Tag Archives: Patton Oswalt
New Releases for the Week of June 7, 2019
(20th Century Fox/Marvel) James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee. Directed by Simon Kinberg
During a rescue mission to space, Jean Grey of the X-Men is hit by an unknown cosmic force which causes her powers to grow out of control and her personality to become unstable. The X-Men are forced to defend themselves against their friend and as an alien race seeks to weaponize her powers, the prospect that they might have to kill one of their own.
See the trailer, video featurettes, clips and interviews here
Genre: Superhero
Rating: PG-13 (for intense scenes of sci-fi violence and action including some gunplay, disturbing images and brief strong language)
All is True
(Sony Classics) Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Kathryn Wilder. After playing this year's Florida Film Festival, this British production is making its theatrical run. William Shakespeare has retired and seeks to make peace with his inner demons while reconnecting with a family that may be beyond reconciling with.
See the trailer, clips and an interview here
Genre: Biographical Drama
Now Playing: Regal Oviedo Marketplace
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements, suggestive material and language)
(Viva) Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Disha Patani. As the day of India's independence dawns, a man makes a promise to his father that he will keep his family together no matter what. Over the next 60 years, he keeps that promise despite the challenges thrown at him by each passing decade.
See the trailer and clips here
Now Playing: AMC West Oaks, Cinemark Universal Citywalk, Touchstar Southchase
Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk
(Gravitas) Bill Murray, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw. While golf was invented in Scotland in the 15th century, it has only really boomed in popularity over the last century or so with golfers becoming huge celebrities. However, who gives a thought to the men who carry the clubs of those superstars? This is their story.
Now Playing: Old Mill Playhouse, Regal Pointe Orlando
Rating: PG (for some suggestive/rude humor, mild thematic elements, and smoking images)
(Universal/Illumination) Starring the voices of Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish. Max and his friends in his apartment building continue their adventures from the first film as they head back out to explore the big city.
See the trailer, video featurettes and clips here
Genre: Animated Feature
Rating: PG (for some action and rude humor)
(Bleecker Street) John Lithgow, Blythe Danner, Derek Cecil, Katie Aselton. A grumpy old man prepares for a disaster that may never happen. He meets a woman who can't let go of the things she has. Together they fall in love but can they figure out a way not to get lost in each other's stuff? This was another film that played this year's Florida Film Festival.
Now Playing: Regal Winter Park Village, Rialto Spanish Springs Square
Rating: PG-13 (for brief strong language and some suggestive material)
Changeland
All About My Mother
My Best Summer
The Silence of Others
Wrong No. 2
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2019, All is True, Ben Crenshaw, Bharat, Bill Murray, Blythe Danner, cinema, Cinema365, Dark Phoenix, Films, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, John Lithgow, Judi Dench, June 7, Kate Aselton, Kathryn Wilder, Katrina Kaif, Kenneth Branagh, KeviHarrison Ford, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lee Trevino, Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk, Michael Fassbender, movies, Nicholas Hoult, Nick Faldo, Patton Oswalt, Previews, Salman Khan, Sophie Turner, Tabu, The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Tomorrow Man, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, X-Men: Dark Phoenix	| Leave a reply
It looks like Tom Hanks is trying to recapture his Cast Away look.
(2017) Thriller (STX) Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Ellar Coltrane, Glenne Headly, Bill Paxton, Karen Gillan, Beck, Nate Corddry, John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, Mamoudou Athie, Eve Gordon, Poorna Jagannathan, Elvy Yost, Ellen Wong, Lauren Baldwin, Nicola Bertram, Julian Von Nagel, Amie McCarthy-Winn, Regina Saldivar, Amir Tatai, Smith Cho. Directed by James Ponsoldt
There's no doubt that the world is changing. Social media and the presence of cameras nearly everywhere have guaranteed that our concept of privacy will have to change radically. We must learn to live with the reality that everything we do is not only findable online but is subject to the scrutiny of trolls.
Mae (Watson) is a customer service drone in a dead end job she can't stand. Coming to her rescue is Annie (Gillan) who works in management at The Circle, a sort of cross between Facebook, Google and Big Brother. Like all social media outlets, The Circle seems to be almost an obsession with its users who post the most mundane details of their day so that friends and strangers can pass judgment.
Mae's dad (Paxton in his final role) has Multiple Sclerosis and her mom (Headly) has been worn ragged caring for him. Her ex-boyfriend Mercer (Coltrane) is suspicious of the ongoing loss of privacy and is retreating from the modern connected world, moving to a rustic artist retreat that is essentially off the grid.
