pinch of Finch #2

So no reviews today because sadly I am once again being kept prisoner by an ever-growing list of college assignments. But hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a viewing of 'Star Trek Into Darkness' sometime later in the week so stay tuned. Anyway, here's just a brief round up of some tidbits I've come across whist scouring the web today.

Oh, and to begin on an unrelated note, here's a random photo of the cast of 1981's 'Escape to Victory' 

Michael Caine, Pele and Stallone - Coolness personified.

Moving on, first up is a trailer for Seth MacFarlane's directorial follow-up to box-office smash 'Ted', 'A Million Ways To Die In The West'.

It tells the tale of sheep farmer Albert (MacFarlane) a feeble, timid man who after losing his girlfriend, tries to regain his confidence by winning a duel against the local villain (Liam Neeson). With 'Ted' MacFarlane had audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter, however a Western comedy is not an easy route to success, as 1999's 'Wild Wild West' proved. However by bringing in big names like Neeson, Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron and adding the undeniable comedic talent of Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi - MacFarlane emphasises he's by no means messing around as the 'Family Guy' creator looks to further stamp his mark on Hollywood with another hit.

Joss Whedon

Marvel are similarly showing no signs of slowing down with Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', already being tapped up to helm the sequel. 'Thor 3' has also found its writers in the form of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost; and Joss Whedon is fanning the flames of the fire surrounding 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' by explaining that he has looked to 'The Godfather Part II' for inspiration about how to take his sequel to the next level. Watch This Space.

Also rumours are suggesting that Forest Whitaker is in talks for a role in 'Taken 3'. Trying not to sound pessimistic, this doesn't really excite me. Whilst I think that original 'Taken' was a fabulous film, and re-invented Liam Neeson as a credible movie action-man, I feel this concept could only really be impactful over the course of one film. I haven't watched 'Taken 2' admittedly, but to me it's the exact same premise albeit with roles being swapped around. This makes me feel that Whitaker taking a role in a movie about a third kidnapping could actually be a regretful move on his part; because I feel that any continuation with such ideas will only live in the shadow of the first film, which was brilliant!

Forest Whitaker

The first poster for 'Fifty Shades of Grey' has been released, which will no doubt have housewives up and down the country giggling with glee, despite the film not being released until 2015. I don't get what girls see in him anyway! Here's the poster below.

By the way whoever made this poster must have a screw loose somewhere!

Finally, another promising piece of news circulating today is that Bruce Willis and director M. Night Shymalan could be re-teaming! After they enjoyed success together with 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Unbreakable' it is thought the duo could once again join forces to bring one of Shymalan's early scripts 'Labor of Love' to the screen, which was shelved by Fox around 1993. An intriguing point about it is that it doesn't seem a traditional movie for either of the pair. It tells the story of a book store owner in Philadelphia who is haunted by the fact that he never properly told his wife how much he loved he before she died in a tragic car accident. Remembering that she once asked if he would walk across the country for her, he decides that this is the only way to show his love for her and proceeds to trek from Philadelphia to Pacifica, her favourite place. So yeah, a bit weird perhaps but it would be nice to see Shymalan regain his hold form after his last two outings 'After Earth' and 'The Last Airbender' (a 4.4 rating on IMDb!) received little fanfare and didn't exactly leave audiences dazzled. That's all I've got for today, hopefully that review of Star Trek should be up by the end of the week!