Manhattan Undying

It had the potential for a new spin on a tired story. This may be the largest collection of characters that I that care nothing about since The Informers (2008). Moral vacancy, lack of concern for their fellow man, and with all the debauchery with no joy. My best dog Wilson has more personality than our characters. We have a dying artist that once he learns of his illness tries to kill himself faster. An indiscriminate vampire killer that can't have survived as long as she has leaving such easy to follow trails. Neither of which capture your attention. If Max had taken a moment to enjoy the snow or Vivian had at least "played with her food" both would have made the characters enjoyable. I'm glad they didn't show the painting. I'm more the dogs playing poker type and probably wouldn't have understood it anyway.

Not sure about the negative reviews, however, the film wasn't the disaster some are writing about it. It is a different slant on the Vampire Genre, with more of a: "Tortured Artist, meets Tortured Soul" thing going on. There was a lot being said without the need for dialog to get in the way of the viewer to use their own imaginations. I like that approach rather than being spoon fed all the way through a film. Art, addiction, regret, and perhaps finding love after all? The actress "Tortured Soul" (Sarah Roemer) nailed the piercing stare aspect of the Vampiress Vivian. Sarah also projected the anguish and longing of her undead character. (Luke Grimes) did a pretty damned good job of portraying Max, the films "Tortured Artist". Anyway, I didn't think the film to be too bad, and yes... I would watch it again. BTW: The painting. What would you have seen? Good topic for a conversation.

The direction and writing are all over the place. The vampire scenes are the worst. Why would a vampire dress up and a cocktail dress all the time and moving at a snails pace like some foolish runway model? It's embarrassing and corny! The sultriness makes you want to vomit. Secondly....why waste time watching her kill people? She's a vampire...duh we know that. If this was a romance without vampires is it necessary to follow the lead to her job everyday? No? Great concept poor screenwriting. Rewrite it and make it REAL! Wtf with that doctors office??? Geesh!!! Sooo many added scenes that needed to be on editing room floor.

This entire movie would seem to have the raw elements to have an interesting movie... but the problem is, they only have about 40 minutes of script. Luke Grimes portrays a hedonistic artist living in Manhattan. (think Issac from Heroes) He is the next big thing and acts like it, sleeping with women, doing drugs, drinking and staying out all night. However, he ends up diagnosed with fatal lung cancer. Instead of getting treatment he decides just to be even more hedonistic. All of this should have taken about 10 minutes, but instead takes about 30 to unfold. While this is happening men are being killed by a massive blood letting all over Manhattan and the police are on the case. Finally Max decides that his hedonistic lifestyle isn't getting anyplace and tells his agent to get him work. This includes a model. This is when a strange model shows up seemingly out of no place and dun dun dun... is a vampire. She wants to be painted because she doesn't know what she looks like (given that mirrors don't show her). I have no idea how she found him. Ok, now we are getting someplace but there is a time stalling problem. You have to open yourself up to the artist or he can't paint you. He needs inspiration. And of course, a vampire has trouble opening themselves up. This "struggle" goes on for about 30 minutes. Sarah Romer is just horrible and stiff as the vampire (can't tell if it was direction) as if she was told that to have an other worldly quality she had to be stiff. There is never any sun in this movie. Everything is dark and blue. Finally, the ending seemed to make zero sense to me and just seems like they had no ending.

Not sure what others were expecting but I like to be surprised & entertained. The suffering artist was predictable but believable. Slow moving but I was entertained. If you were expecting some dippy fast moving, lots o' action "Twilight" movie, you would be bitterly disappointed. The actors were proficient enough throughout and the story line flowed. Surprise ending, not what I expected at all. I must have been engrossed, had tears in my eyes.

I've just started watching and am about twenty minutes in; how does the vampire groom her brow line, apply her makeup and style her hair if she is unable to view herself in a mirror?

Excellent movie! Touching, moving, romantic...I could go on with adjective after adjective. If you like unique quality movies in the Vampire Genre, that is skewed to Romance rather than violence, but with a great story behind it, then you will love this movie. The lead lady, although her spoken word is unlearned, her facial acting was spot on, and that is what is needed for this movie. And the leading man, well, he is great at capturing a Tortured artist. Not every movie has to be full of sex and violence to be good. Even though some reviewers seem to think it's mandatory. Also, the musical score is fitting and beautiful. This will not be everyone's cup of tea but it will move others!

Maybe I saw too many vampire movies ? I found this one as cliché as possible. Nightclubs full of lost souls, drugs and alcohol, sex and nihilism... The lead is supposed to be a tortured artist yet behaves more like a moody teenager. The art worl depiction is superficial. Still, some good points : although unoriginal, the aesthetics are perfect. I also appreciate the ending, that is the choice of both leads with regards to immortality. It suits the theme of the movie. I give five stars : I would have loved it were I still a teenager. The pacing, the tone, the theme remind me of an Anne Rice - like novel.

So the idea of this movie might seem good at first. You are a vampire and you want a painter to paint your picture. Why?Well probably because you can't see yourself in the mirror but this is a really thin idea and very under developed. You got people swearing and smoking all the time and people taking drugs. You've got detectives trying to find a vampire murder but we don't care much about anybody in this film because nobody's really interesting. And the nudity is of the uninterested kind ,short,sideways,mostly in the dark like the director had a strong desire not to excite anybody.Still can't understand why movies like this get financed.

A bunch of missed opportunities with this picture kept it stuck in a slow motion loop more or less replaying the same scenes over and over, with lots of coughing. Grade: C-