Penguins of Madagascar, Big Hero Six, Earth to Echo, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (all 2014)

“Penguins of Madagascar”  … I saw it to take my niece and nephew out. Ehh. Have you seen the “Madagascar” films from DreamWorks? The zoo animals who ditched the Bronx for Africa? Pretty funny, the first one. Since then? Yawn. Snooze. Get me out. This fourth entry and add-on to a TV series focuses on sidekick comic-relief characters of wise-ass penguins who muck about in the Marx Brothers vein. New Yorker humor abounds. This is their origin tale. Cause we need that. The Penguins join a MI6 type group led by wolf Benedict Cumberbatch to take down power-mad octopus John Malkovich and we get jokes that play on actor names: “Nicholas, Cage them!” and “Helen, hunt them down!,” and oh my God, an hour in I pled for it to end, and it would not, and my nephew and niece loved it and I Give Up! C- 

Meanwhile, Disney, with no small help from Pixar, has CGI animated film “Big Hero Six,” based on a new-to-me Marvel comic for youngsters that pings “Scooby Doo” with boots, capes and robots. Our lead hero is Hero (Ryan Potter), a teen living with his aunt and older brother in a futuristic mashup of San Francisco and Tokyo. Hero is a budding roboticist with a punk-rebel streak who graduated high school at 13 and takes on college at 14 after a minor scrape with the law for amusing back-alley robot fights, only to suffer a devastating personal loss. Brother dies in a fire. Ouch. With the help of a cute puffy robot nurse named Baymax –- who looks like Shmoo on steroids and full of air and built by the dead older sibling -– Hero investigates the fire and finds himself a super villain right out of a four-color comic book. The simple story aims young with some edgy humor (there’s a stoner kid who’s far more a stoner than ever was Shaggy) but its charms are strong and its “Stargate” references worthy of fan-fiction tribute. B

Speaking of childish films, “Earth to Echo” is a fast-paced, found-footage jumpy cam version of “E.T.” meets “Goonies” as a group of school kid pals find a robotic alien near their housing development. The one their being forced out of. (That was the kick-off of “Goonies,” recall?) Using iPhones and video cameras to record their every moment to save Echo -– he’s metallic, bur cute, chirping, and a bit void of personality -– the kids run up against Big Brother villains, find a female pal along the way, and in a funny moment, find the cool older brother asleep in a bathtub as a party. They take his car. Harmless and sweet, I think my young self would have grooved to the film’s adventure. Even if the stomach and brain of my current body fell camera seasick. One of the boys, Reese Hartwig, eerily reminds me of a school friend. B

Another flick I took the niece and nephew to is “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” the third and apparently final entry in the comedy-adventure series with Ben Stiller –- he once long ago of grungy grown-up films -– as a guard at the New York Museum of Natural History. You know the drill, right? Sun goes down, the exhibits come alive, Easter Island head, dinosaur, Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), and cowboy (Owen Wilson) included, all mucking about, making “education” fun. And action packed. Here, the magical stone that powers our heroes is dying, and Stiller must zip away to London’s history museum to save the day. Why? Um, up ticket sales in Europe? It’s only mildly funny, despite a great M.C. Escher gag that plays like a classic 1980s A-Ha video and a cameo from a winking X-Man. Dan Stevens (“Downtown Abbey”) impresses as Lancelot. Williams? My heart breaks again. RIP. B-

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Remember Ben Stiller who made “Reality Bites”? A sharp comedy/ drama that made you pay attention, and plan to immediately buy the soundtrack? He’s been gone for years, stuck in a loop of juvenile fare. Behold, a near miracle. Stiller takes the 1947 Danny Kaye hit “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and turns it on its heads with a fully new spin about a day-dreaming man who became lost on his way to adulthood after the death of his father. Here, Walter cares for his mother, pays his bills, and works at “Life” magazine, but he’s watching life. Not living it. He hasn’t put himself first. Then the loss of a key photograph under his care sends Walter on a worldwide trip to find its creator, Sean Penn, in a very Sean Penn role. “Mitty” is epic in every sense of the word. Romantic, too. And vibrating with great music. As Walter’s daydreams give way to real adventure, the film soars, never grander than when our hero rides a skateboard. It may cross the line into obviousness (the “Life” motto pounces loud like scripture), but the Stiller has re-found his path. The cinematography astounds. Shirley MacLaine as the mom sparkles. B+

