the buzz log

Ignoring critics may be a civic duty in the case of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Not all may be in love with the PG-rated sequel, but a busy box-office turnstile would be a win for museum fans. According to NPR, the taxpayer-funded Smithsonian—actually a collection of 19 museums—has always run at a deficit. So when the makings of a comedic blockbuster comes knocking at your docents, one says yes...albeit with lots of bureaucratic sign-offs along the way.

If the sequel does as well as the 2006 venture, the Smithsonian could tally up $1.25 million, and that's before merchandising like bendable toys or branded mac'n'cheese. Even dissatisfied reviewers think the museum has pulled off an A-list performance, and will likely inspire visitors to line up to see Ben Stiller get run down by stuffed warriors. Already people have been looking up "smithsonian institute" and "smithsonian museum."

But because museums are devoted to the mission of history and truth, plenty of full disclosure has been going around about what's really real and what's Hollywood special-effects gimmickry (aside from stuffed figures coming to life). USA Today notes, for instance, that Rodin's Thinker isn't in the D.C. complex, no Federal Archives exists, and "The Wizard of Oz" ruby slippers sits in a different room than the Wright brothers' plane (which never flew well either, by the way).

The biggest illusion of all? A Vancouver soundstage subs as the Smithsonian for most of the movie. Doesn't sound quite fair for Canada. Maybe the next "Night" should be talking totem poles and giant flying ravens from the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, ay?