The To Do List (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no big reveals or plot twists**

It’s 1993, and after graduating high school, valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) vows to lose her virginity to the desirable Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). Living in Boise, Idaho, Brandy receives support from her friends Fiona (Alia Shawkat) and Wendy (Sarah Steele).

Before Brandy conquers her main goal of intercourse with Rusty, Brandy makes a checklist of mandatory foreplay activates to complete with hopes of enjoying her once in a lifetime experience with Rusty as a sexual expert. Along the way, Brandy tries to ignore relentless taunting from her sister, Amber (Rachel Bilson), and Brandy’s mother, Jean (Connie Britton) is more understanding and supportive for her daughter’s mission to explore her sexuality, but Brandy’s prudish father, Judge George Klark (Clark Gregg) doesn’t approve of Brandy’s plans.

During a summer job as the “newbie” lifeguard, Brandy has the perfect chance to catch Rusty’s eye, but she’ll have to endure some hazing from Rusty, the other lifeguards, and the manager, Willy (Bill Hader). Brandy plans to use her longtime friends, Cameron (Johnny Simmons), Duffy (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and others as practice guys for the foreplay experiments. Brandy is willing to do anything to fulfill her selfish and desperate desires, but towards the end of her journey, Brandy is forced to answer one crucial question: Is Rusty Waters really worth it?

Aubrey Plaza continues to excel within her niche of being the quirky and dismal woman, who’s a real pain in the ass most of the time. And I can’t forget about Plaza’s signature cold and emotionless scowl. Although, Plaza is a more sympathetic character here. Brandy is a stuck up and bossy geek with a superiority complex, who idolizes Hillary Clinton, but you’ll see a softer side to this character in certain parts here. Underneath all the struggles to fit in and capture the key to Rusty’s heart (or his pants), Brandy is a lost teenager, who’s trying to find herself, and enjoy some careless fun before it’s too late.

Clark Gregg is a perfect fit for the old school father, who’s too uptight to embrace any changes. The To Do List puts more focus on Scott Porter’s physical appearance, so in the grand scheme of things, his decent performance as this California surfer dude is an afterthought. Bilson is good for a few laughs, as the promiscuous big sister, who enjoys bullying Brandy. Simmons and Mintz-Plasse are entertaining nerds, but I give the edge to Simmons for the better performance. He’s spot on as the more sensitive friend with a soft spot for Brandy. Mintz-Plasse isn’t bad, but I guess I’m just burnt out on his reoccurring shtick, as this delusional dork with an inflated ego as a lady’s man.

Bill Hader is hilarious as the nonchalant manager, Connie Britton is harmless as the supportive and understanding mother, and Sarah Steele is the funnier one in the duo of Wendy and Fiona, as the persistent and free spirited friend, who pushes Brandy to break out of her shell. And his screen time is limited to a brief appearance, but Andy Samberg’s Van put a smile on my face. Long story short, he’s the lead singer in this amateur band, who sports a grunge look, and there’s a scene with Brandy in the pool’s shower room that brought me to tears, because I laughed so hard.

The To Do List feels like something different at first. Unfortunately, this one succumbs to a familiar and formulaic through the motions pattern step by step, because twelve minutes into the movie, I could EASILY predict the entire story. I couldn’t shake a disappointed feeling throughout the movie, but I’ll give The To Do List some credit for avoiding the corny and clichéd “I’m sorry, and I love you!” speech for Brandy’s character.

Did you know The To Do List was set in the 90’s? Well, you’ll see and hear more than enough reminders throughout the movie. Look, I love nostalgia  more than anyone, and The To Do List features a very clever 90’s themed intro, but for the love of all things holy, I don’t need constant hints and winks to remind me I’m watching a movie set in 1993. Meg Ryan, Home Improvement, Zack Morris, Sleepless In Seattle, movie posters including Jurassic Park. You name it, and The To Do List will pull out a “Remember that!” reference for a nostalgia buzz. Sorry, but The To Do List passed the point of overkill for 90’s nostalgia, because everything feels way too forced after a while. Plus, I rolled my eyes at some dumfounding attempts to point out the 90’s setting. Need an example? I can clearly see a VHS tape on the screen, so I don’t need someone to tell me they rented a “VHS” tape. Seriously, I was waiting for the “Whoopsie!” Mortal Kombat guy to pop up on the bottom of the screen, but he wouldn’t shout his famous catchphrase. Instead, the Mortal Kombat guy would appear out of nowhere to say “Hey, did you know The To Do List is set in the 90’s?”

