In Theaters: 04.25.08

“Let downs” would be one way to describe this week’s releases. Many fans awaited the sequel of 2004’s stoner hit, Harold and Kumar, but just as many are going to be depressed when they find out it won’t live up to their expectations. Baby Mama is technically Tina Fey’s second adventure into film since Mean Girls in 2004. Just like the recent departure of comedy from SNL, Baby Mama suffers from the same disease. The “indie” films this week are flying way under the radar, much like Major T.J.’s plane in Dr. Strangelove.

First up this week is Roman de Gare, the stylistic thriller making a few people describe it as a worthy offspring of Hitchcock’s own prolific work. Dominique Pinon stars as a possible psychopathic killer whose maybe living a lie and could rewrite the truth. Yeah, the trailer was funny too. You may remember him as the puppy faced stalker from Amelie or from his part in the ’91 film Delicatessen. He’s joined by Cannes Golden Palm winning director Claude Lelouch and award winning actress, Fanny Ardant. Much of the film is kept a mystery but promises plenty of twists and turns. I like twists and turns.

Also seeing limited theaters this week is Jon Reiss’ Bomb It, an educational documentary about the graffiti arts movement. It made its first appearance at the Tribeca film festival last year and has since been greeted with welcome arms. Variety’s Dennis Harvey called it an “Entertaining, high-energy survey…” If you’re interested in art docs this could be just the thing to follow up a viewing of My Kid Could Paint That.

Jon Cho and Kal Penn reunite this week under their most well known titles as Harold and Kumar respectively. Jon Cho has been relatively scarce since appearing in White Castle. Kal Penn on the other hand has been quite the busy beaver. Besides starring in House M.D. he’s also built up his name in other respected titles like Superman Returns and more recently in The Namesake. In Escape from Guantanamo Bay the boys are charged with terrorism after they try to sneak a bong onto a flight to Amsterdam. Instead of proving their innocence by simply admitting that they’re stoners heading to a stoner’s paradise, they break out of Guantanamo Bay and start meeting up with vaginas, Neil Patrick Harris, and an incest derived child. I’m sure old fans will find common ground with the high jinks that ensue but the rest of us will probably be wondering when fart jokes came back into style.

Michael McCullers, the screenwriter behind such films as Undercover Brother, Goldmember, and Thunderbirds, is making his directorial debut with Baby Mama, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. After the success of other baby films like Juno, Waitress, and Knocked Up last year, Baby Mama hopes to lay the final blow on all three. It had the makings to do so but judging purely off the trailer, it looks like it ended up being a predictable mess: I want baby, I can’t have baby, find surrogate mother, problems with surrogate mother, happy ending.

This is the final week before the official summer blockbusters are expected to breath fresh air into the movie industry. Iron Man will hopefully start us off on the right foot with the Chronicles of Narnia sequel to follow shortly after.