A slew of fine DVDs to tide you through the month

By Joe Weindl
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Talk about a letdown. January literally opens with a bang, but the excitement fades away faster than talk of the CNMI Legislature cutting their own hours and pay to part-time status. As if crummy weather weren’t bad enough, we’re expected to go back to work, school, or worse—both.

The lineup of films playing at our theater is insult to injury for movie buffs. Nothing wrong with our multiplex—Hollywood, as a whole, just doesn’t offer much this time of year, save for “indie” films, which we’ll never get.

Thank goodness for DVD. There’ve been some good ones released over the last few weeks; here are the few worth watching.

HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
1:28; R, for language, sexual content, and drug use
Grade: B+

Once, when a friend of mine was asked to explain the Hawaiian word “pakalolo,” her response was that “those who know know; and those who don’t know just don’t know.” That’s nowhere near the actual translation of the word, but I swear, at the time, it made perfect sense.

I have pretty much the same sentiment for Harold & Kumar, the modern reincarnations of Cheech & Chong. If you have any idea what the heck I’m talking about, I fully suggest this hilarious, raunchy, yet incredibly smart movie about an undying quest for fast food. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well, I think I already said it. Parents: this one aint for the kids.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
1:58; PG-13 for sexual content, drugs (alcohol) and language
Grade: B+

I knew this movie had something special when my mom recommended it to me, considering how little affection she has for most sports movies. Even if you have no idea what the difference is between a first down, home run, fast-break, or power play, you’ll have no problem understanding what’s going on in Friday Night Lights, because this is more about real people, and the tragic lives they lead, than it is about football.

Those who do want to see some good football action will be more than satisfied, though, with the tense, and realistic dramatization of Permian (Texas) High’s quest for the 1988 state championship. The definitive underdog tale, Friday Night Lights is never neat-and-tidy-cheery, but always sincere, sometimes heart-wrenching, and ultimately uplifting.

THE VILLAGE
2:00, PG-13, for violence and horror
Grade: C+

For most viewers, I think The Village will sorely disappoint. If you’re hoping for another Sixth Sense or Signs (I was), you won’t get it. Writer/director Shyamalan’s latest film is really never scary, and the signature twist ending just doesn’t work, this time around.

While you won’t get a thriller, you will, however, get a movie that is both aesthetically and aurally beautiful, with a nice romance, and a whole bunch of conversation-inducing symbolism, to boot. For me, that’s more than enough to make it worth watching.

WITHOUT A PADDLE
1:38; PG-13 for language, violence, drug use, and sexual content
Grade: C

This slapstick movie about camping and male bonding may not be particularly bright, but you know what? I laughed a lot while watching it, and so did the rest of the crowd I was sitting with. Never mind that most critics abhor this movie; they’re all wrong, and I’m right.

If you can lower your expectations a little, you might just realize that Without a Paddle is a fun, albeit brainless, combination of City Slickers and Goonies.