the reel dope

Movie reviews for: Bye Bye Birdie, The Ugly American, and Dr. No.

night at the museum

the year: 2006

the genre: comedy / action


the cast: Ben Stiller (Larry Daley); Carla Gugino (Rebecca); Dick Van Dyke (Cecil); Mickey Rooney (Gus); Bill Cobbs (Reginald); Ricky Gervais (Dr. McPhee); Robin Williams (Teddy Roosevelt)


the plot: When unemployed, divorced father Larry Daley is hired as night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, he soon discovers that an ancient curse brings all the exhibits to life after the sun sets. Suddenly, Larry finds himself face-to-face with a frisky T-Rex skeleton, tiny (competing) armies of Romans and cowboys, and a mischievous monkey who taunts him to the breaking point. But with the help of President Teddy Roosevelt, Larry may just figure out a way to control the chaos and become a hero in his son's eyes.


did you know: Larry's inability to remember Christopher Columbus' name is a wink and a nod to producer Chris Columbus.


listen for: Gus's tough talk:
"Listen up, Lunch Box!"
"Sleep tight, hotshot."
"Do you want the job or not, snack shack?"
"Sweet dreams, cupcake."
"Keep a lid on it, butterscotch."
"Do you want to dance, hot dog?"
"Are you crackin' wise? I oughta punch you in the nose, Hopscotch."


did you also know: while filming, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson only had one day that they saw each other. Stiller talked to a toothpick for the Jedediah scenes, then three months later Wilson came in and filmed all of his parts.


extra bonus points: if you know what's important about the lady who played the woman in the employment office.


watch for: signs on the wall of the elevator and in the lobby, with titles paralleling what is happening to Larry at that point in the movie, including: "Spineless" and "Weathering the Storm".


also listen for: "Let's all laugh at me, the comedy night guard. No is the answer. Sarcasm back at you, with your humor box. I wasn't laughing. I was pretending to laugh, if that's what you want, some sort of battle of humor. Do you?"


don't miss: how Larry brings Atilla the Hun to tears.

fitzwilly

the year: 1967

the genre: comedy


the cast: Dick Van Dyke (Claude R. "Fitzwilly" Fitzwilliam); Barbara Feldon (Juliet Nowell); Edith Evans (Miss Victoria Woodworth)


the plot: When an aging philanthropist goes broke, her butler robs from the rich so she can give to the poor.

Miss Vicki is one of the world's greatest philanthropists - unfortunately, she is also flat broke. Her loyal butler, Fitzwilly, leads the household staff in getting the items she needs for her charities from various businesses (by charging the goods to rich customers and misdirecting the shipments). With Fitzwilly's encouragement, Miss Vicki starts to write a "Dictionary for Dopes" which contains all possible phonetic spellings of a word, and gives the reader the correct one. But Fitzwilly doesn't count on Juliet, the new secretary hired by Miss Vicky - and the only staff member not in on the game.



don't miss: the chaos at Gimbel's on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The inflatable rafts, Platypi caroling, and the dropped packages are good, but I think "the pincher" might just be my favorite.



watch: the trailer here.



did you know: Fitzwilly's thrift store is named for St. Dismas, the "good thief" in Christian tradition.



did you also know: this film was the first movie appearance of Barbara Feldon and Sam Waterston (WAY before his Law and Order days).


extra bonus points: if you know the roles Dame Edith Evans played in Slipper and the Rose .

bye bye birdie

the year: 1963

the genre: musical



the cast: Dick Van Dyke (Albert Peterson); Janet Leigh (Rosie DeLeon); Ann-Margaret (Kim McAfee); Maureen Stapleton (Mae Peterson); Bobby Rydell (Hugo Peabody); Paul Lynde (Harry McAfee); Ed Sullivan (Himself)



the plot: None-too-successful songwriter Albert Peterson hatches a plot with his secretary - and long-suffering girlfriend - to get rock-and-roll phenomenon Conrad Birdie to sing one of his songs on The Ed Sullivan Show. The pop star would then symbolically kiss goodbye to a young lady chosen at random from the country's womanhood, this being his last appearance before being drafted. Complicated to start with, things get more tricky as everyone including Albert's clinging mother descend on the small town where the chosen girl lives.





count: how many females faint when Conrad sings "You Gotta Be Sincere".



watch for: another case of an unplugged electric guitar during the opening chords of "You Gotta Be Sincere".



don't miss: the "Telephone Hour".


listen for: "Randolph, your father's warned you. If you make another bomb, you'll get spanked."


did you know: The sheet music of Birdie's next hit song, "Mumbo Jumbo Gooey Gumbo," which Albert picks up from the piano in his first scene, is the same music as the title tune, "Bye Bye Birdie."


extra bonus points: if you know why Albert's music company is called "ALMAELOU."

chitty chitty bang bang

the year: 1968

the genre: musical



the cast: Dick Van Dyke (Caractacus Potts); Sally Ann Howes(Truly Scrumptious); Lionel Jeffries (Grandpa); James Robertson Justince (Lord Scrumptious); Heather Ripley (Jemima Potts); Adrian Hall (Jeremy Potts)



the plot: An eccentric professor invents wacky machinery, but can't seem to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested in it, and resorts to skulduggery to get their hands on it.
(I just couldn't resist a summary that had the word "skulduggery" in it.)



don't miss: Spy One and Spy Two - especially when they try to "blend in".




count: how many dogs assisted with the 'Toot Sweet' finale.


listen for: "Coggins? That lives down the road? Sure. He wouldn't light your pipe if his house was on fire."



did you know: the colors of the floating Chitty - purple, green, and white - were the colors of the women's suffrage movement of that time.



also listen for: "Time's up. Had your chance. Muffed it. Good morning."





watch for: Grandpa's accommodations as he travels to Vulgaria. They are certainly posh.


did you also know: when the production filmed in the Bavarian town of Rothenberg on the Tauber, some locals were used. Senior citizens were cast as the townspeople of Vulgaria, while the local university's riding teams played the Vulgarian soldiers.