The Shawn Levy Shuffle: Deadpool and Wolverine

 Well, it's one of the best movies of the year last year, and there is a reason why.

Through a strange set of circumstances, Deadpool and Wolverine have to team up to save the world.

Look there is a reason that this movie was so good you have to see it for yourself. 

I will say again just how incredible and heartwarming this movie is, is all because of the man who directed it Mr. Shawn Levy. It's still about family, it's still about hope, and it's still about love in all of it's many forms. 

I am very glad that I got to see the world through Shawn Levy's eyes for a year. 

I hope that I hear the world differently next year...

The Shawn Levy Shuffle: The Adam Project

   The Adam Project

When everything goes wrong in Adam's life he has to go back in time and try to figure out how to fix the future without changing the past. 

I didn't think that a time travel movie was going to make me tear up but this one did. It's funny and entertaining while still holding the Shawn Levy charm of family and togetherness. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Free Guy

  We have no officially entered the Ryan Reynolds era!

When a video NPC starts to have actual feelings, and wanting to be more than he is, he starts trying to win the game (that he doesn't know that he is in) in order to impress a girl. The girl is a real life girl playing the game, and he falls in the love with her, and she finds out that his real life AI. However, the new owner of the game and code is trying to now destroy the game. They must use the new AI and work with the video world, and the world world, to keep from loosing everything. 

I love this movie! I find it so funny to watch every singe time. It's also just  fun adventure, with a little bit of a love story, that makes a few hours of fun fly by.

I will also say, it's got the little bit of Shawn Levy feel good magic to it as well. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

 We finally come to the conclusion of a very special trilogy.

 Larry Daley is on the cusp of an extortionary concept the the Museum of Natural History. Since all of the exhibits come to life at night, why not say that he upgraded them to animatronics and then teach people at night but have them "come alive". Everything is going to plan, until is doesn't. When on opening night the characters start to glitch out and mess everything up, Larry has to figure out why. That's when Ahkmenrah comes to Larry and shows him the the talisman that bring them to life is being corroded and needs a cure. 

Larry, in doing research to find how to fix the stone, learns that Cecil (one of the guards from the first film) was on the dig that discovered the tomb where Ahkmenrah was buried. Larry goes to him for help, and Cecil tells him that he needed to take the talisman to London's museum and talk to the Ahkmenrah's parents about what is happening. 

So, I love this movie for a few different reason. Not only is it actually a  really wall done sequel for a franchise, but it's the last movie that Robin Williams appeared in. 

It also the last movie that my favorite all time actor Mickey Rooney was in. 

Both passed away in 2014. I love that their last movie was one that was part of such a beloved franchise and that it was memorable. 

 This movie will always be special to me because it was the last the Mickey Rooney was in. 

Which if I ever get the chance to meet Mr. Levy, I would love to think him for showcasing Mickey Rooney in the way that he did.

The Shawn Levy Shuffle: This Is Where I Leave You

My faith in Shawn Levy may have faltered a little bit. However, I know what the future holds and I think I will be ok. 

 When the patriarch of the family passes, everyone comes home to mourn. However, they all bring their problems home with them. The failed marriages, the never grow ups, the wish they dids and wish they didn't's are all under the same roof for a prolonged period of time.

Now, this start studded cast of wonderful people are some of the best in the business. However, I didn't like this movie that much. Now, I really just might be a matter of taste here. You can't really put that many people who are known for their comedy chops and try to pull of the amount of drama needed for a funeral. However, I will say that I know that, if this move was more my taste, I would say that Mr. Levy is still a master of tell stories about families. How weirdly complicated that they could be, and how they are there for each other when nothing else makes sense. 

Now, I am going to say that Mr. Levy has lost his touch?

NO!

I know that we still have some huge movies coming up that I can't wait to rewatch, and they are some of the best work he has ever done. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Real Steel

 The first time Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman work together.... and it was beautiful!

Charlie is a former boxer who has lost his way a bit when boxing is not longer a sport... well, not in the way he knew it to me. Robots are the new frontier! Charlie adapts, and starts working with real robots in rings in order to make it big. However, it his futuristic world, his past catches up with him. Max, his son, has lost his mother, Charlie's ex girlfriend, and is now going to court to figure out to figure out custody. Max's Aunt wants to legally adopt him, and wants Charlie to give up his rights. He was going to until, Max's Uncle sets a deal on the side. He wants Charlie to watch Max for the summer so they can go on a trip they have been planning. Charlie agree to do it for a 100,000. The aunt doesn't know about the money, but agree to let Max stay with Charlie for the summer, and then come live with them. However, a fun down robot, that should not have any skills in the ring, changes everything. 

