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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
‘Night at the Museum’ sequel a midnight movie? Really?
Midnight screenings show up all the time during the summer movie season. They’re a great way for audiences to be able to say, “I saw it early” - and for studios to goose their box office numbers a little.
But I was genuinely surprised when I scanned the showtimes for this weekend and found that Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian will get a midnight screening at the Regal Theater in Beavercreek on Thursday going into Friday.
OK, I know the title of the movie is NIGHT at the Museum, and I suppose you could be cute if you wanted and call your screening “Midnight at the Museum” (rim shot). But this is the first time I’ve really scratched my head at a midnight movie selection.
Usually midnight screenings are reserved for movies with heavy fanboy appeal like Wolverine and Terminator Salvation. Even a midnight screening for the new Harry Potter movie would make sense, since that has a large enough fanbase of adults.
But the Night at the Museum sequel? Seriously? I have no doubt the movie will be very popular. It might even beat Terminator Salvation to take the lead at the box office this weekend. However, Night at the Museum appeals mostly to families. What parents are going to take their kids to this screening, especially on a school night?
The only reason I can think of to justify the screening is for Amy Adams fans to get their fix early. Where I get such a notion I have no idea. (Sarcasm off). For the record, I won’t be reviewing that immediately because I’m critiquing Terminator Salvation this week.
As it happens, there’s also a midnight screening of Dance Flick, and I don’t understand that either. Actually, I don’t see why anyone would want to see that period, but that’s just me.
But tell me: What do you think of midnight screenings for movies like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian or Dance Flick? Have you ever been to a midnight screening? Tell me some anecdotes.
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Today’s DVDs: Mall cop, one-eyed Tom Cruise
Only a DVD selection like the one today could prompt a headline like that.
My Bloody Valentine: Not being much of a horror maven, I skipped this one, but heard it was fairly OK. Question: Is it worth watching flat?
Paul Blart: Mall Cop: THIS made $146 million? Wow. Some people are easy. To give the movie its due, it’s much better than its asinine ads, mainly because it’s pretty well impossible to root against an actor as appealing as Kevin James. He makes the title character very likable, which helps up to a point, but I didn’t laugh much because I could see nine out of 10 gags coming a mile away. I just can’t get into most movies made by Adam Sandler’s company, Happy Madison, AKA Films by and for People Who are Perpetually 12 Years Old. GRADE: C
Valkyrie: People scoffed when they saw Tom Cruise with the eyepatch, but the movie performed better than most expected at the box office, and for good reason: it’s a solid if unexceptional thriller about a real-life inter-Nazi rebellion. Cruise is solid, and the action is well directed by Bryan Singer, who casts a good eye for period detail. However, the screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander is a bit aloof, in that it never delves into the characters enough to make the viewer forget that the conclusion is foregone. GRADE: B
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