INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL Film Critique

Shia LaBeouf makes an interesting Short Round.



If you were a fan of the previous three “Indiana Jones” films, there is no reason to believe you won’t be a fan of “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have done what they do best – entertain audiences. Spielberg has made it very clear that he only made this film for the fans. It wasn’t for the money. It wasn’t to see if he still had the ability to tackle this kind of project. Actually, those two reasons probably figured into it somewhere, but he primarily made the film for the fans. And why not? Spielberg has always had a very appreciative relationship with his fans. George Lucas, on the other hand, seems to sometimes go out of his way to give his fans exactly what they don’t want. Watching “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, most of the film has the Spielberg touch to it, though you can occasionally see scenes absolutely influenced by George Lucas and his brand of storytelling. When the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this past weekend, it received a standing ovation upon its conclusion. This was probably more for Spielberg and his accomplishment, but it was targeted at the picture. Despite a couple of early negative reviews, the word since Cannes has been overwhelmingly positive. And I am thrilled to say you can toss my hat into that ring. I found “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” better than I ever imagined. It shows some of the greatest actors and some of the greatest technicians everything they can to make the audience smile. It shows that some legends will never die and that, as bad as the buzz might be, always trust Steven Spielberg.

The film opens with a beautiful road sequence which leads some military vehicles to Area 51, where two men are taken, beaten and bloody, from the trunk of one of the autos. One man Mac McHale (Ray Winstone). The other man is Henry Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford), i.e. Indiana Jones. They have been taken to Area 51 by a ruthless Russian (Cate Blanchett) and her underlings to find the location of a crate that Jones helped get to the location many years before. Turns out that the Ruskies are looking for two things: (01) a lost city in the middle of the Amazon; and (02) a crystal skull that will evidently given the Commies enough psychic power to take over the world. After Jones and Mac escape from Area 51, Indiana is thrown into a series of momentous sequences before winding up fired from his teaching position and hunted by the Russians once more. He meets a young man named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who wants Indiana to help him rescue his old professor, Dr. Oxley (John Hurt), one of Indie’s old friends. It is also soon discovered that Mutt is the son of Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indiana’s old fling and near-wife. Did I mention that Indiana is Mutt’s father? The rest of the film involves Indiana, Mutt, Marion and Oxley traveling through the jungle and evading Russians to make it to the lost city to discover the true power of the crystal skull. Along the way, they encounter everything from man eating ants to...well...extra-terrestrials. I won’t reveal how the film ends, but let’s just say it sets up for a fifth and final film.

When you’re Steven Spielberg, it’s pretty easy to assemble the best of the best for your production, in almost every area. The score from John Williams is one parts homage and one parts expansion, and the music is as soaring and as memorable as ever. The cinematography from Janusz Kaminski is at times absolutely incredible. Spielberg’s relationship with Kaminski is evident in each and every film he directs, and this one is no exception. The two understand one another. What Steven Spielberg has done here is deliver a film that pays appreciative tribute to the first three films, but then takes this fourth film down a different road. This film is far more like an old serial than the previous three films and there is so much more of the fantastical here because I think that’s what they had to do if they wanted to keep upping the ante and not disappoint fans. For me, I found this film to be more like “Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom” in terms of how big and committed it was to non-stop action. However, I found it to be more like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in terms of how it doesn’t really slam you with this climactic cavalcade at the end. Sure, we get a lot of CGI effects, but we also get the classic Indiana Jones solution – ‘run’. If I had one complaint with the film (and it was a small one), I didn’t enjoy the sequence with Shia LaBeouf and the trees. I thought that took the film a little too far to the “King Kong” sector. I felt that could have been left out or another route devised to get him to the vehicles on the cliff. You are willing to accept a lot in one of these films, but something that ‘out there’ is difficult to swallow, even for a die hard fan.

