Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Mild Spoilers.

Night at the Museum is back for a third and what seems to be final time for adventures with history come-to-life.

The basic gist of the plot is that the magical tablet that brings museum exhibits to life at night is sick, so the gang travels to The British Museum in search of answers. It's little more than an excuse to get out of the house and go over to London for a change, but who could ever mind that? If there's too much plot, it would take away from all the horsing around, which is the appeal of this franchise anyway.

The gang.

"The gang" consist of Larry (Ben Stiller) and his son Nick (Skyler Gisondo), Egyptian king Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek), Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Wiliams), the miniature cowboy and Roman solider Jedediah and Octavius (Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan), a monkey, Attila the Hun, Sacajawea, and... a caveman (Ben Stiller... again). It's a big group that could have done with less, but it turns out the large and familiar group is one of the charms of the movie, and to make up for the huge number of favorites who had to be included, only two significant characters hailing from The British Museum are added -- the night guard (Rebel Wilson), and Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens). Plus Dick Van Dyke returns for a scene, and Ben Kingsley graces us with his presence; as does Ricky Gervais, just, with less grace.

I admit, the main reason I ever got around to seeing this third installment was because of Dan Stevens being Lancelot, and he is probably what I enjoyed most (though not by too much) kinda because he was more interesting than just a gallant knight of the Round Table, and, most importantly, because it was so strange and hilarious to see him doing silly American-style slapstick humor.

...but still playing an old-fashioned British character. Very surreal. Like the blueness of his eyes...

All the characters are fun and unique though, and watching them all interact and have fun together was as amusing as it was pointless. And in spite of the large number of them they all had plenty to do. Still the normal guy who holds everything together is Larry, and I liked that they added his son back into the story. Larry is having difficulty with his graduating son who wants to skip college to pursue his dreams, and their relationship added some very welcome real-life depth to all the historical fantasy fun.

Most of the jokes were successfully funny, but they were also mostly played for too long. Killed jokes are funny at the beginning just like any other joke, but they're always dead in the end, no matter how alive they were at first. So you laugh, and then you stop, and then you feel sorry for that poor little joke that didn't deserve such a short life. And then you move on to the next one. One gag that could have gone on as long as it liked though, was Hugh Jackman and Alice Eve's cameos -- hands down best part of the movie. And I actually enjoyed watching Ben Stiller interact with his caveman-self more than I thought I would.

Fun times, fun times...

So that's basically it -- a decent, amusing flick where all our favorite fun Night characters going on an adventure overseas to save the world (sorta -- not really) following a simple plot that allowed for maximum fun and silliness. It all wound up very evenly; a quarter was just pure entertaining fun; a quarter was funny gags; another was made up of jokes and fun things that didn't turn out quite right; and the last quarter was surprisingly endearing -- the deeper, sweeter stuff that gave it all a bit meaning.

The Night at the Museum franchise has never been anything more that what it still is with this latest installment -- entertaining, light enjoyment. Not the best adventure you can have for less than $20, but you could do a lot worse hanging out in a non-magical museum at night!

Upcoming Movie Roundup - March

It's long overdue, but I finally saw Frozen in February! And then I went even further, and -- now brace yourselves -- saw a movie, in the theaters, in the same month it was released in! Gasp. Yes, I somehow managed to convince my cynical family of the worthiness of The Lego Movie and we all saw it together. So expect reviews for those two movies soon!

In March, there's quite the wide variety of new interesting movies -- something catered to everyone, so what was catered to you? And are you going to go see it? For me, so far, it looks like a bunch of very near-misses.


Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Mar 7th; PG
This is a case of really good marketing, because I had zero interest in a Mr. Peabody and Sherman movie, even though I remember them fondly from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. But, then I saw this trailer, and it was funny -- really funny. It looks very amusing and mildly intelligent (for a kid's movie) and included in the cast is Patrick Warburton, aka Puddy, aka Buzz Lightyear (of Star Command), aka Kronk, (yeah I think you get it now) aka the only person who can make you laugh just by speaking. His entire role was probably shown in the trailer, but still. And since it's already reviewing positively, I now have a positive inclination to see it... eventually.




