Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

What an entertaining, sometimes awkward and odd movie Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is! It certainly cannot be called the “feel good” blockbuster of the summer; and for obvious reasons, it’s a movie about talking historical museum exhibits. Under the direction of Shawn Levy and standout performances by Ben Stiller and Amy Adams (and the strange vocal lisping of Hank Azaria), Night at the Museum is worth seeing if you’ve got the matinee time. It could also work for some late night amusement, if you’re in for random laughter.

"KrosseyedKim"

Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation

Director/Producer, McG (Chuck, We Are Marshall) made a valiant effort with Terminator Salvation. It excels in what makes most action movies watchable powerhouses: from extremely loud audio to jolting camera work during action fueled scene after action fueled scene. Screenwriter, Jamie Linden, would have benefited much more, however, if the story, by Cory Helms, was not buried under the aforementioned scenes. Some of the plot devices used to alert John Connor of his dire mission are weak and the exposition could have been slimmed down to an eventful, informative scene or two. Terminator Salvation is not altogether unwatchable, but it most certainly has more hype than actual enthralling content. Also, Christian Bale as John Connor is definitely not as exciting as one would imagine, or hope.

Going to the movies ready for action and a decrease in sense of sound? No disappointment! Those, however, who seat themselves upon their somewhat comfortable theater seats to watch a film with good, concise story will be mildly appeased.

“KrosseyedKim”

Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons

How does one encompass hefty concepts such as religion and science in a form that not only induces thought but also entertainment? One idea would be to take the novel Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, put it in the hands of David Koepp (War of the Worlds) and Akiva Goldsmith (of A Beautiful Mind fame as well as The Da Vinci Code) and then hand it off to director Ron Howard and a movie is born! Angels & Demons was bound from the start to have to incorporate lots of dialogue – how else is one to understand the subversive world of the Illuminati and references to symbolism?

Though exposition seemed to have leaked over into a good portion of the film, it soon decides to pick up steam, but never completely dislodges the curious viewer who paid their ten bucks to do something other than refresh their expensive popcorn. Ewan McGregor's performance is outstanding and very well cast - surpassing even Tom Hanks and his performance. Howard, Akiva and company fared better this time out. The Da Vinci Code definitely did not sit well with its audience, but Angels & Demons is worth the watch for those willing to wait a while for a thrill. The rest, just Netflix the DVD and know that you aren’t about to be completely and utterly brain washed.

"KrosseyedKim"