Movie Review - Fright Night (Why Even?!)

Movie Review – Fright Night

What do you get when you mix a bottle of Romanov, another of Blender’s Pride, a few Kingfisher draught cans with an impromptu plan for a 3D movie?

You get a cocktail.

A multitude of us infrequent drinkers always have the dream to watch one 3D movie, when high. We have this weird idea in our diluted minds that alcohol would surely make the 3D experience even more real-er, excuse my grammar. And hence I and a few fellow drinking friends made way for the midnight ‘Fright Night’ show.

The original Fright Night came out in 1985 and though it might not have been the best vampire movie, it had a nice balance between comedy and horror and a few iconic performances, with my personal favorite being Stephen Geoffrey’s as Evil Ed. The remake strives to emulate the original, while still managing to keep it independent and fun overall. In simple words – same premise, modern setting.

The movie sets up with the vampire Jerry (Colin Farrell) on a bloody rampage. It’s all weird camera angles and people dying and hiding and stuff, the kind of scenes which are maybe meant to be scary but in all probability just end up making you laugh like a drunken fool. Thing is we all were drunken fools so the movie did start on a high for us.

Ten minutes into the movie we are introduced to our protagonist Charley (Anton Yelchin), who is your typical pseudo-geek who has newfound fame in his community as he somehow has magically managed to hook up with the prettiest girl in college. This is what movies teach us these days – you get the hottest girl and you climb the top of the social ladder.

Anyway, Charley’s ex-friend Ed Lee (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) tried to convince him that his new neighbor, Jerry is a vampire. Charley discounts Ed’s warning but pretty soon realizes that Ed was right as the same night he discovers Jerry’s secret lair where he keep his victims. He tries to save one of the victims but when she steps out of Jerry’s house she just bursts into flame, implying that she was bitten. The explosion was fine and cool in 3D. From then on I was just waiting for more explosions to happen. And the blood and gore.

So by now Ed has become Evil Ed as Jerry has vampire-d him and Jerry finds out that Charley has found out that he is a vampire. It’s just a survival battle which includes a crazy car chase and multiple deaths with a lot of blood and gore. Nice 3D effects.

Charley does realize that this is a battle too big for a geeky ex-nerd like him so he tries to enlist the services of famed illusionist Peter Vincent (David Tennant) who is apprehensive when first approached but of course turns up at the precise moment when Charley’s doom is eminent.

I like the movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a silly movie. As silly as it gets. But the director (Craig Gillespie) manages to balance the fun and the horror to make sure you don’t end up regretting your decision to go for a late night show which is bound to result in you missing college attendance the subsequent day. Of Gillepie’s directorial ventures I have had the pleasure to view Mr. Woodcock which had the evergreen Billy Bob Thornton starring as Mr. Woodcock so I was acclimated already to the kind of cinema he makes. And that kind of cinema is just pure entertainment, nothing more… nothing less.

Colin Farrell seems to love his character as it is the classic vampire and not the glittery Romeo in love that the Twilight series has popularized. The vampire is supposed to be a pretty boy who at the same time is a bloodthirsty villain and Farrell plays it to boot.

Anton Yelchin does a good job as well, he is of the same breed of actors that belong to the Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera clan – social rejects with overtly exciting lives.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse does his own variant of the now historical Evil Ed role with a dash of his McLovin character from Superbad, which is memorable and humorous in his own right.

David Tennant as the larger than life illusionist is entertaining and the little character quirks that he introduces just add to the humor and silliness. His hot assistant bodes well with Tennant as she has the mouth of an experienced sailor.

The 3D is good and the script has tried to introduce as much as it can to do justice for the decision of post converting the film to 3D. It tends to get dark at times but is still viewable.

I suggest you watch this movie with your drinking buddies and if you tend to be someone who carries their brain to the movies… then be generous with the cocktails.

Oh no you didn't. 

*** - 3 Stars.

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Sun's Up, World's Dark

The world is so twisted

You wake up at 12 o’ clock in the afternoon. You roll down from the top bunk of your two-storey bed. You pee and feel free while trying to concentrate to aim right.

You go to the kitchen, try to find some food. You find breakfast thoughtfully left by your mom for you. You ignore it.
You don’t like the fact that anyone wants to be nice to you. It makes your insides hollow.
A void.
You open the fridge. You take out the Appy Fizz bottle. You drink. You burp. You don’t like the taste. You take another swig.

