CAST: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Malin Akerman, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Ryan Reynolds, Anthony Anderson
SYNOPSIS: Smart teen comedy featuring stoned underachievers (Cho, Penn) struggling to find the perfect munchies.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a B-plus, writing that it is "destined for cult posterity, a proposition that makes me optimistic. The American Pie crowd will see it for the naughty parts, and perhaps its members will recognize art the next time they see it. The most perceptive ones will come away with a better sense of what a movie screen should be about: something more than a bathroom wall to scribble on for shock value. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle may turn out to be the Wizard of Oz for the Jackass generation."
MPAA RATING: R; pervasive drug references and abuse, profanity, nudity, sexual situations, violence
RUNNING TIME: 87 min.
Little Black Book
DIRECTOR: Nick Hurran
CAST: Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Julianne Nicholson, Ron Livingston, Kathy Bates, Josie Maran, Sharon Lawrence
SYNOPSIS: A snooping talk show assistant (Murphy) investigates her boyfriend's romantic past through his Palm Pilot.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave this movie a D. "For all its bright colors and bogus pep, Little Black Book is an ugly little movie," Persall wrote. "Just when it becomes obvious that nobody in this film deserves our attention or support, the filmmakers plunge into a bitter finale that is supposed to be a cheery life lesson. Instead, it's an example of rotten people getting exactly what they deserve."
MPAA RATING: PG-13; pervasive sexual humor, profanity
RUNNING TIME: 97 min.
Riding Giants
DIRECTOR: Stacy Peralta
CAST: Darrick Doerner, Laird John Hamilton, Dave Kalama, Brian L. Keaulana, Titus Kinimaka
SYNOPSIS: Peralta celebrates the history of surfing and the obsessions of several world-class wave riders.
WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Philip Booth gave the film an A-. "Peralta, a professional skateboarder responsible for the 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, brings the same energy and compelling storytelling to Riding Giants. He zips through a history of surfing - beginning with its roots in Polynesian culture - before focusing on developments in the past 60 years," Booth wrote. "It's difficult not to get caught up in the enthusiasm for surfing demonstrated by Waimea Bay hero Greg Noll, the fiercely competitive athlete and natural showman whose reminiscences dominate the movie."
MPAA RATING: PG-13; brief strong language
RUNNING TIME: 102 min.
Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2
DIRECTOR: Bob Clark
CAST: Jon Voight, Scott Baio, Vanessa Angel, Skyler Shaye, Justin Chatwin, Peter Wingfield, Gerry Fitzgerald, Leo Fitzgerald, Myles Fitzgerald, Max Iles, Michael Iles, Jared Scheideman, Jordan Scheideman, Maia Bastidas, Keana Bastidas
SYNOPSIS: The sequel to Baby Geniuses with creepily mature infants (thanks to computer tricks) outwitting a nefarious media mogul (Voight).
WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film.
MPAA RATING: PG; action violence and some rude humor
RUNNING TIME: 90 min.
DIRECTOR: Wolfgang Petersen
CAST: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Peter O'Toole, Brendan Gleeson, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Julie Christie
SYNOPSIS: Homer's epic poem The Iliad inspires a worthwhile action flick.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the movie a B-plus. "This is a sprawling, brawling epic that, while less emotionally involving than Gladiator, certainly matches that Oscar winner in sword-and-sandal action," he wrote. "Like any filmmaker spending a reported $175-million, Petersen occasionally overdoes it, staging at least one battle scene too many and quieter, surplus scenes to show he isn't just playing with special effects. The movie could be trimmed by at least 20 minutes. Cutting a few graphic deaths and meaningless sensuality would open the gates to a younger crowd."