The To Do List won’t change the landscape for coming of age comedies, but it’s a satisfying entry in the already crowded sub genre. Aubrey Plaza shines in the leading role, providing the vast majority of laughs here, and Plaza is surrounded by a rock solid supporting cast. The raunchy hijinks are consistently funny, and the gross-out gags are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you (i.e. Brandy mistaking a real piece of floating poo for a candy bar). Still, it’s a real shame, because without the familiar genre tropes, and a constant need to remind the audience they’re watching a nostalgic 90’s film, The To Do List could’ve been one of the all-time greats.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The To Do List (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

It’s 1993, and after graduating high school, valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) vows to lose her virginity to the desirable Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). Living in Boise, Idaho, Brandy receives support from her friends Fiona (Alia Shawkat) and Wendy (Sarah Steele).

Before Brandy conquers her main goal of intercourse with Rusty, Brandy makes a checklist of mandatory foreplay activates to complete with hopes of enjoying her once in a lifetime experience with Rusty as a sexual expert. Along the way, Brandy tries to ignore relentless taunting from her sister, Amber (Rachel Bilson), and Brandy’s mother, Jean (Connie Britton) is more understanding and supportive for her daughter’s mission to explore her sexuality, but Brandy’s prudish father, Judge George Klark (Clark Gregg) doesn’t approve of Brandy’s plans.

During a summer job as the “newbie” lifeguard, Brandy has the perfect chance to catch Rusty’s eye, but she’ll have to endure some hazing from Rusty, the other lifeguards, and the manager, Willy (Bill Hader). Brandy plans to use her longtime friend, Cameron (Johnny Simmons), Duffy (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and others as practice guys for the foreplay experiments. Brandy is willing to do anything to fulfill her selfish and desperate desires, but towards the end of her journey, Brandy is forced to answer one crucial question: Is Rusty Waters really worth it?

Aubrey Plaza continues to excel within her niche of being the quirky and dismal woman, who’s a real pain in the ass most of the time. And I can’t forget about Plaza’s signature cold and emotionless scowl. Although, Plaza is a more sympathetic character here. Brandy is a stuck up and bossy geek with a superiority complex, who idolizes Hillary Clinton, but you’ll see a softer side to this character in certain parts here. Underneath all the struggles to fit in and capture the key to Rusty’s heart (or his pants), Brandy is a lost teenager, who’s trying to find herself, and enjoy some careless fun before it’s too late.

Clark Gregg is a perfect fit for the old school father, who’s too uptight to embrace any changes. The To Do List puts more focus on Scott Porter’s physical appearance, so in the grand scheme of things, his decent performance as this California surfer dude is an afterthought. Bilson is good for a few laughs, as the promiscuous big sister, who enjoys bullying Brandy. Simmons and Mintz-Plasse are entertaining nerds, but I give the edge to Simmons for the better performance. He’s spot on as the more sensitive friend with a soft spot for Brandy. Mintz-Plasse isn’t bad, but I guess I’m just burnt out on his reoccurring shtick, as this delusional dork with an inflated ego as a lady’s man.

Bill Hader is hilarious as the nonchalant manager, Connie Britton is harmless as the supportive and understanding mother, and Sarah Steele is the funnier one in the duo of Wendy and Fiona, as the persistent and free spirited friend, who pushes Brandy to break out of her shell. And his screen time is limited to a brief appearance, but Andy Samberg’s Van put a smile on my face. Long story short, he’s the lead singer in this amateur band, who sports a grunge look, and there’s a scene with Brandy in the pool’s shower room that brought me to tears, because I laughed so hard.

The To Do List feels like something different at first. Unfortunately, this one succumbs to a familiar and formulaic through the motions pattern step by step, because twelve minutes into the movie, I could EASILY predict the entire story. Brandy’s going to do any and everything she can do to impress Rusty, sacrificing the morals and the integrity of her character in the process. At some point, Brandy’s going to realize she hurt the people closest to her, and she’s going to change to right all the wrongs. In the end, Brandy will accept the realization she’s better off being proud of her nerdy and quirky persona, and now Brandy knows she had the perfect key to happiness in front of her the entire time.