And what a nice treat to see Harrison Ford back doing what he does best. It’s been years since we’ve seen Ford look remotely interested in any role on screen. His eyes are lit up throughout this picture. And, though close to 20-years have past, he hasn’t lost a damned thing as Indiana Jones. The comedic timing is still there. The rough and tumble delivery is still there. It was also nice to see Karen Allen back in action, and I love the way her character is introduced in this film, and I especially love Jones’ reaction. Shia LaBeouf does a fine job as Mutt Williams and is a nice match to Harrison Ford, and I thought Ray Winstone added a lot of comic relief. Cate Blanchett is just plain nasty as the villainess of the piece, and though she’s over-the-top, I think that is exactly what she needed to be for what Spielberg wanted with this picture. And, just because we don’t have Sean Connery and Denholm Elliot in the picture, we do get some nice nostalgic remembrances of them, which I thought was less cheesy and more for the fans satisfaction. But, please let me stress that there is far more action in the film than there is acting or dialog; but, that is the case with the other three films as well. This screenplay was written by David Koepp, with Jeff Nathanson and George Lucas adding some tidbits here and there. The script gives each character some really nice scenes and moments, but it’s written to give Indiana Jones the last laugh in every scenario.

I love this motion picture. “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” exceeded all of my expectations and just plain entertained the hell out of it. The more and more I think of what Steven Spielberg did – direct such a strong picture with so much pressure and expectation – it only firms my belief that he is the greatest director ever. He is just firing on all cylinders here. I think what makes Spielberg such a phenomenal filmmaker is that he can direct his passion projects like a “Munich” or a “Schindler’s List” and then still deliver fan projects like “The Lost World” or “War of the Worlds”. He has found the balance between Cecil B. DeMille and John Ford, if you will. Some fans will probably be disappointed with the film because that is how people get when a film has this much anticipation and buzz about it. As a massive fan of the “Indiana Jones” franchise and as someone who has Steven Spielberg as his favorite director, I think “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was absolutely fantastic and one of my favorite films of the year. I think it is going to be massive at the box office this weekend and I think it’s going to start a trend of bringing back even more of these icons from the 1980's. As someone who loved the 1980's, I think that is going to be a wonderful thing. Go see this picture. Spielberg made it for you.

Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones)
Cate Blanchett (Irina Spalko)
Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood)
Shia LaBeouf (Mutt Williams)
Ray Winstone (George ‘Mac’ McHale)
John Hurt (Professor Oxley)
Jim Broadbent (Dean Charles Stanforth)

Director: Steven Spielberg

RATED PG-13

REDBELT Film Critique

Tim 'The Tom Collins Man' Taylor gets accosted by a Mark Ruffalo look alike in horrible David Mamet misfire.



In the world of writing, there are few who garner the same attention and respect as David Mamet.
Whether it be theatre or film, David Mamet has become one of the most creative and ingenious forces in entertainment today with his realistic writing style and attention to verbal detail. As a director, he has tried his hand at every genre, from dramas like “The Spanish Prisoner” and “The Winslow Boy” to thrillers like “Heist” and “Spartan” and comedies like “State and Main”. As a writer, he has also given us scripts for films such as “The Verdict”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Hoffa”, “Wag the Dog”, “Ronin” and the recent “Edmond”. So, why did I hate “Redbelt” so much?

In yet another star-making performance, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Mike Terry, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor who teaches police officers how to be more assertive and regular people to be able to defend against anything and always achieve the upper hand. As he says, he teaches people to prevail. Early on, a frantic young woman (Emily Mortimer) accidentally runs into Mike’s car, which eventually leads her to accidentally firing a pistol and shattering the window of the studio. This sets the stage for a series of events that form the major plot details. Later, Mike stumbles into a bar owned by his brother-in-law (Rodrigo Santoro) where he defends a popular movie star, Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Chet takes a liking to Mike, and along with his agent (Joe Mantegna), invites Mike to be a producer on his latest film. Turns out, however, that Mike is just being used for his Jiu-Jitsu knowledge. A ruthless fight promoter (Ricky Jay) takes this knowledge and uses it to make money, giving Mike a very difficult ethical dilemma which leads to the final walk to the ring.