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

Who knew Dreamworks’ animated adventure-comedy "Madagascar" (2005) would churn out two sequels and a cartoon series? The first movie was solid fun as four Central Park Zoo animals -– a lion (Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) -– and a pack of penguins made a break for freedom and ended up in, well, Madagascar. The sequel was a cash-grab mess. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" is marginally better as our heroes make a break for, well, Europe, as a means to get back to NYC. They join a circus train and bring on the wrath of a rabid animal control officer (Frances McDormand). The animation veers from wildly imaginative (Rome!) to a 3D gonzo neon acid trip for children too young to know the meaning of acid trip. As with most Dreamworks works, the movie relies on sight gags, but the creators trash their best idea: A tiger who can jump through a wedding band. McDormand’s villain is a hoot, yes, but the sight of her taking a saw to the hero lion’s neck veers close to Daniel Pearl territory. B-

Tower Heist (2011)

With “Tower Heist,” director Brett Ratner has quite the timely revenge story: Employees at a high-end NYC apartment building (Trump Tower, actually) seek payback when the owner (Alan Alda) turns out to be a Ponzi-pushing Madoff maggot. The plan: Steal $20 million in stolen loot said to be hidden in Money Bags’ penthouse during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Our Mad-as-Hell Occupy heroes are played by Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, and Gabourey Sidibe, and their tempers are righteous: Why not strike back at the Wall Street pricks who steal from us every day? Yet all piss and blood get lost amid subpar “Ocean’s 11” shenanigans. Problems abound: The one-trick pony is predictable, we’re never sure who’s in on the Robin Hoodery as characters appear and disappear nonsensically, and either bad editing or worse writing (or both) kills scene after scene. Eddie Murphy (who concocted the story years ago with a nastier streak) owns the film as a local spitfire, loose-cannon crook brought in for the job. Too-stiff Ratner foolishly drops Murphy for long periods to focus on Stiller’s “Parents/Fockers” goof. (Remember when Stiller had balls?) Talk about robbery. B-

Little Fockers (2010)

I cannot bear to repeat the title. Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro are back in a third “Meet the Parents,” a sequel to a sequel no one asked for, and from the looks on the casts' bored faces, no one wanted to star in. Stiller again is the idiot man-child under the thumb of daddy-in-law De Niro. Fifteen minutes in, we witness De Niro's soul die when he chokes on the pun “Godfocker,” and -- Ah, you know? I cannot do this. Fock this movie, its cast and the suggestion of a fourth focking flick. F

Meet the Parents (2000)

I have a soft spot for “Meet the Parents.” Why? The Robert De Niro character, Jack Burns, is a strange combination of many aspects of my father-in-law and father. (Many, not all.) When the film came out, I had just proposed to my now wife. Literally, a couple weeks before. My proposal had its own comic elements, most of my doing, but it didn’t play out like this. Burns is an old-fashioned, uptight former CIA spy with secrets who probably never didn’t vote Republican and guards his grown daughters with religious zealotry. Ben Stiller is the good-hearted male nurse who can't keep his trivia mouth shut, probably always votes Democrat and can’t help buy muck up everything he touches. Much like me. All the jokes center on the suitor’s name, Gaylord Focker, so the jokes come easy and play thisclose to juvenile-level crudeness. “Parents” also is a film of many “lasts” for me. It’s the last time I saw a decent film with De Niro’s name attached to it. It’s the last film I’ve seen headlined by Stiller where I didn’t want to throw something at the screen, screaming bloody murder. Good film. B+

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Even at just more than 80 minutes "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" seems a padded, toss-off of the 2005 original. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith return as the voices of a lion, a giraffe, a zebra and a hippo, respectively. In the original, they went from New York to Madagascar for the comedy. Here, it's Madagascar to Africa. Yawn. The jokes, for the most part are OK funny, but they prop up the mediocre story. Typical Dreamworks. A great animated film (Pixar) has brilliant jokes built upon a solid story. The climax is so lame it needs a song on the soundtrack to limp by. The animation is top notch, naturally. But, who cares. C+

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

Once again, the displays and mannequins of a museum come to life during the dark hours in “Night of the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” a sequel to the family comedy hit starring Ben Stiller.

