New to DVD: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Some people find director Julian Schnabel to be an overly arty snoot (a Schnob if you will). However, his flair is well suited to the adaptation of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby’s autobiography about life as a quadriplegic reduced to the use of his left eye. From the opening shot, the viewer realizes that the story will be conveyed without being tied down to any previous convention. When the narrative calls for experimentation Schnabel can create new worlds; when it calls for more traditional filmmaking he shines in this realm as well. The film is bound to surprise and perplex (in a good way).

The Return of Harold and Kumar

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle has an undeniable appeal. The 2004 sleeper hit is, at its core, a stoner comedy. However, the willingness of the film to attack assumptions about race head on gives it an edge not seen in many of today’s comedies. Each of the characters both defines and defies established assumptions about race. Harold (John Cho) is a Korean computer programmer but he also longs to be smooth romantic. Kumar (Kal Penn) is an Indian medical prodigy who acts like a frat boy. They both buck conventions by smoking copious amounts of weed. Their adventure to a White Castle hamburger stand provides them with many chances to confront stereotypes (as well as naked ladies, a cheetah, and Neil Patrick Harris) all while keeping the laughs rolling.

The question with Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is do writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (who also take on directing this time out) have more exquisite toilet humor and social commentary (and then more toilet humor) to share with us? Or are they simply cashing in on the momentum caused by White Castle? The verdict is positive but a little murky. There is almost enough in this project to make it a viable sequel. There are some positively silly sequences (a flashback to Kumar’s first experiementation with marijuana) and some cutting social criticism (a look at the ridiculous nature of homophobia) but the storyline itself feels fractured. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle ended with a clear set up for the sequel (the guys go to Amsterdam to find Harold’s new love, Maria). It is as if this concept only resulted in only a handful of passable gags (all of which are weakly tacked onto the end of the movie) so the Guantanamo Bay concept was thrown into the mix. Trouble is that story element only lasts for about twenty minutes. The majority of the movie finds Harold and Kumar traveling from town to town in a manner nearly identical to that of the first film. When the jokes are funny this is not a problem; but when material falls flat, it starts to feel repetitive.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay maintains its appeal largely because of the charisma of Cho and Penn. They again come off as hilarious and relatable at the same time. The sign of a great buddy movie is when you would want to be buddies with the movie-buddies, and this is certainly the case here. Even when the gags seem tired (Kumar’s self-love scene) the commitment on the part of these actors keeps the audience rooting for the film. It is admirable that these filmmakers have created two films where Asian characters get to be the heroes (not the sidekicks), have success with girls, be positive role models, and of course smoke copious amounts of weed. The appeal of such work cannot be denied.

Today on DVD: Dewey Cox drinks your milkshake?

There Will be Blood and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, two very disparate films, come DVD this week.

If you missed my review of There Will be Blood click here (be sure to check out the insightful comments section as well).

Several posts were generated by my review of Walk Hard. Check out the entire fracas here if you are so inclined.

For those of you uninterested in my longer, methodically constructed reviews of these movies, I offer these quick, off the cuff remarks about each:

There Will be Blood: If you missed this movie at the end of last year, seize the opportunity to see this film now. Whether you love it or hate it you will feel something, which is more than can be said for many recent releases. I plan on seeing the movie a second time now that it is available for home viewing. Many critics (as well as my lovely wife) swear that the movie takes on a whole new dimension upon second screening.

Walk Hard: This film is available in a longer “unrated” version on DVD. It is hard for me to believe that anything of value was left on the cutting room floor because the movie already felt bloated. I am sure this version will provide slightly different variations on the four jokes that were repeated throughout the movie. I must admit, however, I just found myself chuckling at the memory of a few choice gags. I’ll let you decide on this one.