I have said it before, but Shawn Levy has a real skill to make movies that really focus on things that matter. Friendship, family, love; it all comes down to heart with him. This movie is no different. I did not expect to watch a movie about robots and it be one of the best movies that I have seen. I loved in a way that I can't explain. It had to much heart, and the cinematography is so beautiful, I am a little bit speechless. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: The Internship

Ok, we are catching up some! 

Now, I did watch these movies, and thankfully, they did not require a whole love for me to think about. So, I just got to enjoy the follow three movies very happily. 

Billy and Nick are two salesmen who find out they are out of a job! They have been working the same race for so long that they had not idea what to do when they find themselves out a of a job. They don't have much in the way of education, and they do have many other skillsets outside of sales. That is until one day Billy shows up and tells Nick that he signed them both up to apply for Internships at google. 

Now, I am not sure how in the world that I missed this movie, but I am glad I got to see it now. I don't have a super lot to say about it because it was cute and that's really it. 

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.  

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! 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: The Pink Panther

I knew that when I picked to watch all of the movies directed by Shawn Levy this year that I was in for a treat. I also knew how nostalgic that it was was going to be. It still hits me out of now where how much of my childhood he was a part of. 

Inspector Clouseau is on the case! When the world's most interesting diamond, The Pink Panther, goes missing, everyone wants to be on the case. However, when the man in charge wants the glory of finding the missing jewel. In order to investigate without everyone watching his every move, he gets the idea to hire the worst detective on the force. Clouseau proves to be more than what his reputation may seem. 

I really did enjoy watching this film when i was younger. I remember some of the Pink Panther TV shows but this movie was very different. However, it still hold the magic touch that only Shawn Levy seems to have. 

I know that lots of people can watch a movie and see how certain things are shot and be able to pick out the who directed it. I am really thinking that it's the fun childlike wonder that you feel watching his movies that really sets the apart. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Cheaper By The Dozen

 No we are at another movie that was one I remember fondly from childhood. This is right when I was in that age were seeing people I knew from Disney shows and seeing them in movies was really cool. 

Cheaper By The Dozen is from 2003 and I loved it!

Tom and Kate Baker move themselves, and the 11 out of 12 kids, to a new city when Tom get's an offer for his dream job. When Kate finds out that her book is being published at about this same time, the family dynamic drastically changes and become more stressful for everyone. 

Now, I am not going to name every person I recognize from this movie but I know Allison Stoner, Hilary Duff, Ashton Kutcher and several others. I honestly forgot that this movie had so many stars! I LOVE this movie. It was always one of my favorites to watch when it came on TV and I slowly remembered what was coming next as the movie went on. 

What I love about this movie is that at the end there are a few blooper reels that really show how well Shawn Levy worked with some of the younger kids. Like he was so sweet and patient an it made me love the movie more. This I also think is were he was starting to be trusted with a lot more budget and bigger names. I mean Big Fat Liar has some big names now, but Frankie Munoz and Amanda Bynes were well established TV actors that were also starting to break out in movies. Here you have a lot of TV actors in a kids movie with the huge start power Steve Martin. I loved how this movie keeps you entertained while pushing forward without being rushed. I got how all the kids were feeling while they were dealing with the move and trying to figure out their new life. With that big of an ensemble, it's hard to connect with all of the characters on some level, but they all got their moment to shine, and show off their personalities. 

Also, the move is over 20 years old (holy cow) and I don't think I had one real moment of this movie feeling "dated" or really stuck in one time period. Like Yet, some of the style has changed, but like I feel like this movie could be made today and have the same wonderful feeling of what I saw here. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Just Married

 We are back at another round of the shuffle this month with two fairly well well liked, and well reviewed movies. The first one being from 2003 Just Married

After a relatively short romance, Tom and Sarah get married and are excited to start their lives together with a great European honeymoon. Problems arise when they realize that being married can not longer be about them individually and has to be about them together. 

This movie is yet another one that I have seen some of until I started doing this project. It's also one that I had no clue that Shawn Levy directed. I loved seeing Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher together. It's also another movie where there is something very light and loving about the film. Like you truly feel good watching this movie. 

Since I know what some of the movies that are coming up by him I am wondering if this alone his touch as a director. Like I am not use how you can bring the same kind of special happy feeling you get watching his movie as I have had so far. We shall see as we go on.    

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Big Fat Liar

I am shocked! 

I am shocked for two reasons. The first being that I had no clue that Shawn Levy directed one of my favorite childhood movies. The second being that this is his third time directing a motion picture? 

