3 movies, 1 book

I wish this started off better…

The sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian had so much potential. It was set at the Smithsonian for cryin’ out loud. There is a huge amount of potential to be had there…  Alas.

This movie picks up a few years after the first one leaves off, and many of the familiar characters from the first one are being shipped off into storage in the national archives. Larry (Stiller), now a successful inventor of cheezy infomercial products is nevertheless drug back in to the midnight madness that is museum life, this time rushing to the aid of his friends who are under siege at the Smithsonian, where we are ultimately introduced to a few new characters.

In fairness to the movie, there are some pretty funny moments. When an excited General Custer yells “We’re Americans!  We don’t plan, we do!” for instance. In fairness to the readers here, those moments are rare, the plot, such that it is, feels cobbled together. There are huge holes in what little logic exists in this story in the first place, and the overall effect is one of indifference. (or at least it was for me) I wouldn’t recommend it, and horror of horrors, I’ve heard rumor of a 3rd installment in the works. Maybe they’ll get back on track. I won’t hold my breath.

I don’t fit the target demographic for Disney cartoons, but generally enjoy them anyway cause I’m plenty childish, and my kids give me an excuse to watch them completely without shame. So, when my daughter picked out Oliver and Company, I was all for it.

I have regrets.

This movie worked for the kids in a “aww, look at the cute talking animals” kind of way. In that sense, Disney hit the mark. It was otherwise a rather lousy movie and, in my opinion, one of Disney’s low points. On the human side of the plot, our main good guy is actually a down-on-his-luck thief who employs a ragtag group of stray animals to try and help him ply his trade. This man is in a debt of the life-threatening variety to a ruthless mobster (are you experiencing gleeful laughter yet?). Our little girl heroine is the product of inattentive and often absent parents in an enormous house with a butler to take care of her, and he doesn’t seem particularly concerned about her either. The little girl ends up ultimately kidnapped by the mean mob guy who ends up dead after a daring rescue by the good bad-guy and the animals, and we are treated to Cheech Marin, and attempts at music by Bette Midler and Billy Joel. I’m sure it’s a great movie if you’re stinkin’ drunk or high. Spend your money and time on something better.

Like Coraline.

I’m not sure what this was based on, but what a fun and imaginative story! Screen this one or watch it early with younger children though, as for our daughter, late in the evening, parts of it were a bit much. (it IS a Tim Burton production after all)

Coraline (Dakota Fanning) finds a small door that leads from her boring existence into a near-copy of reality where everything is better and her parents are much more fun and caring. She soon starts to realize though that things may not be what they seem.

The imaginations behind this flick did an amazing job. This is raw creativity unleashed, and the result is immensely enjoyable. I’d highly recommend this one!

In the third installment of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series, Dead and Alive, I finally get an idea of why they may be pushing this out as a trilogy of trilogies. This third book ends on a note that fairly neatly packages the first three as one story unit.

In the first installment, one of Frankenstein’s new race members “gives birth” in a manner of speaking. In this installment, that resulting creature returns. Frankenstein’s 5th version of a wife has one of the most interesting first days of life imaginable, and we are introduced to some really bizarre creatures – some created by Frankenstein, some who have assembled/reassembled themselves – who start operating contrary to their programming. All of this makes for a pretty interesting story, and overall this first trilogy is good reading. Instant classics? Nah…not really, but good fodder for a rainy day. Give ‘em a try, you may like ‘em!