The 2011 remake of the vampire flick Fright Night is in theaters and bringing with it a fresh take on the extremely campy 1985 original. Modernizing the story about a teenager discovering that evil lives next door to him into something more contemporary, this horror film is definitely less B-movie keeping the storyline to the basics but adding new and deeper plot twists. No complaints though — this movie retains that hilarious funny appeal that made the original an instant classic.

Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) really can’t have it any better than he does right now. He’s one of the popular kids and is dating the hottest girl in high school. The only thing that’s probably holding him back is his not-so-cool childhood best friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). So, after trying to avoid Ed, it’s only natural that Ed bribes Charley to go out with him on a search after a rash of students in their class start to go missing.

After he and Ed finish their investigation, Charley heads back home where he meets his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) having a conversation with his mom (Toni Collette). Jerry is an extremely handsome jack-of-all-trades handyman that seems to have Charley’s girlfriend (Imogen Poots) and mother both smitten with his charms. It isn’t until after witnessing some very unusual activity that Charley comes to one frightening conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood. When all options run out for him, Charley seeks out the help of Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to find a way to get rid of the blood-sucker.

If you’re familiar with the original 1985 Fright Night, there’s a few points in the remake that follow with that movie (I won’t spoil them here). Director Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock, United States of Tara) literally reworks the film from the ground up and tells a much more solid story. A round of applause is deserved for Gillespie’s knack for keeping the plot’s comedic roots intact while crafting a truly edgy horror film. The plot for Fright Night revolves mainly around Yelchin and a gym-buffed Farrell’s portrayal of Charley and Jerry. Both actors sell their roles dead-on as they play out a serious tug-of-war with Charley on one side trying to keep his mother and girlfriend safe and Jerry on the other executing a far more insidious scheme for everyone around him. Peter Vincent’s role seems minor at first but the vampire hunter takes on an extremely important role as the second half of the movie pans out.

Fright Night is featured in 3D, but the 3D elements are minor and don’t do a whole lot to contribute to the experience of the film. The real meat and potatoes of Fright Night is in the storytelling and the action that is a sheer rollercoaster ride. If you’re a fan of the original film and are wondering exactly how the vampire effects come off, don’t fret. The CG effects for the vampires closely mimics that of the original with the wide mouths and the grotesquely jagged teeth. The transformations from human to vampire is very impressive and almost believable (if vampires were real).

Fright Night isn’t your typical vampire tale. You won’t find any sluttish telepathic faeries, roided-out tattooed werewolves or angsty sparkly-skinned teenage vamps here. What you’ll get is a very sexy blood-sucking good time with enough chills, thrills and laughs to separate Fright Night from the apparent norm of vampire storytelling.

If you are looking for a good horror flick to keep your summer going strong, head out to theaters and check out Fright Night. This is one movie that should definitely NOT get lost in the shuffle of this summer’s rush of blockbusters.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 59 minutes
Rated: Unrated
SRP: $19.99
Studio(s): Sub Pop Records
Release Date: May 25, 2010

Film/Feature: B–

On the main menu of David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer DVD, you’d think you’re about to watch a loud and boisterous Tom Jones concert, but instead you get the laid back, bearded Cross and an hour-long standup routine full of mild-mannered (but profanity-laden) observation humor that doesn’t discriminate. The deaf, religion, the airlines industry, green home products, junkies, potential date rape victims, anti-health care, anti-Obama-ists, “patriots,” Orthodox Jews, Mormons, Scientologists, Catholics amongst others are all fair game and many of them deserve the verbal lashing.

The feature is the mashing of two back-to-back concerts in Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, in the very town that Cross dropped out of college after one semester. It originally aired on the Epix Channel on April 10th. Since then Cross has paved a career writing for the Ben Stiller Show and starring in Waiting for Guffman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Tobias Funke in Arrested Development.

Cross is funny, but doesn’t bring the house down and you might find yourself chuckling and giggling through the routine, but not guffawing. Well, okay there is one person in the crowd who couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard because they cut to him often. It’s a funny, relevant standup act but probably won’t have you in tears nor make you feel like you just worked out with the Ab-flex.

Video/Audio: A– /B+
David Cross and his grisly beard can be seen in 480p encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. and there’s not a complaint that can be found with the transfer. Colors like the blue curtain behind Cross stand out with bright and bold intensity. While there is a slight bit of black crush, and graininess in the crowd shots, it’s a fine transfer for what the material is.

