Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) Review:

When Night at the Museum (2006) was released it was a box office success and the franchise has proven to be a successful trilogy to boot. Although it’s unclear probably to most, how much people really thought it would do well when it first began. It was such a strange idea making a hybrid adventure about something the History Channel would talk about and Pixar’s Toy Story (1995). That apparently was enough though to get audiences’ attention, not only watch it, but have it financially perform well too. Honestly, it’s nothing ground breaking. The whole franchise is more or less a standard kid friendly family adventure franchise. So to say it’s below average isn’t justified just because not all of the writing is expected to be pure art. Sometimes the most profitable things are of lesser quality. Essentially, that’s what the franchise is; escapist entertainment.

Of course that doesn’t mean its second sequel and finale to the franchise is perfect. It does however round out the stories into a nice little trilogy putting itself back in the same place as the original film. While the film was again directed by Shawn Levy, the writers David Guion and Michael Handelman are brand new to the franchise. They both have one film to their name of which was Dinner for Schmucks (2010). That’s not saying a lot but it’s something. The story is about again Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) back again at New York’s Museum of Natural History heading the evening night show until things go awry when Ahkmenrah’s tablet begins losing its energy. Meanwhile Daley is also trying to understand his up and coming son Nick (Skyler Gisondo) with what he plans for his upcoming career.

While to storytelling still slips a bit, the writers seemed to have reeled back the cluttering that was in Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian (2009). Make no mistake there are still some special appearances to be had, but definitely not the same volume as the first sequel. However, these are more like funny cameos as opposed to fully developed roles. What was nice to see was the return of Bill Cobbs, Mickey Rooney and Dick Van Dyke reprising their security guard roles one more time to close the franchise. Despite this, there are still continuity errors riddled between this and the other entries. It seems like no one can tell or knows the full history. And there’s also a forced subplot involving another history figure developing a romance with another human, this time a night guard Tilly (Rebel Wilson).

Yes, it’s for comedic purposes but it makes no logical sense. This also happened in the previous entry, why repeat the same silly plot thread? Unfortunately, comedy in general is still a bit scattershot. Stiller continues to play his character the same way he has for the last two entries which is befuddled and straight faced which only works in certain situations. Other characters like Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens) should produce a good number of laughs with what he gets involved in. Then there’s also the mediocre humor like a monkey urinating. Oh that’s so hilarious, please stop making the audience feel like mindless boneheads. Acting in general though can’t be knocked. Everyone performs as to what is called of their character. Everyone from Rami Malek, Ricky Gervais who’s looking better in health, Ben Stiller who’s not looking as spry as he usually does and lastly Robin Williams in his final on screen performance.

The special effects all around still hold up, except for maybe a select few. Considering the budget was less this time than last, it’s not bad. Handling the camerawork was Guillermo Navarro, the same director of photography behind Desperado (1995), Spawn (1997) and even Hellboy (2004). While each entry has had a different cinematographer, Navarro helps keep the consistency here too. Lastly the music was once again composed by Alan Silvestri who creates a score to fit this sequel like he did for the last two films. While it’s not the most memorable in his works, it does feel like he too put in even more effort since this was the last film in the franchise. It makes all the difference when there’s closure to a story and the music is right there helping it along.

The final entry in this series still has continuity issues and the comedy is hit and miss. That’s not to say it’s not worth watching though. The acting is still good, the effects and characters are also more focused. Additionally, the music and camerawork are consistent enough to make this a solid franchise to watch among families.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest (2001) Review:

Sequels always face uphill battles to their predecessors. Whether it’s the first iteration or if it’s many others down the road. Usually, being able to stand on its own is hard to do. So far, the Pokémon series has been on average okay but nothing that is overwhelmingly groundbreaking. Really there’s only been one horrible entry and that was Pokémon 2000. The rest have been serviceable. Now four entries in, this sequel believe it or not manages to make itself feel very much the same to that of the original film that came out. Of course there are issues with it like all others that came before it, but there’s something else to it that allows it to stand out. Unfortunately, not much detail can be given in order to keep it spoiler free but that should be all more of a reason why to see this entry for fans of the show.

The plot takes place after season 4 of the show where Ash & company find themselves in a forest where they spot the legendary Pokémon Suicune. However, what they don’t know is that they’ll also come across Celebi another mystical Pokémon which has the ability to travel through time. Of which the gang will cross paths with a boy named Sam (Tara Sands). Together they seek to protect Celebi from an aggressive hunter known as the Iron Masked Marauder (Dan Green) looking to capture it. The film crew working behind the scenes on this movie hasn’t changed for the most part. Hideki Sonoda is now heading the script writing and English adaptation is still being handled by Michael Haigney. Kunihiko Yuyama is credited as the director and Jim Malone did the English version. 

Acting again is as credible as its going to get. All the main actors reprise their role and it all works well. Dan Green who’s now been taking part in three Pokémon features should no longer be a surprise either. What is different though is Green playing a confident villain as oppose to a misunderstood one. Green as the evil Iron Masked Marauder certainly plays up his masculine voice to be as dangerous sounding as possible. Tara Sands who’s also a franchise veteran playing Sam does a good job. It’s an obvious Mokuba clone from Yu-Gi-Oh however, but that’s okay. What makes the story to this entry unique though is how it plays into the history of Pokémon. Normally time travel is a risky element to use in a story that isn’t in the science fiction genre…but it doesn’t go to crazy into detail either.

