Saturday Night At The Movies
Rolling numbers, losing Jobs and shining shoes
By Dennis Hartley
Now they’ve done it: A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
I’ve decided not to bury the lead in my review of A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3-D. So let’s get all of this out of the way first, shall we? Stereotypes about Asians, Ukrainians, Latinos, African-Americans, Jews and the GLBT community abound. Santa Claus gets shot in the face. A baby ingests pot, coke and Ecstasy. Marijuana is celebrated for its recreational attributes. In a twisted homage to A Christmas Story, someone’s penis is stuck to frozen tree bark. And yet, there’s something so…good-natured about it all. And, I enjoyed the most belly laughs that I have had at a film so far this year. So sue me.
Back in 2004, a modestly budgeted stoner comedy, sporting a sophomoric title and starring two young unknowns, became an unexpected cult phenomenon. Perhaps arguably, the most surprising thing about Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle 
was that, sandwiched somewhere between the bong hits and assorted scatological references was an undercurrent of sharp socio-political commentary about racial stereotyping in America (for the uninitiated, Harold and Kumar are played by a Korean-American and Indian-American actor, respectively). The film’s co-creators, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, officially turned their baked heroes into a sort of Cheech and Chong franchise for Gen Y with the 2008 sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay 
. Like its predecessor, it was outrageously crass and vulgar, yet oddly endearing (in a South Park kind of way). So, is the magic recaptured in this third outing?
was that, sandwiched somewhere between the bong hits and assorted scatological references was an undercurrent of sharp socio-political commentary about racial stereotyping in America (for the uninitiated, Harold and Kumar are played by a Korean-American and Indian-American actor, respectively). The film’s co-creators, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, officially turned their baked heroes into a sort of Cheech and Chong franchise for Gen Y with the 2008 sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay . Like its predecessor, it was outrageously crass and vulgar, yet oddly endearing (in a South Park kind of way). So, is the magic recaptured in this third outing?I suppose that would depend on a little game of word association. If I say “Magic!”, and your immediate rejoinder is “Mushrooms!”, then I’d say you’ll probably enjoy the ride. The rest of you are strongly cautioned. For those in the latter group, I probably at least owe you a brief synopsis; the former already know that it’s not so much about the plot, as it is about the pot. In the six years since their last misadventure, Harold (John Cho) has not only stepped away from the bong, but seems to have veered in the direction of responsible adulthood. He’s happily married, with a house in the ‘burbs and a well-paying job on Wall Street. In the meantime, Kumar (Kal Penn, who resigned from his White House gig as the Associate Director of Public Engagement to work on this film) has been on a trajectory in the opposite direction. He’s dropped out of med school, his girlfriend has left him, and he’s self-medicating with the ganja (it gets funnier, seriously). Kumar shows up on Harold’s doorstep Christmas week, and to make a short story even shorter, comic mayhem ensues. The duo (who have drifted apart) are reunited by necessity, scrambling to find a replacement before Harold’s father-in-law (a funny-scary Danny Trejo) discovers that his prized, personally-cultivated Christmas tree has gone up in flames (don’t ask). And yes, Neil Patrick Harris is back again for his third, erm, outing.
Hurwitz and Schlossberg co-wrote, but this time they’ve turned the helming chores over to Todd Strauss Schulson. This is the feature film debut for Schulson, who previously directed music videos and a handful of TV movies. I hope I’m not damning him with faint praise by saying that he has rendered the most visually creative Harold and Kumar entry yet, particularly with the clever use of 3-D. In fact, I think he has used it much more effectively here than Cameron did in Avatar 
. Go ahead…ask (“Are you high?!”). Maybe.
. Go ahead…ask (“Are you high?!”). Maybe.
He’s hot, he’s sexy, he’s dead: The Lost Steve Jobs Interview
Speaking of pot-smoking college dropouts, there is a fascinating documentary about the late Steve Jobs that is being presented exclusively by the Landmark Theatres chain for a limited engagement beginning November 16 (cities and dates here). The Lost Steve Jobs Interview is just that; it is literally “found footage” discovered in director Paul Sen’s garage at his London home. The interview runs about 70 minutes; only 10 minutes of the footage ended up being used for the original miniseries presentation. It may be a bit dubious to label this as a “documentary” when you consider that a) the tape was found last month, which allows scant time for post-production (it shows), and b) it is basically just a VHS dub of an unedited interview that was conducted back in 1995 by Robert Cringely for Sen’s 1996 PBS miniseries called Triumph of the Nerds
. In other words, don’t expect a slick film (although…the press screener I viewed online was subtitled “rough cut” so it’s possible the version in theatres will be polished up). That being said, seen purely as a historical document, it’s a doozey.