That plot line might actually sound interesting if it made any sense whatsoever in the picture. I have never seen a major motion picture release with this many holes in the plot. I left the theatre feeling as if the theatre might have dropped a reel or something. The only character given any sort of development is the character of Mike, but Mamet keeps mentioning these things from his past that are never given any further explanation, though we both want and need them. There is a twist at the end of the picture involving Mike’s wife (Alice Braga), but it comes out of nowhere and we feel like Mamet left a scene out accidentally or something showing us why that happened. We are never told whether or not the Chet Frank character was involved in the conspiracy, we are never told just whose idea the conspiracy was or why it started in the first place; and, we were never ever told why Emily Mortimer slaps Chiwetel Ejiofor outside the arena at the end of the film. If there truly are no missing reels, then David Mamet has delivered the worst directed mainstream film of the last decade. He shows better than this. I saw “State and Main” and “Heist”. Sure, “Heist” was not a perfect film, but at least the holes in the plot were not very large. Here, you could toss canyons through them. “Redbelt” makes no sense because Mamet directed it to make no sense. The big problem is that I don’t know if he directed it that way intentionally, or by accident.

As bad as this film is, Chiwetel Ejiofor is still quite good in it. He doesn’t play the role with that same ‘determined black man’ mentality as Denzel Washington might have. He plays Mike Terry as a very normal guy who just happens to have an extraordinary ability. Tim Allen is also quite good in this dramatic turn, but he’s given next to nothing to do. I wanted to see more of him and his interactions with Mike. Joe Mantegna and David Paymer are wasted in very small roles, and who told Rodrigo Santoro he was a better actor than a model? He’s not. Even Ricky Jay seems like he doesn’t know what he’s saying or why he’s saying it. When Ricky Jay is mediocre in a film, you know the director has to be doing something wrong. But, despite Ejiofor and Allen, the performers are not enough to raise this script and this film out of the muck. “Redbelt” is just not very good. Mamet is usually always dependable for a solid script, and even the written word here is as dull as can be. It has none of the same pop and jazz as Mamet’s scripts usually have.

This was the disappointment of the year, hands down. To see a director and writer like David Mamet lower himself to this kind of material is just unfortunate. The idea was a good one. It could have been well executed, but Mamet obviously didn’t know how to make that happen. What he did was assemble a thread-bare script and then attempt to direct a genre he knew nothing about making work. “Redbelt” left everyone in my audience feeling confused, like we had missing this big plot point, but knowing we had been paying close attention throughout. If he did all of this on purpose, he made one of the worst directorial choices I have ever seen. If he didn’t do it on purpose, he made one of the worst directorial choices I have ever seen. There’s no way he can come out a winner on this one. What surprises me is that some people have been giving this picture positive reviews. Did they see the same film? They couldn’t have. This also lends credit to my whole ‘missing reel’ theory. Maybe that’s why “Redbelt” was so bad. The good parts are on the cutting room floor.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mike Terry)
Alice Braga (Sondra Terry)
Emily Mortimer (Laura Black)
Tim Allen (Chet Frank)
Ricky Jay (Marty Brown)
Joe Mantegna (The Agent)
David Paymer (Richie)
Rodrigo Santoro (The Brother)

Director: David Mamet

RATED R

SPEED RACER Film Critique

Go, Speed Racer, Go -- to a different storyline!



Before heading to the theatre to see “Speed Racer”, my friends and I were sitting around, talking about the film and the Summer movie season, in general. Whilst discussing how “Speed Racer” would fare as a tentpole Summer release I asked the question, “Why should I want to see this film?” One of my friends responded, “Because its from the Wachowski Brothers!” I nodded, at first, but then I thought about it more and that response really consumed me. What does that statement even mean? These are two guys who burst onto the scene with “Bound”, a decent film but nothing close to a masterpiece. Then came “The Matrix”, a great science fiction film. Then came “The Matrix” sequels, two colossal wastes of time. They have directed nothing since. Their most popular film amongst fans is probably “V for Vendetta”, and they only wrote and produced it. These guys are not the kinds of directors whose names immediately evoke excellene in cinema. These are two guys who try way too hard some times, when all they need to do is be more patient and pay more attention to cohesion in story. “Speed Racer” suffers from many of the same problems that plagued the two “Matrix” sequels and “V for Vendetta”. It’s all shine and no substance. “Speed Racer” exists in a world between animation and live action, and it rests there under full knowledge that both worlds seem to be in a constant state of flux. “Speed Racer” relishes that. We do not.

