Movie Review: Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum is an intriguing story.  At one time it seems to lose its way with just too much noise, confusion and stuff going on, but it gets back to the major plot. 

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) takes a job as a night watchman. He doesn’t really want to, as he is an inventor who has had bad luck.  However, in order to continue to visit his son who lives with his ex-wife, he needs a job. He replaces three old codgers, which provides cameos for Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs.  The thing only the night watchmen at this museum know, everything comes to life at night.  This is because of an ancient Egyptian tablet.  Amongst the characters we also meet Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck) Jedediah a cowboy (Owen Wilson) and a centurion (Steve Coogan). We also add a tour guide (Carla Gugino) at the museum, for a love interest.  Our old codgers are too pleased about being replaced.  The plan to steal the tablet, and anything else they can take, and pin it all on our new night guard.  It is gong to take the cooperation of everyone to fix this mess.  Worse, if any museum characters are out at night, the turn to dust, and it will be the end of the job.

Movie Review: ***^Madagascar III: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

This is an animated feature from Dream Works.  It again features the animals from the New York Zoo who are trying to get home; from Madagascar.   The French police captain steals the show as she tries to add the lion's head to her wall.  She runs through walls, licks mud, and any number of things in her pursuit.  For there part the animals avoid her by shooting she and her men from a cannon, and chasing her with a banana shooting airplane.
This movie has a greater theme, as the Madagascar animals join the circus, and then restore the energy and self confidence the performers had lost.  The tiger going through the flaming ring is incredible, but then it is animated.  I still like the way it is presented.

Movie Revie: ***Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

I really wanted to like this movie, the first was so funny, however in the end it just fell sort of flat.  Ben Stiller was his usually funny self, but some of the other characters where just too canned--this the Egyptian Pharaoh who was jealous of his brother, or Napoleon who didn't like short comments.  In just seemed to carry everything too far.  I really wanted to like Amy Adams.  I love her in  "Enchanted."  But in this case her Amelia Earhart is just just too canned.  By the end of the movie I hate the way she walks.  In this show George Custer (Bill Hader) is very cute.  In this case it starts with the cookie cutter Custer, and then he evolves and questions himself, and is real.  The bit between he and Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) is well done.  Custer says, "I'll yell charge and then we all charge."  Sacajawea responds, "Why tell everyone you're going to  charge, doesn't that take the surprise away."  The bit with the monkey is good, but overdone.
A brief story.  Larry Daley has left the museum, pursuing free enterprise.  In the meantime, most of the exhibits are being sent to the Smithsonian for storage, away from the magical tablet that gives them life.  However the monkey steals the tablet, taking it to the Smithsonian.  That causes all kinds of havoc. 
Oh I liked Abraham Lincoln in his big form.  He turned the tide.
I found this movie mildly entertaining.  The original is better.  The theme of doing what you enjoy is a good one.  However, it was the free enterprise that allowed him to step in and save the museum.  The decide to open the museum at night, so the exhibits can interact with people when they are awake.  That was well done.