The sequel to hit animated film digs into old school, chop socky kung fu flicks of yesteryear for inspiration. The newly anointed Dragon Master Po(Jack Black) is back for an action packed journey of self discovery, facing an enemy with mysterious ties to his past and the disappearance of his parents. Gorgeously animated, with some stunning, dark hand drawn flashback sequences, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel that surpasses it's predecessor.
After Tim Burton's disastrous attempt to jumpstart the Planet of the Apes franchise a decade ago, nobody was expecting much from Rupert Wyatt's "reimagining". But thanks to deft pacing, a typically amazing mo-cap performance by Andy Serkis, and a recognition of the themes of science gone awry that made the 1968 original work, Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to be one of the most successful movies of the summer. James Franco is a well-intentioned but misguided scientist testing a cure for Alzheimers, turning one of the apes into a hyper intelligent leader named Caesar. Serkis's performance is good enough to have people considering him for Best Supporting Actor, a first for a mostly CGI character, but the script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver deserves credit as well. Caesar's development from innocent chimp into an aggressive rebel is eerily reminiscent of the Project Nim experiments of the 1960s.
Best summer for unexpectedly great remakes ever? Nobody was looking forward to a remake of the 1985's Fright Night, the cult classic horror comedy that featured two memorable performances by Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowell. But director Craig Gillespie, along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer scribe Marti Noxon got the blend of genuine scares and dark comedy just right. The always reliable Anton Yelchin takes over the role of reluctant hero Charley Brewster, who discovers that his hunky, somewhat enigmatic neighbor Jerry(Colin Farrell) is a vampire. Things immediately go south as Jerry hunts down everyone in Charley's life. David Tennant is hilarious as a Criss Angel-esque vampire hunter, but it's Farrell who steals the show with his magnetic performance as the snaky bloodsucker, who just wants to be left alone.
Other Notable Releases
Kung Fu Panda 3-Disc Boxed Set(Kung Fu Panda/Kung Fu Panda 2/Secrets of the Masters)
The Rocketeer: 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray
Transformers Trilogy(Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon)
The Legend is Born: Ip Man, starring Donnie Yen
The Expendables: Extended Director's Cut (Blu-Ray), starring Sylvester Stallone
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, starring Chao Deng
The Black Power Mixtape, starring Angela Davis
Circumstance, starring Nikohl Boosheri
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