Based on the popular Japanese anime series, “Speed Racer” attracted a cult following in the States and has enjoying popularity and syndication for years and years. Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer, the middle son of the Racer Family. Paps Racer (John Goodman) has been designing race cars for years and years and does everything from scratch. Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon) runs the household and does enough worrying for everyone. Younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) spends his days getting into trouble with their chimpanzee, Chim Chim. Sparky (Kick Gurry) helps Paps with the cars and lives with the family. Speed’s older brother, Rex (Scott Porter) was a former superstar driver, who went to the dark side and was tragically killed in a derby race. The film opens with present shots of Speed competing in a race and past shots of Rex driving him around the track. Almost immediately, Speed is visited by a man named Royalton (Roger Allam), a billionaire who wants to make Speed part of his elite race team. Eventually, Speed declines, not wanting to go against everything his father has taught him. After Royalton makes life hell for the Racers, Speed joins up with Racer-X (Matthew Fox) to help bring Royalton to the authorities. Christina Ricci co-stars as Trixie, Speed’s girl; and Richard Roundtree as Ben Burns, one of the great drivers. The film ends with the Grand Prix race where Speed is put to the ultimate test on the track.

Where the film sometimes excels is the visuals. The Wachowski Brothers have created one of the most unique worlds of fiction the screen has scene. The colors are so bright and vibrant and their editing style makes the film seem very much like the animated television series. We have numerous scenes of overlapping sequences and jumbled editing and racing scenes to fast that you can hardly tell what is going on some of the times. As jumbled as it is, it definitely keeps us interested. The problem, as with the latest “Star Wars” films, is that we’re constantly aware that we’re watching actors on a green screen. The problem with remaking an animated series and making so much of it with animation is that you need very colorful and larger-than-life actors to handle the live action roles, and as good as most of these actors are – they are not cut out to be cartoon characters. So, in that regard, the visuals proved more distracting than they should have been. But, the film also excels in the area of sound. “Speed Racer” has one of the most complex sound designs I have heard in a long time, with constant changes in music and tones and foley effects. I think this film already has the Academy Awards in the sound area sewn up, despite the films flaws. And, finally, I very much appreciated the Wachowski Brothers attempting to stay completely true to the series. Fans of the series appreciate it too, I am sure. However, it doing so, they have made a film that is pretty much inaccessible to the rest of audiences. That is the problem you always face with adaptations. Do you stay true to the core fans and alienate everyone else? Or do you please to the masses and make enemies with the core fans? “Speed Racer” made its decision. It made a bad one.

In a film like this, performances are not what you’re going to the theatre to see. However, you would not think that here considering the pedigree. Emile Hirsch is fine as Speed, though he does sometimes have a monotone rhythm to his characterization that doesn’t really fit the character. He’s as adorable as he’s ever been and he gets a couple of nice moments, but he also gets the absolute worst dialog in the entire picture. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon do the best with their roles, but are so much better than the film itself. Both get their individual scenes to shine, and it was very nice to see John Goodman looking healthier in a film again. Otherwise, the performances don’t fare so well. Matthew Fox is dreadful as Racer-X, delivering his lines as wooden and as unbelievable as I’ve ever heard. The audience was laughing at him. Roger Allam is channeling Tim Curry through the entire film, and I would have rather them spent the extra money for Curry – at least then you could say, “Hey – there’s Tim Curry!” And, Paulie Litt turns in one of the most annoying child performances in recent memory, alongside that damned chimpanzee. I understand their relevance to the film, but did they have to be so grating on the senses? I think not. Finally, Christina Ricci does a decent enough job with Trixie and she does look more like a comic book character than anyone else, but even she seems pretty weaker when matched against the special effects.

I just don’t know how to adequately describe “Speed Racer” to audiences who haven’t seen it yet. I can’t quite recommend the film, though it did keep me watching it. I can’t recommend it because the Wachowski Brothers spent all of their time worried about the effects and spent zero time with the storyline, or developing the script. The dialog is wretched. I also can’t recommend it because the blend of live action and animation doesn’t seem to work. It’s not convincing. And, I know it is not supposed to look real, but what I didn’t find convincing was the juxtaposition of the two. So, in the end, “Speed Racer” doesn’t even finish the race. It’s a pretty package and you won’t mind staring at it for a few hours, but the contents are pretty lame. It’s like getting a lump of coal for Christmas wrapped in a 14 karat gold box. It’s like choosing the most delicious looking piece of chocolate from the box, only to find it has that orange flavored creme inside. “Speed Racer” might appeal to children, but I don’t think it will. Adults will definitely have a difficult time making it through the picture. “Because its from the Wachowski Brothers!” So what.

Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer)
Christina Ricci (Trixie)
John Goodman (Paps Racer)
Susan Sarandon (Mom Racer)
Matthew Fox (Racer X)
Kick Gurry (Sparky)
Roger Allam (Royalton)
Paulie Litt (Spritle Racer)
Scott Porter (Rex Racer)

Director: Andy & Larry Wachowski

RATED PG

IRON MAN Film Critique

Johnny-5 is alive! No disassemble! No disassemble!



As far as I am concerned, the greatest superhero movie of all time is “Spider-Man 2". It has yet to be surpassed. At a close second is the original “Superman” film. Lately, we have been hit with a barrage of superhero films, most as affective as a Band-Aid on a compound fracture. We are thrown out garbage like “Ghost Rider” and “Elektra”, and B-grade hero flicks like “Daredevil” and even the latest “Fantastic Four” picture. Marvel has a bad habit of taking some of its best franchises and turning them into pointless, by-the-books slop-outs that do nothing but make thousands of fans angrier than they’ve ever been. Occasionally, however, they get it right. They got it right with the second “Spider-Man” film. They got it right with the second “X-Men” film. And, now, they get it right once more with “Iron Man”, the best superhero film since “Spider-Man 2" and one of the very best superhero films ever made. “Iron Man” succeeds on all levels and starts the Summer movie season off with a real bang – one of the best kick-offs in recent years. The trailer for “Iron Man” quickly became one of the most watched trailers of all-time, and director Jon Favreau has really delivered on that early promise. “Iron Man” has never been one of the most popular comic book superheros for Marvel, but it’s safe to say he might become one of the most successful franchises for their film department. Marvel and Paramount have a sure-fire hit on their hands here.

The film opens with a convoy of military vehicles trucking it through the Afghanistan desert, one of them containing billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), the CEO of Stark Industries, the greatest weapons manufacturer the world has ever known. When the covoy is attacked, Stark is taken hostage, tied up and held captive, forced to build one of his new missles for a group of terrorists. Stark is also badly injured by a mortar blast, but is healed by a device that keeps the little pieces of shrapnel from traveling to his aorta and killing him. It’s this device that gives Stark an idea to construct a large metal suit that would allow him to break free from his captors, which he does. When he returns, he is greeted by his loyal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend, Rhodes (Terrence Howard), and his business partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). Tony vows to stop making weapons and devotes his time to constructing a more modernized version of his metal suit, essentially turning him from eccentric billionaire into eccentric superhero. But, some one else has eyes on the design for the suit, but wants to use it as the ultimate weapon. The film really does come in three parts, the first involving Stark’s capture and eventual escape; the second involving Stark’s return home and construction of the suit; and the third involving Starks’ realization that his friends might not be as friendly as he once thought.

Let’s start with the script from Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, who also penned the “Children of Men” script. It’s sharp, it’s precise and it’s full of great one-liners and even better pacing. I also have to credit director Jon Favreau for a nice, humorous editing style and doing his best to keep the film fresh and exciting. What Favreau lacks in the whole perameters of the ‘big budget filmmaker’, he makes up for with his pitch-perfect wit and true sense of how to use his actors. The special effects were fantastic, and I love how Favreau chose to do everything he could practicly, without resorting to CGI-ing everything just to make things simpler. I am sure it ballooned the budget of the film tremendously, but it was worth it in the long run. But, the pacing and the timing is what is most impressive about the film. The directors, the actors – everyone seems to be on the same page with the film throughout, and that makes a huge difference. Everyone seemed like they were having a blast with this picture. On a side note, make sure you stick around past the end credits for a special surprise that will leave most geeks oozing with excitement.