Mae however has picked a grand time to join up with The Circle. Co-founder and CEO Eamon Bailey (Hanks) is releasing a new product – a miniaturized camera that people can wear all day long that utilizes facial recognition software to allow them to find friends nearby and of course post everything they do – literally every moment of their day – online. Mae, after a rough start, has become a convert "Circler" and is selected to be the first person to have total transparency online.
However with total transparency comes collateral damage – not everyone wants their every moment on display and it ends up causing friction with those Mae loves the most and leads to a tragedy nobody could have predicted. This leads her to do some digging and she soon finds out that not everything at the Circle – or everyone – necessarily has benevolent intentions.
This is based on a book by Dan Eggers who gets the Silicon Valley culture nicely. In some ways, the movie pokes fun a bit at the tech culture of "play hard, work harder" with Mae getting a visit from Circlers who are concerned she's not participating in any groups – or working on weekends. In some ways the big problem with this poorly-reviewed movie is that it really doesn't know what it wants to be – at times it feels like a corporate espionage thriller, other times a social commentary and still others a sci-fi cautionary tale.
The graphics are nifty and nicely extrapolate what our online experience is going to look like in maybe a decade or less. The film is also blessed with a marvelous cast. You literally can't go wrong with Hanks who doesn't play villains often and even this villain is less villainous than Oswalt's corporate weasel who is more of a traditional villain. Bailey is charming and folksy, a cross between Steve Jobs and Garrison Keillor. And, of course he's Tom Hanks, the modern Jimmy Stewart.
But then there's Watson who is a marvelous actress and perhaps one of the most beloved actresses in the world. She was simply flat here, never really gathering my sympathy or attention. I was far more drawn to Hanks' character which is not unexpected given Hanks ability and screen charm. But as she proved in Beauty and the Beast Watson is thoroughly capable of carrying a movie and here she simply doesn't.
I liked the social media aspect which the movie seems to be on the cusp of exploring further but it never really does. It feels like the filmmakers were anxious not to offend millennials which they figured would be a large chunk of their target audience; unfortunately what that wound up doing was diluting the message and taking away much of the film's bite. Overall it feels a bit like cinematic pablum.
That's not to say that this is a complete waste of time. The movie does accurately portray our society's obsession with celebrity and the growing importance of internet celebrity; it also makes points about our obsession with connection and the growing loss of privacy. These are all valid and salient points and I would have loved to see more exploration of them. Instead we end up with something of a generic thriller that ends up disappointing more than it excites. Circles, after all, have a tendency to end up where they start out – and so does The Circle.
REASONS TO GO: Hanks is a riveting quasi-villain. The graphics are nicely utilized.
REASONS TO STAY: There's a wasted opportunity in terms of sociopolitical commentary. Nothing here really impresses.
FAMILY VALUES: There is a bit of sexuality, some drug use and a smattering of profanity.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Headly and Paxton who play Mae's parents have both passed away since they filmed their roles.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Eagle Eye
NEXT: Unforgettable
Posted in New Releases	| Tagged based on a novel, Beck, Bill Paxton, cinema, Cinema365, Ellar Coltrane, Emma Watson, Films, Glenne Headly, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, mini-cam, movies, Multiple Sclerosis, Nate Corddry, Patton Oswalt, privacy, reviews, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, social media, STX Entertainment, The Circle, thriller, Tom Hanks, total transparency	| Leave a reply
New Releases for the Week of April 28, 2017
(STX) Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, John Boyega, Ellar Coltrane, Glenne Headly, Karen Gillan, Nate Corddry, Mamoudou Athie, Patton Oswalt. Directed by James Ponsoldt
A young woman goes to work for the world's largest hi-tech social media company. As she rises through the ranks she is mentored by no less than the charismatic founder of the company, but as she takes part in testing a new iteration of the software, she discovers that the program does far more than what it was advertised to do and that her decisions are affecting her friends, family and ultimately the human race as she realizes that the personal freedom of every human being may be at risk.
See the trailer, clips and a promo here.
For more on the movie this is the website.
Rating: PG-13 (for a sexual situation, brief strong language and some thematic elements including drug use)
How to Be a Latin Lover
(Pantelion/Lionsgate) Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell. Maximo wants to be rich; he just doesn't want to work for it. He figures out that the easiest way to accomplish those things is to marry a rich woman and so he does. After 25 years of an idyllic existence of wealth and privilege his wife unexpectedly dumps him for a younger man. Moving in with his estranged sister, he bonds with his young nephew who has a crush on his schoolmate; Maximo encourages this because it gives him an "in" with the girl's grandmother, a widowed billionaire. However, Maximo begins to learn slowly that there are things more important than money.
