ith Halloween upon us (and “Saw VI” not exactly the kind of film that can be enjoyed by the entire family), “The Vampire’s Assistant” is an adequate mood setter for the season – a pretty neat concept that may be slightly overambitious, but still entertaining fluff.

Based on a popular teen book series by Darren Shan, “Vampire” tells the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), a young man who goes with his best friend, Steve (Josh Hutcherson), to a mysterious freak show.

The star of the show is Larten Crespley (John C. Reilly), an illusionist who the boys discover is actually a vampire.

After a series of events leaves Steve clinging to his life, Darren has to call upon Crespley for help, agreeing to give up his normal life to go on the road with the freak show and become Crespley’s assistant.

Darren quickly learns the new life isn’t everything it is cut out to be, finding himself right in the middle of a battle between good and evil.

“Vampire” brings a lot to the table – maybe too much. There is a lot of exposition to explain everything (which isn’t exactly a bad thing) and there are a lot of interesting characters (including Ken Wantanabe, Salma Hayek, Orlando Jones and Jane Krakowski) who don’t get the screen time they seem to deserve.

Still, co-writer/director Paul Weitz manages to juggle all the chaos into a fairly interesting film. “Vampire” may center around the two boys (and Massoglia and Hutcherson are both OK), but Reilly is the real star – with a slightly offbeat performance that only someone like Reilly can deliver.

I will concede the film could have trimmed its material a little bit and the ending is kind of a cheat – leaving the door open for future films.

Still, I found myself pretty involved in this strange world. “Vampire” may not be the most satisfying film, but it certainly leaves you wanting more. I’m eager to take more visits, if the opportunity arises.

DVD dandy of the week

This week’s dandy is another holiday mood-setter, even if the holiday is Christmas, “Nothing Like the Holidays” (B-).

When it comes to Christmas films, I’m generally a Scrooge. For the most part, I find films centered around the holidays to be contrived and uninteresting (last year’s “Four Christmases” is a perfect example).

So, imagine my surprise that this predictable, yet enjoyable addition to the Christmas catalogue actually works – thanks to a very talented cast that makes it easy to overlook the film’s shortcomings.

“Nothing Like the Holidays” centers around the Rodriguez family, who are reuniting at the family home in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago.

The siblings return at different points in their lives. Mauricio (John Leguizamo) is a successful attorney desperately trying to convince his wife, Sarah (Debra Messing), to start a family. Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) is a struggling actress hoping to get a role for a TV series that could be her big break.

Meanwhile, the youngest son, Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez), has just returned from Iraq, looking to heal the wounds from war as well as rekindle a relationship with the girl (Melonie Diaz) he abruptly left behind.

But all the siblings’ troubles take a backseat when their mother, Anna (Elizabeth Pena), announces she is divorcing their father, Eduardo (Alfred Molina).

Alison Swan and Rick Najera’s screenplay doesn’t exactly cover new ground. In fact, the story unfolds in a rather predictable manner.

Still, much like the underappreciated “This Christmas,” I found the characters growing on me. It was refreshing to see a largely Latino cast create realistic, intriguing characters without resorting to typical Hollywood stereotypes.

Of course it helps to have a cast talented enough to keep you interested. Molina anchors the film well. Leguizamo gives his best performance in years, while Ferlito, Rodriguez and Pena are good as well. (It also helps to have the always likable Luis Guzman in a small role as a distant cousin).

I’ll admit that “Nothing Like the Holidays” isn’t in the same category as classics like “A Christmas Story” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but if you’re in the mood for some early holiday cheer, this is a film that will satisfy your needs.

“Nothing Like the Holidays” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including sexual dialogue and brief drug references and is now available on DVD.

— Sportswriter/movie reviewer Micheal Compton is preparing to do “The Time Warp” again this week. To get a preview or perhaps find out the top-secret locations where Micheal will be this weekend (hint, follow the lips), visit his blog at mcompton.wordpress.com or his Twitter page at twitter.com/mcompton428. You can also e-mail him at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.