night at the museum 2: battle of the smithsonian

the year: 2009

the genre: action/comedy


the cast: Ben Stiller (Larry Daley); Amy Adams (Amelia Earhart); Owen Wilson (Jedediah); Hank Azairia (Kahmunrah); Robin Williams (Teddy Roosevelt); Christopher Guest (Ivan the Terrible); Ricky Gervais (Dr. McPhee); Steve Coogan (Octavius)


the plot: When the Museum of Natural History is closed for upgrades and renovations, the museum pieces are moved into federal storage at the famous Washington Museums. After stealing a security guard's ID badge, Larry slips into the Archives of the Smithsonian, where Kahmunrah, an evil Pharaoh has taken the magic tablet and come to life. Also come to life are the old exhibits (i.e. Theodore Roosevelt and Dexter) and new exhibits (i.e. General Custer and Al Capone) and chaos quickly ensues. Larry enlists the help of Amelia Earheart, and together they try to put everything back in order and get the tablet away from Kahmunrah.


don't miss: the difference between a tunic and a dress.


did you know: this was the first movie ever filmed at the Smilthsonian Institution.


listen for: [to Darth Vader] "Is that you breathing? Because I can't hear myself think! There's too much going on here; you're asthmatic, you're a robot. And why the cape? Are we going to the opera? I don't think so."


did you also know: Hank Azaria screen tested Kahmunrah with various accents including American Southerner (from Alabama) and English Cockney, before settling on an "upper crust British accent" with a "humorous lisp" - a tribute to Boris Karloff's The Mummy.


extra bonus points: if you know which two additional characters Hank Azairia provided the voice for.


also listen for: "Would you stop narrating everything we do? Just live in the moment!"

leap year

the year: 2010

the genre: comedy


the cast: Amy Adams (Anna Brady); Matthew Goode (Declan O'Callaghan); Adam Scott (Jeremy); John Lithgow (Jack Brady)


the plot: Anna Brady is a planner. When her boyfriend doesn't propose as expected, she decides to propose to him on Leap Day - an acceptable Irish tradition according to her father. Anna faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin, but with the help of the reluctant Declan her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.


don't miss: Anna, speaking fluent cow.


listen for: "Why don't you stop trying to control everything in the known universe. It's dinner. Have a little faith that it will all work out."


suggestion while viewing: watch with subtitles. With the heavy Irish accents, I missed quite a few funny things the first time around.


extra bonus points: if know what is special about supporting character Louis.


also listen for: "You fried my BlackBerry!" "You fried the whole village!"

enchanted

the year: 2007

the genre: disney


the cast: Amy Adams (Giselle); Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip); James Marsden (Price Edward); Timothy Spall (Nathaniel); Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa); Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine)


the plot: The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?




don't miss: when Prince Edward "meets" the group of cyclists.





watch for: the green pepper slices shaped like Mickey Mouse ears on the pizza Robert and Giselle are served at the Bella Notte restaurant.



listen for: "I seek a beautiful girl. My life partner, my one coquette, the answer to my love's duet." "I-I'd like to find one of them too, you know?"




did you know: In the scene where Edward is on top of the bus, the people riding on tour buses next to him laughing and pointing at him weren't extras, but actual real tourists.




extra bonus points: if you know the relevance of the names of the law firm where Robert works: Churchill, Harline and Smith.



also listen for: "Nathaniel likes the way I leap? I'm handsome even when I sleep?"

miss pettigrew lives for a day

the year: 2008

the genre: comedy


the cast: Frances McDormand (Miss Guinivere Pettigrew); Amy Adams (Delysia Lafosse); Ciaran Hinds (Joe Bloomfield); Lee Pace (Michael Pardue); Shirley Henderson (Edythe DuBarry)


the plot: When Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself dismissed from yet another job, an attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.


don't miss: how Michael ended up in jail.




listen for: "Well, will you doggone marry me or will you doggone not?"




count: how many morsels of food Miss Pettigrew eats during the course of the movie.




did you know: Winifred Watson's book was published the fall of 1938 and it became a smash hit. Plans were in the works for a Hollywood film version starring Billie Burke as Miss Pettigrew, but the start of WWII brought those plans to a halt. The publisher re-released the book in 2000 which lead to it being "found" again by Hollywood after 60+ years.




extra bonus points: if you can name the movie series that starred both Ciaran Hinds and Shirley Henderson.



also listen for: "Four's a Crowd"'s a wonderful movie. Who were you?" "The crowd."