FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

timaenot This film is well written, well directed, well acted, incredibly beautiful in its scenery and cinematography and always tasteful, despite some of its motifs being sensational. Please note also that this unusual vampire movie has been released before Jim Jarmusch's sophisticated Only Lovers Left Alive.The film (and in first line the play it is based upon, I suppose) not only has a consistent and beautifully told storyline; it shows a deep knowledge of the cultural tradition it deals with. It is no coincidence that the origins of the nowadays story take place 200 years ago (and not, for example, 300 or 400 years). The early 19th century was a heyday of gothic novels, neogothic castles and gardens - and the very period where the cultural myth of the vampires took its beginning. It was later but still in the 19th century when Victor Hugo published his novel Les Miserables upon which one of the main themes and storylines of the film are based. Not to mention the allusions to Stoker (whose Dracula begins on the seaside) and Lovecraft. So the Gothic feel which this movie has to it makes perfect sense in terms not only of atmosphere but of its themes, too. I knew Saoirse Ronan was an outstanding actress from the moment I first saw her in Lovely Bones. She has a charisma which makes it literally impossible to draw one's eyes off her. All of the other actors were also just perfectly cast. Gemma Arterton (and the contrast between her character and that of Saoirse Ronan) is great, and Caleb Jones (whom I had never seen before) is a perfect match for Ronan's character. And, oh my goodness, how beautiful the cinematography is. The green dress of Arterton on the misty sea-coast or the red hood of Ronan above the bloody handkerchief remind of the Preraphaelite artists. The music score suits the film perfectly, it is so full of melancholy and longing.Please, please, can we have more movies like this??

Quebec_Dragon I thought Byzantium would be some kind of period piece set in ancient times, but such was not the case. We follow the "lives" of two female vampires (mother and daughter but passing as sisters) in modern times with some flashbacks to the 18th century explaining their origins. Today, the mother, Claire, (Gemma Arterton) is a stripper/prostitute to make ends meet while her daughter, Eleanor, (Saoirse Ronan) mostly stays at home and writes. An incident happens, the mother gets pursued by a mysterious guy (exciting pursuit), and the duo has to flee town. In a decrepit coastal town, the mother befriends a desolate man whose mother passed away leaving the Byzantium Hotel as heritage. And as far as I know, it's the only reason the film was called that. Clara decides to open a brothel in it while a young man tries to befriend Eleanor.I found it rather unconventional and a throwback at the same time. I found very quickly that it had a kind of moody "Interview with a vampire" vibe. No wonder, because I learnt later it was made by the same director, Neil Jordan. I liked the story, how it progressed and how it ended. Basically, most of the later conflicts hail from Eleanor, who cannot bear to live in secret anymore, trying to change her "life", while her mother is ready to do anything to survive and stay hidden. I liked how the vampires were different by not having fangs and being able to go in the daylight (among other things). I liked how the mother/daughter vampires were characters with diametrically-opposed personalities and sometimes showed kindness and compassion, especially Eleanor who was like a death angel initially only taking people who were ready to die. The performances were very good, but for me, Saoirse Ronan who showed a lot of emotion even when she was not talking, was stronger than her costar, Gemma Arterton. I was also impressed by the young redhead man, Frank, who tried to befriend Eleanor. The relationship between him and Eleanor was somewhat touching and fascinating to me. Directorially, there were interesting choices like, for example, the characters who were sometimes in the same scene as their "doubles" from the past. Take also any scene where blood was present, especially when Frank injured himself and how Eleanor reacted (the cloth! :). The waterfall scenes with the water turning red were also memorable. Byzantium was not a particularly action-packed or gory film (far from it), but it fit well here since the vampires were so "human". A few things bugged me such as a couple of coincidences (how Eleanor ran into Frank the second time) and a few plot points (such as young Clara just going with that military man and just staying a prostitute). I didn't particularly like "Interview with a Vampire" or "Only Lovers Left Alive", but I strangely liked "Byzantium", although they're all in the same vein. It's something to watch on a dark night when you'd like a decent drama with a different flavour of vampire.Rating: 7.5 out of 10 (very good)

sol- Tired of a life of immortality and utter secrecy, a female vampire, destined to be sixteen forever, tries to divulge her life story in this Neil Jordan horror movie. The 'horror' descriptor is a bit inaccurate though since the film is light on scares and gore and very heavy on talk as it tries to equate teen angst and depression with the internal conflicts of a bloodsucking creature of the night. It is not a bad idea for a twist on the traditional vampire tale, however, the film is undone by an overly complex narrative structure that switches back and forth between the past and present, with the present further divided between the protagonist and her slightly older guardian who has her own reasons for keeping their existence secret. The story never really advances forward with so much time spent on flashbacks filling in what are essentially gaps in the story's exposition. There are some exciting, adrenaline rush moments towards the end as all the reasons behind the secrecy come to light, but the pacing is slow (arguably too much so) for the most part. The film is additionally burdened by being grim and downbeat with absolutely nothing in the way of comic relief - which is to say that it is not an easy film to endure. It does have its small rewards, of course, such as the insight into the effects of having lived for so long (enough time to perfect playing any musical instrument) and Saoirse Ronan manages to render her character fascinatingly world-weary for someone so young. Daniel Mays also has a nice, down-to-earth supporting turn as a lonely hotel proprietor who shelters the two vampires.

Reno Rangan An Irish vampire movie, thus back to where the vampires were originated. There are no good vampire movies these days, all those are teen target products which are simply a fantasy flick. In the old days, its horror and terrifying ugly giant beasts, the werewolves were, but in the todays movies they are adorable giant wolves. It's either vampire movie or werewolf, the result is same. 'Twilight' or 'Vampire Academy' and others, just not my type, though watch them for entertainment and to keep up-to-date.The reason I watched it is for Saoirse Ronan, because I like her. But Gemma Arterton has been so good like always. To me this is what called a vampire movie. Of course, themes should vary from a movie to another, that does not mean one can completely abandon the basic theory. Neo-Gothic is one of that, the present filmmakers forgets, because that kind of set-up gives Dracula effect. This film has been just like everything I wanted, so I enjoyed every bit.It is always great to see a movie that portrays the world over the span of 100 or more years. As usual survival and hiding the identity is the main intention for the concept. But from who (other than humans) and why is the suspense that reveals formally at the right time. If you like 'We're the Nights', then this is the right one to pick. But not great as 'Interview with the Vampire' was, in fact, it was directed by the same director.7.5/10