Flick it: Terminator Salvation,’ Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,’ Dance Flick’

By Ethan Alter
“Terminator Salvation”
The Terminator franchise returns to the big screen sans Arnold “The Governator” Schwarzenegger. Instead of taking place before Judgment Day, as each of the three previous installments did, “Terminator Salvation” picks up several years following the machine-made apocalypse, as John Connor (Christian Bale) attempts to fulfill his destiny by forming a ragtag resistance army out of the remnants of mankind. His efforts are complicated by the arrival of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a man/machine hybrid who could either help humanity … or detroy it once and for all. A PG-13 rating as well at the presence of “Charlie’s Angels” director McG behind the camera doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but the explosions in the trailer do look pretty darn cool.
2 hrs. 10 mins.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
A surprise blockbuster when it hit theaters in December 2006, the original “Night at the Museum” cast Ben Stiller as an after-hours security guard for New York’s Museum of Natural History who discovers that, once the sun goes down and the building empties, the museum literally comes alive. The sequel transports the action to the nation’s capitol, where Stiller once again interacts with long-dead historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and Amelia Earheart (Amy Adams). Jonah Hill, Hank Azaria, Bill Hader and Owen Wilson co-star.
1 hr. 45 mins.

“Dance Flick”
The second generation of the Wayans family makes its big-screen debut with this spoof of teen dance movies like “Step Up,” “You Got Served” and “Save the Last Dance.” Damien Dantie Wayans (nephew of Keenan, Damon, Shawn and Marlon) directs and Damon Wayans Jr. (son of Damon) heads up a cast that includes David Alan Grier and Amy Sedaris.
1 hr. 23 mins.
Ethan Alter is a New York-based film critic and journalist. He can be reached at nycfilmcriticgmail.com.