As for performances, the role of Tony Stark seems tailor made for Robert Downey, Jr. It is always nice to see him at work, and he basically carries the entire film on his shoulders. “Iron Man” is his picture, and he makes every second of it work. As Obadiah Stane, Jeff Bridges is just as he needs to be and really adds a sense of depth to a character that could have been one-dimensional, as with most comic book pictures. Gwyneth Paltrow is the best she’s been since “Proof” and really makes Pepper a lot of fun and an equal to Stark on so many levels. Terrence Howard doesn’t get much to do in this film, but he does it very well. Howard is one of the most consistent actors working today, and though he’s made some bad pictures, he’s never bad in them, and that says a lot. Even Clark Gregg is humorous in a tiny role that turns out being one of those ‘oh my God geek moments’. On the whole, to say the cast was perfectly assembled would be an understatement. This cast works together so well and Favreau brings them together so well. “Iron Man” would not have been nearly as successful without these actors in these roles, especially Robert Downey, Jr.

So, I am delighted to say that Summer Movie Season has kicked off and given us likely one of the best pictures of the Summer, and maybe even the year. It’s currently sitting at one of the best ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and I have a feeling fans of the comic book will not be disappointed. This might be the best ‘fan friendly’ comic book adaptation ever. “Iron Man” keeps a dry wit and a very astute sense of humor throughout all the explosions and fights, and that is what separates it from every other superhero flick on the block. Sure, they all have senses of humor too, but they don’t have someone like Robert Downey, Jr. to make it all come together and work. “Iron Man” easily has a sequel in the works because I don’t see how it couldn’t. And if you stick around after the credits for the ending of the film, you’ll know why. I can’t recommend this film enough. It has been a long time since I’ve been able to give a superhero film this high a score, but I am proud to say that I can again. I have never been a fan of Jon Favreau as a director, but he has given me some reason to start being interested. “Iron Man” is one of the best pictures of the year.

Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark)
Terrence Howard (Jim Rhodes)
Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)
Leslie Bibb (Christine Everhart)
Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson)

Director: Jon Favreau

RATED PG-13

HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY Film Critique

This should be all you need to see -- go watch this movie!



Time for some straight talk, people – I didn’t really care for “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle”. I thought it had some chuckles, but for the most part didn’t live up to all the hype that had been generated about the film. I didn’t think the humor was broad enough and I didn’t think all of the pay-offs worked as well as they could have. That said, I was still excited about “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”. It’s rare that a trailer for a film like this gets me so damned excited, but this was one of the exceptions. Ever since I saw that first trailer spot, I have been just frothing at the mouth to see this one. And, boy, was I not disappointed. “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” is one of the most offensive, disgusting and horribly amusing films I have seen in a long time, and the funniest film I have seen since “Borat”. It takes two characters that fans know and love and sends them into this series of over the top adventures that seem like they belong out of a film from the 1980's. It was almost like the filmmakers read my critique of the first film and made every single correction I had in the back of my head. I know that wasn’t the case, but it’s nice to dream, isn’t it? “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” is the funniest film of the year and one of the most entertaining films I have seen in quite a few months.

The events of this film take place about a week after the events of the previous film. Harold and Kumar are headed to Amsterdam so Harold (John Cho) can see his new lady friend, when Kumar (Kal Penn) decides to get stoned on the airplane, leading them to be mistaken for terrorists trying to blow up the plane. Enter Ron Fox (Ron Corddry) of Homeland Security, who firmly believes they are evil and dangerous, and has the racial sensitivity of a 1930's blackface routine. Harold and Kumar are sent to Guantanamo Bay, and this is when the real madness begins. After escaping from prison, they are sent across the United States as they make their ways to Texas. Their trip takes them to the heart of the South – Birmingham, AL – where they run into a hunter and his wife who have their son locked in the basement; as well their old buddy Neil Patrick Harris, who gives them a ride and proceeds to pop shroom after shroom after shroom, until unicorns are the last of his troubles. This film has everything from Ku Klux Klan rallies and George W. Bush to a horrible, but hysterical scene involving Rob Corddry and a can of grape soda. You never know what you’re going to see next, and it’s that kind of broad humor that makes the film so damned special.

Just like the first film, the film is a combination of horribly obscene dick and fart jokes and racial humor that hasn’t been this prevalent in a long time. Now, I had a problem with some of the dick and fart jokes in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” because they didn’t seem necessary and they seemed like they were being used just for the hell of it. Here, it makes sense. You got a taste of it in the first film, and now they’re smacking you upside the head with it. That kind of humor can work if the film isn’t trying to take itself too seriously in the first place. In this film, there is an entire scene of women walking around, vaginas exposed for the world to see. We then have a man’s genitalia exposed with an Osama Bin Laden-esque beard. These scenes are shocking, but they don’t seem out of place in a film that seems very much in the tradition of “Porky’s”. And, at the heart of the film, are a couple of nice stories involving true love and friendship. You’re not going to get bogged down with those stories, but they are present and they do add a little warmth to a picture that was designed to make the audience roll over in the aisles with laughter; it succeeds at that.

