Fright Night 2011

That's right boys and girls, welcome to "Fright Night"!

I personally am a fan of the original 1985 film, and hoped that the 2011 remake would do it justice... and guess what? I did, at least in my opinion. It is the perfect mix of thrills and giggles, and maybe even better then the original. But to be totally honest with you there really is no comparing the two. The films only share a few things and those being their title, character names, and main plot. Other then that they are two different movies, so much so that I have a difficult time calling the 2011 flick a remake. Maybe a retooling would be a better term. Let me put it this way, the 2011 "Fright Night" has more fangs.

Colin Ferrell gives a good performance as the menacing vampire Jerry, and Anton Yelchin was the perfect choice for the lead role Charley Brewster. Yelchin really brought Charley to life, and made him believable and lovable. But I think the break-out performance in the movie came from David Tennant as a much darker and deeper Peter Vincent. Tennant brought Peter Vincent to a new level, and really made you love and hate the character at the same time. I know that is conflicting, but that is Peter Vincent... isn't it? Last but not least I have to give a hand to Imogen Poots whom played the role of Charley's out-of-his-league girlfriend Amy.

I am only going to give one spoiler for those of you that have not yet seen the film, and that is to watch for Chris Sarandon (the original Jerry Dandrige), who makes a cameo in the film and becomes a quick snack for Ferrell.

The box office for the film was surprisingly low, coming in at a little over $37 million, on a $30 million budget. But don't let that fool you, "Fright Night" 2011 is well worth your time to watch. It is pure entertainment at it's best. I know for one that I will be watching it again and again, and again.

I have no choice but to give Fright Night 2011 a grand total of 5 stars.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I have been a fan of the Apes movies since a child and was so glad to see this 2011 film made. It was originally titled "Rise of the Apes", glad they made that change. This film is a reincarnation of the original "Planet of the Apes" film series, primarily based off the fourth film "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" which was released in 1972. It is not a direct remake in any way, though there are many references to the original films through out the movie. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is intended to act as the foundation for a new series of films, with it's own origin story line.

The film was released in the United States, Canada, and India on August 5, 2011 and will be released on Blue-ray and DVD on December 13, 2011. Just in time to give it to that Scifi fan you love for Christmas. The film received positive reviews and became a box office success bringing in over $480 million, off of a $93 million budget. Money well spent in my opinion. The effects are clean and realistic, all most too much so. The story itself is well written with plenty of action and a good dose of heart. Casting was perfect with James Franco as the lead human Will Rodman, the man that starts it all trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, of which his father Charles (John Lithgow) is suffering from. Applause to Lithgow for a superb performance in a very difficult role. I also have to give a hand to Tyler Labine for his role as chimp handler Robert Franklin, he does the role almost too well. And lets not forget Caesar's favorite primatologist Caroline Aranha, portrayed by Freida Pinto, whom brought the character to life in vivid color, and most likely increased admissions into the zoos all over the United States.

I'm not going to give any spoilers, everything ties together far too well, and I don't want to ruin the film for those that have not yet seen it. So on that note, if you are one of the unlucky and have not seen "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"... I say run, don't walk, or even jog out to the store of your choice on December 13, 2011 and buy your copy. You can rent it if you want, but you will most likely end up purchasing it anyway, so why waste the extra cash.

I am going to end this post by saying that Rupert Wyatt did a wonderful job directing the film, and Andrew Lesnie hit the nail on the head when it came to the cinematography. I also want to give Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver big pats on the backs for their writing expertise. I for one (and I know many others) am going to be waiting on pins and needles for the next installment of the new and improved Planet of the Apes franchise. So with out any doubt I have to give "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" a solid and well deserved 5 stars.