See the trailer, clips, interviews and a featurette here.
Rating: PG-13 (for crude humor, sexual references and gestures, and for brief nudity)
(BH Tilt/WWE) Jacob Latimore, Seychelle Gabriel, Dulé Hill, Storm Reid. A savvy street magician is all his little sister has after their parents pass away. Trying to keep a roof over their head and food on their table, he resorts to some illegal activities. He gets pulled in deeper and deeper into a dangerous lifestyle until his beloved baby sister is kidnapped. To get her back, he must use his intelligence, his magic and his street smarts.
See the trailer and clips here.
Now Playing: AMC Altamonte Mall, AMC Disney Springs, AMC Loew's Universal Cineplex, Cinemark Artegon Marketplace, Regal Waterford Lakes, Regal Winter Park Village
Rating: R (for language throughout, drug content and some violence)
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2017, April 28, Bill Paxton, cinema, Cinema365, Dule Hill, Ellar Coltrane, Emma Watson, Eugenio Derbez, Films, Glenne Headly, How to Be a Latin Lover, Jacob Latimore, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Kristen Bell, Mamadou Athie, movies, Nate Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Previews, Rob Lowe, Salma Hayek, Sleight, The Circle, Tom Hanks	| Leave a reply
One must keep one's focus sharp when shopping for lingerie.
(2016) Spy Comedy (20th Century Fox) Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher, Gal Gadot, Jon Hamm, Patton Oswalt, Ming Zhao, Matt Walsh, Maribeth Monroe, Michael Liu, Kevin Dunn, Dayo Abanikanda, Henry Boston, Jack McQuaid, Ying He, Yi Dong Hian, Art Shaffir, Marc Grapey, Karina Bonnefil, Darin Cooper, Angela Ray, Amy Block. Directed by Greg Mottola
Neighborhoods aren't what they used to be. Once upon a time, everyone knew everyone; we all were in each others' business. Now, we barely acknowledge each other with a nod of the head. Does anyone really know who their neighbors truly are anymore?
The Gaffneys have a good life. Jeff (Galifianakis) is an HR guy at a big defense contractor. He's basically a good guy but he hasn't met a problem yet that he didn't think could be solved with an aphorism and a stress ball. His wife Karen (Fisher) is an interior designer who has put her career on hold to raise her kids. The cul-de-sac in which they live in suburban Atlanta is well-to-do and close-knit. Jeff is as happy as a clam, Karen a little less so especially now that the kids are gone for the summer. Still, it feels like something is missing in their lives, something that doesn't appear to be coming back anytime soon – a sense of excitement.
That is, until the Jones family moves in across the street. Natalie (Gadot) is super sexy and capable, absolutely excelling at everything she does; Tim (Hamm) is a travel writer, accomplished, handsome and pretty much an authority on everything. Tim and Jeff hit it off straight away, developing quite the bro-mance. Karen is a little bit more hesitant to connect with the ice-cold Natalie, although she is a little attracted to her sexuality (who isn't?) to be honest. In fact, perfect Natalie has her a little bit suspicious.
And, it turns out, with good reason; the Joneses are spies and they have their eye on some chicanery going on at Jeff's place of employment. It involves a mole within the company, a vicious arms dealer known only as the Scorpion and an agency that employs the Joneses who aren't worried about collateral damage and with the Gaffneys now involved, there's going to be a whole lot of that.
The ordinary people drawn into extraordinary espionage situations have been popular in the movies with things like True Lies and Spy among others. They act as avatars for the audience, drawn into a world of excitement, glamour and danger. Who wouldn't want to be a superspy, suave and debonair or beautiful and deadly?
The four leads all interact well among each other, although surprisingly the best chemistry is between Hamm and Galifianakis although considering the two have been friends for awhile offscreen, it may be less surprising than at first glance. The two develop a relationship that is realistic and the kind of friendship most men want to have with other men. The ladies are sexy and made to give each other an obligatory kiss (why is it as a society we find women kissing each other far sexier than men doing it?) but given that Karen are so suspicious of Natalie to begin with whereas the more open Jeff is accepting of Tim right away that the two ladies don't really develop a friendship as deep as the one the men forge. Perhaps that's meant to be a commentary on the nature of interactions between women in general. Perhaps not.