I mean holy cow!

Jason is a young mad who is constant liar. He lies about everything in his life. He has gotten so good at it that he seems to have gotten away with it for very long time. 

Until he got too comfortable. 

He made a lie too big about why he didn't get he school paper done, and he got busted. He has to either make up the 1000 word, hand written, paper by the end of the day, or face summer school. He finishes the paper and one the way runs into a major movie producer, Marty Wolf, and gets a ride from him. Though Jason makes it to the school on time, the paper was missing. When he does tell the truth as to what happened no one believes him. Summer starts, and after school, him and his best friend, Kaylee, go see a movie. The preview for an upcoming movie is the same plot of Jason's paper, with Marty Wolf claiming that he wrote the whole thing. 

Jason and Kaylee sneak off to Hollywood to prove Jason's innocents to his family, and to hold Marty Wolf accountable for all of the lies he has made up in his line of work as well.

This movie was such a flashback moment for me! I used to watch it whenever it was on TV. It was my first introduction to Paul Giamatti, and continued my love to Amanda Bynes and Frankie Muinez! I loved all of the comedy and the little bit of action that we got to see. I love how they utilized that sound stages and the lots on the studio lots. I love just how fun and heartwarming all of the movies have been so far. 

This one I am impressed by the fact that this idea of this happening sounds nuts but felt like it was somehow plausible. That it goes from "no way this could be real" to "you know it could happen" effortlessly! 

I love the heart of Shawn Levy's so far and I hope that them continues as we go long on this jounry.  

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Just In Time

 We are onto movie number two of movies directed by Shawn Levy. It wasn't very long after his first movie that he got to make his second film. Just In Time is a movie that I never even heard of before looking into Mr. Levy's career. However, it's a movie that I was surprised to like as well as I did.

Lilly is struggling in her day to day life after her mother died from an accident a year and a half ago. Her dad is always struggling, but it trying to hide it more than anything. Lilly keeps getting into fights at school, and at home with a revolving door of nannies that her dad keeps trying to higher. One day, on the way home from school, Lilly is getting bullies, and Faith intervenes. The two becoming unlikely friends. They only  grow closer when, in an usual set of circumstances, lead Faith to coming Lilly's nanny. 

Like I said before, I was surprised by this film. I really thought that this movie was going to be so insanely cheesy that I would not be able to handle it. It was cheesy (it's still a family centers 90's film after all) but it was sweet, and lighthearted in the best of ways. I didn't cringe at any of the acting, and I really loved the message to the film. 

Is it a film that I would tell someone to watch right away? No, but if someone brought it up I would give it a good review. 

Shawn Levy Shuffle: Address Unknown

 Ok, so I would like to formally apologize as I realized that I am really doing two projects but the coincide with each other. So, I would like to formally introduce to you the Shawn Levy Shuffle! 

I have been wanting to do another study of one person for several years. Usually it comes down to if I wanted to do an Actress, if so which one. Do I want to do a classic Actor? However, when I realized the Shawn Levy did the Night at the Museum series I knew I had to see what else he has done. He as done a lot of movies that I have really loved, and found so entertaining to not only watch but rewatch. 

So, when I knew that I was going to do my year on Faith I knew that I needed to do a Director, a total change in the direction that I was originally thinking, and picked Mr. Levy. 

Now, like I said in the last post, he has only done 16 theatrical release movies, so we are only focusing on those. He does have several TV credit as well, some of which I have seen with Stranger Things. I'm looking forward to what we are going to see this year. 

 

Address Unknown is a movie that came out in 1997. It's about a teenage friends who are trying to solve a mystery about how their dad's died. During the last 80s a new stamp was release that had a misprint on it, because of this it was worth a lot of money. The government was able to get all buy four stamps back. Three were sold and recovered on the black market but the other one went missing. The stamp that were sold made hundreds of thousands of dollars, make the missing one even more desirable. However, when their father's die in a chase from their mail car, a mail bag with the stamp disappears. 10 year later one of the kids finds that mail bag, and starts the bad guys on the search again. 

So, everyone has to start somewhere. This movie was fine, but there is a reason that's it's not real well known. I literally watched the movie yesterday and have already forgotten what has happened in the film. The only thing that I really found remarkable is tat the roll top desk that I am currently using, is the same on that is in the house as one of characters. Other than that there is much there. I have this move a 3 out of 10. Knowing where he goes in his career I can't wait to see how he improves. 

What I really hope is that by watching these movies I find somethings that are truly the mark of Shawn Levy. I want to be able to watcha movie and now know who the director is and go "Oh, that's his movie".