I couldn’t shake a disappointed feeling throughout the movie, but I’ll give The To Do List some credit for avoiding the corny and clichéd “I’m sorry, and I love you!” speech for Brandy’s character. During the final moments of the movie, Brandy is adjusting to college life, when she runs into Cameron. They both exchange stories for their sexual experiences, and they come to an agreement about sex: Casual encounters won’t ruin their friendship. And of course, as Brandy finishes the last goal on her list (having an orgasm), Judge Klark bursts through the door to witness Brandy and Cameron together on “Dad’s Weekend.” I let out a sigh of relief, because as soon as Brandy and Cameron reunited, I was expecting some lame attempt at a tear jerking moment.

Did you know The To Do List was set in the 90’s? Well, you’ll see and hear more than enough reminders throughout the movie. Look, I love nostalgia  more than anyone, and The To Do List features a very clever 90’s themed intro, but for the love of all things holy, I don’t need constant hints and winks to remind me I’m watching a movie set in 1993. Meg Ryan, Home Improvement, Zack Morris, Sleepless In Seattle, movie posters including Jurassic Park. You name it, and The To Do List will pull out a “Remember that!” reference for a nostalgia buzz. Sorry, but The To Do List passed the point of overkill for 90’s nostalgia, because everything feels way too forced after a while. Plus, I rolled my eyes at some dumfounding attempts to point out the 90’s setting. Need an example? I can clearly see a VHS tape on the screen, so I don’t need someone to tell me they rented a “VHS” tape. Seriously, I was waiting for the “Whoopsie!” Mortal Kombat guy to pop up on the bottom of the screen, but he wouldn’t shout his famous catchphrase. Instead, the Mortal Kombat guy would appear out of nowhere to say “Hey, did you know The To Do List is set in the 90’s?”

The To Do List won’t change the landscape for coming of age comedies, but it’s a satisfying entry in the already crowded sub genre. Aubrey Plaza shines in the leading role, providing the vast majority of laughs here, and Plaza is surrounded by a rock solid supporting cast. The raunchy hijinks are consistently funny, and the gross-out gags are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you (i.e. Brandy mistaking a real piece of floating poo for a candy bar). Still, it’s a real shame, because without the familiar genre tropes, and a constant need to remind the audience they’re watching a nostalgic 90’s film, The To Do List could’ve been one of the all-time greats.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

**This review contains spoilers**

After inspiring others to fight crime and clean up the streets, Dave Lizewski (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) decides to retire his Kick-Ass persona. Still inspired by her father’s mission and dedicated to keeping her promise to Big Daddy, Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz ) refuses to give up her life as Hit-Girl, until she receives pressure from Sergeant Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut),  Mindy’s guardian and the man, who swore to protect her from any danger. Mindy tries to train Dave, so he can be a real hero without having to put on the costume, but Marcus steps in, and forces Mindy to retire the Hit-Girl persona and her life of crime fighting for good. Furious about the perceived awkward relationship with Mindy at school and a neglectful attitude, Dave’s girlfriend, Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) dumps him in the hallways by slapping him in the face one day.

Meanwhile, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is still looking for revenge after Kick-Ass used a rocket launcher to murder his father. After an argument with his mother, Chris accidentally kills Ms. D’Amico by kicking her tanning bed, causing it to malfunction. Determined to get his hands on Kick-Ass, Chris assumes the identity of The Mother Fucker with the hopes of becoming the world’s first supervillian. With his inheritance and some help from his personal assistant Javier (John Leguizamo), The Mother Fucker assembles his own team of villains including Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina), Black Death (Daniel Kaluuya), Genghis Carnage (Tom Wu), and The Tumor (Andy Nyman). Forming a stable of villains known as The Toxic Mega-Cunts, The Mother Fucker vows to destroy the city with crime, and kill Kick-Ass.

Unable to convince Mindy to become Hit Girl again and not wanting to fight alone, Dave becomes Kick-Ass again and joins a group of heroes called Justice Forever. Led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), Kick-Ass joins the team of Night Bitch (Lindy Booth), Doctor Gravity (Donald Faison), Team Remembering Tommy (two parents, who became crime fighters after their son was abducted), as a team made up of Tommy’s mother (Monica Dolan) and Tommy’s father (Steven Mackintosh), and Battle Guy, who eventually reveals himself as Marty (Clark Duke), one of Dave’s best friends.