The action sequences are for the most part unremarkable and mostly played for last. There is a car chase that's reasonably cool (given that there are four people in the car that's being chased rather than the usual two) but again, nothing new is added to the genre here. Of course, it's not really a requirement that every action sequence has to be innovative.
This is the kind of movie that you really have to turn your brains off for and there's no shame in that; sometimes what we're looking for is just pure escapism. Still, you can have escapism without sacrificing story and character development and while the actors do game work here, they are ultimately betrayed by a script that doesn't give them a whole lot of character to hang their hats on. Maybe the Agency ought to look into that.
REASONS TO GO: The chemistry between the leads is compelling.
REASONS TO STAY: A predictable tired plot sabotages all the best intentions of the filmmakers.
FAMILY VALUES: There is plenty of espionage action, some rude humor, scenes of sexuality and occasional profanity.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: One of three major studio releases in 2016 with the name "Jones' in the title, the other two being Bridget Jones' Baby and Free State of Jones.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
NEXT: Cents
Posted in New Releases	| Tagged 20th Century Fox, affluence, arms dealer, Atlanta, block party, blueprints, bro-mance, car chase, cinema, Cinema365, cobra, cover story, cul-de-sac, defense contractor, empty nest, espionage, Films, Gal Gadot, glass blowing, gun battle, human resources, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, keeping up with the joneses, Kevin Dunn, listening device, movies, neighborhood, neighbors, Patton Oswalt, reviews, spies, spy comedy, travel writer, Zach Galifianakis	| Leave a reply
New Releases for the Week of February 28, 2014
(Universal) Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Nate Parker, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Lupita Nyong'o, Omar Metwally, Linus Roache, Shea Whigham, Anson Mount. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
A Federal Air Marshal on a transatlantic flight receives a message that someone on the plane will die every 20 minutes unless a ransom demand is met. When it turns out the message is deadly serious, he has to discover who's sending those messages – only to find out that there is something far more devious going on than a mere hostage situation.
See the trailer, clips, an interview, a promo and footage from the premiere here.
Release formats: Standard (opens Thursday)
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references)
Odd Thomas
(RLJ/Image) Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe, Patton Oswalt, Addison Timlin. A nondescript fry cook in a nondescript small town has a special gift – he can see dead people. When a mysterious stranger brings in an entourage of truly nasty demonic sorts, Thomas realizes that a disaster of apocalyptic proportions is upon them. From writer Dean Koontz and director Stephen Sommers who has The Mummy on his resume.
(IFC Midnight) Zoe Bell, Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn, Tracie Thoms. After being abducted, a woman wakes up in a concrete bunker and is forced to fight in a tournament of 50 women. If she loses or refuses to fight, her loved ones will be murdered.
Genre: Action Horror
(CODEBLACK) Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps, Sanaa Lathan. A life coach with a dark past takes on a man fixated on his mother's recent passing mainly to get some cash to bail out his brother who is deeply in debt to the wrong people. However, it turns out his new client is far more than he seems to be and his issues run far deeper.
Rating: R (for violence including torture and language)
Shaadi Ke Side Effects
(Bataji) Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Vir Das, Ram Kapoor. A young married couple who had a very difficult time getting their wedding pulled off finds that the most difficulty comes after the wedding.
(20th Century Fox) Diogo Morgado, Roma Downey, Nonso Anozie, Amber Rose Revah. From the producers of the hit cable series The Bible comes this focus on Jesus of Nazareth.
Genre: Faith
Rating: PG-13 (for for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion and for some sequences of violence)
(Sony Classics) Thomas Kretschmann, Pyotr Fyodorov, Sergey Bondarchuk, Maria Smolnikova. An epic retelling of the crucial battle that broke the Nazi stranglehold on Europe and eventually turned the tide of the war. Shown from a post-Soviet Russian point of view.
Release formats: IMAX 3D
Genre: Historical War Drama
Rating: PG-13 (for mature thematic material and brief strong language)
(Touchstone/Studio Ghibli) Starring the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Martin Short. A young Japanese dreamer sees the breathtaking work of early aviation pioneer Caproni and dreams of flying aircraft. His extreme nearsightedness prevents him from becoming a pilot but he determines to design the planes that will bring Japan into the air age. Acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki says this will be his final film and it may well be one of his best; it has been nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar for this Sunday's ceremony.
See the trailer, a video and interviews here.
