Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: Unrated Edition
Alliance
Available Now

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is the frustratingly mediocre sequel to Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, the likeable road movie starring John Cho and Kal Penn which took most audiences by surprise four years ago.

The original writing team of Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz makes its directing debut here and, clearly, believe in the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' rule, as many jokes are recycled, including appearances by a scuzzy Neil Patrick Harris, hillbilly freaks and big bags o' pot. The movie's unforgivable offense is the entire subplot featuring Rob Corddry's embarrassingly ignorant Homeland Security character, hot on the heels of Harold and Kumar after they've been mistaken for terrorists. Racially questionable to the extreme, these scenes are so heavy-handed that they quickly become annoying. It doesn't help matters that Corddry, as a supporting actor in movies such as Semi-Pro and What Happens In Vegas, has never been able to approach the heights of his comedic ability evidenced on The Daily Show.

Any disappointment with the movie disappears with the Choose Your Own Adventure-like bonus feature available exclusively on the two-disc DVD set. The viewer can decide the pair's fate at key points in the story, with results as varied as a 15-minute version in which the boys never escape from prison.

I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s
Shout! Factory
Available Now

In 1968, less than 24 hours after Martin Luther King had been assassinated, James Brown boldly took the stage at the Boston Garden. Live at the Boston Garden, intact and shown for the first time since that momentous night, is one of two legendary concerts featured in this set. The hour-long special James Brown Live at the Apollo '68 showcases the hardest-working man in showbiz delivering the goods at his old venue.

A new documentary, The Night James Brown Saved Boston, focuses on that fateful evening and features interviews with Brown's long-time friend Al Sharpton. While the Godfather of Soul will never give another show, this three-disc set not only captures him at his prime, but reveals his role in the civil-rights movement.

Upcoming Releases
August 19 - Miss Pettigrew Lives for aDay; Street Kings; The Scorpion King 2; Dexter: Season Two; House: Season Four.

Amanda Stefaniuk is a freelance writer who literally grew up in a video store.