Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Can everyone guess where I am right now, and what I'm doing? I'm very thankful that the New Orleans airport has free wireless available while I wait for an airplane crew to show up for my flight, so I can return to sunny Austin. In the meantime, I have a laptop and Internet access and a stack of DVDs to watch. I am prepared. I can watch movies indefinitely if necessary, especially if I can get Hulu or Netflix's Watch Instantly cranked up.

I have a few suggestions for packing / purchasing / (legally) downloading movies to watch on your laptop or other device in an airport or on a plane. Pick at least one or two movies that are old familiar favorites. Sometimes when you're stuck in a terminal with poor food choices, a "comfort movie" can be your very best friend. In addition, I find it difficult to listen clearly to movies on an airplane or even in a noisy terminal (you don't want the sound too loud, so you can hear updates on your flight's delay), so it's best to pick something where you already know what's going on and don't need to catch every last nuance of dialogue. Big goofy action films and physical comedies have an advantage over talkier films where you have to pay attention.

In compiling this list of specific recommendations, I tried to avoid the overwhelmingly obvious choices for watching movies in airports -- personally, I don't want to watch disaster films at times like this, or even spoofs of disaster films like that timeless comedy Airplane. The Terminal and Snakes on a Plane also a little too close for comfort. I thought instead of lighter fare, with scenes that emphasized the fantasy world of airline travel, good or bad, and the magic of escapism. Next time, I'm tucking a few of these in my laptop bag myself.

Over the course of my time in this job I have acquired a reputation as someone who reviews and appreciates lots of foreign films. Of course, at the same time I have occasionally been accused of not understanding these films at all, which is partially true. It's not technically possible for one person to fully absorb and comprehend every facet of every industrialized culture in the world. For one thing, subtitles never accurately translate what's being spoken, and then there are little cultural things, certain behaviors, for example, that may not translate either. Conversely, it's impossible for any one person -- filmmakers included -- to represent a culture. It gets even more complex than that, if you want to boil it down. For example, I could say that I identify with the characters in High Fidelity (2000), but if you consider that I've never been to Chicago, and consider further that the book was originally set in London, then it creates a cultural divide. That movie has levels that will forever be out of my grasp.

You do your best. You keep an open mind. Although, I admit I'm usually disappointed when I see too many Western filmmaking elements slavishly copied in Eastern films (Mongol, The Counterfeiters, etc.); it shows the overwhelming influence of Hollywood on other parts of the world. I'm sure more people in Portugal saw Transformers than saw Manoel de Oliveira or Pedro Costa's latest films.

New Line has released info on the DVD for Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (which hits streets on July 29th), and apparently there will be some sorta Choose Your Own Adventure device worked in. The folks over at DVD Active don't mention this aspect of the DVD, but they do give us some specs (on both the DVD and Blu-ray disc): "Extras on the 2-disc will include a commentary with the director and stars, a second commentary with the director, the real "Harold Lee" and the guy who plays George W. Bush, a World of Harold and Kumar featurette, 27 Additional Scenes, and a Bush PSA."

Notice those additional 27 scenes? Yeah, well Slashfilm tells us another feature listed is one called "Dude, Change the Movie!" They say we'll be able "to select from new and alternate scenes to change the course of the film." One can only imagine how many people will get [some] baked [goods] and have a blast messing with the film, swapping scenes out, etc ...

I had a good time with Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay when a bunch of us caught it back at SXSW. Of course, at the time, we saw it at the Alamo (a great theater for munchies) and were all high on excitement. Ya know ... we were excited about being in Austin. Very excited. DVD hits on July 29.

(We're re-posting our SXSW review of Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay to coincide with the film's theatrical release this weekend.)

"Is it as good as the first one?" That's the question I've been asked most since watching Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay last night. Short answer: Yes ... and no. The HIGHly-anticipated sequel to 2004's Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle comes just how you'd expect it: raunchy, wild, disgusting and completely absurd. This isn't -- and has never been -- a real-life comedy (all that went out the window after the boys rode a cheetah in the first installment); it's a fantasy/comedy, the kind you'd dream up while stoned out of your mind on a Saturday night. I tend to think that's how writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg came up with this idea in the first place.

The Harold and Kumar films have always been about three things: drugs, sex and racial differences. Like with any sequel, all three of those are upped significantly. Instead of traveling across the state of New Jersey, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are now traveling across the United States. The stakes are also higher; this time, the boys are mistaken for terrorists while on a plane heading for Amsterdam after Kumar rigs up a bong that holds in the smoke -- a bong that looks and sounds like "bomb." After they're taken down to Guantanamo Bay, the first ridiculous homosexual joke plays itself out and the boys manage to escape. But where do they go and how do they clear their name? And, most importantly, will we care ... at all?