In the first film, Stiller’s Larry Daley lorded over (or patrolled, take your pick) the New York Museum of Natural History. There, a magic ancient tablet brought to life all on display at the historic landmark. It was goofy fun with roaring dinosaur bones and fighting dioramas, even if Stiller coasted – again – on his tired performance of a good-hearted dope who must rise to the occasion and be a good-hearted half-dope. But, by gosh, it had Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney getting their villain on. Seeing those guys break (oh so gently) bad was giddy fun in the vein of Disney’s 1970s best.

Here, we get Stiller at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. As in the first go-round, all the displays come to live as the tablet is moved from one museum to another. The cool: Paintings, including a Pollack, come to life, as does Amelia Earhart (played wonderfully by Amy Adams, fast becoming a favorite actress). And there’s a toss-away cameo by Darth Vadar and Oscar the Grouch, both wanting to get their villain on. But as the main bad guy we have Hank Azaria (“Heat” and a regular on “The Simpsons”) as a lisping Egyptian warlord bent on ruling …. not much. Azaria is funny for awhile, but his banter with Stiller and then Owen Wilson (as a diorama cowpoke) grows tired.

It doesn’t help that Stiller consistently reminds us that none of this hoopla matters because once the sun comes up, waxen villain and good guy alike will fall still. Well, why not sit the whole film out and wait for sun up? Then chop the wax head off the bad guy, or dress him up as Lady Bird Johnson just to mess with his manhood. (Plenty of jokes already abound concerning a tunic being a dress.) Most films are pointless fun, but for the lead character to literally say it on screen is a kick in the shorts. Silly “cameos” by the Jonas brothers are pointless, at least to anyone older than 11.

Adams wins the film major points with charm and 1920s-era know how, pushing it nearly to a win. More films, especially those geared toward children, could use female characters and actresses such as her. That said, the first outing is the better. C+

Tropic Thunder (2008)

"Tropic Thunder" certainly is the busiest action-comedy-spoof in ages. Aping Hollywood egos and serious war films such as "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now," it has a cast and budget that rivals those two classics plus a dozen more epics.

Star, director and co-writer Ben Stiller is Tugg Speedman, an action film star on a career nosedive after he starred in an Oscar hopeful about a "retard" titled "Simple Jack" that not only crashed and burned, it seemingly offended half the known world. Speedman is now starring as Four Leaf Tayback in "Tropic Thunder, a hellish take on the real Tayback's experience in Vietnam. The film has a first-time Brit director (Steve Coogan), two wild co-stars -- an Australian method actor named Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) who's made up in black face, and a comedic drug addict (Black Jack) trying to go serious. Both are gods in their own minds. But the cast soon find themselves hunted by real Southeast Asia killers in a real war after a funny mix up kills the director.

The film is wildly offensive and all over-the-map, not only making fun of on-set ego fights and productions, but zipping back and forth to Hollywood to dig at a kiss ass agent (Matthew McConaughey) and an immoral studio executive (Tom Cruise). But nearly every dig feels true (even if it isn't), from the self-importance of film actors and Hollywood in general to the way whites would like to think they know how it is to be African-American. Alas, Black returns to full Tasmanian wild-eyed devil mode, while Stiller continues his happy "loser" character he's played to death for for the past decade. The clear champs are Cruise and Downey. Both under heavy make up, Cruise looks like he's having the time of his life, while good ol' Iron Man continues to show he's the best actor of his generation. Downey's every line is classic.

The film is a bit too hectic to win absolute love, and the best comedic bit is the quickest and most quiet. In a spoof trailer at the film's opening, Downey as Lazarus and Tobey Maguire as Tobey Maguire play monks in love, fondling each others' ... rosary beads. Hilarious. B