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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 05/23/2009 : 12:36:06
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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
There are some truly wonderful moments in this sequel to the 2006 b.o. hit, but they're so loosely cobbled together that it's difficult even to call it a film. The story is so naff it's clearly only an excuse for a succession of some brilliant sfx.
The best performance by far is by Hank [Homer Simpson] Azaria as a reincarnated evil pharoah. I've read many suggestions about the voice he uses, but for me it's a dead ringer for Boris Karloff. Azaria's brief confrontation with Darth Vader [don't ask] is a masterpiece of comic timing.
Another truly inspired visual touch is the integration of Capone's b&w mobsters with everyone else in colour. And the paintings coming to life, while not original, is exceptionally effective.
Of course it will clean up at the b.o.
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demonic 
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 05/23/2009 : 16:27:47
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| ... but of course Mr Azaria didn't voice Homer Simpson, just a host of genius supporting roles including Moe the Bartender, Apu and Chief Wiggum. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 05/24/2009 : 18:04:53
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One day last August, we beheld the largest film crew we had ever seen in more than twenty years in New York City. Long location trucks took *every single inch* on three sides of the American Museum of Natural History, giving up only the museum's Central Park West face to normal traffic. Maybe twenty of the *huge* trucks. Costumes, actors' dressing rooms, etc., and the damned finest craft services layout I've ever beheld: we almost went up and asked for burgers ourselves [if we'd only had credentials, we could have chosen chicken, salmon, etc., instead]!
Now, consider: they were grabbing shots for a movie *mostly set at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.*! So anything you see at the Natural History Museum was part of this MAMMOTH shoot. I can wait for HBO, but I'm very curious to see how much of this picture was actually pulled by the HUNDREDS of people at that shoot. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 05/26/2009 : 18:51:48
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| If I'm honest, I liked the first one more, but this one came out on the day I left the country and stars Owen Wilson, and it was passable enough for me to will myself to enjoy it. Like B.B. says, several touches were not especially original but were done very well. |
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RockGolf 
"1500+ reviews. 1 joke."
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Posted - 05/26/2009 : 20:10:11
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
One day last August, we beheld the largest film crew we had ever seen in more than twenty years in New York City. Long location trucks took *every single inch* on three sides of the American Museum of Natural History, giving up only the museum's Central Park West face to normal traffic. Maybe twenty of the *huge* trucks. Costumes, actors' dressing rooms, etc., and the damned finest craft services layout I've ever beheld: we almost went up and asked for burgers ourselves [if we'd only had credentials, we could have chosen chicken, salmon, etc., instead]!
Now, consider: they were grabbing shots for a movie *mostly set at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.*! So anything you see at the Natural History Museum was part of this MAMMOTH shoot. I can wait for HBO, but I'm very curious to see how much of this picture was actually pulled by the HUNDREDS of people at that shoot.
I was on vacation in NYC last August and atop the Rockefeller Center (which BTW is a waaaay better view of the city than the Empire State Building) and they were filming a long establishing shot of the Museum for "NATM2". |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 05/27/2009 : 18:12:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Ro�k G01f, MD+
[quote]
I was on vacation in NYC last August and atop the Rockefeller Center (which BTW is a waaaay better view of the city than the Empire State Building) and they were filming a long establishing shot of the Museum for "NATM2".
There was an even better view once, in which height trumped the Empire State's central location. That's exactly what ESB has over Rockefeller Center. But they're both breathtaking. |
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duh 
"catpurrs"
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Posted - 05/28/2009 : 01:57:50
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
quote:
Originally posted by Ro�k G01f, MD+
[quote]
I was on vacation in NYC last August and atop the Rockefeller Center (which BTW is a waaaay better view of the city than the Empire State Building) and they were filming a long establishing shot of the Museum for "NATM2".
There was an even better view once, in which height trumped the Empire State's central location. That's exactly what ESB has over Rockefeller Center. But they're both breathtaking.
Battle of the views. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 06/05/2009 : 02:58:01
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quote:
Originally posted by duh Improper Username
quote:
Originally posted by randall
quote:
Originally posted by Ro�k G01f, MD+
[quote]
I was on vacation in NYC last August and atop the Rockefeller Center (which BTW is a waaaay better view of the city than the Empire State Building) and they were filming a long establishing shot of the Museum for "NATM2".
There was an even better view once, in which height trumped the Empire State's central location. That's exactly what ESB has over Rockefeller Center. But they're both breathtaking.
Battle of the views.
But, as I insinuated, WTC once beat them both by far. |
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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
