Warm Bodies (2013)

I think that I can safely say that this is the sweetest zombie movie that I've ever seen. It is certainly a different take on the whole zombie sub-genre of films. This may be the first film in the new sub-sub-genre, to be known henceforth as rom-zoms. There was action and suspense as is typical in zombie films, and yes even the eating of brains, but that's just about where the zombie part ends and the romance part begins. I know that zombies are often used as a metaphor in films, sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but in this film they're not even really necessary to the real story arc. It could have been citizens from two different sity-states or neighborhoods or countries or planets. This is really a story about a boy falling for a girl, losing the girl and then winning her back. You know, boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl-back. The walking undead are really just a mechanism to show difference and to get butts in seats.
I tend to like stories that get a bit into world building, or let's be honest, a lot into world building. That doesn't really happen at all in this story. But it's okay, because this is a "light" movie which I enjoyed as it was. The two young stars - Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer - are the main reason for that. First off, they both pull off the American accent quite well. They also turn out to be good actors. I know that you are thinking to yourself how hard could it be to pplay a zombie, but Hoult isn't a typical zombie and does a very good job, in fact in the context of this film I don't know how it could have possibly been better. The supporting actors, inclusind some guy name John Malkovich, do a pretty good job, too. If I hadn't already known that Dave Franco was in this movie, I would have recognized the family resemblance the first time I saw that brow of his. Also, I think this is the first film, or maybe even any appearance, where Rob Corddry hasn't gotten on my nerves, with a nod to Hot Tub Time Machine where he did get on my nerves but was supposed to get on them.

Warm Bodies on IMDb

Fright Night (2011)

There are all kinds of vampire films. I like the kind that are full of tradition which doesn't mean necessarily that the vampires have to fit the classical model but if they don't, I want a rich background that explains or at least shows why they are the way they are. This kind of film if it portrays a little bit of humor or a little bit of sexy or a little bit of action or all three. I like these films to be about vulnerable characters, whether they are the human or the vampire, protagonist or antagonist. The vampire myth is all about power and I think it is integral to the genre to show the imbalance of power, and for both parties to know that this imbalance exists - especially when it first occurs to one of the parties that they are at the mercy of the other(s).
Fright Night gives me everything I want out of a vampire movie. You've got bad-ass Colin Farrell set up as the powerful vampire, Jerry. Anton Yelchin is the protagonist, a senior in high school who doesn't believe in vampires at the start of the film who is willing to turn his back on his former friends for the affection of a pretty girl played by Imogen Poots. The mom, who is the West Wing's Toni Collette, thinks her son is playing a practical joke talking about vampires until she learns firsthand that he is not. We're eventually joined by David Tennant's sexy illusionist and vampire hunter.
This movie is self-aware of it's genre and most of the characters get at least one line commenting on the situation instead of ust not believing in vampire until it's too late. Tennant's character is almost a spoof on vampire hunter's but doesn't quite get that far. The film is aware of it's genre, too, taking the time to discuss the Twilight Saga and why those films/books are not about real vampires whiuch of course implies that this tale is.

Fright Night on IMDb