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16 ARTS
04.29.08
Escape this weekend and see
Harold and Kumar
COURTESY NEW LINE CINEMA
> After saving lives as a prodigy teenage doctor and a bug-battling psychic, Neil Patrick Harris has met his match in
two lovable stoners.
Matthew Jones
STAFF WRITER
And yet another comedy. It would
appear as if most movies of recent have
been focusing on the aspect of comedic
viewing pleasure. But how do you
work out which ones are worth seeing
over the ones that are a total bust? It
all depends on what sort of comedy
you prefer. If you like to see a comedy
that is a mix of crazy visual humor and
humor depicted through the dialog,
then this movie is for you.
The fi lm Harold and Kumar Escape
from Guantanamo Bay is your basic
story of mistaken identity. After falling
in love with a hot, vivacious woman
at a hotel, Harold (John Cho) decides
to chase after and declare his love to
her. He boards a plane with his best
friend Kumar (Kal Penn). Kumar has
a story of his own. He fi nds out that
his ex-girlfriend is about to get married
to this guy that Kumar just can’t
stand. While trying to fi gure out how
to break their engagement, Kumar
agrees to fl y to Amsterdam to try to
fi nd Harold’s love interest. During this
fl ight, Harold decides to be stupid on
Nyonsuatee Kollue
STAFF WRITER
This week, the UMBC African Student
Association celebrated Jambo Night,
ASA’s most anticipated event of the year.
The event was hosted in the University
Center ballroom, which was fi lled to
capacity with a proud representation
of the UMBC community, friends, well
wishers, and guests from neighboring
colleges. Faces lit up with excitement as
guests exchanged warm greetings with
classmates, parents, and old friends.
This year’s theme was "Africa: The
Evolution." The program sought to
showcase African culture and its evo-
the plane, and his actions make one
passenger believe that he is a terrorist
who is trying to kill everyone on
board.
After the plane makes an emergency
landing, Kumar and Harold are
mistaken for terrorists and are sent to
Guantanamo Bay by the United States
government. Due to some freak accident,
Harold and Kumar are able
to escape from Guantanamo Bay and
make their way back to the U.S. They
eventually realize that they are being
hunted down by the government, and
thus try to fi nd a way to clear their
names. It turns out that the only man
who can help them is the man who is
about to marry Harold’s ex-girlfriend.
So, Kumar and Harold try to make it
to get help while Harold tries to fi gure
out how he can ruin the marriage
and get his ex-girlfriend back. Along
the way, Harold and Kumar encounter
many different people. There is even
an appearance by Neil Patrick Harris,
playing himself, and George W. Bush
(or at least his look-alike James Adomian).
The trailer for this fi lm is what inspired
me to go see it. It looked very
lution in modernism through brilliant
displays of dance, fashion shows, music,
food, and drama.
The program kicked off with former
SGA presidential candidate, Elani Elegbe
singing verses of the South African,
Nigerian, and African-American national
anthems. Her beautiful voice moved
the audience and set a perfect tone for
the evening. Masters of ceremony Abba
Udofa and Chidinma Ukonne brilliantly
conducted the order of the program.
ASA’s drama team performed “Breaking
boundaries,” a comical piece that
addressed core issues of social and ethical
problems faced by African youth in
their native countries and abroad. The
funny, but in a realistic way. This fi lm
is a sequel, but in case you never saw
the original, don’t worry, it makes no
difference. This is a whole new story
that is very easy to follow. I was a little
disappointed that there weren’t as
many funny parts in the fi lm as I had
thought there would be, but there are
still plenty of moments that kept the
audience laughing.
This movie has very graphic and has
harsh nudity displayed throughout,
and it contains strong language and
drug use. In other words, it is nothing
new to the typical college student, but
don’t feel free to take your ten year old
cousin.
This movie had some of the weirdest
story lines anyone could think of,
but what made it so enjoyable is how
the characters are complete opposites
of each other, and yet remain best
friends. Harold is the stupid, crazy,
and wild one, while Kumar is the
smart and sensible of the two. The actors
make their characters very believable,
and it seems so effortless.
The cameo of Neil Patrick Harris
was well worth the wait, and the few
scenes with President Bush were so
drama illustrated the pressure that
African youth experience in trying to
impress their traditional parents as well
as keeping apace with their colleagues
in a fast and ever changing world. The
drive for success and wealth, as well as
peer infl uence reminded the audience
of an ever-growing struggle to maintain
decency and cultural ethics.
