Fright Night Review

This past summer I watched the original Fright Night for the first time and I have to say it was extremely dated and laughable. From jump cuts not matching up to horrible "B movie" style acting to "Evil Ed" changing into a Werewolf after being bitten by a vampire, it was in desperate need of a remake. From the first blood sucking scene to the last, the new Fright Night drives a stake through the heart of a successful action/horror/comedy film.

The cast of the film is absolutely perfect! Colin Farrell is great as the new neighbor (and vampire) Jerry Dandrige (portrayed by Chris Sarandon in the original). Farrell brings the perfect balance of charm, scary, and funny capturing the tone of the movie perfectly. Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse play Charlie Brewster and "Evil Ed" Lee respectively, both of whom are amazing. But the real show stopper is David Tennant as Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall in the original). In this film, Peter Vincent is a Criss Angel type character, rather than a "local yokel" public access film host. Tennant brings a Jack Sparrow type energy and wit to the role. Toni Collette and Imogen Poots round out the cast as Charlie's mom and girlfriend.

Written by vampire veteran Marti Noxon of Buffy fame and directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) this movie is full of non-stop action and a lot of really funny humor.

Fright Night is the best example of the reason a movie should be remade and also how great one can be if it is well executed! Movie theaters are plagued with remakes and reboots, all of which are notoriously terrible and mostly in the horror genre. Hopefully, Fright Night won't get lost in the "remake shuffle."

I give Fright Night a frightening 8 out of 10 stakes!

RAWR(for more)

United States of Tara Theatrical Screening!

On January 13, 2008, Showtime and Landmark Theatres invite you to attend an exclusive and advanced screening of the first two episodes of the new Showtime series, United States of Tara. Drinks and snacks, courtesy of our friends at Netflix, will be served.Seats are available on a first come first serve basis, 21 and older please. Screenings begin at 7pm and seating is First Come First Served.


1.
Atlanta
Midtown Art Cinema
931 Monroe Drive

2.
Austin
Dobie Theatre
2025 Guadalupe Suite 268

3.
Baltimore
Landmark's Harbor East
645 President St

4.
Berkeley
Shattuck Cinemas
2230 Shattuck Avenue

5.
Boston
Kendall Square Cinema
One Kendall Sq. Bldg 1900

6.
Chicago
Century Centre Cinema
2828 N. Clark Street Century Shopping Centre

7.
Dallas
The Magnolia
3699 McKinney Avenue Suite 100

8.
Denver
Chez Artiste
4150 East Amherst Avenue

9.
Denver
The Landmark
5415 Landmark Place

10.
Detroit
Maple Art Theatre
4135 W. Maple Road

11.
Houston
River Oaks Theatre
2009 West Gray

12.
Indianapolis
Keystone Art Cinema
8702 Keystone Crossing, #201A

13.
Los Angeles
The Landmark
10850 West Pico at Westwood Blvd.

14.
Milwaukee
Downer Theatre
2589 N. Downer Avenue

15.
Minneapolis
Lagoon Cinema
1320 Lagoon Avenue

16.
New Orleans
Canal Place Cinema
333 Canal Street Suite 329

17.
New York
Sunshine Cinema
143 E. Houston Street

18.
Philadelphia
Ritz at the Bourse
400 Ranstead Street

19.
San Diego
Hillcrest Cinemas
3965 5th Avenue #200

20.
San Francisco
Embarcadero Center Cinema
1 Embarcadero Center Promenade Level

21.
San Francisco
Lumiere Theatre
1572 California Street

22.
Seattle
Metro Cinemas
4500 9th Avenue N.E. Suite 200

23.
Seattle
Varsity Theatre
4329 University Way N.E.

24.
St. Louis
Plaza Frontenac Cinema
210 Plaza Frontenac

25.
Washington D.C.
E Street Cinema
555 11th Street NW

CLICK HERE for more information.

RAWR(for more)

New Show Alert: The United States of Tara

The United States of Tara is the latest original series from Showtime premiering January 18 at 10:00 PM. Showtime already has two of the best shows on TV right now with Californication and Dexter and now they have added a third.

The United States of Tara is a comedy/drama about a woman with multiple personalities and how her family deals with the fallout. These "alters" come out when Tara is unable to deal with whatever situation is presenting itself. So far Tara has three other personalities: a fifteen year old girl named T, Buck the white trash biker, and Alice the perfect housewife.

The United States of Tara is a fantastic show. A simply perfect blend of laughs and drama that is brilliantly written by (love her or hate her, I subscribe to the former) Diablo Cody of Juno fame. The diaglogue isn't nearly as headscratching as Juno tended to be so don't be worried. I will say that Diablo Cody has given us a stunning show with believable and relatable chracters. The cast is exquisite, especially Toni Colette and Keir Gilchrist, who plays Tara's son Marshall. Toni Colette is amazing here playing each of these personalities perfectly. I can definitely see some awards for her in the future.

The show is extremely funny but also touching as we see how this family deals with Tara's affliction. Each character has issues of their own that contribute to the alter's appearance and it makes for an extremely interesting dynamic.

The show has a few surprise guest stars as well that comedy and Arrested Development fans will recognize. I'll keep them secret and let you see for yourself.

I have the first four episodes of the show and after watching two of them I had to write this up. It's too good to delay getting the word out. My problem now is that I'll have to wait a month for the fifth episode to premiere. Ah the life of a critic, a double edged sword if ever there was one.

The United States of Tara premieres January 18 at 10 on Showtime. This is simply a can't miss show. I absolutely 100% unequivocally love this show. I'll say it again: One of the best new shows of the year. Discover it for yourself.

RAWR(for more)

Have a Peak at United States of Tara!

Here is a sneak peak at the new Showtime series from Diablo Cody (love her) and Stephen Spielberg.



Showtime has had a string of brilliant shows, most especially Californication and Dexter, so hopefully this keeps the streak going. It looks like it might be pretty good. I'm excited to see it. The show debuts on January 18, 2009.

RAWR(for more)