You turn on the computer. Go online. Check if there is an update. An update to your status. The status of your admission in the college you want to go to. Or the college you think you want to go to.
No updates. You sigh.

You log into Facebook. You check useless updates made by useless people. You reply to dumbfuck queries made by dumbfucks. Jobless people try to talk to you. You try to evade. Attempt unsuccessful. You succumb to their demands. You reply. You’re sarcastic. Dry. They don’t get it. You ask the thin air for the umpteenth time, what the fuck is wrong with the world.
The thin air asks back, what the fuck is wrong with you.
Everything.

You log out. You sit online for a couple of hours. And when you look back, you can’t recall what exactly you did in those two hours. You’re confused. Zombied.

All this time you ignore your brother. He’s in the background. He’s the songs that play at malls in the background. The songs you don’t register. He’s the conductor’s voice in a subway. The voice you can’t make out. His presence is not acknowledged by you. You’re evil.

Your mother comes back from work. Tries to fix you some food. You give in. Rather your hunger does. You eat. A little. She tries to talk. You go deaf. You’re a zombie remember.

You try to watch the television. You’re amazed at how idiotic the box really is. You put on a news channel. It takes you half an hour to realize that you have not been provided by any news of note. You channel surf. You quit.

You get on your bed. Doze off.

You wake up to vibrations. It’s your phone. So many missed calls. So many texts. You don’t care to check.
You get up. It’s the evening.  You walk around. You want to kill. Maybe. Destroy. Kill. And then some more. You’re expressionless.

You notice your father is back home. Another zombie. Root of all the problems. Or so you like to think. You nod at him, he nods back.

You stare at the mirror. That liar. You haven’t shaved in a week. Your hair is perpetually messed. Your white shirt is not so white. You ask the mirror if you’ve been wearing your clothes for a long time. The mirror just stares back. You walk away.

You pick up the phone. A few names jump in your head. Should you call? You put the phone down. Opening your mouth to speak seems a mighty task. Thinking of words to say seems Herculean.

You think of how things could have been. How they were meant to be. What’s gonna happen next. You stop thinking.

You're thinking about some girl.. Stop. It's irritating.
The wall in between has to stand. Opposite sides.

You spend the next few hours watching movies on your laptop, eating this and that and just being a soulless corpse. You hear the birds chirp or whatever sound that is. You look out of your room.

The sun’s come up. But your world is dark.

It’s time to sleep.

Let Me Decay.

Let Me Decay.

One month, two months, three months, four, five
Actually it's four, but five sounds just right.
When was the last time you picked up the phone
Only to throw it at your dog, that bone.

Countless tries, to forget your soft voice
It's all a lie, I never tried.
What's tragic is you believed my lies
Poker face outside, inside I died.

That month of the year, still frozen in time

Haunts my dreams, keeps me awake nights.

I pray for time to speed by, make it fly 

Or go back to that damn January, again try.

Try to hold on to something that slipped

Away from my fingers, left me in a ditch.

How did I push you away, I wonder why

I'm dying to do something, exit this standby. 

I closed the door on you a while ago
So why is it still so hard for me to let you go.
You've found new love though, I see he's tall
I've heard he's chivalrous, plays basketball.

Seems like you left and I begged you to stay
But wasn't it I who pushed you away.
Ain't I supposed to love being free, celebrate
But fuck what's supposed to be, let me decay.

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Decadence

The Son's Journey

Something for a friend who lost his father.

The Son's Journey

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Broken, bruised, battered and beaten

Birth, living, loving and leaving.

We come alone and leave the same

Leaving a mark, the one true aim.

A long unfulfilled life?

Or a short satisfying one?

Cuts like a knife

What's done is done.

Alone, lonely, without a soul

Got voids in you, you ain't now whole.

The gaps will fill, all in good time

But will leave scars, will serve as hymns.

I feel your loss

I feel the pain.

Damp soil grows moss

Love will prevail.

Morose, disturbed, lost and unsure

Escaped inside, have shut the door.

You locked the door, the key's with you

Don't be alone, you don't have to.

Family, friends, acquaintances

A handshake, a hug, a friendly kiss.

The pain is fresh, it hurts like hell

Inside you curse, question and yell.

All you need to do is to be strong

Its not your fault, you are not wrong.

The ship has sunk, Captain went down

You are all quiet, won't make a sound.

Cry out, shout, retaliate

Come back before its too damn late.

All's not over, its just begun

The son's journey, without the old one.

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