A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas

Land of Misfit Haze

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson

Writers: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Cast: Kal Penn, John Cho, Thomas Lennon, Amir Blumenfeld, Danny Trejo, Paula Garcés, Neil Patrick Harris, Elias Koteas, Jordan Hinson

SYNOPSIS: Six years after the escape from Guantanamo Bay, Harold is married and successful, while Kumar is alone and without a job. On Christmas Eve, when Harold's father-in-law's uber-meaningful home-grown Christmas tree goes up in smoke, Harold and Kumar begrudgedly re-team to find a replacement.

REVIEW: TV movie and video short director Todd Strauss-Schulson takes the directing reins for the third Harold and Kumar adventure, now revolving around the Christmas holidays. Written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, character creators and writers of the first two films, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas takes a hint from Chevy Chase and the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise by targeting a holiday. Wait...dude... are the Harold and Kumar films a direct parallel to Vacation? First a film about a quest, then a trip out of the country, now a holiday event! It may be the second-hand buzz, but I think I have stumbled across a conspiracy of epic proportion!

The film opens on Kumar (Kal Penn) cutting the line to see the mall's Santa Claus. Then we see a successful Harold (John Cho) looking out over a mob of Wall Street protesters. The two have grown apart in their friendship, both dealing with their own lives and issues. When Harold's wife Maria's (Paula Garcés) father and her extended show up on Christmas Eve to stay for the holidays, Mr. Perez (Danny Trejo) brings with him a home-growth 8-year-old fir tree that holds special meaning for him and the Christmas holidays. When Kumar receives a package at his apartment addressed to Harold, he decides to deliver it to Harold, setting off a chain reaction that starts off with a house fire and ends up with a bullet-ridden Santa Claus.

What makes a crazy concept like Harold and Kumar work in any of their films is... you guessed it... conflict! Wait! What? No, it's not the endless joint smoking or bong hitting. No, it's not the gratuitous anatomical references and full on camera shots to their extremities. No, it's not about being immature or graphic. In A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, while the aforementioned are certainly silly, funny and vulgar, its the conflict and pursuit of resolution that propels the story and makes you care about the characters. Kumar is dealing with the loss of his job and some unexpected news (No Spoilers Here). Harold is dealing with Maria's disapproving father and must take on the quest to replace Mr. Perez's sacred Christmas tree and have it decorated before the family returns from Midnight Mass in Manhattan. The impossible situations that Harold and Kumar put or find themselves in, ultimately, keeps the audience interested and engaged. All of the crazy antics and references are just the bonus decorations on the tree.

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas also does something other than simply entertaining the potheads and fans of the franchise. Like Elf, it pays homage to so many of the other Christmas episodes and movies that exist in the canon of holiday cinema. Nods of the cap with a claymation sequence, the majesty of Manhattan at its beautiful best during November and December, an unexpected gift in an ornate hand carved and velvet lined box, the candy cane and tin soldier musical number, and more.

Older but not necessarily wiser, John Cho's Harold still needs to loosen up, and Kal Penn's Kumar still needs to grow up. Neil Patrick Harris's... er, Neil Patrick Harris sings, dances and reminds us why he is a cult and mainstream icon (just see an episode of How I Met Your Mother to see how legend... wait for it...dary! he is). Old friends and flames return to the third entry of the franchise, ever-changing and ever-entertaining. The 3D is good, especially when the coils of heavy smoke drifts into our faces or an egg from a member of an angry mob gets hurled at us.

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is fun for its fan base. But do not let the endearing title fool you. Keep the kids away unless you want to have to explain a few things to them after, or during, the film. So get your wrapping papers ready and enjoy the trip!

WORTH: Matinee or DVD (for franchise fans)

Let Me In

The Real Monsters

[Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas, Dylan Minnette]

image from Daemonsmovies.com

RANT: It is Friday, October 1st. AMC is showing horror flicks all month. A batch of bloody flicks stream into the theater. So many hatchets and saws, so little time.

SYNOPSIS: Bullied loner Owen befriends his new 12 year old neighbor, Abby. As their relationship deepens, Owen begins to realize that she is more, and less, than what she seems.

Based on the novel and 2008 film, "Let the Right One In", written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Matt Reeves co-writes and directs the American version starring Kodi Smit-McPhee of "The Road" and Chloe Moretz of "Kick-Ass".

Owen and his soon-to-be divorced mother live in an apartment complex in Los Alamos. Bullied by three thugs at school and unhappy with the religious rhetoric from his mother, Owen keeps to himself in the courtyard in the middle of his apartment complex at night. When not in the courtyard, Owen spies on his neighbors from his room with his telescope and fantasizes about retribution against his attackers. When a bare-footed girl, Abby, walks through to move into the apartment next door with her father, Owen instantly takes notice and interest in the girl. Within a few days the bullies, led by Kenny, torture and abuse Owen in the school lavatory. In the meanwhile, the police begin to find bodies that seem to lead back to someone in the apartment complex.

At the core, this film is a love story. Owen is reading and watching Romeo & Juliet is school, the Shakespeare prose "I must be gone and live, or stay and die", resonating throughout. Does it foreshadow the ultimate fate of Owen? Once Owen discovers that Abby must consume blood to survive, his close relationship with her seems to be in jeopardy. Abby detests what she is and what she becomes, but still yearns for companionship. The blood drying on her chin runs in stark contrast to the softness in her eyes as she lays with Owen in his bed.

From directing "Cloverfield", I expected much from Reeves. One of the only issues I had with the film is the unnecessary use of CGI effects instead of using practical effects. When Abby attacks a neighbor in a walk-thru tunnel or flees to the top of a tree like a squirrel, the computer effect is most notably obvious. In contract, the practical effects used climatic screen with Owen in the school's pool was much more potent and satisfying. If the care taken at the end was used throughout the film for the effects, "Let Me In" would be pitch perfect.

Honorable mention needs to be given to the true monster of the film, namely Dylan Minnette who plays Owen's tormentor Kenny. Even though Abby feeds on blood of men, at least she shows remorse and shame for what she is. Kenny, on the other hand, is zeroed in on ruining Owen's childhood.

"Let Me In" is not a film for all goers. For those looking for a straight horror flick, this is not it. Channeling "Near Dark", the film looks to humanize the afflicted and shed light on the everyday monsters that lurk all around us every day.

Worth: Matinee and DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!