Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

This is topic Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-25-2008, 03:55 AM:

I didn't see the first Harold and Kumar movie, nor did I want to from the trailers. I also did not want to see this movie based on the trailers, but after sitting through it I have to report that this movie is so damned stupid that I couldn't help but enjoy it.

About the only part of the movie I didn't like was the part of Ron Fox whose entire mission in this movie was to ignore the obvious and proclaim that Harold and Kumar are terrorists, but if it wasn't for him there wouldn't have been a plot, so it was a necessary evil.

Don't forget to stay all the way past the end credits!

4 out of 5

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-27-2008, 05:26 PM:

I can check "See 25 minutes of a Harold & Kumar movie" off my bucket list now.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-27-2008, 06:47 PM:

Dave, I wouldn't think that Harold and Kumar would be on anyone's bucket list. [Big Grin]

But as stoner comedy it, like its predecessor, is so stupid it's funny.

Too bad for theaters that the original bombed in the box office but went on to do quite well with college-age audiences when it came out on DVD. I predict much the same performance with this one.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-27-2008, 07:05 PM:

Now I know their movies are aimed at 13-14 year olds. Silly me. I suppose it might appeal to a certain subcategory of college kids. I have to observe though that none of the 6 or so people in the 400+ seat house were laughing much, including the college kids. The movie felt like a 100% total dud.

This is the first movie I've seen in MANY years with a red-band trailer in front of it (Pineapple Express) . Not that that has anything to do with anything. Hell it's been so long since I've seen one of those I just assumed they no longer made them.

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 04-27-2008, 07:48 PM:

This movie has been doing great here, mind you we are 2 minutes from ASU campus. It's not just this though, Babby Mamma and Forgetting Sarah Marshall were also doing great.

Now on to the film, I didn't care for it as much as the first one. The first felt like it had more heart and an actual story to it. This was just thrown together, and whats worse is it makes it hard to believe that all this stuff happened to them just hours after the last movie.

2.5/5 [thumbsup]

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 04-27-2008, 11:27 PM:

Maybe I'm just getting older, but I just didn't enjoy this all that much. I know, I could kick back and laugh at the straight boys' underlying homo panic attacks (but I wonder if we're not supposed to be laughing at them, but with them?) I also probably wasn't appreciating some of the misogynistic inherent in college aged humour (maybe I've been exposed to too much political indoctrination lately?)

Or MAYBE I was so disturbed to the crappy presentation that I couldn't enjoy it. I saw it at the first showing Saturday afternoon at the Regal/UA East Hills Mall in Bakersfield. The film was ONE DAY OLD!!!!!! All of the previews and the first three reels of Harold and Kumar were covered with lots of vertical scratches, many of them thick. Not just black scratches, but green and yellow as well. These didn't just appear at times, but ran consistently. Also, the sound played back in analog optical stereo instead of DTS digital, despite what was advertised on their lobby line-up.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-28-2008, 02:42 AM:

Sounds like someone had a major misthread and noticed it halfway through the screening or halfway through the performance you were watching.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 04-28-2008, 10:04 AM:

The only thing I enjoyed about this film was the bottom-less naked women in this film. Other than that, it wasn't that enjoyable. This film was doing some good business in both Theatres #1 & #4, even for the last shows of the night. Granted, we're located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego.

Anyway, I would rate this movie at 2 out of 5 stars.

Posted by Louis Belloisy (Member # 3836) on 04-28-2008, 03:52 PM:

Another turd from Bollywood. So far, since opening night, 12 performances and total attendance - 23 total for all 12. Does not even pay for the lights.

Even our teen floor staff who love this type of film, turned thumbs down. Really stoopid, sez one of them.

Lou

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 04-29-2008, 05:37 AM:

I find it so funny... One of the major actors from these films (not sure if it was harold or kumar) was on a local radio show here in Boston. The host of the show said something about how they should make a movie about a gay version of doogie howser m.d. and the guest said very deadpan, pretentious and serious "So.... being gay is funny?" and then of course the movie comes out and is filled with gay jokes!!!!

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-18-2008, 05:11 PM:

I like this movie.

My only complaint: Why did they try to make it a love story in the end?

Not as funny as the first one, but a close second.

4.1 out of 5 stars (of Hope) [Wink]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-19-2008, 10:43 PM:

Hell, I never heard of the first one!