Thankfully, that’s to its benefit because the time travel aspect is left ambiguous due to the mysteriousness surrounding the legendary Pokémon. That’s the wiggle room of the script. However, what doesn’t work in its favor is a blatant plot hole that was clearly shown in the original film that doesn’t occur here. Consistency is key when rules are made about how a certain universe works. That doesn’t mean the story itself isn’t interesting to watch. In fact, it’s safe bet that this film had a much more emotional punch to the gut than that of any other sequel. This factors into the rating and why it’s getting more credit than the last couple features. It does beg the question though about the people who travel through time, does that make them all knowing? Is it possible they have a deeper connection with certain characters more than the audience or other characters know? The film kind of answers that but also doesn’t.

And until there’s clarity as to why cinematography was needed, it’s just not going to make sense. It’s very likely Hisao Shirai’s skill was used somewhere for the film….but it’s not clear how cinematography works into animation. That’s where things get interesting. The animation is a much more even mix of CGI and regular animation and it looks good. Also the action isn’t completely based on Pokémon battles which is a change in pace. Lastly the original music composed by Hirokazu Tanaka and Shinji Miyazaki was used this time as opposed to it being rescored. While it’s not all catchy tunes, it definitely works for the scenes at hand and does bring in that recognizable battle theme. Sadly, there’s no domestic score available for this so it’s not as easy to hear the tracks separately. Maybe someday, but only in Japan.

There’s an obvious plot hole and the ending raises questions how much and what some characters really know. Besides this though the voice acting, animation and story have more to offer than the last few outings which makes it more at the level of the first movie.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Shaft (1971) Review:

After the wave of civil rights movements and protests throughout the 1960s, a new wave of influence began to emerge. Despite Hollywood being a massive enterprise, various independent productions were able to nab the spotlight. For Shaft (1971), it was the beginning of what some would remember as the era of blaxploitation films. It's even been considered the definitive movie of such a generation. What it's also best known for is being the beginning of Richard Roundtree's acting career. There's something about the setting and story that bring about a different world the audience may not have been familiar with. This kind of eye-opening experience is important for those who seek a new experience and want see their world through another lens. While it's not flawless, this action film has class and style.

The plot of the film is about private eye John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) being hired by mob boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) to rescue his daughter after being mysteriously kidnapped. Being a wild card on the force, Shaft wants to work the case his own way. Only involving the department and his direct supervisor Vic (Charles Cioffi) when necessary. Otherwise, it’s Shaft’s way or no way. In his search, Shaft also teams up with Ben Buford (Christopher St. John) to find more about Bumpy’s daughter’s whereabouts. Lastly there’s Shaft’s girlfriend Ellie (Gwenn Mitchell) who supports him when possible. The script was written by John D. F. Black based on a novel from Ernest Tidyman. Black was a writer to various TV episodes like Star Trek & Charlie’s Angels. Tidyman the same year would write the screenplay to Robin Moore’s The French Connection novel.

What makes the narrative of Shaft so intriguing to watch is the way the main character holds himself and communicates with other individuals. Unfortunately, this is mainly based upon the focus of race and differences in culture. The reason why it’s unfortunate is that anything that focuses only on the color one’s skin can further alienate others. That’s not to say the film itself tells its audience only certain people should watch the film, but it does feel as though part of the film’s influence is in spite of the times. Then again many people could sympathize with that. In the end, any regular person should be treated equally. Either way, the execution of the film by Gordon Parks was well done. Before this, Parks also directed The Learning Tree (1969).

Character wise John Shaft stands out as the most charismatic private eye in a while. The character can lay down the wisecracks and get the job done. The way he dresses is smooth but also has a forceful presence. Credit to Richard Roundtree for his performance as it’s one that viewers today don’t see much of now. The dialog itself is almost extinct compared to what’s being used today. Nobody says “don’t jive me” or “stay loose” anymore. It’s phrases like these that could make a viewer long to experience days like those again. Coming in second for a great performance is Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas. While Gunn plays his character more straight faced, he still comes off just as serious and even shows a little humanity in spite of his mob role. All other cast members perform well too, but they don’t really show too much of their own uniqueness.

Cinematography by Urs Furrer was the other weak area to the film. Most certainly the reason is not that the film doesn’t look good or handled poorly. It’s just there wasn’t a whole lot to take in other than the darkly lit urban terrain that was Harlem. However, what is one of the best if not most well-known components to the feature is Isaac Hayes’ soundtrack to the film. The album, containing over an hour of music lights up the film with sounds from the 70s along with other rhythms and tunes that really make the title character have a memorable theme. Not to mention Hayes uses his voice in various tracks as well as composing motifs for Bumpy Jonas and even Ellie. It’s all one heck of collection that feels timeless considering the age of the music it came from.

Camerawork could’ve used some work and the social context behind the film is somewhat to be expected. However, the time it came from is what makes it so entertaining and special. The main characters are fun to watch thanks to the acting. The dialog will keep it audiences’ attention and so will the music due to influence from the time it originated from. 

Points Earned --> 7:10