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2014, Addison Timlin, Anson Mount, Anthony Mackie, Anton Yelchin, cinema, Doug Jones, Emily Blunt, February 28, Films, Forest Whitaker, Hayao Miyazaki, John Krasinski, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Linus Roache, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Short, Michelle Dockery, Mike Epps, movies, Nate Parker, Non-Stop, Nonso Anozie, Odd Thomas, Omar Metwally, Patton Oswalt, Previews, Raze, Repentance, ROma Downey, Sanaa Lathan, Scoot McNairy, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Shea Whigham, Sherilyn Fenn, Son of God, Stalingrad, Stephen Sommers, The Wind Rises, Thomas Kretschmann, Tracie Thoms, Vir Das, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Bell	| Leave a reply
New Releases for the Week of December 27, 2013
(20th Century Fox) Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Patton Oswalt. Directed by Ben Stiller
Walter, a worker drone at Life Magazine as it gasps its last, is a dreamer who sometimes zones out as he imagines fantastic heroic scenarios starring himself. Yet he never acts on these impulses, never does anything memorable or notable. He yearns for love but does nothing to pursue it. When at last he is pushed into it, the greatest adventure he could imagine awaits.
See the trailer and a featurette here.
Release formats: Standard (opens Wednesday)
Genre: Adventure Comedy
Rating: PG (for some crude comments, language and action violence)
47 Ronin
(Universal) Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi. After a ruthless warlord betrays and murders their master, 47 now-leaderless samurai (known in Japan as Ronin) vow revenge. Standing in their way are wizards and demons who have their own plans.
See the trailer, clips and a featurette here.
Release formats: Standard, 3D (opens Tuesday)
Genre: Martial Arts Fantasy
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements)
(Warner Brothers) Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin. Two out of shape boxers retired for 30 years are pushed into resuming their bitter rivalry with a final match to determine the whole she-bang, but are these two old codgers ready?
Genre: Sports Comedy
Rating: PG-13 (for sports action violence, sexual content and language)
Justin Bieber's Believe
(Open Road) Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun, Usher Raymond, Ludacris. Unaware that his 15 minutes were done about an hour ago, here comes a concert video of Canada's most shameful export.
Genre: Musical Documentary
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements including some unsettling images)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
(Weinstein) Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa. The story of the late Nelson Mandela and his struggle to end South Africa's repressive system of apartheid appears in theaters only a few weeks after the great leader finally passed away. Some studios have all the luck.
See the trailer and a clip here.
Rating: PG=13 (for some intense sequences of violence and disturbing images, sexual content and brief strong language)
(Paramount) Leonardo di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie. A stockbroker goes from starry-eyed ambition to absolute corruption as he rides the wave that was Wall Street during the 80s. The rise and fall of Jordan Belfort mirrors Wall Street's own in the eyes of the public. The latest from Martin Scorsese and a huge Oscar contender.
Rating: R (for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence)
Posted in Uncategorized	| Tagged 2013, 47 Ronin, Adam Scott, Alan Arkin, Ben Stiller, cinema, December 27, Fims, grudge match, Hiroyuki Sanada, Idris Elba, Jonah Hill, Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber's Believe, Kathryn Hahn, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, Kristen Wiig, Leonardo di Caprio, Ludacris, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, movies, Naomie Harris, Patton Oswalt, Previews, Rinko Kikuchi, Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Shirley MacLaine, Sylvester Stallone, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Wolf of Wall Street, Tony Kgoroge, Usher	| Leave a reply
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
Neil. Patrick. Harris. Is. God.
(1988) Comedy (New Line) John Cho, Kal Penn, Paula Garces, Danneel Harris, Tom Lennon, Danny Trejo, Elias Koteas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Neil Patrick Harris, Amir Blumenfeld, David Krumholtz, Patton Oswalt, RZA, Richard Riehle, Jake Johnson, Melissa Ordway. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson
Christmas is a time for family. For bonding with those friends who have been beside you the entire year. To have kindness and concern for others, to have peace and compassion on your mind.
This movie is about none of those things. Our heroes, following the events of Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay have drifted apart. Kumar Patel (Penn) has left medical school after failing the drug test and lives in the same ratty apartment he once shared with Harold Lee (Cho), who has become a big-time Wall Street investor (and has protestors ringing his office). He is married to Maria (Garces) whom he is trying to get pregnant in order to impress his father-in-law (Trejo) who doesn't impress easily.
Kumar has been dumped by Vanessa (Harris) who is pregnant with his rugrat. He's also scored an impressive stash from a mall Santa (Oswalt) which he intends to spend Christmas smoking himself into sweet spliff oblivion. But he receives a package that is meant for Harold and decides to deliver it in person to his former best bud.
