31/05/2013 The Film Review

Welcome to the Film Review here on BBC news. To take us through this

week's releases we have Jason summer. We spread around the world

for Neil Jordan 's latest delve into the vampire John Rick, by Santi,

starring Gemma Arterton. -- by Santi am. Viggo Mortensen plays a twin

brothers in everyone has a plan. Finally we are back in Britain for a

tale of corrupt cops played by Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham in Blood.

Byzantium, I think it was filmed in Hastings, wasn't it? It doesn't ever

say it was shot in Hastings, but it is the sort of locusts that Neil

Jordan has plumbed the fore. Mona Lisa had that kind of element back

in the 80s, and this reminded me quite a lot of that film. This is

very much a vampire movie, so we are in the area of the Twilight films,

but this is a riposte to that because Gemma Arterton plays a

mother vampire and her daughter, show runner. They are 200 years

old, but they look very good on it. They hold up in a bordello-type

place called the Byzantium in this seaside town and the daughter

started going to school and learning about becoming a vampire, but she

gives clues about her identity by writing essays to her teacher. This

is rather worrying for the teacher, Tom Hollander, who calls Gemma

Arterton to find out what is going I was hoping to arrange a more

official meeting with the school counsellor and Eleanor herself.

Well, what is the problem? She usually sales through school.

wrote her life story and is insistent that it is true. She

describes you as a vampire. Well, she has got a great imagination. I

hope she gets top marks. Who else has read it? You have sole care of

her. I'm doing just fine, thank you. Like you, I am a big Neil Jordan

fan. I loved Mona Lisa. He did interview with the vampire, of

course. There are so many vampire movies. The trouble with them now is

that I don't know the rules any more. When I grew up it was

crosses, garlic and going through the door, and now every film has its

own rule and I wasn't quite sure what the rules were in by Santi am

-- Byzantium. But the two leads are excellent. It has that visual elan

that Neil Jordan is known for. a very striking, although I'm not

sure what the bridge will notice meant. -- motifs. It doesn't make

sense to me, it is totally preposterous, and takes away from

what is a rather good movie. It is half of a good film. It isn't Let

The Right One In. But it does sound worth a watch. Everyone has a plan.

Yes, they do. Viggo Mortensen's plan is to take the role of his twin

brother. He gets a visit from his brother, Pedro, who is caught up in

some shady business where they grew up and he decides to take his place

because he is a twin. A sort of the Lord of the dead were in is, if you

see what I have done there. -- ringers. He was born in Argentina so

he speaks the dialect. Everyone has a twin then? It is one of the worst

things that an agent can say to a novelist, why can't you give your

character and evil twin? A boring one, in this case. It is a very

atmospheric, this lost world of the Argentine jungle. Unfortunately, the

stagnant waters mirror the plot. It gets bogged down. Viggo Mortensen is

a handsome actor and very popular, but he gazes in America a lot and he

realises he is becoming his twin when he steps into his shoes. It all

gets a bit bogged down. Bladder. This is -- Blood. This is all about

siblings, played by Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham. I don't know in what

casting director's mind these two could be considered brothers. By no

stretch of the imagination could these two Maccabi brothers, except

in a cop thriller set in the whirl that perhaps -- whirl. They play cop

brothers who have been mired in corruption because they covered up a

murder. So mismatched are they they have to get a Paul Bettany to stand

on stairs so that match up. Go. Jo. Morning, boys.Have you

burnt it? Don't you dare mess this up. Do you hear me? I won't.You're

getting married? He's getting married! Thanks. It only happened

last night, so I'm a little bit all over the place. Thanks.

They look like brothers to me. Not. Apart from the casting problem,

which is a problem, actually... I put that one and went with it. Their

dad is Brian Cox, and anything could come out of him. He used to rule the

roost. He could let slip the secrets of where the bodies are buried. It

is actually a very atmospheric thriller. It was shot by George

Richmond whose dad was Anthony Richmond who shot Don't Look Now so

he is a very good at the atmosphere of the area. You all the grandeur of

the City Hall there. It is a Greek tragedy, it has a lot of ideas. It

is hampered slightly by this mismatch of the brothers. Your Best

of the week is beware Mr Baker. I want to meet Mr Baker. The lady the

guy who made the documentary about Cream, he smashed a walking stick

into his face for enquiring about them. They got a very fine music

documentary out of this Drummer who played with Cream and then worked

with Blind Faith and others. He was a fusion jazz rock Drummer who

invented the drum solo, in a way, and I think animal from the Muppets