There’s a choice between the preferred 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track or the 2.0 English Dolby Digital Stereo track. There are no subtitles available. Cross comes across clear and understandable, all of the whispers, breaths, and subtle emotive gestures and mumbles can be heard without too much straining. The stereo track is a bit more difficult to pick up on the subtleties and lacks the punch of the surround track.

Extras: C+
Much of the supplemental material are additional scenes from both concerts. Some of them really funny, others remotely so. Just like the rest of the disc. The only problem with all of the extras is the lack of 5.1 surround sound audio, only stereo.

An Existence predicated Upon Manufactured Necessity SD (8:04) Cross dips into the wealth of material that can be discovered in… the Sky Mall.

Live Blogging SD (3:35) Cross gets some help from his assistants to make fun of online critics.

An Unpopular Stance SD (2:15) tries to start out a bit that leads to finding out one of the audience members is a Dane Cook fan.

The Most Surreal Thing I’ve Ever Experienced SD (7:32) A funny closing story about Cross’ path involving getting high, sharpening knives, a cussing taxi driver and a Teddy Ruxpin doll.

How to Make Your Own Yogurt SD (2:42) David speaks with his mother about making hippie food.

Unnecessary Bonus Bullshit SD (7:02) a clip of Cross’ routine in Seattle, Wa in early 2004.

Easter Egg SD (1:57) Another snippet of the show with Cross moving tables and getting his microphone mixed up with his beer.

15 x 15 Poster A 15” x 15” foldout poster of the DVD Cover art is in the packaging sleeve.

Overall Shock Value: C+
Upon a second viewing, Bigger and Blackerer grew to be a stronger performance, especially the religious bits. I do love a good thumping of the bible and its most faithful of followers. The feature itself is on the short side, even for a comedy concert. I was hoping for 90 minutes and then some, but definitely dive into those extras because for one, they’re funny; and two, they help stretch out the short running time.

There is also a CD of the same name which features some different material (such as the sing along song “The Sultan’s Revenge” and Cross’ gastro-intestinal misadventures), as well as some overlap. So if you find Cross tickling your ribs with this dry wit, you may want to give this a spin as well. Given the lack of length, I’m going to recommend this as a Rent It! rating for the casual and curious. But longtime David Cross fans should find no trouble adding this to his other CDs It’s Not Funny (2004) and Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! (2002) and DVDs Let America Laugh.

Super heroics as a business is a concept that’s rarely explored and, to my knowledge, never mined for comedy. Super Human Resources is out to change that, taking the humor of The Office or 30 Rock and transplanting it to a setting that’s strictly four-color.

Super Human Resources shows us this superheroic business world through the eyes of Tim, a temp who’s been hired into the accounting department. Powerless and sort of nerdy, Tim is the everyman foil to the more incredible world of the superhumans. He’s characterized well enough to avoid being a cipher for the reader, but it’s a very close thing. He’s not given much dialogue that reveals his thoughts or motivations; he generally just wanders through the comic with an incredulous look on his face as wacky circumstances happen around him.

This issue is strictly an introduction to the cast of the comic, with no real plot to speak of. This is the comic’s greatest strength and weakness. The cast is varied, and each character has enough of a personality that you really understand them in their short, three or four panel introductions. There are a lot of characters in the book, but you’ll never confuse one of them for another, and none of them are dead weight.

There are two distinct forms of humor in Super Human Resources. The first is the wacky sort of non-sequitur humor, personified best by the character of Zombor, the company’s zombie receptionist, who seemingly mentions to every caller that he is going to eat their brains, or by the random ninja assassin who poisons Tim at the beginning of the comic. The other type of humor consists of very smart send-ups of office and business culture when confronted with the reality of employing people with superpowers, as seen when a superhero confronts the human resources director, complaining about the performance of his 401k, which he checked on while sent to the future to fight a time-travelling villain. Which type of humor you like better is down to personal preference, of course, but I feel like the comic is really at its best when it’s emphasizing the situational humor.

The first issue of Super Human Resources is a very promising start, and having read the second and third issues, I feel comfortable recommending it to anyone who’s looking for a good comedy comic. Give it a shot if you see it in your shop.

Super Human Resources #1 can be ordered in the December issue of Previews.