Shawn Levy Shuffle: Night at the Museum Battle at the Smithsonian

 So, we finally get Shawn Levy directing a sequel! 

Larry Daley has seemed to move on from his nights as night guard at the Museum. He company is taking off and he is ready to take on the world. When he comes around for a visit he finds that all of the exhibits are being put into storage. Teddy tells him that it many of their last night of life seeing that a few exhibits are staying behind with the tablet. The rest are going to stay at the Smithsonian. The next night he gets a call from on of the exhibits that is supposed to be only wax to find that the tablet was stolen by Dexter and it's now at the Smithsonian with another Egyptian King that wants to rule the world. 

I will say that for some reason I don't like this movie as much as I do for the other two. This one was fun and had a great cast but I kind feel like things were rushed. It was like the people writing really wanted to do a movie about making the things at the Smithsonian come to life but didn't really know how to make the jump without a lot of question. 

Like how does Larry's son know how to find the underground network of tunnel for the museum? Or like simple questions about Larry relationship with the woman working at the museum, or how he got the business off the ground? They really rushed to get to Washington. 

However, I do love seeing the full cast of stars that really look like they are having a lot of fun. Also the appearance of Shawn Levy in the opening scene was really fun. 

 

While I liked this film, I am much looking forward to the next one. 

The Shawn Levy Shuffle: Date Night

 Let's keep it going with the fun movies of Shawn Levy

A married couple gets caught up in a political, and organized crime related scheme whey they dare to try something new during their weekly date night. 

This movie is an all start, and I mean ALL STAR cast of people that you just love seeing on the screen. Your main stars are Steve Carrell and Tina Fey with dozens of other stars that bring a smile to you face when they appear on your screen. 

This is what I love about Mr. Levy's work. Sometimes you would think how some people would work together but they are all so great on the screen that it makes magic.

Now, is this a classic in the way the Night At The Museum is? No, but it's a great watch that rally got me through of a few hours of work.  

There They Are and There They'll Stay: Ratatouille

 Now this is movie that I forget how good it is until I watch it. 

Remy is a rat who was born with a gift to cook. However, a rat is not allowed in any kitchen. When he finds a way to make his dreams come true, he has to be brave enough to show everyone what he can do. 

I am seen ever animated Disney film there is. I love most of them, I have hated a few, but lots of them in up in the sea of indifference. It's really because I love Disney Princess movies and it's very hard for me to remember and love most of the movies that aren't princess ones. However, Ratatouille is always one the surprises me on how good it really is every single time I watch it. 

 "No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house..." Luke 11:33

Why do I feel like I'm getting hit in the head so much with this lesson this year?

God has called me to do something big and scary, but he has me prepared for it. I am not sure why He wants me, of all people to do this thing, but He does. He wants me to use a talent that I have known that I have had but I have to actually show people that I can use it. 

Sometimes faith is doing something that scares you the most. 

There They Are and There They'll Stay: Frozen

 "Do you want to read a blog post?" 

It coronation day with the movie Frozen

I am not going to go in to a whole thing about this movie. If you have not seen it by now, you have been living under a rock and you need to watch this movie. 

It's it funny how I just talked about shame and not we are covering a movie that is all about it? 

Elsa shuts down due to shame, shame is a huge things in our lives. We can either push is down and let it control us or we can "let it go" and give it to God. 

" When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:8

Shame is something that we need to learn to give to God to live in the fullness of Him. 

There They Are and There They'll Stay

 We are talking about yet another movie that I have not seen, but really should have seen before this: Groundhog Day.

Phil is a man who is grumpy, spoiled, and self centered. He is not used to not getting his way. However, when it is on location for the year Groundhog's Day Festival in Pennsylvania, a place that he does not want to go to, he is forced to relive the same day over and over again. The question is will he continue to be the same man over and over again?

This movie is so cute! I am not sure why I haven't seen it before, but I am really glad that I did. I will for sure be watching this movie over and over again in my lifetime. 

To be honest, I forgot which project I was watching this movie for so I forgot that I was supposed to relate it to faith, but I don't think that I could have picked a better way than what Jesus Loves Movies said. 

"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land" Song of Solomon 2:11-12

How this movie related to faith to that author was living through the mundane. There are season in life where everything seems slow and boring, but God is there to help us through. Most of the days that Phil lives through not not crazy fun days they are the boring ones that don't hold a lot of significant moments but help to build a life. 

