HaroldAndKumar2 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.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the sequel to the modern stoner classic Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, hit theaters last Friday. I sat down with the film's writer/directors -- Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg -- a few days after the release of their film. In the interest of journalistic integrity (and shameless name-dropping), I should tell you that the gentlemen are friends of mine, and all around great dudes.

Cinematical: How did the Hurwitz/Schlossberg magic begin?

Jon Hurwitz: Hayden and I became friends on the Randolph High School debate team and connected over a common love of comedy. We were both obsessed with the movies of the Farrelly Brothers and the Zucker Brothers. We loved Howard Stern. We thought it would be amazing if we could actually make movies one day. But it felt like it was the most unrealistic goal of all time for a couple of dudes hanging out in a basement in New Jersey. What changed everything for us was that in high school we were known for coming up with really funny "Would you rather?" scenarios. We came up with a list of 250 that we were going to try to get published.

Cinematical: What was the best one?

JH: "If you had to be sexually abused, would you rather it be by an android or a Muppet?"

Cinematical: Muppet. It's softer.

Hayden Schlossberg: Exactly. Plain and simple. It would hurt less. That is the correct answer.

"It's gonna be like Euro-Trip, only it's not gonna suck."

Unfortunately, that's the only quote safe enough to post here, because this latest age-restricted trailer for Harold and Kumar 2 sprays profanity at you from all different directions. It's rude, crude, nude and the minute and a half (or so) trailer manages to stereotype practically every single race, religion, you name it. But holy crap is it funny. If you were a fan of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (some of you dug it, others not so much), then you're going to absolutely love this sequel. Based on the trailer, it appears the movie begins right after the boys get home from White Castle ... and they're in the bathroom, as you'd expect one to be after eating tons of the WC.

From there they attempt to fly to Amsterdam, only their pot-addiction gets the best of them and the boys wind up in Guantanamo Bay after their bong is mistaken for a bomb. They somehow manage to escape, travel across the country, meet up with a really hot naked chick, stay the night with a hick family (who have a kid with three eyes) and, of course, visit a whore house with Neil Patrick Harris. Does it get any better than that? Seriously. Quality entertainment, if you ask me. The only problem is you have to be over 18 to view the trailer, and those of you out of the country won't be able to see it since you need an American zip code. However, I'm sure it will show up on YouTube soon, so look out for it. The rest of you should head over to the film's official website right now and watch this sucker -- it's a friggin' riot. And kudos to any trailer that throws up the words "Now They're F**ked" in the middle. Harold and Kumar 2 is set to smoke you out on April 25 (which, for all you stoners out there, is as close to 4/20 as you're gonna get).

Guess who's back? That's right, Harold and Kumar are gearing up for another wild adventure -- except this time "they're running from the joint." The first teaser trailer for Harold and Kumar 2 (which, at one point, was called Harold and Kumar Go to Amsterdam) has arrived on YouTube (you know what that means -- catch it while you can), and based on what we see, it appears we're in store for a lot more of the same goofy humor that made the original Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle an instant cult classic.

Basically, Harold and Kumar attempt to get on a plane and go to Amsterdam, except some old lady freaks out and thinks Kumar's a terrorist. So, from there, they show us Rob Corddry behind a piece of interrogation glass cracking some joke about North Korea and Al Qaeda working together. Perhaps the greatest part of the entire teaser (and those fans of the original probably know where I'm heading with this) is the re-introduction of Neil Patrick Harris ... as himself. Yup, before the teaser cuts out, there's Harris -- behind the wheel of a car -- looking all coked up and out of his mind, as per usual. I wouldn't go touting this as a must-see comedy; I think the Harold and Kumar shtick is geared toward a particular audience (ahem, stoners), and I wouldn't expect any ground-breaking comedic moments. But the boys have their fans, and those fans will definitely be interested in seeing them up on the big screen one more time. Me? I'll be waiting for DVD ... for obvious reasons.

We knew it was coming, we knew where they were going, but we didn't know who would be joining them for another round of marijuana-induced adventures. And now we do. Eleven folks have joined Kal Penn (Kumar) and John Cho (Harold) in the long-awaited sequel to Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Harold and Kumar 2 (previously known as Harold and Kumar Go to Amsterdam ... except they don't really go to Amsterdam) has added -- deep breath -- David Krumholtz, Rob Corddry, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Paula Garcés, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris, Eric Winter and -- drum roll please -- Neil Patrick Harris!

For die hard fans of the original film, the only name that really matters to you is Neil Patrick Harris, as his cameo in the first flick stole the show. Daily Show vets Corddry and Helms should also provide plenty of laughs along the way. Story picks up right where we left our two heroes: at White Castle, putting an end to their vicious case of the munchies. When Harold's crush Maria heads off to Amsterdam, the boys attempt to follow her ... only to be yanked off the plane when a fellow passenger suspects Kumar is a terrorist. From there, the duo travel a lot farther than the state of New Jersey -- from Guantanamo Bay, through the deep south and eventually ending up in "Bush country ..." all the while being chased by Homeland Security.

Production began last week in Louisiana, with original Harold and Kumar scribes John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg writing and directing the follow-up. Currently, there's no word from New Line on a release date.

Not much is known about Harold and Kumar 2, besides the fact that the boys get in trouble whilst trying to carry a bong on board a flight to Amsterdam. Well, for those interested in learning a bit more about their upcoming adventure, Moviehole has obtained a top secret super special casting call sheet. Oh yes, tell me you're not dying to see who will be starring opposite Kal Penn and John Cho. Well, we don't know their names, but we do know their characters' names and descriptions. And that should be enough to hold you off until a trailer finally leaks out. Keep in mind the following info does contain SPOILERS. You've been warned.

Apparently, Harold and Kumar will be taking a trip down south, as well as to Guantanamo Bay. And, it appears as if they'll be going from Miami to Texas, driving through trailer parks, inner city basketball games and, unfortunately, running into a few KKK members. Yes, they're also looking for someone to play President George W. Bush -- I imagine the boys want to convince him they're not terrorists, just heavy pot smokers. Harold and Kumar's parents are also in the film -- when we first meet Kumar's mom, she's "getting it on" with his dad. (That's a nice visual.) And, while Harold's parents speak flawless English, an interpreter insists on translating every word that comes out of his father's mouth. (That could get irritating, let's hope this joke doesn't overplay itself.) For a full list of character descriptions, head on over to Moviehole. Harold and Kumar Go to Hicksville (that's my title, not theirs) will debut at some point in 2008.

Surprisingly, one of the funniest comedies in the past few years (to me, at least) was Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Sure, there were a bunch of stupid set pieces (the most memorable one involved Harold and Kumar riding a cheetah), but there's no denying Neil Patrick Harris' brilliant performance as, well, himself. Rumors of a sequel have been passed around the internet more times than a joint on April 20th (if you got that, then you know I've been around the block more than once), and today Production Weekly confirms the project is definitely a go.

John Cho (Harold) and Kal Penn (Kumar) have officially signed on to star in Harold and Kumar 2, with screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (who penned the first flick) set to make their directorial debut on the sequel. Now, before there was word that a sequel would find the boys traveling across Amsterdam, however we're not certain whether it will take place abroad or here in the States. PR describes the pic as a cross-country adventure that "follows the pot-smoking duo as they try to outrun authorities after being suspected as terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board a flight to Amsterdam." So, based on that description, it seems the boys never make it to Amsterdam, right? Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to another adventure from these two -- how about you?