. In other words, don’t expect a slick film (although…the press screener I viewed online was subtitled “rough cut” so it’s possible the version in theatres will be polished up). That being said, seen purely as a historical document, it’s a doozey.Famously, Jobs had a tendency to shun in-depth interviews (perhaps due to some, oh, I don’t know, control issues?) which is what makes this piece so riveting. He’s relaxed and quite candid throughout (it’s obvious that he trusted Cringely). The whole of Jobs’ dichotomy is laid out right there in that 70 minute conversation-the charisma, the vision, the shrewd intelligence (as well as the ego, the arrogance and the snarkiness). Jobs is also frequently quite funny (which I didn’t expect), especially when he’s ripping Bill Gates a new asshole with a few choice comments (“The only problem with Microsoft is that they just have no taste.”). He’s also a master of the Double Putdown, frequently chasing his zingers with “…and I don’t mean that in a small way.” To be honest, I’ve always been immune to the Cult of Steve Jobs. While I can appreciate the game-changing nature of his innovations, I’ve never owned an iMac or an iPod or an iPad. But I have to say, this film was a real iOpener for me. I think I “get it” now. Oh, Bill? You can have your ring back…
Wax on, wax off: Le Havre
I believe it was W.C. Fields who once cautioned “Never work with children or animals.” I suppose you could say that Aki Kaurismaki has completely thrown caution to the wind with his latest film. In Le Havre, the latest in a long line of deadpan character studies, the Finnish director weaves a deceptively simple tale about an elderly French author named Marcel (Andre Wilms) who is taking an open-ended hiatus from writing, opting instead to make a less-than-modest living shining shoes in the picturesque port town of Le Havre. In a dryly amusing opening sequence, Marcel and his fellow shoe-shiner Chang (Quoc Dung Nguyen) stand by impassively at a busy metro station, wistfully tracking the parade of shoes worn by the passers-by, not unlike a dog who sits by the dinner table with infinite patience, fixing a Mesmer stare on your fork as if willing a morsel to fall its way.
Hell of a way to make a living, but it seems to suit Marcel just fine. He revels in the easygoing camaraderie amongst the inhabitants of his almost Utopian neighborhood, and is perfectly happy to come home to his wife Arletty (Kati Outinen) and his dog Laika (played by the director’s own pooch) to drink a little wine and enjoy a simple meal. One day, as he is taking a lunch break down by a pier, he is startled by a commotion of police, who seem to be looking for somebody. While the police are still poking around, Marcel spots a young boy (Blondin Miguel), half-submerged in the water under the pier and obviously frightened out of his wits. Marcel quickly puts two and two together, but keeps a poker face until the police have left the area. He offers the boy food, and, as they say in the movies, it’s the start of a beautiful friendship. The remainder of the narrative deals with Marcel’s efforts to reunite the boy (a Senegalese refugee who was smuggled into Le Havre in a shipping container) with his mother, an illegal immigrant living in London. As he keeps one eye on a suspicious police inspector (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and the other on the nosy neighborhood snitch (Truffaut alumnus Jean-Pierre Leaud) Marcel is aided by good-hearted fellow villagers, who all pull together to form an underground railroad.
Although the story is set in contemporary times, the film reminded me of Jean-Pierre Melville’s WW2 French Resistance tale, Army of Shadows 
. There are shared themes of loyalty, selflessness and that kind of collective idealism that seems relegated to a bygone era. Stylistically, however, Kaurismaki and Melville could not be any different. To say that Kaurismaki likes to populate his films with quirky characters is an understatement. For instance, I’d love to know where he dug up Roberto Piazza, who plays “Little Bob”, a “legendary” musician who Marcel recruits to perform a makeshift “benefit concert”. To look at this odd little gentleman, you’d never dream that he could rock out the way he does once he’s onstage (it’s like the first time you saw Andy Kaufman “become” Elvis). Little Bob also gets the best line in the film (“She’s like the road manager for my soul.”).
. There are shared themes of loyalty, selflessness and that kind of collective idealism that seems relegated to a bygone era. Stylistically, however, Kaurismaki and Melville could not be any different. To say that Kaurismaki likes to populate his films with quirky characters is an understatement. For instance, I’d love to know where he dug up Roberto Piazza, who plays “Little Bob”, a “legendary” musician who Marcel recruits to perform a makeshift “benefit concert”. To look at this odd little gentleman, you’d never dream that he could rock out the way he does once he’s onstage (it’s like the first time you saw Andy Kaufman “become” Elvis). Little Bob also gets the best line in the film (“She’s like the road manager for my soul.”).If you are not familiar with Kaurismaki’s oeuvre, this might not be your best introduction (for that, I would direct you to his wonderful 2002 film, The Man Without a Past
). Jim Jarmusch absolutely worships Kaurismaki; they definitely share the same sense of humor, as well as the same sense of, er, pacing…if that helps. You’re not going to see a lot of car chases, okay? And if you can settle in with this tale’s unhurried rhythms, you might just catch the compassion and humanity at its core. Think of it as a shoeshine…for your soul.
). Jim Jarmusch absolutely worships Kaurismaki; they definitely share the same sense of humor, as well as the same sense of, er, pacing…if that helps. You’re not going to see a lot of car chases, okay? And if you can settle in with this tale’s unhurried rhythms, you might just catch the compassion and humanity at its core. Think of it as a shoeshine…for your soul.…and now, for your dining and dancing pleasure, ladies and gentlemen…Little Bob!
Update from digby — This is Dennis’ fifth anniversary writing his weekly movie review for this blog. Every week, 52 weeks a year. Thanks Dennis.