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Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) a late bloomer in high school with a ridiculously cute girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots), begins to suspect something is amiss with his next door neighbor Jerry (Collin Farrell). Jerry is a night construction worker on the Las Vegas strip and has a way with the ladies that seems downright amazing. Meanwhile, as neighbors start to disappear suspicions start to rise. When Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Charley’s old friend, theorizes that Jerry is actually a vampire everything seems to make sense. Now it’s up to Charley, Amy, and vampire expert Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to put a stop to things before they all wind up undead. Despite the mental images the title might conjur, it’s important to remember this is as much a comedy as it is a horror/thriller type fick– a helpful distinction to keep you from getting too serious about something that’s actually a lighter fare. Sassy in its writing, and well timed in comedic delivery, the ensemble here really does a nice job selling the dramedy. And, since this is a re-make of the 1985 classic the nods to the original don’t go unnoticed, including a bit part for Chris Sarandon. Plenty of gore for the fans of blood and guts and a moderate use of 3D adds an extra amount of kitch. Fun, and maybe worth a matinee or an ounce more. Fright Night is rated R.

Jackson Mississippi in the 1960’s, hotbed for Jim Crow laws, segregation, and racist sentiment; but also the origin of an odd partnership and friendship between a young aspiring writer Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone), and several women working as hired help, Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer). When Skeeter gets the idea to write about the experiences of hired help she’s met with strong resistance. Her goal is to write their stories, through their own eyes, sharing the good and the bad and just how wicked some employers can be while others are simply wonderful. Finally, after much persistence, a book begins to take form, only when it’s finally published do the real fireworks begin. Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), ringleader of the white women in town and subject of several of the unbecoming stories launches on a tear, but will it do any good, what of these new friendships, and what of Skeeter’s career? An actors’ film from start to finish, the cast featured here makes up for deficiencies the screenplay gives us with stereotypes and broad generalizations. In fact, I smell award nominations for several of the players here based on their genuine delivery and ability to connect with each other on screen. Comedic timing, dashed with looks that could kill, turned with moments that can break your heart, the end result is sure to leave audiences satisfied. Albeit, the film does run long at 137 minutes and it’s hard to say what could be cut, but, I wish the film could have been capped at an even two hours. Still, fun and worthy for fans of the book and the occasional daring boyfriend. The Help is rated PG-13.

Present day San Francisco is the theatre for the latest incarnation of the Planet of The Apes franchise– 43 years since the original film. In this prequel of sorts Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco), a young scientist driven to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and save his own father (John Lithgow) stumbles onto what looks like a promising cure. But, when a lead test chimpanzee turns violent the project is abandoned, that is until a baby chimp is smuggled out lab. Pursuing his research at home with the baby chimp, Will continues to advance his science. But as the chimp becomes an adolescent tensions rise. Now just a matter of time before the chimp’s cognitive abilities rival a human’s, the stage is set for a showdown between man and ape, does our civilization stand a chance? So, let me level with you, this is not a great film, nor is it really a “good” film, it is however an entertaining film. Of course it’s over the top, of course the villains are almost charactures of the archetypes they represent, of course the whole thing is predictable, and even knowing that the screenplay lifts blatantly from films such as 12 Monkeys somehow I still walked out of this one with a smile on my face. And, I know what you’re wondering, who are the apes? Well, here’s one of the tough spots of the film, so for a number of the scenes you get familiar actors such as Andy Serkis (Gollum in the Lord of The Rings) covered up with CGI monkey art similar to the way actors were covered in Avatar. But then in many of the bigger scenes it seems like you get a barrel full of CGI monkeys– to which I feel kind of lukewarm about. In fact the majority of the film ends up being computer generated, gone are the days of Dr. Zaius and his counterparts. So, it’s sort of cheese ball sci-fi script wise and visually, but, then again that’s nothing new, go for fun and it won’t let you down as a matinee. Oh, and Freida Pinto, the love interest is easy on the eyes and that doesn’t hurt. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is rated PG-13.