The Toxic Mega-Cunts and Justice Forever are headed for an inevitable clash, as the police crack down on anyone wearing a mask. And things take a devastating turn for the worst, when Marty and Dave’s friend, Todd (Augustus Prew) gives away Kick-Ass’s real identity, putting Dave’s father, Mr. Lizewski (Garrett M. Brown) in harm’s way. And Mindy has a change of heart, after the most popular girl in high school and her clique pull a mean prank, forcing Mindy to think twice about being “normal.” Will Mindy become Hit Girl one last time, so she can join Justice Forever in the war against The Toxic-Mega Cunts?

Well, I’ll just get this out of the way now. Whether or not you agree with his decision to not promote Kick-Ass 2, because of the violence in this film, don’t get your hopes up for anything special from Jim Carrey. Colonel Stars and Stripes’ screen time is VERY limited, and you won’t see too much of him. Plus, Carrey’s character takes a backseat to the other sub-plots in Kick-Ass, so in the grand scheme of things, Colonel Stars and Stripes doesn’t have a significant impact on the story. Carrey is funny during his short time on screen, and you can tell he’s genuinely having fun with the character, but again, don’t go into this film expecting great things from Carrey, because you’ll be disappointed.

Moretz is still entertaining as the foul-mouthed and fearless bad ass, but as Mindy, we get to see a more vulnerable side of the character here. We saw glimpses of Mindy’s softer side with her father Big Daddy in the original, especially during his death, and the scenes where they both shared hot chocolate and marshmallows. But in the sequel, we get to see Mindy try and adjust to life in high school, as she tries to fit in. Moretz did a fantastic job of showing some emotion (most notably the scene, where she goes to Dave’s house for comfort after the prank), and showing the confliction of being torn between Hit-Girl and Mindy.

Anyway, Mintz-Plasse is appropriately annoying and loathsome as The Mother Fucker. The Mother Fucker is a spoiled brat, who uses his money to get what he wants, and Plasse is a suitable replacement for Mark Strong as the primary antagonist. The supporting cast isn’t bad. Clark Duke is able to provide a few laughs as the unapologetic comedian of the group. Lindy Booth is just eye candy for the most part, but she deserves some credit for her acting chops during scenes at the hospital with Dave, and The Toxic-Mega Cunts invasion at her home. But Mother Russia is the stand out star from the supporting cast. Having the physical presence of a scary and evil She Hulk helps, and trust me, when it comes to the scene, where she attacks the cops by herself, the trailers just show the tip of the iceberg. It’s way more outrageous and shocking, when you see the whole thing in its entirety. And don’t expect anything from Lyndsy Fonseca. Her appearances are limited to cameo status here.

So Kick-Ass keeps the vulgarity, the blood and violence, and for the most part, they maintained the raunchy edge that made the first film popular. Plus, they add in a “Mean Girls” sub-plot for Mindy’s character, and it’s not a bad idea, because it helped the audience connect to and understand Mindy’s vulnerable side. BUT Kick-Ass 2 isn’t something to brag about. You can say being something different and fresh helped the first film’s success, but Kick-Ass 2 didn’t have that luxury. The blood and the vulgar dialogue should please fans of the first film, but it felt like Kick-Ass 2 was playing it way too safe most of the time. I don’t mean safe as in watered down or restricted. I mean safe as in “let’s try our best to copy the blueprint of the first film without making any major changes” safe.

Remember how Bruce Wayne wanted to retire from being Batman in The Dark Knight Rises? But a good old fashioned beating from Bane and the bomb in Gotham changed his mind? Or more recently how Tony Stark wanted to be done with Iron Man after the trauma following the events of The Avengers? Well Kick-Ass 2 follows in the footsteps of the superhero wanting to retire for good, and leave a life of crime fighting behind them after a traumatic experience blueprint. Dave wants to be done with Kick-Ass after he promised his father he would never wear the costume again. And Mindy is reminded of who her real father was by Marcus, and the need for her to have a real childhood, so Mindy swears to never be Hit-Girl again. Problem with this formula is, we all know how it’s going to end. Somehow, someway, Dave and Mindy were going to become Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl again. And guess what? They did. They broke their promises, so they can help stop the growing threat of The Toxic Mega-Cunts. That’s the problem with this formula. It’s NEVER convincing enough to the point, where you’ll seriously believe said hero will hang it up for good, so when they actually make a comeback, it’s not genuinely surprising or shocking in the slightest.