Everyone who took part in last week's competition, myself included, failed to foresee The Forbidden Kingdom outdoing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but the martial arts actioner was the clear winner. Prom Night held on to third place, content in the knowledge that it had already earned back its $20 million budget last week. Here's the rundown:

1. The Forbidden Kingdom: $20.9 million
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: $17.3 million
3. Prom Night: $9.1 million
4. 88 Minutes: $6.8 million
5. Nim's Island: $5.7 million

Opening this week, we have:

What's It All About: Tina Fey plays an executive dying to be a mother, and when she finds out she's unable to conceive, she must turn to a flaky but fertile Amy Poehler
Why It Might Do Well: Fey is awesome on 30 Rock, and though I usually get flack for saying this, I thought the Fey/Poehler Weekend Update team on SNL was one of the best in the show's history. And with a supporting cast that includes Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin and Maura Tierney, I am so there. The 88% fresh rating from Rottentomatoes.com is icing on the cake.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The poster is so darn zany I could just puke.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $18 million

Saturday was a very busy day here at SXSW. We were up absurdly late on Friday night, and then awakened at 8AM by a car alarm going off outside our window, followed by all four of my kids' soccer coaches calling me from OKC to let me know that today's games were canceled due to cold weather. Thanks, guys, but I'm in Austin. After the panel this morning, I grabbed lunch with filmmaker AJ Schnack (Kurt Cobain: About a Son), who also writes a very excellent blog called All These Wonderful Things.

We gabbed about documentaries, traveling for film fests, balancing work and family, and lots of other stuff; he's a supremely nice guy and it's always fun chatting with someone who's as big a dork for documentary films as I am. Our lunch ran long due to crowds at all the area restaurants, so I missed the screening of We Are Wizards and had to bump it out to a later day in the fest.

Where was this scene in the movie?

This has been one looooong day, but the first two big films of the South by Southwest Film Fest are out of the way, and I have to say one was good and one, well, wasn't. After it took hours for the print to arrive at the theater, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (full review forthcoming) premiered to the press at the very awesome South Alamo Theater. Folks, if you haven't ever been to an Alamo theater (today I popped my Alamo cherry), it was quite possibly the greatest moviegoing experience EVAH! Picture a regular movie theater, but with long tables in front of each row of seats. Then you get a full menu, you get to chow down during the movie ... and all of it just completely rocks. Loving Alamo right now.

Harold and Kumar 2 was exactly what you'd expect it to be -- and though it's not as solid and well-defined as the first film, it's still chock-full of silly laughs, nudity (bottomless party was the best scene of the entire film) and tons of pot jokes. NPH is also back and badder than ever. 21, on the other hand, was a real disappointment. It was upsetting to see how they took a very cool story and completely Hollywood-ized it -- to the point where whatever awesomeness there was disappeared as soon as Kate Bosworth opened up her boring mouth. The Paramount theater was packed, though, and a majority of the crowd seemed into it. Our crowd, though, walked out angry, bitter and itching for some good (free) beer ... which we got at the opening night party.

There, we met up with tons of other bloggers, filmmakers and other random SXSW nuts. John Campea (God bless him) from The Movie Blog was there, attempting to pick up girls while taking everyone's picture. Had a great chat with Arin Crumley (of Four Eyed Monsters and From Here to Awesome fame), and watched Alex from First Showing get absolutely sloshed. Long day. Fun day. Look for our reviews to start pouring in tomorrow.

What will comedy look like in 2008? Here's a taste ...

Is there a sport Will Ferrell hasn't taken on yet? Competitive idiot throwing? Is that a sport? Anyway, a whole set of pics from his latest sports comedy, Semi-Pro, have just landed on the internets (courtesy of Cinema Blend). And if you're itching for plenty of Ferrell with a giant afro, then these photos might just make your day. The pic, which co-stars Andre Benjamin and Woody Harrelson, revolves around Jackie Moon (Ferrell), the owner-coach-player of the ABA's Flint Michigan Tropics. In between a ton of ridiculous physical comedy, Moon will try to rally his team together to make their NBA dreams come true. Semi-Pro slam dunks into theaters on February 29. (Bonus: See a photo after the jump.)

The first image from You Don't Mess With Zohan has arrived online (courtesy of JoBlo), showing the pic's star, Adam Sandler, surfing the top of a car a la Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf. In the film, Sandler plays a Mossad agent who fakes his death and travels to New York City to become a hairdresser. Mariah Carey and Rob Schneider co-star. On paper, it sounds cheesy and the kind of film you take on when in need of a quick fix, however Judd Apatow co-wrote the screenplay and, well, that's gotta be a good thing, right? Frequent Sandler collaborator Dennis Dugan directs, and this flick is set to arrive in theaters on June 6. (Bonus: See the photo after the jump.)

Finally, guess who's baaaack? Yup, our favorite ethnic pot smokers are heading back to the big screen in 2008; this time, however, there's a lot more at stake than a trip to White Castle. Oh yes, when Harold and Kumar attempt to fly to Amsterdam, they're mistaken as terrorists and soon find themselves on the run from authorities and all wrapped up in an hour and a half's worth of shenanigans. Five words for you fans out there: Neil Patrick Harris Will Return. Harold and Kumar 2 (aka Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) will smoke you out on April 25. (Bonus: See an additional photo after the jump, or check out more over at Cinema Blend.)