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American history is reframed and re-told as Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) leads a double life during pivotal times for our nation. As slavery is challenged, a battle for human souls is also at play as vampires have infiltrated every sector of American life. Unbeknownst to the general public, Lincoln is a trained vampire hunter taught by his mysterious associate Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper). With Henry’s assistance Lincoln takes strides in ridding vampires from America, all the while searching for the vampire who killed his mother years earlier. But, as age sets in, Lincoln’s contingency plan of a life in politics takes hold. Now, years later, a nation at war with itself, Lincoln finds the battle between North and South hinges on his ability to slay the leader of the vampires, Adam (Rufus Sewell), and his cadre of blood sucking minions. But how to pull off this seemingly impossible feat, and what will be the ramifications? Okay, so we can’t really take this seriously can we? No, of course not. Instead, knowing that you’re about to be subjected to a pulpy retelling of history, sometimes tongue in cheek, we can almost just let the suspension of disbelief ride. That being said, assuming that you’re willing to “just go with it,” for the entertainment factor, you could do worse. To a certain degree Walker actually seems to portray Lincoln visually the way we have come to expect him to look. Anthony Mackie, Jimmi Simpson, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead stay within their supporting roles, and anytime you can get Alan Tudyk to dress up as a vampire, well…you just can’t go wrong now can you? Fight sequences actually had me tensing up on a few occasions, but large action often relied on half baked CGI a little too much for my tastes. Still, it’s Saturday summertime matinee popcorn chomping fun. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is rated R.

Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the wide eyed and wild red haired daughter of Scottish Royalty is an aspiring archer and independent young woman looking to make her own way in the world. But, when her parents, Fergus and Elinor (Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson), deem that it’s time for Merida to be traditionally courted and married against her own will, a locking of horns ensues. Unfortunately, it’s a disagreement that could undo the entire kingdom and hurt the ones closest to the center. Now it’s up to Merida to look deep inside, find her strength, and mend the tear that could otherwise destroy everything before it’s too late. Visually interesting, Disney’s Pixar just keeps getting better and better in their animation abilities, this time paying dramatic attention to hair and textures, and that alone is quite stunning. But as screenplays go, where Pixar has normally pushed boundaries and found compelling ways of telling a story, Brave just comes across as a mediocre. At its core the story is sweet, has some comedic points, but doesn’t really show us anything dramatically new– even through the feminist empowerment lens. And, from my totally unscientific eye count, zero tears appeared to be shed by the screening audience, surprising considering that Pixar films consistently tug our heart strings just so. On the flip side, La Luna, the opening short before Brave, does offer genuine heart and soul and is not to be missed. Perhaps more of a rental or matinee, Brave is rated PG.