Zoolander 2 has more cameos than humor

Movie Title:      Zoolander No.2

Grade:   C+

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 40 minutes

In a Nutshell:    Blue steel is back!  If you loved the first Zoolander movie, like I did, you’ll generally get a kick out of this sequel.  If you didn’t enjoy it, then you’ll want to pass on this one, because it’s more of the same goofy nonsense.

Filled with TONS of celebrity cameos and a very thin plot, this ridiculous satire of the fashion industry and pop culture features Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.

Uplifting theme: 

• “How can you expect to love 11 people when you don’t even love yourself?” – Kiefer Sutherland (playing himself)
• What’s inside you is more important than what’s outside.
• Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Things I liked:

• The film includes special appearances of some of the icons in the fashion industry: Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang, Valentino, Alexander Wang, Anna Wintour, and Mark Jacobs.
• Benedict Cumberbatch!
• You get a little history lesson in the beginning to fill you in on what has happened since the first Zoolander movie came out.  Has it really been 15 years?
• Other celebrity cameos include: Billy Zane, Ariana Grande, Kiefer Sutherland, Willie Nelson, Katie Perry, Sting, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Susan Boyle, Madonna, Usher, Lenny Kravitz, John Malkovich, M.C. Hammer, Olivia Munn, and many more.  Susan Sarandon appears and quotes a line she said in the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show .
• #oops!
• Penelope Cruz works for Interpol in the Fashion Division.  Ha ha
• There isn’t a surprise at the end of the credits, but you can watch Mugatu dance as they roll.
• I liked what they did with Fred Armisen’s character.
• The beginning of the movie with Justin Bieber was pretty funny.
• A lot of the movie is filmed in Rome!  I love Rome!  Here are some pictures I took there during my last visit there a couple of years ago.

Things I didn’t like:

• Kristen Wiig’s character is so repulsive and hard to understand that there is very little humor on the screen when she appears.  I do, however, think it’s funny that she “floats”, rather than walks.
• Some of the fashion gags get a little tired.
• I actually laughed out loud several times, but most of the humor is really, really, ridiculously stupid and you can see them coming a mile away.
• For a movie to have a sequel, it has to have a good reason to exist.  Other than a money grab, there just isn't much there.  Huge Zoolander fans will probably be disappointed by that.

Funny lines:

• “I miss not knowing things with you.” – Derek
•  “Prison changed me.  I’m bad to the core now!” - Mugatu
• “Don’t drink the water or you’ll die.” – VIP
• Farm-to-table Wi-Fi….ha ha
• “All is all just married hermself.  Mono-marriage is legal in Rome now.” – VIP
• “We were a joke out there…a total laughing stick.” – Derek
• “Please accept my apologies, Derek.” – Valentina Valencia

“None taken.” – Derek

• “You’re the most narcissistic person I’ve ever met.” – Derek Junior

“But that’s not how I see myself.” – Derek

• “I’m not fat.” – Derek Junior

“He’s Plus Size!” - Derek

Tips for parents:   

• 1 F-bomb, although you get to hear Justin Bieber say “Oh fudge!”  Penelope Cruz swears in Spanish.
• Like the orgy scene in the first Zoolander movie, there is another one with Hansel.  
• Penelope Cruz is practically falling out of her bathing suit and blouses in every scene.  Zoolander grabs her chest in one scene and has an “aroused” profile in another.
• Mugatu and Todd have another odd sexual facial exchange like in the first film.
• Most of the characters are extremely shallow.  Talk to your kids about self-esteem and the importance of not judging people by their appearance alone.

Night at the Museum nods a fond farewell to fans, Robin Williams, and Mickey Rooney

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.

·          

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 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.

·          

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.

·          

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.

·          

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!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will have you renewing your passport

Movie Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Grade: A-


In a Nutshell: We’re all a little bit like Walter Mitty, imagining ourselves doing great things while reality jails us in some dull cubicle to eek out a living. In this fresh remake (the 1947 version starred the lovable Danny Kaye), Walter Mitty is, ironically, a “negative asset manager” for LIFE magazine who daydreams about heroism and romance, but lives an uninspired life. Because he hasn’t done anything “noteworthy or mentionable”, he can’t seem to catch the eye of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) until... I remember reading this James Thurber’s short story in middle school and began drafting my very first “Bucket List.”



Uplifting theme: Stop dreaming. Start living. I took my family to see this comedy directed by Ben Stiller and asked my kids what they thought. One of my sons said “Motivated.” I prompted “Motivated to do what?” “More.” Another son chimed in “Motivated to do more instead of read about it on blogs.” The magazine Walter Mitty works for is, appropriately, LIFE. Now, go out there and use your passport.

Things I liked:  Gorgeous cinematography! Inspiring visions. Some of the biggest moments of the film were the ones that featured simple joys. The subtle humor had my husband’s contagious laughter fill the theater. Ben Stiller is the king of awkward moments. The 1947 film portrayed an overbearing mother, but in this version the lovely Shirley MacLaine brings to life a supportive, but aging mom who unintentionally brings out the best in her son.

For the younger generation who never had the pleasure of reading LIFE from 1936-1972, it was the photojournalism magazine that introduced us to places all over the world. Its motto, spotlighted in the movie was: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”



Things I didn’t like: Walter Mitty is in really good shape on that skateboard, considering he was supposed to have been working in a dark photography office for 17 years. I know, as if the rest of the film was entirely believable. The great cell phone reception on the mountain top of the Himalayas provided some laughter from the audience.

Funny line: “I have that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button thing.”

Things to look for:  Read all of the signs on streets, walls, and even mountains during the film for insightful narration. You won’t see Stiller’s famous “Blue Steel” humor from Zoolander , but a solid dramatic performance that is endearing.

Tips for parents: Rated PG! Yay! There are some intoxicated guys in a bar drinking REALLY LARGE glasses. A couple of “mild” swear words. A funny Ben Stiller movie with no F-bombs and crude humor…a refreshing relief. It was a nice change to see Kristen Wiig and Sean Penn with clean characters as well. Your family will enjoy the thrilling action scenes and peaceful moments of reflection.

Now I'm ready to go to Iceland or Greenland