Harold though has problems of his own. His home has been invaded by his future family (who arrived by the busload) and his dad-in-law wants this Christmas to be perfect. To that end he's brought a 12-foot Douglas Fir that he has spent the last eight years raising, making sure that the dimensions were just right, that the branches opened up just so. Once decorated, it is indeed a magnificent tree.
As he and his family go to celebrate Mass, Kumar comes by with the package which turns out to be a gigantic joint. As Harold no longer partakes, he tosses the massive thing out the door. Kumar, irritated, decides to light it up for himself but somehow, almost by magic, the joint floats back into the house and lights the tree on fire.
Harold is mortified. He has only a few hours to replace the tree and potentially save his marriage. Kumar, feeling a little guilty, decides to help out along with his friend Adrian (Blumenfeld) and Harold's friend Todd (Lennon) and Todd's toddler. In the course of the night, they will deal with Ukrainian mobsters, ghetto tree lot entrepreneurs, a coked-out infant, emergency surgery on the real Santa after they accidentally shoot him, and appearing in the chorus line of a Broadway musical starring Neil Patrick Harris which is a bit disconcerting to our intrepid heroes since he was killed in the last movie. Listen, he's N.P. Freakin' H, motherf****r so don't be hatin'.
It's been said in other places by finer writers than I that Harold and Kumar are essentially the Cheech and Chong for the 21st century. That's cool by me; not being a stoner I don't really get the humor as much but then there's room for all sorts of movies and who am I to deny the Stoner Nation their due. I've seen the first and now this, the third, movie in the franchise and in all honesty, the first is a much better movie than this (to the surprise of no one). That doesn't mean it doesn't have it's worthwhile moments however.
This is no Christmas movie for the entire family to gather around the flat screen for. There is a lot of sexual humor, some of it quite crude as well as plenty of nudity and drug use. While some will laugh out loud at some of the pretty consistently lowbrow humor (it wouldn't hurt to fire one up before you fire up the Blu-Ray), I don't think even those toasted out of their skulls are going to find this a laugh fest from start to finish.
I will say that Cho and Penn have an easy-going chemistry and I think it was a bit of a mistake to have them on the outs for most of the movie. Part of the charm of the first movie was the relationship between the two and that's largely missing here until the end. However, one cannot discount the contributions of Neil Patrick Harris. Even though he's essentially in one scene, it's the best scene and illustrates why the man's an icon, a credit to the human race and just a gosh-darned all around nice guy. While he's no Dr. Horrible here, he constitutes one of the main reasons to see the film – or any film for that matter. Even if he's not in it.
The 3D is pretty nifty although I suppose at this point it will largely depend on if your 3D set is nifty as well – I've found a pretty staggering range of quality in 3D televisions. The jokes are more or less uneven although I found some sequences (as one where they start hallucinating that they are Claymation figures) to be pretty worthwhile. This isn't a family holiday movie by any stretch of the imagination – but I think it's not necessarily a bad thing if there are a few out there that aren't.
WHY RENT THIS: Three words: Neil. Patrick. Harris. Also, Cho and Penn still have good chemistry. Some nifty 3D effects.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The humor is a bit tired and not all of it works.
FAMILY VALUES: Lots and lots and lots of sexual content with occasional nudity and regular crudity, plenty of drug use, a boatload of foul language and a bit of violence. Just a bit.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Adrian calls Harold "Sulu" at one point. John Cho plays Sulu in the Star Trek reboot.
NOTABLE HOME VIDEO EXTRAS: Actor Tom Lennon rants about his fellow actors and the films in six separate interview segments and there's also a bit on the brief Claymation sequence in the film.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $35.4M on a $19M production budget; the numbers were disappointing enough that a fourth Harold & Kumar movie isn't on the radar.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams
NEXT: The Holly & the Quill concludes!
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Cheech and Chong, Christmas tree, christmas tree lot, cinema, comedy, Danny Trejo, David Krumholtz, Douglas Fir, drugs, DVD Reviews, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Elias Koteas, Films, holiday movie, John Cho, joint, Kal Penn, marijuana, movies, Neil Patrick Harris, New Line, New York City, Patton Oswalt, pregnant, Radio City Music Hall, Richard Riehle, RZA, Santa Claus, spliff, The Holly and the Quill, The Holly and the Quill 2012, Thomas Lennon, toke, Ukrainian mobsters	| Leave a reply