As far as performances, what’s not to love about John Cho and Kal Penn? Though I didn’t care for the first film, I thought their performances were fine and I could tell they were designed to be very likable characters. Here, they do a fine job of staying true to their characters every step of the way. Rob Corddry steals the show as the most offensive and ignorant government character ever portrayed on the screen. His best scene comes with Ed Helms when they are interrogating the parents of Harold and Kumar, with Ed Helms trying desperately to understand a language which is obviously American. Neil Patrick Harris is also hysterical playing himself again, a role which he seems more than apt in portraying. His best scene comes at the whore house and it is one of the single most laugh-inducing scenes I have seen in ages. Finally, I do want to point out an understated, but very enjoyable Roger Bart as the only member of the government who seems to understand that Harold and Kumar are just stupid kids and nothing more. Bart usually takes these supporting roles, and he always shines at them. Very underrated character actor.

So, if you cannot tell, I loved “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”. This is no holds barred comedy – balls to the wall storytelling and a great way to make me get over the disappointment of the latest Apatow-influenced picture. “Harold and Kumar...” is going to offend a lot of people, and some people might even storm out of the picture in disgust, but those are the people who don’t need to be in there anyways. I sincerely hope a third installment of the franchise is in the works because this is one series that I think has the potential to keep going, at least for a couple more films. I mean – who is going to get tired of Neil Patrick Harris? Who is going to get tired of Beverly D’Angelo dressed up like a cowgirl whore? In closing, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” is the funniest film of 2008 and one of the best films of the year. Don’t count on it making my end of the year list, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.

John Cho (Harold)
Kal Penn (Kumar)
Rob Corddry (Ron Fox)
Neil Patrick Harris (Neil Patrick Harris)
Roger Bart (Dr. Beecher)

Director(s): Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg

RATED R


AND A HALF

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL Film Critique

Remember when my career used to mean something? Oh, wait...



There has been a lot of talk about how funny “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is. Critic Richard Roeper has been touting it as one of the funniest films ever made. Its current Rotten Tomatoes score is a lot better than most independent dramas; and, for a comedy, that’s pretty impressive. So, I went into the film expecting to laugh – expecting to laugh a lot. And I did. But to call “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” one of the funniest films ever made is a bit of an overstatement. I don’t know if I would call it the funniest film of 2008. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is another one of those Judd Apatow inspired pictures that features the same actors, the same kinds of dick and fart jokes and the same amount of heart and humanity that is supposed to even things out in the end. But, at some point, you have to start questioning some of the tactics of these kinds of films. What worked for pictures like the inspired “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” don’t necessarily work for all of the other pictures in the catalog. With “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, Apatow tackles the losing of ones virginity. With “Knocked Up”, Apatow tackles parenthood. With “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, Apatow’s team is tackling break-ups. It’s like they are covering every major issue a twentysomething male faces in his life. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just want to start seeing better rewards.

In his first leading role, Jason Segel (who also wrote the screenplay) stars as Peter Bretter, a young musician who happens to be dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), the star of the hit drama “Crime Scene”, for which Peter composes the music. The film opens with Sarah breaking up with Peter, sending him into an immediate downward spiral. He doesn’t know what to do without her and spends most of his days crying like a baby and working on his rock opera version of “Dracula”. His best friend, Brian (Bill Hader) convinces Peter to take a vacation, and he does – to Hawaii. The problem is that Sarah and her new hard rocking boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) have also come to the same resort to vacation. Cue to the crying again. But, soon, Peter meets and falls for the hotel customer service agent, Rachel (Mila Kunis), and Sarah slowly starts fading into the background. The resort is also home to a wide assortment of Apatow regulars, including Jonah Hill as a pseudo-homosexual restaurant manager who has an unhealthy obsession withb Sarah’s new rocker boyfriend, and Paul Rudd as the local surf guru with short term memory problems. It would not be an Apatow production without these random cameos, and we’ve come to expect them.