But Kick-Ass 2 isn’t 100% through the motions and predictable all the time. The death of Chris’s mother and Dave’s father completely caught me off guard, and Hit-Girl using the shot of adrenaline to take out Mother Russia was a nice shock, because throughout the movie, you were lead to believe the stuff inside the syringe was a lethal injection, used to put someone out of their misery before an agonizing death.

And in an unrelated plot twists complaint, did anyone else notice Todd’s betrayal at the end? Todd was upset because Dave and Marty constantly ignored his efforts to become a superhero, so he tried to join The Toxic-Mega Cunts as Ass-Kicker. And guess what, Todd is the one, who revealed Kick-Ass’s identity as Dave to The Mother Fucker. After acquiring this info, The Mother Fucker sends out two of his goons to beat Dave’s father to death. After the big brawl between The Toxic-Mega Cunts and Justice Forever, Todd celebrates with Kick-Ass and the heroes? Eh, Todd is solely responsible for the death of Dave’s father, and they never mention that? On  top of that, he celebrates with the good guys like NOTHING happened, and he doesn’t have to suffer any consequences, when it’s all said and done? I’m sorry, but that’s a HUGE gap in logic that’s hard to ignore.

Still, Kick-Ass isn’t without some highlights. The final brawl was so much fun to watch, with the one on one duel between Mother Russia and Hit-Girl stealing the show. It’s a match up that had to happen, because Hit-Girl and Mother Russia are the top two bad asses and toughest characters in this film, so logic suggests both characters having to square off against each other in a “must-see“ fight to the death. And I can’t forget about Mindy’s rescue of Dave, as she’s fighting the bad guys in the speeding van on the highway. Amazing action sequence. Also, the tie-in of social media really enhanced the realism part of this film. During the beginning, a thug tries to use his cell phone to a record a fight with Kick-Ass, so he can reach “a million” hits on YouTube. And The Mother Fucker uses Twitter to brag about his feats of crime. 

I laughed a lot throughout this movie, but Kick-Ass 2 is a weird one for me. I enjoyed the film, but nothing here left me with a urge to see a part three after I walked out of the theater. It’s a satisfying sequel, and fans of the original should enjoy it, but I wasn’t foaming at the mouth for more Kick-Ass, when the credits started rolling.

Rating: 7/10

Get to know the world's newest superheroine for only $0.99  here- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or check out my collection of short stories also only $0.99 here-http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

You can also follow me on Twitter here-https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And like me on Facebook here- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006571413088

The Impact of Kick-Ass 2's Failure At The Box Office This Weekend

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo, this weekend's box office stats: http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2013&wknd=33&p=.htm

Sad to say, but this doesn't surprise me too much, and I don't want to sound like a bragging Captain Hindsight (nod to you all you South Park fans out there!), but I saw this coming.

The more and more I saw of the trailers and TV spots, the more I was convinced Kick-Ass 2 was going to flop at the box office this weekend. Why? I didn't see anything new. In the red band trailers, I saw all the same violence and vulgarity I saw in the first film. And Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass being conflicted about quitting the life, and wanting to be done with crime fighting for good? Eh, just to toss out a few examples, we've seen similar storylines in The Dark Night Rises, Spider-Man 2, Batman Forever, and more recently Iron Man 3.

Kick-Ass was supposed to be something new and unique. A more hardcore version of Mystery Man with bloody violence, cursing, and edge we haven't seen in too many mainstream superhero films. I know some of you will say "Hey, Mitch! What about Super with Rainn Wilson and Ellen Paige?" Well, yeah we had Super, but Kick-Ass managed to make a bigger splash on a larger landscape.

Anyway, we had the nerdy hero to root for in Dave Lizweski/Kick-Ass, and his ass kicking, foul mouthed partner, Hit-Girl. Moretz and Johnson still bring their A-Games in the sequel (review will have to come tomorrow or the day after guys, my tank is on E right now), and Mintz-Plasse is entertaining as The Mother Fucker, but Kick-Ass 2 was more of the same old, same old from the first film, with a little Mean Girls sub-plot thrown in, as Mindy tries to figure out, who she is. And as I alluded to before, they reintroduced the storyline of the heroes contemplating retirement, something we've seen too many times before, and we all know how that ends.   