I will go a step further and say that the crazy seasons of life is where I mess up. The first thing I stop doing is spending time with God. Then I end up feeling bad that He is going to be mad that I stopped so I get scared and don' come to Him. Then I sin, bad, and then feel worse. Then I finally give into the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and come back again. It's a cycle that I don't seem to know how to break. I know that most of it is actually going to bed on time so I can spend time with God and create the consistency. Or in other words, create that mundane. 

Mundane is not bad, it's actually very helpful. Mundane is where life is mostly remembered and created.  

There They Are and There They'll Stay: The Revenant

 The movie that finally got Leo that Oscar! 

I have to say that in all of this time, I haven't seen it before. There seem to be a lot of movies on this list that I have not seen before. I am very happy that I get the chance to see them now. 

Hugh Glass has not had an easy life. His wife and son are killed and he get attacked by a bear, and it unable to stop the murder of his son. He struggles to survive on he way to a village to seek revenge for her son. 

I won't lie, I wasn't really sure what I thought about this movie from a faith based perspective. I tried to think of something but I didn't find a sold comparison that felt "right" for me. I think that was the point because the point that Phil Strangolagalli made really helped me in this point of my life right now. 

"...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith..." Hebrews 12:1-2

So, Mr. Strangolagalli talks a lot about this movie being long but how it really resemble the life of Hugh Glass, and ourselves. Movie really are just a highlight reel of a larger story. Whether the movie is based off of a true story, or of one that is totally made up. He also mentions that God is always with us in the big and small moments. The good and the bad. The happy and sad. He is always in the dull and the exciting. 

The reason I needed to hear this? I am in a season of life (particularly for this year) where is have been extremely busy. This thing is I now that my "normal" is most people's "busy" but I am at a breakneck speed of busy the last few weeks. I am barely able to find a time to sleep, let alone to get any of the person things I wanted to get done this year done. Like projects like this, or getting healthier, or reading more. The last two weeks I really feel like I am just behind. Like I can't get anything right or done. However, I am doing so many things that it some how balances it out? 

As I am typing this out I am trying to figure out how to read my faith book I wan supposed to finish last month and still do the one for this month, while watching five more movies, and write more blogs. Then God told me to stop. He told me that I need to finish the one book I am ready, and not worry about making up one for May or June because I had a lot going on. I felt bad but cause "that's not how my projects work". 

My project that I make the rules for. 

So, I realized how silly I am being and taking His advice. 

So, my projects for the next couple of month might not be what I want them to but at least I can enjoy them, and get them done. I can do it in a time from that is not going to make me upset but not doing them fast enough. 

I also know that I need to get my time management under control in some parts of my life. I know God will help with that too.

Sometimes life is crazy thankfully God is good with crazy. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Night At The Museum

This is the movie. 

When I found out that Shawn Levy directed this movie I needed to look no further for a director that I wanted to follow his works. There are going to be plenty of movies that will be considered "classics" the older I get, but I believe this one will for sure make that list. 

Larry Daley is a man who is still trying to find his way in the world. He is trying to find a passion to constantly pursue rather that just keep following whims. The real problem is that his son, Nick, is getting older and is not longer finding these whims as fun as they used to be. Larry is constantly movie, and changing jobs and Nick is embarrassed and over it. Larry decides that he needs a change. He takes a security job as a night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History. 

He things that the job is going to be an easy gig, until he finds out that history literally comes to life at night! An ancient tablet was placed at the museum decades ago, and when the sun goes down, everything in the museum comes to life. The question then becomes is is Larry going to make history by staying at the museum, or will it repeat and he leave the coolest job known to man? 

The is a film that has all of the stars in the sky under one historic roof! You have Dick Van Dyke, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Rami Malek, Owen Wilson, and many more! Everyone my age has seen this movie and it seems to have been very memorable. This is always the movie I always reference when I try to explain who my favorite actor, Mickey Rooney, is. I always ask if they saw this movie, and "do you remember the short night guard who called everyone hotdog?" They usually do and know who I am talking about.

I love this movie cause there aren't any dull moments, and its so funny to watch the pieces come to life every night. 

I am really excited to be reviewing the sequels to these movies in the next couple of months!