Kiss of the Damned (2013)

Best movie of this year hands down!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is an erotic and stylish vampire story in the mould of 'Daughters of Darkness' and 'The Hunger'. It looks lavish and sounds exotic (at least to my UK ears – the soft European accents of the actors occasionally makes their performances seem a little flat, but there's no denying it helps give the characters a sense of grace).The vampires are beautiful but wary of harming humankind, instead choosing to feast on wild deer and the like. When they do bite another of their kind, it is usually to the sound of opera and surrounded by sumptuous décor – and often because of the machinations of wild-child Mimi, who comes to visit her sister Djuna and her new lover, Paolo. While Paolo's relationship with Djuna goes from furtive glances in a video store to a passionately established couple-dom within the space of a few short scenes, the pace is otherwise leisurely, and there is much chance to drink in the glamour of their vampire society before Mimi crashes the party and seduces and bites as many people as she possibly can.Inevitably, she seduces Paolo, which is dealt with in an understanding, mature way by Djuna. Mimi's eventual undoing occurs with no intervention from her sister. She swerves her car to avoid hitting a deer – an act of kindness, ironically - the kind of livestock that sustains her sister's appetite.With such beautiful production values, it's tempting to think the plot would be more profound than it is. However, the simplicity of the telling allows us to drink in the haunting landscapes, architecture and incidental score without much interruption. My only slight problem is how quickly Djuna and Paolo settle into cosy domesticity in order to underline, and contrast with Mimi's debauchery.

While most of the vampires in the film try to control their nature, it is shown as marked by lust, brutality, power, and some weaknesses, just as they it is supposed to be. It is a very nice vampire movie! The scenes of hunt and of biting are great. There is possibly also the best vampirization scene I've ever seen! Very sensual! Characters are well developed and particularly the three main vampiresses are great. The story starts amazingly, perhaps becomes less interesting after the first turning point, but afterwards goes back to its greatest moments. The strength of the vampires may be their weakness, and all of them may face it anytime.

The script is 100% predictable. No scares, no tension building. Pretty actresses and lead actor. Consistency is not a strong suit here either. At one point we are informed that they "heal almost instantly", at another we see them running and catching a doe but, when one crashes the car (a Mercedes. at no more than 40 mph. and the car topsides. in slow motion.) we see the poor character pass out, wake up still broken and bleeding and start LIMPING the remaining yards to the refuge, eventually collapsing as the sun rises. Yuck. You can't get more clichè than that in a vampire movie.... Some pretty ludicrous bloody scenes and sex scenes that qualify for Game of Thrones could bring this to be thought of as a B-movie. It's not. It is a cross between True Blood and Twilight. No fairy vampires that twinkle in sunlight, but the "veggie" vamps are there, synth blood and all. Beware.....

The vampire Djuna (Josephine de La Baume) resists the advances of Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia), but soon gives in to their passion. When her trouble-making sister unexpectedly comes to visit, Djuna's love is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.I did not pay as much attention to this film as I should have, but it had two things that jumped out at me that deserve recognition ,even if I am not ready to write a thorough review.One is Michael Rapaport. He does not get the respect he deserves and has not done nearly enough things. Someone please get this guy some Oscar-winning roles.And two is the style. I feel like Xan Cassavetes was inspired by Italian cinema, and this inspiration comes up in the style, the dialogue and even the casting. A wise decision on her part, and it is nice to see John Cassavetes' talent lives on in the next generation.