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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
The third, and I assume last, in the series of movies involving Ben Stiller's nightwatchman at New York's Museum of Natural History, where a magic tablet from ancient Egypt makes the exhibits come alive at night. I missed the second installment, but it was quite easy to pick up on things. Stiller's character, Larry, is now in seemingly easy control of his charges, the exhibits, most of whom have become his friends. But the tablet that controls them has started to corrode, making the characters in the exhibits act wonky. Ahkmenrah, the keeper of the tablet, tells Larry that they must go to the British Natural History Museum to see his father, who will know what to do. Once there, Larry and Ahkmenrah find out that several of the exhibits from America have stowed away in the crate carrying the tablet. Anyway, there is another big adventure with new characters in the London museum who also come alive and start acting strange in the presence of the fading tablet. It's no spoiler to say that all ends well, and even though the return to America has some necessary sadness to it, it still ends on a happy note. All the actors are good and go through their paces for a movie like this, but this one has the added pleasure of Rebel Wilson and Ben Kingsley. The death of Robin Williams in 2014 makes me think that there won't be another "Museum" film, but who knows with Hollywood? If there's dollar one to be made off of a sequel, Hollywood will continue to churn them out. Anyway, in the final tally, this is a fun film, much like the first one, and one that kids will probably enjoy more than adults. But, as I'm pretty much a kid at heart, I liked it a lot.
Next Time I Marry (1938)
Early Lucille Ball movie that tries to be a classic screwball comedy but only partially succeeds, a lot due to the fact that it has a pretty short running time. At 72 minutes, it zips by without ever really building up any comic tension, therefore leaving this viewer not even concerned whether it would end on a bad note or not. I mean, I knew, with it being screwball that it would would end happy, but I at least want to have any doubt earned by the movie. All griping aside, Lucille is fine as a wife who hires a poor man to marry her so she can then divorce him and marry her fiance in order to gain her inheritance. I know, it doesn't quite make sense but I don't care as long as it entertains, and this movie does, but not greatly. James Ellison plays her hired husband, Anthony J. Anthony, and he does a good job being exasperated at being the "Cinderella" man, swept into a marriage by a soon-to-be rich heiress. Granville Bates does a fine job as Lucille's "guardian" (of her fortune rather than her) and one of the few people who really cares about her rather than her money. Anyway, like I said, all ends well and it's all a bit of fluff that is an okay time-waster.
The third, and I assume last, in the series of movies involving Ben Stiller's nightwatchman at New York's Museum of Natural History, where a magic tablet from ancient Egypt makes the exhibits come alive at night. I missed the second installment, but it was quite easy to pick up on things. Stiller's character, Larry, is now in seemingly easy control of his charges, the exhibits, most of whom have become his friends. But the tablet that controls them has started to corrode, making the characters in the exhibits act wonky. Ahkmenrah, the keeper of the tablet, tells Larry that they must go to the British Natural History Museum to see his father, who will know what to do. Once there, Larry and Ahkmenrah find out that several of the exhibits from America have stowed away in the crate carrying the tablet. Anyway, there is another big adventure with new characters in the London museum who also come alive and start acting strange in the presence of the fading tablet. It's no spoiler to say that all ends well, and even though the return to America has some necessary sadness to it, it still ends on a happy note. All the actors are good and go through their paces for a movie like this, but this one has the added pleasure of Rebel Wilson and Ben Kingsley. The death of Robin Williams in 2014 makes me think that there won't be another "Museum" film, but who knows with Hollywood? If there's dollar one to be made off of a sequel, Hollywood will continue to churn them out. Anyway, in the final tally, this is a fun film, much like the first one, and one that kids will probably enjoy more than adults. But, as I'm pretty much a kid at heart, I liked it a lot.
Next Time I Marry (1938)
Early Lucille Ball movie that tries to be a classic screwball comedy but only partially succeeds, a lot due to the fact that it has a pretty short running time. At 72 minutes, it zips by without ever really building up any comic tension, therefore leaving this viewer not even concerned whether it would end on a bad note or not. I mean, I knew, with it being screwball that it would would end happy, but I at least want to have any doubt earned by the movie. All griping aside, Lucille is fine as a wife who hires a poor man to marry her so she can then divorce him and marry her fiance in order to gain her inheritance. I know, it doesn't quite make sense but I don't care as long as it entertains, and this movie does, but not greatly. James Ellison plays her hired husband, Anthony J. Anthony, and he does a good job being exasperated at being the "Cinderella" man, swept into a marriage by a soon-to-be rich heiress. Granville Bates does a fine job as Lucille's "guardian" (of her fortune rather than her) and one of the few people who really cares about her rather than her money. Anyway, like I said, all ends well and it's all a bit of fluff that is an okay time-waster.
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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
