Back in 2004, a bunch of us in the LabRat program at SAK Comedy Lab would make plans to go to the movies late on Saturday nights after the 10 PM show of The Audition at SAK.  An added bonus was when Spaldy moved to town and joined us.  One weekend, we decided to see Harold & Kumar and left the theater, laughing about it for a couple of weeks.

So fast-forward a few years and I find myself watching the DVD to refresh myself before checking out the sequel.

The plot is simple enough: two guys get stoned, get hungry, head out for food , and run into complications along the way.  What makes this movie good is that the audience genuinely likes both lead characters, because we have been them at some point, having the same fears of life and romance as them.  Of course Neil Patrick Harris playing an extreme version of himself also helped the comedy in the movie.

The DVD was made for the fans — the menu selection scenes contain dialog and jokes specific to the DVD.  It is also packed with a lot of features, including a study on the Art of the Fart.  However, it was released at a time that movies like this were given the “unrated” treatment — for this movie, that means 3 extra seconds of boobs and a couple of extra “F-bombs”.

Is this movie for everyone?

Depends — What is your reaction to the following quote from early in the movie:

“Just because you are hung like a moose does not mean you do porn”

If that amuses the 14-year-old in you, then you are the target audience.

My advice:  If you like a simple story packed with some good laughs and cameos, then spend some time with the boys…

About 15 years or so ago, I was flipping channels and came across a Sinatra flick on AMC.  It looked fun and it did not disappoint.  I kept catching it halfway through and it took about 7 years before I saw the whole movie.  When I saw Reservoir Dogs, I liked the touch of pulling the end scene of Ocean’s 11 for the opening and closing look.  Then word came out that George Clooney was looking to remake it.  Now I have enjoyed the Clooney version and its sequels, but there is something about the original.

In my review of The Rat Pack, I talked about them filming this in that time frame.  The story is simple and is more of fun ride than a movie.  It has all of the Rat Pack as well as some other great stars.  The twist at the end is one of the best I have seen, particularly in a movie like this.

The DVD has some interesting features, including a segment of the Tonight Show with Sinatra hosting.

My advice:  See what inspired Clooney and his bunch and see what it was like for the Rat Pack…

So there I was, sitting in a theater in December of 2000 when the previews started.  One for a movie called Down To Earth with Chris Rock started playing.  Within 15 seconds, I went from enjoying a preview to being ticked off.  Down To Earth was a remake of Heaven Can Wait, a Warren Betty movie from the late 70’s that my parents had shown me.  But there are remakes made all of the time, why be upset at this one?  Well, from the previews I could tell it was going to be a horrible remake.  Sure enough, two months later, I was proven right.  The worst part is that they had to credit Beatty as a writer since they had lifted so much from the original movie.

So what is Heaven Can Wait about?

Warren Beatty plays a football player for the LA Rams (before they moved to St. Louis) who seems to have it all.  He is involved in an accident, and an overanxious angel pulls him out too soon.  With his original body cremated, a new one must be found.  Beatty inhabits the body of a wealthy industrialist, survives some murder attempts and falls in love.

The supporting casting is great:  Buck Henry as the angel, Charles Grodin (back when he actually acted) as the assistant, Jack Warden as his best friend.  A simple movie that hits all of the beats.

The DVD only had a trailer as extras, which is disappointing given the stars involved.

My advice:  pop this one in for a decent date movie…

Some movies seem destined for cult classic status: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hudson Hawk.  Sometimes it is not instantaneous.  When Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the screens in 81 and followed it up with the Temple of Doom, every studio wanted to launch their own version of that type of movie.  John Carpenter had some success with Escape From New York and Starman.  Kurt Russell was a known quantity and had broken free of the Disney-squeaky-clean image with his star role in Escape From New York.

In 1986, the two teamed up again to do an action/adventure movie set in Chinatown.  The movie was done on a budget of $25 million dollars, but only ended up making $11 million at the box office.  However, cable and video helped many turn it into a cult classic.  I was part of the $11 million taken in, and I remember enjoying it a lot.  Of course it didn’t hurt that Kim Catrall was in it, after her popular roles in Police Academy and Mannequin.  My fondest memory of the movie stems from an all-nighter I pulled prepping for a final in college.  I was studying Statistics, when it came on at 2 AM on TBS.  That helped keep me awake for those extra few hours before the final, that I did pass.

The story is simple:  Russell plays a truck driver caught in the middle of ancient Chinese battles by his best friend.  Throw in a little kidnapping and sorcery and we have a poor man’s Indiana Jones, except the lead is dumber.  The story is straight-forward and predictable, but is a fun roller-coaster ride.  One of my biggest beefs is the location of the final battle: it looks like a converted part of a mall resembling a bad Jaycee’s Haunted House; that and the poor job done by the makeup artist that made it obvious that Kurt Russell had eye makeup on the whole time.

The DVD had the following extras:

• 5.1 DTS and Dolby sound
• Commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell
• Deleted Scenes — not that great
• Featurette — funniest thing is when Kurt Russell referred to the price of a movie ticket: $5
• Interview with the effects artist
• Music Video — John Carpenter’s band did the title song
• Trailers

My advice:  Well you just listen to the ol’ Pork Chop Express — on a dark and stormy night, pop this DVD in for some fun and action…