Night at the Museum 3 ends the trilogy with a laugh and a tear

The weather is cold and perfect for snuggling up to a good book or watching a fun flick with the family!  Here's one of my movie reviews from my blog Movie Review Maven!

Movie:  Night at the Museum 3

PG, 1 hour 30 minutes

Grade: B

In a Nutshell:  If you’re a fan of this edutainment franchise, you’ll enjoy seeing some of your favorite characters again, as well as meeting a few new ones, including a Neanderthal that looks like Larry Daley (Ben Stiller)  and Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey Season 1-3 ).  We get to visit the famous British Museum while slapsticking our way through calculated goofy moments and funny lines.

The door is always open for another sequel, but it also feels like the dust may settle on this one as an appropriate and fond farewell.  There are a few touching moments and enough humorous ones to keep the entire family entertained.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Be careful or the magic might die.  (Is that a lesson that the new writers learned while writing this?)

   *  Family is who you surround yourself with.

   *  Enjoy every moment of life.

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Things I liked:

·         It was wonderful seeing Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt again.  We miss you.  Before the credits rolled at the end, the screen displayed the words “In loving memory of Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams.  Magic never dies.”  Sweet.

·         I also loved seeing Dick Van Dyke.  He’s still got moves!

·         Hugh Jackman makes a cameo performance, playing himself.  Ben Stiller's character runs past him and says “I just want to say, you’re the whole package.”

·         The star constellation performance was super cool.   "Of course they're special effects!  How could they not be special effects?"   (Dr. McPhee)

·         Capuchin on silks.  Ha ha

·         I thought the research librarian was hilarious.   “Oo la la.”

·         Great aerial views of London.  I’m going there next June with the fam!

·         Ricky Gervais does a great job playing the quirky Dr. McPhee.  The comedic timing during his awkward moments scene with Larry was fantastic.

·         Nick Daley is almost all grown up now. Skyler Gisondo has some great natural talent.  You might have seen him in The Amazing Spider-Man ; The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , as well asHalloween .  I'd like to see more of him.

  .    Rebel Wilson as Tilly the British Museum security guard was hilarious and should have been used more.

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Things I didn’t like:

·         Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) don’t have the same magical spark they did in the first installment of this trilogy, but they were still cute.

      I would have liked to see more exhibits and characters in the British museum come to life.  There were so many more ways the movie could have poked fun at our beloved Britts.

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Funny lines:

·         “Who would have ever thought…I’m wax and she’s polyurethane, but it works.” – Teddy Roosevelt

·         “Summon the apparatus!” – Octavius

·         “I don’t know what’s come over me, but I like it.” – Jedediah

·         “You’ll rue the day you mocked us with your hypnotic blue eyes.” – Octavius

·         “Keep the scrunchies.”  - Tilly

·         “You can’t catch light.  It’s as evasive as human happiness.”  - Jedediah as he watches YouTube videos of kittens chase a flashlight.

·         “My boyfriend says he doesn’t like the way I do my hair.  He says it looks like a golden poo.” – Tilly

·         “With their size, they’ll bake like tiny, little scarabs in the Egyptian desert.  Too dark?” –  Rami Malek

Interesting things:

·         The investor guy with glasses in the beginning of the movie looked like the bad guy in Indiana Jones' Raiders of the Lost Ark. He says “I can’t help but feeling we’re making a terrible mistake.”   The Indiana Jones character in this movie then says “We’re not making a mistake; we’re making history.”

·         You don’t need to stay until the end of the credits.  There are a few clips of the crew dancing, but nothing else shows once the credits begin rolling.

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Tips for Parents:

·         Octavius makes several odd homosexual innuendos about Sir Lancelot.

In case you missed the first 2 installments, check them out here for cheap!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day turns into a movie

You read the book when you were little.  Now you're reading it to your kids.  How do you think the movie compares?  Check out my newest movie review blog post:

Movie Title:  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

PG

80 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell: 

Based on Judith Viorst’s beloved 1972 child’s book, this slapstick and warmhearted family film is a simple illustration of how messy all of our lives often are.  It’s somewhat cathartic to see that you’re not the only one in the world who struggles with endless diapers or beat-up cars or busy days run amuck.

It’s not the greatest movie you’ve ever seen, but it’s also not terrible, horrible, no good, or bad.  The movie is harmless and clean fun for all ages.  

Uplifting theme: 

• Alexander wraps it all up in the end with this wise advice: “You gotta have the bad days so you can love the good days even more.”
• There is no such thing as the perfect day or the perfect family for that matter. What’s truly most important is our family and enjoying this journey we call life.

Things I liked:

• Steve Carell charms with his wit and comedic talent.  Jennifer Garner is believable as a loving, hard-working mother.  Ed Oxenbould does a good job as Alexander.
• Baby Trevor is adorable.  I hated seeing him cry.  Did they poke him or something?  I mean, how do you get a baby to cry on cue? Trevor was played by twins Elise and Zoey Vargas.
• The source material is only 32 pages long, so creating a movie around it could be a daunting task, but Rob Lieber’s script stays true to the zany feeling of the book.
• I loved seeing Dick Van Dyke.  What an iconic, beloved actor.  He’s looking great still!  It's too bad that they have him reading a book that says "taking a dump" a bunch of times.  He's too classy for that.
• Celia (played by Bella Thorne) is an egocentric, spoiled girlfriend who the audience I sat with loved to hate.

Things I didn’t like:

• They invented the word “Fommy” to mean a stay-at-home father who cares for the children like a mommy.  Kinda dumb. 
• There are a few scenes that fall flat, but the overall manic pacing of the film pulls you along for the ride.
• I would love to have seen more of Megan Mullally.
• Why is it everyone has to say the "P" word all the time now in movies and on TV shows?  (male anatomical body party)

Funny lines:

• “Who’s this kid Parker?” – Ben Cooper (the dad)

“He’s this really cool kid with a hot tub and ADHD.”  - Alexander

• “Another bad party can ruin your rep forever.” – Paul Dumphy
• “Sorry we’re late.  We had a little diaper drama at Trader Joe’s.” – Ben
• “I’m hashtag blessed, you know.”  - Anthony
• “Don’t blow my dickereedoo!” – Alexander

“Then what’s it for?” - Anthony

Tips for parents:   

• This is a feel-good movie that will make you want to pull together more as a family.  That’s what families are for, right?  There should be one place and one group of people in this world who can be a refuge from the storm in your life: your family. 
• It’s not a bad idea to teach your kids how to get gum out of their hair…the correct way.
• The sister does all kinds of fun tongue-twisters your family can tackle.
• Young kids can learn all about Australia, Vegemite and kangaroos for their next school report.
• There are some "Thunder from Down Under" male strippers at the end.  They don't actually strip, but they begin to before the parents realize what they're doing and then stop them.
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