Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (also known as Night at the Museum 2) is the sequel to Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller leads the cast again with Owen Wilson and Robin Williams reprising their roles.
Ben Stiller and Amy Adams in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a successful man, he’s the CEO of his own company, which invents things like Glow-in-the-dark torchlights. Larry has George Foreman (as himself) as the guest star of his own invention TV Show.
The Museum of Natural History, the place where the first Night at the Museum movie was based is closed for upgrades and renovations. It was already two years since Larry leaves his night guard job. Out of curiosity, Larry steps into the museum to check out what happen. His former boss tells him that the museum will be using high-tech technology to beam the exhibits to life instead of showcasing wax figures. The existing exhibits will be moved into federal storage at the Smithsonian Institution instead.
Larry attempts all possible ways to save the exhibits but to no avail. When he receives a call from Jedediah Smith (Owen Wilson), whom tells him that the capuchin has stolen the tablet which brings things to life and therefore, everything in the world’s largest museum complex has come to life. In order to save his friends, Larry breaks into the prohibited area of the Smithsonian Museum to save the world.
Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) who flew on her non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic joins Larry in his adventure to prevent Kahmunrah, a wacky evil Pharoah (played by Hank Azaria) from activating the tablet to resurrect his armies.
While attempting to save the old exhibits which are held captive by Kahmunrah, Larry and Amelia encounter many new exhibits including Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat), The Thinker and Abraham Lincoln (both played by Hank Azaria as well).
Even Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch and Star Wars’ Darth Vader are not spared as they want to join Kahmunrah in his evil’s bid, but both are deemed unqualified by the Pharoah.
Larry and Amelia develop some feelings for each other while trying to save the exhibits. Larry has sold his own company to fund the The Museum of Natural History and once again, the exhibits are back to its original place. The museum is even opened at night and the exhibits themselves act as tour guides. The boss of the museum doesn’t have a clue that it’s not technology but the exhibits really come alive. Larry encounters a lost tourist whom assembles Amelia and the movie ends with Larry acting as tour guide for the lost tourist. Shortly after the credits appear, the sailor who finds Larry’s cellphone in the exhibits picture frame is seen called by his mom as "Motorola".
Overall, the movie is hilarious and fun to watch as the visual is stimulating. Somehow, the excitements end there. Kahmunrah, as an evil Pharoah, is wacky and at times, funny and not at all terrifying while Al Capone, Ivan the Terrible and Napolean Bonaparte are not ruthless enough. A good film for the family.
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian is the sequel to Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller and Amy Adams. The second movie is about security guard, Larry Daley rescuing Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan). Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian will be released on May 22, 2009.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa a.k.a. Madagascar 2 is the sequel to the 2005 film, Madagascar starring the voice of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter. The film also featured the voice of will.i.am, Alec Baldwin and Bernie Mac.
The movie begins in the past, where Zuba (Bernie Mac), the leader of a lion pride, teaches his infant son, Alakay (Alex) how to protect himself by showing him how to fight. Somehow, Alakay is lured and trapped by the hunters, and even though Zuba chases the hunters, he loses track of his son. Alakay’s crate falls into a river and drifts to New York City where he is put on display in the Central Park Zoo.
The movie then fast forward to the present, picking up where Madagascar left off. Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria are boarding an airplane that will be catapulted with a gigantic slingshot. King Julien and Maurice join with them while Mort (Andy Richter) is not welcomed but somehow managed to stick to the plane. Half-way through the trip, the penguins discover they run out of fuel, but manage an emergency crash landing in an African wildlife reserve. They all meet their own species, while the penguins stay at the crash site and repair the plane with the aid of some monkeys.
Alex inadvertently reunites with his dad Zuba and mother Florrie (Sherri Shepherd). Zuba’s rival Makunga (Alec Baldwin) intends to make use Alex in order to steal the throne for himself. Alex is tricked by Makunga into choosing Teetsi, an exceedingly large lion as an opponent in his trial for membership in the pride. Alex misinterprets the test for a dance-off, and is easily defeated. Makunga assumes the throne when Zuba, despite his disappointment with Alex, refuses to banish his son, and is himself banished along with his wife.
Meanwhile, Marty joins a herd of zebras, but discovers that each of the zebras is exactly like him, which makes him feels not so unique anymore. Gloria meets Moto Moto (Will.i.am) as a potential mate. Melman becomes a giraffe herd’s new witch doctor and treats animals with diseases and wounds. His new friends convince him he has “Witch Doctor’s Disease” and has only two more days to live.
Alex and Melman talk over their problems with a zebra they think is Marty. Marty arrives and takes offense that Alex cannot tell him from one of his “clones”. Gloria realizes that Moto Moto is only attracted to her because she is fat. Melman makes the best of his remaining hours by facing Moto Moto and telling him to take care of Gloria for all the great qualities he himself sees in her, which moves Gloria and other female hippos.