There was so much buzz surrounding  the first Kick-Ass film, and while I enjoyed the sequel, I didn't leave the theater hoping for a part three. It's a shame, because with this awful opening weekend (and things aren't going to get any better next week), there's a good chance this could be the end of Kick-Ass before we see a reboot or remake in the future. Or even worse, they'll try and pull off a straight-to-video sequel.

Think of all the potential Kick-Ass had to be something different. No supernatural powers, no rich billionaire primary protagonists, and no fancy high tech gadgets or machines. And on top of all that, Kick-Ass was a fun parody of the superhero genre, and neither film takes itself too seriously. Now? The end of Kick-Ass is almost a sure thing, because I can't imagine another sequel after such a disappointing opening. And that means we'll probably get more of the same ordinary and cliched superhero films with flashy, loud special effects and stylish fight scenes, as Hollywood continues to reboot, remake, spin-off, and add sequels to the likes of Spider-Man, Batman, and other giants in the genre for years to come. Sorry, but it's going to be hard to top the likes of Nolan's Batman trilogy, Bryan Singer's X2, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.    




   

Fright Night (2011)

**This review contains spoilers**


Living in Las Vegas, teenager Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) chooses to leave his nerdy life behind him, and he refuses to believe or listen to “Evil” Ed Lee’s (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) accusations about Charley’s new next door neighbor being a vampire. Charley is more concerned with pleasing and paying attention to his new friends and girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots), so he kicked Ed, his best childhood friend, to the curb. And Ed using the mysterious disappearance of Adam (Will Denton), the third member of the childhood trio of friends, as motivation isn’t enough to persuade Charley.

One night, Jane (Toni Collette), Charley’s mother, introduces Charley and Amy to Jerry (Colin Farrell), the new next door neighbor. Jerry works night construction, and after meeting Jerry face to face, Charley doesn’t notice anything suspicious, so he leaves Ed to solve the vampire mystery by himself. But after Charley leaves Ed alone at night, Jerry stalks Ed, and eventually, Jerry reveals himself as a vampire. Jerry turns Ed, and Charley is uneasy about Ed’s random disappearance. Looking for more answers, Charley goes to Ed’s house, and on Ed’s computer, Charley finds video proof of Jerry being a vampire, because Jerry doesn’t show up on Ed’s recordings.

Fearing for his life, and the safety of his mother and Amy, Charley takes the necessary precautions (carving out wooden stakes, gathering crosses, etc.) for any plans from Jerry. After escaping an attack that leaves Charley’s mother hospitalized, Charley realizes he must deal with Jerry head on. With no else to turn to, Charley visits Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a famed magician and the host of a Vegas stage show called Fright Night. Vincent flat out refuses to help Charley, after he recognizes the symbol from an ancient vampire crest in one of Charley’s pictures. But after some goading, Vincent joins forces with Charley to destroy Jerry, and rescue a kidnapped Amy during a morning stand off.

Chris Sarandon was more of a Cassonva, but Farrell’s Jerry is a cold-hearted dick. Farrell shows flashes of the witty charm we all saw in Sarandon’s Jerry, but Farrell is more menacing, vicious, and cruel. Remember how Jerry turned Amy in the original? Jerry turned Amy in the original, because he saw an opportunity to have a second chance with a woman from his past, and Amy resembled a painting of this woman. But Farrell’s Jerry just turned Amy 2011 to piss Charley off. She was just bait to lure Charley to his death, and Farrell’s Jerry wanted to stick the knife in deeper, by giving Amy a bloody kiss in front of him. Plus, unlike Sarandon’s Jerry, Farrell isn’t dressed up like he’s going to a five star restaurant or an opera concert. No, Farrell’s Jerry has a more casual wardrobe more often than not. Sarandon is still the better Jerry, but Farrell has nothing to be ashamed of, because he provides a confident and smooth performance as Jerry in the remake.