The fashion show, which was the
highlight of the evening, was a masterpiece.
It was composed of fi ve scenes,
each depicting an aspect of "The Evolution."
The fi rst scene, "Freedom,"
showcased traditional designs spiced
with brightly-colored body arts. "Erotica"
was composed of modern designs
The RetrIever Weekly
Coming
to theaters
by Jeremy
Hentschel
This week
IRON MAN (PG-13)
The next big superhero movie actually looks pretty promising. When I
heard they cast Robert Downy Jr. as the lead role, I actually shuddered.
Their reasoning was that his actual history of substance abuse would
relate well to Iron Man’s fi ctional history of substance abuse. Is that
how we cast acting roles nowadays? Should we have a casting call to
prisons for the next crime drama? But the trailers and initial reviews
for Iron Man actually lead me to believe it will be good. How fortunate
for them, as my ten dollars will soon become their ten dollars, and they
can get right to work on Ghost Rider 2. It gives me the same feeling
as when I think that my particular portion of tax money actually goes
toward a bomb for some orphanage in Iraq rather than the “roads,
hospitals, and schools” most people think of when they imagine where
tax money goes.
MADE OF HONOR (NOT YET RATED)
This, ladies, is the equivalent of a total solar eclipse right at midday in
rarity. This looks like the most clichéd, monstrously tacky chick fl icks I
have had the displeasure to read a synopsis of in years. Patrick Dempsey
has this best friend who goes away on vacation for a few months. He realizes
he’s in love with her when she’s gone, but fi nds out she engaged
a man on the trip. Now, he will be her MAID of honor (you get it? That’s
the best damn pun title I’ve ever seen. You know, they say puns are
the highest form of humor. Oh wait, did I say highest? I meant YOU’RE
TERRIBLE!!!) and has only a few weeks to woo her and win her away
from the foreign man. Women, if you want tangible proof that your
boyfriends really love you, make them go see this movie on opening
day instead of Iron Man. If he’ll do this for you, you are in complete and
total control, and you can pretty much start picking out the curtains.
FUGITIVE PIECES (NOT YET RATED)
This movie is about a child who was orphaned in World War 2, and the
story revolves around his growing up and coming to terms with the
atrocities that surrounded his childhood. It sounds beautiful and touching.
Too bad nobody is going to see it because they’re seeing Iron Man,
or, God forbid, Made of Honor. RIP, Fugitive Pieces. Perhaps we will
know you better on DVD.
funny that the audience couldn’t stop
laughing long enough to hear the next
comedic line that was delivered. Don’t
expect this movie to win any honors
this year, which are not its intentions.
But if you want to see something that
can take a fare jab at topics such as
racism, discrimination, and sexuality,
then this movie is right up your alley.
I enjoyed this movie and would recommend
you to go see it while it is out
in theaters. It is one of the few movies
worth the price of the admission
ticket, and you will feel good as you
incorporated into original traditional
fabrics. "Scene Africa" showcased models
in vibrant designs, each displaying
an African fl ag. "Provocative" was another
modern display, with a very highfashion
sense about it, and "Sensual
Touch" showcased models in stunning
white attire that was a beautiful blend
of purity and sensuality.
Dance performances were not left
out. UMBC ASA’s dance troupe sent the
audience wild with harmonic twists
and turns (in all the right directions)
to the sounds of African Soukus music.
Dance troupes from Bowie State
University and Morgan State University
performed, as well as Les Savages danc-
are walking out of the movies. It easily
earns a three star rating and will undoubtedly
do well at the box offi ce for
a while. So if you need a good laugh,
then escape from your dorm at UMBC
or your house and go see Harold and
Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
before it escapes from a theater near
you!
Matthew Jones is a Staff Writer for The
Retriever Weekly and can be reached
for comment at joma1@umbc.edu.
African Student Association’s Jambo Nite a success
ers and the Ethiopian dancers. The
UMBC Nautch girls also delighted the
audience with Indian cultural dance.
Musical performances from N.S, Riz,
and Dicky added to the excitement.
Their performances were a mix of hip
hop, rap, and other styles. The event
was brought to a close by ASA Advisor
James Kamonjo, who expressed profound
gratitude to ASA, SGA, OSL, and
the entire UMBC community at large
for the success of the event.
Nyonsuatee Kollue is a Staff
Writer for The Retriever Weekly
and can be reached for comment
at nyko1@umbc.edu.