First off – haven’t we seen all of this before? I know I certainly have. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is a culmination of plot devices from numerous other romantic comedies, except it has the whole Apatow branding going for it. There nothing very original about the film, from the same dialog that we hear in every film like this, to the predictability of the character choices that make us constantly question just how stupid human beings really are in the film world. What is the point of having the lead character completely naked at the beginning? What purpose does it serve other than to say to the audience – “Hey, look what I did!” I also had a problem with the lack of connectivity between some of the scenes at the resort. It felt like the filmmaker had shot these random collection of scenes and just lined them up, one after another, for a little while, paying little attention to whether or not they fit into any grande scheme of storytelling. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is almost too haphazard in the way that it takes these characters that we have grown to like and places them in these ridiculous situations with these supporting characters that seem so trivial and contrived. And what is Jason Segel but a 2008 version of Seth Rogen? He has a little more dramatic flair, but they are basically the same character, with just a few minor differences.

All of that said, everyone seems to be having a blast in the film. Jason Segel is quite charming as Peter and does a good job with his first leading role. He probably has a nice future ahead of himself after this picture. Kristen Bell is quite lovely in her role as Sarah Marshall, especially during her hilarious clips from her TV show with William Baldwin – those were the most memorable aspects of the film for me. Russell Brand steals the show during most of his scenes as the obnoxious Aldous Snow, but that character is so over the top that it seems a little out of place in this picture. Paul Rudd gets just downright annoying in his role, as does Jonah Hill. The best performance all around comes from Mila Kunis as the customer service agent who falls for Peter. She is a real find here, and I am glad that she is finally getting the cinematic recognition she deserves.

But, will “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” make you laugh? You bet your ass it will. I laughed quite a bit. I loved the stuff with the “Dracula” musical and I thought the ending of the film was just hysterical. I loved the “Crime Scene” segments with William Baldwin, and then the special one at the end with Jason Bateman. On the whole, this was an affective comedy. However, calling it one of the funniest films ever made is just laughable in itself. As mentioned before, I personally didn’t even think it was one of the funniest films of 2008. I laughed more at “Smart People”. But, you will go see the film and probably love it, and Apatow fans have a new idol in Jason Segel, so I guess Seth Rogen is out of work for a while. But, I do want to stress that this kind of humor is going to very quickly get old to a lot of people. Right now, it’s the hot thing to do, but it’s going to wear out its welcome very soon and these kinds of dick and fart jokes will just not be funny anymore. I am glad I saw “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. But, an hour or so later, I’d already forgotten it.

Jason Segel (Peter Bretter)
Kristen Bell (Sarah Marshall)
Mila Kunis (Rachel Jansen)
Russell Brand (Aldous Snow)
Bill Hader (Brian Bretter)
Jonah Hill (Matthew the Waiter)

Director: Nicholas Stoller

RATED R

OBITUARY

R.I.P.
HAZEL COURT
1926 - 2008



FILMOGRAPHY:

1946...Carnival
1947...Root of All Evil
1947...Dear Murderer
1952...Ghost Ship
1954...Devil Girl from Mars
1956...The Narrowing Circle
1957...The Curse of Frankenstein
1959...The Shakedown
1959...Model for Murder
1959...The Man Who Could Cheat Death
1961...Doctor Blood’s Coffin
1962...Premature Burial
1963...The Raven
1964...The Masque of the Red Death

Most people have never heard of Hazel Court, and that’s fine – she’s not one of those actresses whose career defined a generation though she did leave a lasting impression in the horror genre. Hazel Court was one of the first true scream queens and her entire career was spent making people jump and shout. On the big screen, she is most remembered for her roles in “The Raven” and “The Masque of the Red Death”, both based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. But, even before that, you can see her in classic films like “Ghost Ship” and “Doctor Blood’s Coffin”, both of which have taken on a sordid cult following. On television, if there was a fright show, she was involved in some way, shope or form. She did everything from “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “Twilight Zone” to “Ghost Squad” and “Playhouse 90". There aren’t many of these horror screen icons still around, so it’s always sad when we lose one this talented. She will be missed. Now, scream!