The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mar 7th (limited); R
Ralph Fiennes. Saoirse Ronan. Adrien Brody. Willem Dafoe. Jude Law. Bill Murray. Edward Norton. Jeff Goldblum. Tilda Swinton. Lea Seydoux. Tom Wilkinson. Owen Wilson. And, of course, Wes Anderson. Yep. All in one movie. I think I've said enough. (And used enough periods.) The bubble-burster though, (for me anyway) is the R rating. Thanks a bunch Anderson.




One Chance
Mar 14th; PG-13
Craig Owens-- I mean, James Corden plays a real-life British fellow who wants to be an opera singer, but is stuck working in a shop until he gets a chance to audition for Britan's Got Talent. It looks like a light, sweet, feel-good movie, and undoubtedly Corden will be absolutely wonderful, but that may not be enough to pull this movie over the typical height of typical movies of this type.




Muppets Most Wanted
Mar 21st; PG
This is a guaranteed hit, no doubt about it. It's got the Muppets; it's coming off the success of the last Muppets movie; it's got Ricky Gervais and Tiny Fey supporting, plus a list of actors (and various other famous people) with cameos a mile long, at the top of which is Tom Hiddleston. TOM HIDDLESTON. The trailer is very funny and actually has a plot to its name, and there will be more original songs by the awesome Bret McKenzie. I didn't watch Sesame Street as a kid; I don't have any sentimental connection here, but with all these draws, even I want to see this. Doesn't mean I will, (at least for a while) but still.




Divergent
Mar 21st; PG-13
I'm sure I could go on and on about this film, the book it based on, why I think it might turn out to be stupid, and why I'm hoping it won't, but the bottom line is this: the quality of this film is the determining factor for if I decide to jump on the bandwagon and risk becoming a fan or not. If the general consensus is good enough (I'm not sure how good good enough is, unfortunately) it'll be the push I need to pick up a copy of the book, and if it's very good, maybe to even see the film before reading the novel. So I wait to see.




Noah
Mar 28th; PG-13
Ugh. One look at the trailer and all the discrepancies changes and embellishments made begin to flood in like waters from the deep. My only interest in this is my interest in knowing exactly how botched it turns out to be. It's disappointing, because a sincere, Biblically accurate telling of the flood is something I'd absolutely be beside myself to see, but this one appears to have been turned into just another epic disaster movie, with lots and lots of action, and drama, and more action. Cause that's what people like. At least they made the arc look accurate, and they got a pretty talented cast too. And a part of me is always a little impressed when people make movies based (however loosely) on the Bible.

Midnight in Paris

 To set mood: Push play, and start reading.

Gil is a self-proclaimed Hollywood hack who never took his chances with anything. He writes movie scripts and wishes he'd tried novels first. He lives in California and wishes he'd given Paris a shot. He also wishes he lived during "the Golden Age" -- the 20's, but that's not his fault. He's engaged to Inez, who is beautiful, and can be charming, but never seems to be while around him. Maybe she's just annoyed with him currently; they're in Paris for her dad's business, and he's talking about staying permanently; he's trying his hand at a novel, faltering, and stubbornly refuses help or advice, and he keeps mentioning how amazing Paris must have been in the 20's... in the rain. What's up with that?

"What's wonderful about getting wet?"

Gil is certainly a romantic. Longing for a time when he considered everything to be better -- and who could argue with the 20's in rainy Paris? Paris is still beautiful in the 21st century of course, so when faced with the decision of wandering the streets by himself at night, or spending another couple hours tagging along with Inez, and her friends Paul and Carol who they met by chance earlier, the answer is easy, and the answer is "alone."

A little while later, he's lost and sitting on some steps somewhere, watching the city, listening to the clock strike midnight. A vintage car pulls up. Heavily accented people call him to hop in, then he's at a party. The guy playing Cole Porter at the piano actually looks like Cole Porter. That's not possible. A feisty American lady introduces herself as Zelda, and then calls over her husband, Scott. Fitzgerald. Gotta be a coincidence.

