Film: Fright Night

As a massive fan of the original 1985 movie this one was always going to have to work very hard to impress me but much to my surprise this isn't half bad.

For anyone who doesn't know here are the basics. Former nerd Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has turned a corner in his life, he's dating a cool girl and making new friends, but when old buddy Evil Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) tells him that his new neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire Brewster must decide to either back-up his former friend or dismiss his theory as that of a deluded teen.

This manages to strike a perfect balance of paying homage to the original and throwing in some new twists and turns. The best of which is David Tennant's turn as the updated Peter Vincent. No longer a washed up actor, Vincent is more of a David Blaine / Chris Angel type character, but throw in some hard drinking and foul language and you have a gloriously over the top creation played to perfection by the former Dr. Who.

Colin Farrell also manages to smoulder his way through the part of Jerry without ever matching Chris Sarandon's fantastic original performance.

This is a rare treat, a remake that should appease fans of the original while bringing the story to a whole new audience.

Look out for Chris Sarandon's neat cameo appearance, although it's a pity they didn't also find room for William Ragsdale, the original Charlie Brewster.

Ric's Rating: 73%

Film: Horrible Bosses

After years of dedication and hard work Nick (Jason Bateman) has lost out on the promotion he craved.
Dale (Charlie Day) is being sexually harassed by the dentist he works for and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) can’t stand to see the drug addicted Bobby (Colin Farrell) in charge of the company he loves.

With the help of Jamie Foxx as the fantastically named Mother-Fucker Jones the trio decide to kill each others bosses.

This is a riot from start to finish and all cast members seem to be having a great time. Jennifer Aniston as the sexually charged dentist, Kevin Spacey as the slimy CEO and Colin Farrell as the coke snorting nunchuck wielding Bobby, who sports the best comedy comb-over since Bill Murray’s in Kingpin, all ham it up gloriously while Charlie Day provides the most laughs of the three employees with his impressive turn as the panicky dental assistant.

Full of fantastic one-liners and brilliant set-pieces (breaking into Bobby’s house is a highlight) this is the comedy of the year so far.

Ric’s Rating: 84%

DVD: London Boulevard

Colin Farrell plays Mitchell, a man who is determined to go straight after a spell in prison in this adaptation of the novel by Ken Bruen.

Mitchell agrees to help his friend Billy (Ben Chaplin) collect money for a local gangster but quickly realises that it's something he doesn't want involved in. Unfortunately the boss (Ray Winstone) has plans for Mitchell, leading to an inevitable confrontation between the two.

With the exception of Farrell due to his wandering accent (it goes from Irish to posh boy to cockney geezer, sometimes within the same sentence) the performances are good. Winstone is as reliable as ever and both Kiera Knightley and Anna Friel are fine as Mitchell's love interest and sister respectively. David Thewlis is also surprisingly good.

The trouble here is that director William Monahan unsuccessfully attempts to copy the style of Quinten Tarantino. The loud soundtrack quickly irritates and even the credits have a Tarantino feel about them. Farrell's character also seems to dither about too much, often choosing to be violent or passive at the wrong times.

The kinda poetic justice ending also falls flat.

It kept me watching but I was disappointed.

Ric's Rating: 42%