Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian **

Cast: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Christopher Guest, Alain Chabat, Jake Cherry
Director: Shawn Levy
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG

The magical tablet that brings exhibits to life is transferred with a number of the exhibits to the Smithsonian. Larry Daley (Stiller), now an inventor, realizes that this could be a problem, and travels to Washington, D.C. to avert disaster. By the time he arrives, Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Azaria) is planning to take over the world with the help of Napoleon (Chabat), Al Capone (Bernthal), and Ivan the Terrible (Guest). Larry rallies his troops, including Jedediah (Wilson) and Amelia Earhart (Adams) to stop him.

Given the success of the first “Night at the Museum”, a sequel was inevitable. Unfortunately, there is not much story-wise here. What story there is has plot holes, as the script doesn’t like to follow its own rules. The effects are top-notch like in the first film, but that is hardly enough to make this worth seeing. The one bright spot is the always adorable Amy Adams, who gives yet another standout performance. Kids will undoubtedly enjoy this, but adults will find the film lacking. Wait for DVD if you must see this.

Marley and Me ***

Cast: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin
Director: David Frankel
Running Length: 2:03
MPAA Classification: PG

John Grogan (Wilson) and his wife Jennifer (Aniston) decide to get a dog soon after getting married. Marley, a yellow Lab, becomes part of the family, and although he is cute and loveable, he is not a model dog. He fails obedience school, and chews on just about anything. He terrorizes the dog-sitter as well. Despite all that, the Grogans love him, and when they begin to have kids and things get crazy, Marley is the constant.

Based on the memoir by John Grogan, “Marley & Me” is a good adaptation. The movie captures most of the key moments in the book, and manages to be true to its spirit as well. Wilson and Aniston have good chemistry with each other and with the dogs playing Marley. It’s funny without being a comedy and serious without being a drama. “Marley & Me” is an excellent choice for a family movie. Anyone who has ever had a dog will appreciate this film, and everyone else will enjoy it too.

Drillbit Taylor ***
Cast: Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman, Alex Frost, Leslie Mann, Valerie Tian
Director: Steven Brill
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Wade (Hartley), Ryan (Gentile), and Emmitt (Dorfman) are three nerdy kids in need of protection. School bully Filkins (Frost) has decided to make their lives a living hell. After about a week of dealing with this, they decide to hire a bodyguard. Constrained by money, they opt for Drillbit Taylor (Wilson), an ex-military man who is currently homeless and trying to make enough money to get to Canada. Drillbit is less than impressive though, and has to come up with a plan quickly if he wants to help the kids and himself as well.

“Drillbit Taylor” fits the mold of the Judd Apatow-produced films, albeit in PG-13 form. Think of it as Judd Apatow-light, and that is fine because he knows what makes good movies. Sweetness, likeable characters, and raunchy comedy make up the mix, and for “Drillbit Taylor”, the raunchiness is toned back to give it a PG-13 rating. Wilson is very good as Drillbit, a con-man of sorts that really isn’t that good at things. “Drillbit Taylor” is an amusing addition to the Apatow family of films.

Cars ***1/2

Cast (voices): Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, George Carlin, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Richard Petty
Director: John Lasseter
Running Length: 1:52
MPAA Classification: G

Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is a rookie in a NASCAR type race called the Piston Cup. When the season ends with him in a tie with his two major rivals, Chick Hicks (Keaton) and The King (Petty), he must head to California for a tie-breaker race. Along the way, he ends up stranded in Radiator Springs, arrested for traffic violations. Doc Hudson (Newman), the town judge, sentences him to repair the road before he can leave. Initially, he just wants to get done and get out, but soon he finds himself making friends with the locals, including Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Sally (Hunt). Soon, this cocky race car who had no real friends finds he may not want to leave so fast after all.

When I first saw the trailer for “Cars”, I was worried. It did not look good, and I thought Pixar had its first flop on its hands. Bumping the release date back six months did not ease my worry. That being said, “Cars” is an excellent movie. Pixar, I am sorry that I ever doubted you. The voices are perfect, especially Wilson, Newman, and Larry the Cable Guy. The film looks great, with bright colors kids will love. The story is nice, and like many Pixar movies, focuses on friendship. The only drawback I can find is that it runs a little long. Still, it is worth seeing by kids of all ages.

Starsky and Hutch ***

Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Snoop Dogg, Chris Penn, Terry Crews, Will Ferrell
Director: Todd Phillips

Starsky & Hutch is the latest 70's television show to receive an upgrade to the movie screen. Was this necessary? Probably not, but the result is a really funny movie. Taking the "Brady Bunch" approach, and placing their tongues firmly in cheek, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson assume the roles made popular on the small screen so many years ago. Ben Stiller is the somewhat anal Starsky and Owen Wilson is the laid back Hutch. And while there is a plot somewhere in there, the movie's focus is the relationship between the two. After being teamed together, they are out to bust a drug dealer, played by Vince Vaughn, who has developed cocain that cannot be detected by narcotics dogs. The plot allows them to go undercover, get some girls, and have some action scenes. I firmly believe that there will be a sequel to this, especially if the film does well (which I think it will). Stiller and Wilson have a comroderie that has worked well in previous movies, and is even more evident here. If you are looking for a laugh, check out Starsky & Hutch.