The Fitzgeralds!

No, Gil Pender has somehow time-traveled, and that was just the beginning of his experience in that allegedly perfect time that is 1920's Paris. He muddles through the day with Inez and her increasingly annoying friends in 2011, then spends his nights living it up in the 20's with the likes of Hemingway, Picasso, and a breathtaking French girl, Adriana.

Adriana and Gil at a surrealist's wedding. Hence the taxidermy birds. ...That makes sense, right?

This little Woody Allen film starts out with various lovely, saturated shots of Paris slowly progressing day to night as a soprano sax belts out a jazzy tune. An easy, effortless artistic feel flows from there through the rest of the movie. None of the shots look really "composed," but if you pay attention, you begin to appreciate the scenes composed of a single shot, drawn out over several minutes as characters walk about and interact with each other realistically; competing to get a word in, and having to make an effort to express themselves intelligently.

And who exactly is in this movie? Everyone. Okay, maybe not, but it certainly does seem like it at times. Owen Wilson is our protagonist Gil, and is his usual charming, goofy, funny self. Rachel McAdams is Inez, and is great at being, well, dis-likable (to put it nicely), but you can see her appeal as well. Michael Sheen is Inez's "pedantic" friend Paul, perfectly described with one word. Then there's the crazy coroner Woody from Psych, Kurt Fuller, being normal as Inez's dad, and the assassin girl from MI4, Lea Seydoux, playing a local girl.

Paul, Carol, Inez and Gil touring Paris. Paul serves as tour guide, and says "if I'm not mistaken" a lot.

In the 20's side, the ever-lovely Marion Cotillard is the equally lovely and sweet Adriana. When Gil says she has "one of the most interesting faces ever" I couldn't agree more. Adrien Brody gets a single, memorable scene as Salvador Dali. Kathy Bates plays Gertrude Stein. Corey Stoll is Ernest Hemingway, and this movie's scene-stealer, which is really saying something when there's also Tom Hiddleston there, playing F. Scott Fitzgerald with a great "20's American" accent, and his classic, but (as of then) not-quite-yet discovered charm.

Gil, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein examine Picasso's latest painting.

I must briefly mention a kind of technical aspect here. The film is rated PG-13 for "some sexual references and smoking." As to the smoking, I just wonder why they don't mention all the drinking as well, but the sexual references are scattered around the film, and are not especially crude like some PG-13's can easily be, but are inappropriate enough to warrant a warning.

Loose morals abound just as you'd expect from the 20's and 2000's, but the moral of the film goes in a much different direction.

First we are drawn in with simple, delightful appeal, to fall in love with a place we've perhaps never been to, and feel nostalgia for a time we never experienced. It's easier than it seems; I don't get all the references to the time, and I don't know all the famous people of the 20's introduced or mentioned, but when nostalgia is this contagious, it doesn't make a difference. I think Woody Allen could make me nostalgic for last week if he presented it like this.

Because I really, really like this still.

Midnight in Paris is pleasingly sentimental and nostalgic. But instead of ending there and letting us wallow in our new-found disappointment of having to live in the here and now, it says it doesn't matter; everyone wishes their lot was different. Paris is still here, so if you want to live there, go. If you want to write a novel, take the risk and try it. Walk in the rain if you can appreciate it. It encourages us to love the past if we want, but to live in the present.

And then, when paired with the easy artistic delivery and cute wry humor, it becomes much, much more than a typical comedy. Instead of cheap jokes and meaningless romance, you actually get to think while watching. And sure it doesn't go as deep as some serious thinking movies, but that's not bad -- it simply doesn't presume to be anything it's not, and doesn't take itself too seriously. Because what it is, is plenty good; lighthearted, fun, genuinely charming... like a walk through Paris in the rain.

-- 4.5/5 stars

My sixth review for this!

Bonus -- because I can't resist. Tom Hiddleston is being interviewed for The Avengers and Midnight in Paris, and does the most perfect Owen Wilson impression. (Start at 3:55 to avoid The Avengers part, which is mostly the smitten host flirting awkwardly anyway.)