When I first watched Fright Night 2011 in theaters, it kind of pissed me off how they turned Charley into this pseudo hipster, who went out of his way to fit in with the cool kids at high school. But to be fair, after Ed turns into a vampire, Yelchin’s Charley becomes William Ragsdale’s Charley. You know, the nervous wreck, who can’t get anyone to believe in his claims of  a vampire living next door to him. Yelchin is solid as the new Charley, and I’m glad they QUICKLY turned the corner with the direction of his character, because it would’ve been annoying as hell to watch, and damn near impossible to root for a hipster brat version of Charley. As far as Charley’s mother goes, Toni Collette’s role as Jane is similar to the role of Charley’s mother in the original: she’s limited to sporadic appearances, and her character doesn’t receive a significant amount of screen time. And Collette fades out of the story, when Jane is hospitalized.

No real complaints about Imogen Poots’ Amy. Amanda Bearse’s Amy had a more humble look, and she was a humble character, who had a few feisty moments every now and then. But Poots is made out to be the hottest girl in school, so that’s a big change character wise. But Mintz-Plasse’s Ed? Ugh. Stephen Geoffreys was actually funny, as the outcast nerd. Plasse on the other hand, is just annoying and unbearable. It’s hard to feel sympathy for Ed, when Charley treats him like the deformed abomination, who would bring shame on you, if you went out in public with it, because Plasse comes off as an unsympathetic nerd. You WOULDN’T feel bad, if someone else was bullying Ed 2011 in real life. Yeah, he’s that annoying.

David Tennant’s Peter Vincent has a bigger ego than Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent. He’s a self-absorbed egomaniac, and like McDowall’s Peter Vincnet, Tennant is a coward for the majority of the movie, until he finds his courage for the final showdown at the end. Tennant is hilarious, his character never reaches a too unlikeable point, and coming to Charley’s aid at the end is a great moment of redemption. Oh, and Peter has a girlfriend in the remake. Sandra Vergara portrays Ginger, but her cookie-cutter character never rises above average standards, as a fiery, and bitchy Latin woman.

You’ll always have the complaints from die hard fans of the originals, but it’s impossible to avoid modernization for remakes. In Fright Night 2011, Peter Vincent is the host of a Vegas stage show at a Hard Rock hotel, and he lives on the top floor in a lavish penthouse. A big contrast from Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent hosting a Hammer style horror show in the original, and Roddy’s Peter living in a normal apartment. Another noticeable change is, mirrors aren’t used to detect the reflectionless blood-suckers. Jerry is caught, because he doesn’t show up on Ed’s video camera, and of course, Jerry doesn’t appear on the security monitors at the hotel. During the final battle, Charley arms himself with a crossbow, and Peter gives Charley a special metal stake, specifically designed to kill Jerry’s breed of vampire, and turn his victims back to normal. Peter also brings some heavy artillery, using a cannon/gun to fight off Jerry’s minions.  Plus, using Peter’s advice, Charley uses fire in the battle with Jerry. In the original, Charley and Jerry relied on crosses and sunlight to kill Jerry. And Peter actually has some history with Jerry in this film, because Jerry is the vampire, who murdered Peter’s parents as a child. Oh, and Farrell isn’t Jerry Dandridge in the remake. He’s just Jerry, no last name.

Fans of the original should be able to pick out a few winks here. During the beginning, Plasse’s Ed tells Charley “You’re so cool Brewster” during an argument. Evil Ed in the original poked fun at Charley with this line, and it’s the closing line of dialogue in the original. As Jerry transforms into his more beastly vampire form in front of Peter at the end, he says “welcome to Fright Night….for real.” Sarandon said this exact line in the original to Roddy’s Peter, but Sarandon was more sarcastic. Farrell on the other hand was more sinister. And it’s brief, but Chris Sarandon has a cameo as a motorist here. Sarandon suffers a gruesome demise at the hands of Farrell’s Jerry, but witnessing the two Jerry’s come face to face was a cool moment for me.

Of course, Fright Night 2011 is A LOT more bloody, nasty, gory, and disgusting than the original. But the deaths, attacks, and gory scenes have a stylish flare, and you can tell director Craig Gillespie put some effort into the demises in Fright Night, because the deaths aren’t limited to a barrage of dead bodies piling on top of one another, and senseless scenes of flesh tearing violence. Fright Night 2011 is a satisfying remake, with some necessary updates, an enjoyable cast (minus Plasse), and the nostalgia winks should please fans of the original.

Rating: 7/10