The TV Addict 

HAROLD & KUMAR: ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY

What made the first HAROLD & KUMAR so charming was the simplicity of its story, its unapologetic silliness, as well as the way it subverted traditional expectations of Hollywood protagonists (i.e. Harold and Kumar are not white) while never actually making a big deal out of it. The sequel strays from that amusing, basic charm by making Harold and Kumar’s voyage far more extreme, without that thread of relatability that pervaded the first film. It’s too ambitious for its own good. As a result, things get perhaps a little too wacky and out there, and at the same time the forced romantic subplots become that much more awkward. That being said, the film’s politics are amusing, not only because of the movies’ gleeful political incorrectness, but also its clever way of repeatedly flipping our expectations involving the stereotypes the movie presents. The joke though - like the rest of the film - eventually gets old. You’ll get a few laughs along the way, but in the end you’re probably better off getting high and watching the film, or just sticking to the first one.

Overall rating: C

DOOMSDAY

From the original review: “…given the film is perhaps really aiming to be nothing more than a silly, C-level genre piece that humorously ventures into campy excess (the character of Sol, especially), maybe bemoaning the lack of character and story development is like wishing GHANDI had more action in it. And as a campy post-apocalyptic action-horror film, DOOMSDAY does fare well.”

Overall rating: B-

Read the rest of this entry »