Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston make a sexy, pallid double act in Jim Jarmusch's languorous new vampire comedy ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, writes Robbie Collin. (TELEGRAPH)

Dir: Jim Jarmusch; Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, John Hurt, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin. 123 min.

Only Lovers Left Alive, the languorous new comedy from Jim Jarmusch, centres on two vampires in reflective mood. They are Adam and Eve – perhaps the Adam and Eve – and they are played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston to draculine perfection. Swinton and Hiddleston, you imagine, would require very few adjustments to convince as two members of the beautiful undead. Perhaps the make-up team sprayed on a little fake tan and left it at that.

Jarmusch's picture was the second-last to screen in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the weary audience were right in step with its drowsy, meditative tone. When the film begins, the two lovers are on opposite sides of the globe. Adam is in a crumbling mansion on the outskirts of Detroit, a city that itself looks thoroughly bled dry; Eve resides by a souk in Tangiers.

Each has a reliable supply of fresh blood at hand: Adam from a bribable haematologist at the local hospital, and Eve from Kit Marlowe – yes, that Kit Marlowe – who, in the Jarmusch world, is also a vampire, is played by John Hurt, and wrote the complete works of Shakespeare.

Early on, Eve flies to Detroit and the couple are happily reunited. They drive around the city at night visiting points of interest to vampires – “Look, there’s Jack White’s house,” says Adam – and sup top grade Type O Negative plasma from dainty glass goblets. Afterwards they slump backwards in a spaced-out state, utterly bloody-minded.


read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/10080087/Cannes-2013-Only-Lovers-Left-Alive-review.html

TOM HIDDLESTON: Awesome New Photos & Director's Statement From Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive' NEWS BY OLIVER LYTTELTON (INDIEWIRE)

 

The last film to be unveiled in competition at Cannes this year is also one of the most anticipated: Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive." A last-minute addition to the competition (presumably the print will still be wet, as it were, hence its late screening), it sees the idiosyncratic indie helmer assemble a superb cast including Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska and Anton Yelchin, for a film that promises to be that rarest of things; a fresh take on the vampire movie.

We're still a few days away from the screening, but a host of enticing new photos from the film have arrived, along with an official synopsis and a director's statement from Jarmusch that lets us know what to expect. And we can't wait. Check them out below, and keep your eyes peeled for our review of "Only Lovers Left Alive" when it screens on the Croisette next Saturday.

Synopsis:  Set against the romantic desolation of Detroit and Tangier, an underground musician, deeply depressed by the direction of human activities, reunites with his resilient and enigmatic lover. Their love story has already endured several centuries at least, but their debauched idyll is soon disrupted by her wild and uncontrollable younger sister. Can these wise but fragile outsiders continue to survive as the modern world collapses around them?

READ MORE: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-photos-directors-statement-from-jim-jarmuschs-only-lovers-left-alive-20130520#

Benedict Cumberbatch: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Review (5/5)

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (USA/12A/132mins)

Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Alice Eve, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Peter Weller, Bruce Greenwood, Nolan North.

THE PLOT: We open on a volcanic planet, sometime back in the future, and with the good ship Enterprise hovering nearby, the impulsive, impertinent Captain James Kirk (Pine) and Lieutenant Commander Bones McCoy (Urban) flee the angry natives through a Dr. Seuss landscape as the highly logical Commander Spock (Quinto) tries to cap a volcano that is all set to wipe out this indigenous race. A last-minute rescue - wherein these simple natives witness the Enterprise in full flight - means a swift demotion for Kirk, and a reassignment for Spock. Luckily, there's a mad doctor on the loose, and he seems set on wiping out the entire Starfleet. With the blessing of Admiral Marcus (Weller), the boys are reunited with their crew, as they go after rogue super-agent John Harrison (Cumberbatch), hiding out deep in Kling-On country...

THE VERDICT: Say what you like about the big, fat corporate branding being force-fed to us by the major studios, when it comes to big, fat entertaining franchise movies, dang, it seems to be working. Last week's Iron Man 3 was a giddy blast, and now, along comes the second of the rebooted Star Trek outings - and it might just be one of the year's finest films. J.J. Abrams once again sets his phaser to stun. And he does. Magnificently.

There's hardly time to breathe with In Darkness before you're hit with another thrill-ride, well-crafted quip or that all-important emotional punch - think Skyfall with holograms on. The alien-goes-to-Eton look of Benedict Cumberbatch makes for one delicious villain, whilst Pine, Quinto and the gang settle ever deeper into the roles they seem destined to play. Even the stock-character comedy accents of Yelchin (as Russian Tactical Officer Chekhov) and Pegg (as Scottish engineer Scotty) can't quite derail the sci-fi fantasy fun here. MajQa'. 

RATING: 5/5
Review by Paul Byrne

read more: http://www.movies.ie/Articles/Reviews__New_movies_opening_May_10th_2013

Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are vampire rock gods in Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive Meredith Woerner

Only Lovers Left Alive centers around the relationship between Hiddleston, the melancholy vampire/musician Adam, and his centuries old lover Eve (Swinton). At some point their vampire love fest is interrupted by Eve's wild little sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska), who is in town to stir up trouble for the couple. John Hurt and Anton Yelchin are also attached to the picture, our only question is what is Hurt wearing?

We're excited to see if vampires can become "cool" again. And if anyone can revive a flogged-to-death Hollywood idea it's Jarmusch. Only Lovers Left Alive doesn't have a release date yet, but critics are speculating it will debut at Cannes Film Festival.

READ MORE: http://io9.com/5980585/tom-hiddleston-and-tilda-swinton-are-vampire-rock-gods-in-jim-jarmuschs-only-lovers-left-alive

Tom Hiddleston’s ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ filming moves to Germany by CHRISTINE M on JULY 24, 2012 (ON LOCATION VACATIONS)

Late last week it was reported that filming had already begun in Germany, taking place in Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Cologne. German news outlets also say that sets were “sealed off” in part because of writer/director Jim Jarmusch’s “reclusive” nature.

Jarmusch’s vampire film is slated for release in 2013 and co-stars Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, and Anton Yelchin.. Filming is set to move to Morocco and New York City in the coming weeks.

Here’s what do know, the film is set in Detroit and Tangiers and will be filmed in Michigan, Western Germany, and Morocco this summer. Tom Hiddleston, Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, and Tilda Swinton will star in Only Lovers which, according to various industry sources, isn’t't expected to begin shooting until mid-July.

According to the Detroit Free Press,  the movie’s director, Jim Jarmusch, was spotted in Detroit yesterday where he has been “looking at southeast Michigan locations.” They also note that filming will only last “a week or two” in Michigan, and that the film has not yet been approved for the state’s tax incentive.

READ MORE: http://www.onlocationvacations.com/2012/06/28/is-only-lovers-left-alive-already-filming-in-detroit/

Benedict Cumberbatch: Scribe Alex Kurtzman Hints at 'Amazing' Challenge in 'Star Trek' Sequel (ACES SHOWBIZ)

Commenting on the franchise newcomer, Benedict Cumberbatch who is believed to tackle the major villain, Kurtzman stated that the English actor is such a "magnetic" star. He said, "He's incredible. What he does with language is incredible. His training is amazing and he's so magnetic, he holds the screen in any size frame, he really is a joy to watch."

Due to be released in the U.S. on May 17, 2013, the untitled Star Trek sequel still hasn't unveiled its official plot details. Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban and John Cho are all set to return as Spock, Uhura, James T. Kirk, Scotty, Pavel, Bones and Hikaru Sulu respectively.


READ MORE:  http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00049405.html