When the waterhole dries up, all the animals become scare. Alex volunteers to find the location where the water is clogged and set out of the reserve area. While at it, he makes up with Marty, who goes with him. They trace it to a dam that New York vacationers led by Nana the Old Lady had built to support themselves off the reserve after getting their jeeps hijacked by the Penguins. Alex is caught by the humans, but Zuba rushes in in the nick of time. Alex performs the dance he had done in the zoo, and the humans recognize him as the same one the zoo. Zuba realizes the importance of Alex’s gift and joins in with him as well.
Meanwhile, King Julian proposes the animals make a sacrifice to a volcano to bring the water back, and Melman volunteers since he thinks he’s going to die anyway. Just before he jumps into the volcano, Gloria runs in and asks Melman about his confessions. Marty then arrives, and reports that Alex has been captured by the humans. Gloria and Melman head off the reserve with the Penguins using the repaired airplane. Despite Nana’s efforts to defend the dam, the penguins destroy it, and the water is brought back to the waterhole. Concurrently, Mort arrives at the volcano, still pursued by a shark all the right from the ocean. The shark inadvertently sacrifices himself, falling into the volcano just as the now undammed river restores the water hole. Julian thinks god has responded to the sacrifice despite an initial uncertainty on whether god likes seafood.
Makunga is kicked out from the throne after Alex tricks him into taking Nana’s handbag. Zuba offers to give Alex the throne, which he refuses but Zuba reluctantly says the throne belong to him and his son together. Gloria realizes she loves Melman after all. All four friends decide to stay in Africa, Julian and Maurice join them as well while the penguins take off in the plane for Skipper’s honeymoon (Skipper married a bobblehead doll found on the plane).
Overall, the movie is hilarious and enjoyable to watch even if you didn’t watch the first movie. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a feel good movie from the start till the end. Good news is that there is another sequel, set to be released in 2011.
Tropic Thunder, directed and acted by Ben Stiller, is a movie about film crew struggling against Murphy’s Law during the production of a big budget war film. Also starring Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Steve Coogan.
Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club picked their two honorees for Woman and Man of the Year yesterday and they’ve gone with Ben Stiller and Scarlett Johansson. Stiller is currently still selling massive amounts of tickets for his family comedy Night at the Museum and Scarlett Johansson recently starred in The Black Dahlia and The Prestige.
The Associated Press reports that the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, a student drama group at Harvard University, gives its awards to performers who have made a “lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.” The group is the nation’s oldest undergraduate drama company.
Scarlett Johansson led a parade through Cambridge on February 15th, which led her to a roast in her honor, at which she received the “Pudding Pot,” the prize for Woman of the Year. The same thing happened for Ben Stiller on February 23th.
Scarlett Johansson is only 22 years old but has an amazing career already, marked by four Golden Globe nominations. She broke through in The Horse Whisperer only nine years ago and has since received acclaim in Ghost World, Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring, A Love Song for Bobby Long, In Good Company, Match Point, The Island, Scoop, The Black Dahlia, and The Prestige. She’s not slowing down and will next be seen in The Nanny Diaries with Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti this April. After that, she’ll star with Natalie Portman and Eric Bana this October in The Other Boleyn Girl.
Ben Stiller is 41 years old and has most recently been seen in School for Scoundrels, Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, and the HUGE Night at the Museum. He got his start in small roles on shows as diverse as Kate & Allie and Miami Vice, but he didn’t break through until he got his own show, The Ben Stiller Show. He used that critically acclaimed but not very high-rated show to move into film and made his mark with Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Zoolander, Along Came Polly, Dodgeball, and Madagascar. He’ll next be seen in the Farrelly Brothers’ The Heartbreak Kid with Michelle Monaghan and his dad Jerry Stiller, which is scheduled for release this October.
Last year’s winners were Halle Berry and Richard Gere.
Night At The Museum is a movie about Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a newly recruited night security guard at the Museum of Natural History that discovers that an ancient curse has caused the animals and exhibits on display to come to life at night and wreak havoc. Like most characters acted by Ben Stiller, Larry Daley is a loser in life who has got no job, is divorced and is fighting for the right for his son. He was the CEO of “Snapper”, an invention in which you just need to snap your fingers to get electrical items to turn on – somehow a new invention called “Clapper” seems to sell better as it’s easier to clap then to snap. So, one day, Larry has got himself a job at the museum as a night guard. The director of the museum decides to hire one younger man to replace the three old existing guards to save cost since the museum has not been losing money as not many visitors frequent the museum.
So, Larry is introduced to the three old guards. As the night comes, the three old guards give Larry a torchlight and a set of keys and an instruction manual. As Larry does not know about the mystery of the museum, he doesn’t bother reading the instruction manual. That’s when he knows he need to read the manual – it’s too late and the manual is torn to pieces by one of the monkeys in the museum.
The movie is basically about Larry and getting things right at the museum, and at the same time, to prove to his ex-wife and son that he’s not a loser. The plots and storyline are light-weighted but it’s a humorous movie and it’s good for the whole family to watch!
