Think big movie stars and the usual names rocket to mind – Adam Sandler, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

But what about Ben Stiller, a comic actor with just as many hits – if not more – than most of them?

Shawn Levy, who directed Stiller in “Night at the Smithsonian” and its sequel, now out on DVD and Blu-ray, says not every actor can pull off what Stiller does on a regular basis.

“Many comedic stars have tried to a do a ‘Night at the Museum’ type film, in which an every day Joe reacts to insane circumstances,” Levy tells WWTW. “Many flat out failed.”

Stiller brings something naturalistic to projects like “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” Levy says.

“It allows us to see ourselves in his performances,” he says.

It also helps that the actor knows his limitations.

“Ben has a keen sense of what he’s good at, and what he’s less unique at,” he says. “He chooses his movies and calibrates his performance to hit his sweet spot.”

Stiller was probably the least manic actor on the “Battle of the Smithsonian” set, what with natural scene stealers like Robin Williams and Hank Azaria running wild on Levy’s behalf.

“You’re barely in control,” he says of the situation he found himself in. So he just stood back and let it happen.

“Why hire these geniuses if they’re forced to stick with the script? You want to empower your actors as collaborators,“ Levy says, adding plenty of the on-set riffing made its way onto the DVD and Blu-ray extras.

While “Museum’s” actors let loose, Levy tried throughout the creative process to “serve two masters” – young and old ticket buyers.

“I’m always definitely aware of both audiences. I’m looking for how I can cross back and forth between them,” he says, which he considers throughout the entire script writing process.

Levy, whose next film “Date Night“ veers into PG-13 territory, says he’s open to taking another trip to the “Museum.” And even though the film earned more than $177 million during its theatrical release it might not be enough to jump start a threequel.

“Let’s see how our DVD fares,” he says.

(Photo: Ben Stiller convenes a meeting with Abraham Lincoln in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.”/Fox Home Entertainment)

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It’s hard to fathom how painful the new “Night at the Museum” sequel would have been for adults had Amy Adams not been cast as the film’s love interest.

Adams, all retro chic and curve-hugging khakis, is a burst of sunshine that breaks through the film’s formulaic clouds.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” deals out exactly the kind of sequel you expect – louder, brasher and less coherent than the original.

“Musuem” opens with Larry Daley (Ben Stiller in hapless mode) thriving as a commercial pitchman for his own startup company. Life, it would seem, is good, but he misses hanging around with museum pals like Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and Jedediah the cowboy (Owen Wilson).

When he learns the exhibits are being shipped from New York to D.C. to be stored at the fabled Smithsonian museums he breaks out his trusty flashlight to spend one last night with them.

But not every exhibit is glad to see him. A power hungry Egyptian ruler, played with panache by Hank Azaria, seizes the moment to bring his minions back to existence.

It’s up to Daley, Jedediah and co. to thwart the pharoah’s plans for world domination.

“Museum” delivers enough whimsical moments in the early scenes to suggest a sequel with more on its mind that just dollars and cents. A fun cameo by George Foreman here, a novel romp through a museum photograph there and suddenly you think hack auteur Shawn Levy (“The Pink Panther”) has stumbled onto something wonderful.

Or at least tolerable for anyone over 12 years of age.

Sure enough, the spell doesn’t last long. The storyline becomes all but incoherent, supporting players like Christopher Guest are given nothing of note to do and the final half hour plays out like a series of slapstick gags stitched together at random.

But oh, that Adams. She’s a feisty, beguiling heroine, and she brings Stiller’s sleepy performance to life.

“Battle of the Smithsonian” will print money for all involved, but for a few precious moments it has more on its mind that simply commerce.

(Photo: Amy Adams plays famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” Photo credit: Doane Gregory)

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Some movie projects are utterly unnecessary. “Clerks II” was fine, but did we really need to revisit our slacker heroes?

Others cross the line into utterly groan-worthy

Think “Caddyshack 2.”

Here are two upcoming projects that should have been scrapped long before some suit gave them the A-OK.

• “Meet the Fockers” … again. Ben Stiller is getting his Focker on one more time. The new film will concentrate on his off spring. You know, the name Fockers was pretty funny the first 18 times you heard it. Now? Not so much. And Stiller remains a red-hot comic talent. Surely there are more worthy projects he could choose.
• “Mean Girls 2” – The original “Girls” gave Lindsay Lohan her best comic role to date and offered Tina Fey the chance to show off her writing chops. But a sequel? This one appears headed straight to video, which is a shame since many quality films are taking the express train to DVD these days. Desperate, lowest common denominator sequels will only make them look bad.

(Photo: Robert De Niro hams it up with his grandchild in “Meet the Fockers.”)

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Our old friends from “Madagascar” are back for the unavoidable sequel “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”

The old jokes are back, too. So is the old theme song – “I Like to Move It.”

“Mad2″ is so very, very … sequelly. It reunites us with the lovable zoo creatures from the 2005 film and expands upon every comic morsel from the original.

If you though the feisty old lady in Grand Central Station was a hoot, wait ’til you see her traveling through Africa and trading punches once more with Alex the lion (Ben Stiller).

Been there, laughed at that.

The new film follows Alex, Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) as they try to leave Madagascar for their old home in New York City. But their makeshift airplane falls to pieces mid-flight (don’t ask) and they end up in Africa.

They crash land near the home of Alex’s long-lost family, and suddenly the New York native has to prove his King of the Jungle credentials to his family’s nemesis (voiced with elan by Alec Baldwin).

Other, lesser subplots pad the running time, but the best moments come once more from the supporting critters. Yes, the penguins are back and just as funny as the first time, and Sacha Baron Cohen is a vocal marvel as Julien, the wannabe king of the jungle.

It all feels so warmed over, so familiar, and few of the new story wrinkles can compare to the freshness found in the original.

The wee ones won’t mind the recycled bits, but adults who were charmed by “Madagascar” won’t fall for the manufactured delights found in “Escape 2 Africa.”

Technorati – film

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Ben Stiller gets plenty of props for being a box office draw, but few people cut him much slack for his directorial efforts.

That’s a shame since “The Cable Guy” got a bum rap, and Stiller’s “Zoolander” has emerged as a minor comic classic.

Now’s he’s dropped himself into the very big leagues with “Tropic Thunder,” a big-budget, bigger cast comedy which he directed, co-wrote and stars in.

He plays Tugg Speedman, a vain actor (redundant?) who’s shooting a Vietnam War film on location. Tugg and the cast think it’s all a glorified Hollywood set, but the film’s desperate director (Steve Coogan) deposits the cast in an actual hot spot to keep the actors in line.

Calamity follows, and the actors (Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. among them) must fend for themselves if they ever want to return home in one piece.

Hollywood loves insider parodies, but this is one comic tale that people who don’t live and die by the next issue of Variety can appreciate. The cheeky cameos help. Matthew McConaughey keeps his shirt on but otherwise feels right at home as Tugg’s morally challenged agent. And Tom Cruise’s well reported appearance is nearly as good as presold. Cruise plays a maniacal studio executive who barrels over anything in his path. It’s precisely the kind of role he needs to restore his good name.

Or at least kick start the process.

“Thunder’s” humor takes the kitchen sink approach, wallowing in silliness in between fits of inspiration. The latter mostly comes courtesy of Downey, Jr. He plays an Aussie Oscar winner who artificially darkens his skin to play a black soldier. It’s the ultimate acting challenge, he figures.

The role would crumble in lesser hands, but the erstwhile “Iron Man” is fully in character – and uniformly hilarious – without ever stepping over the stereotype line. He’s the butt of his own joke.

So, too, is Tugg thanks to a movie within a movie named “Simple Jack,” even if it’s not executed as smoothly as Downey, Jr.’s storyline.

“Tropic Thunder” is drawing fire from special interest groups for the latter and its frequent use of the word “retard,” but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they’ll be laughing too hard to take offense.

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The pre-emptive strike on the easily offended

(Photo: “Tropic Thunder” finds Ben Stiller, far left, leading a group of actors into enemy territory to shoot a movie. Photo credit: Merie Weismiller Wallace)

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Some special interest groups have declared war on “Tropic Thunder,” and it’s gonna get ugly.

The comedy, out this Wednesday, mocks a group of pretentious actors who are shooting a Vietnam War movie on location. Little do they know that they’ve been dropped in an actual war zone – but they think it’s all part of the Hollywood smoke screen.

The comedy includes a white actor (Robert Downey, Jr.) in black face, but several groups who represent the mentally and physically challenged are outraged by the movie’s film within a film – “Simple Jack.” (hat tip: Dirty Harry’s Place)

A boycott is coming to a theater near you.

In “Simple Jack,” Stiller plays the title character, a mentally challenged man whose behavior is ripped right out of the simpleton handbook.

Offensive, right?

But the subplot’s point is to mock Stiller’s character for taking on a role he thinks will earn him an Oscar. Hey, it worked for Dustin Hoffman with “Rain Main,” right? Stiller is the butt of the joke all the way through.

That won’t stop the protests, even though boycotts typically serve as meaty PR for the film in question.

So can we expect Stiller’s Hollywood pals to rally to his defense? Maybe throw the “free speech” card down? Don’t hold your breath. You’ll hear more crickets chirping than actors rushing to the nearest reporter’s notepad to defend their peers – and the ability to create art as they see fit.

Expect some tap dancing by Stiller and co. – and maybe even a PSA or two to smooth things over.

Will be fascinating to see how it all plays out, even though we’ve seen this production before.

UPDATE: Here’s one call to shut the film down for good.

UPDATE 2: The LA Times tracks down a gaggle of film critics, including yours truly, who are standing up for the film.

(Photo: Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr. and Ben Stiller are hunting fictional Viet Cong soldiers in “Tropic Thunder”)

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When news leaked that Robert Downey, Jr. would be playing in modern blackface for the comedy “Tropic Thunder” a few talking heads and bloggers squawked about the move’s inherent racism.

Hard to take a chance like this in our uber-sensitive times and not expect some blowback.

So it’ll be interesting to see how the public – and the pundits – react to the actual movie when it opens on Wednesday (Aug. 13).

Saw “Tropic Thunder” last night, and I suspect sensitive types won’t like some of what they see. Downey, Jr.’s performance may be terrific, but it could play poorly in Punditland, a place where citizens live to be offended.

I’m guessing there won’t be much strife about it. For starters, the PC Police already assaulted star/director Ben Stiller for how the film portrays a movie-in-a-movie about mental retardation. And much of the “it’s racist!” charge got played out when the casting news was first announced.

(Photo: Robert Downey, Jr., center, plays an Oscar winning actor who alters his skin pigmentatin to play a black soldier in “Tropic Thunder.” Ben Stiller, left, and Jack Black, right, co-star.)

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