Review: Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive' Starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton

Only Lovers Left Alive is exactly the type of vampire movie one would expect from Jim Jarmusch. The eclectic and weird have always been his bailiwick, and he gets to indulge in both while paying reverence to the artistic misfits and outsiders he's always felt such a deep kinship. That the film is also slow moving and seemingly never-ending can be forgiven because of the director's signature cool, surrealist style and the performances by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton that are never less than intriguing.

We've never seen a vampire movie quite like this before, and that reason alone makes Only Lovers Left Alive worth the experience. Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) are centuries-long vampire lovers, separated at the beginning of the film for unknown reasons. Adam is an underground rocker of some renown, living rather ironically in the heart of Motown; Detroit the birthplace of soul music occupied by the literally soulless. The eons of existence have worn Adam down to the point of depression; so much that not even his vintage guitars can pull him out of it. Meanwhile, Eve is in Tangier hanging out with her old friend Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt, and yes it's the Marlowe you think it is) who can get his hands on the purest blood in the world. Sensing her mate's despair, Eve hurries to his side under the cover of night in hopes of pulling him out of the vampire dumps.

Droll yet visually intoxicating, the film is merely a chance for Jarmusch to luxuriate in everything from classic rock, to art, and architecture. Adam harps on the presence of zombies (a derogatory term for humans) who have no respect for the past, while Eve indulges in her return to America. One scene has them visiting the home of musician Jack White, with Adam telling a tale of the rocker's ascendence to greatness. Truthfully, there isn't much of a story here at all other than Jarmusch's usual musings. That is until Mia Wasikowska turns up as Eve's frollicking, meddlesome sister Ava, who turns their world upside down. She's not around long, but she gives the story a much needed injection of danger and mischief. All of the high-minded references and name-drops will strike some as pretentious, but to those who are up on what Jarmusch is laying down, they'll be worth a knowing chuckle or two.

Jarmusch may take his sweet time getting around to it, but ultimately Only Lovers Left Alive is about the strain of eternal love and the value of our shared artistic history. It may not be for everyone, but this is a vampire film that at least has some blood coursing through its veins.

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New Trailer for Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

Jim Jarmusch's vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive has been hitting practically every festival since last year, and it'll be heading to SXSW next. The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska, Jeffrey Wright, John Hurt, and centers on an artistic, reclusive vampire couple reunited just as her sister arrives and turns things upside down. While that sounds interesting on its own, especially with that cast, it's just a different packaging for Jarmusch to explore the topics he frequently covers: music, art, and technology. A new trailer has been released giving us one more look at what should be the coolest vampire movie this year. Sorry, Vampire Academy fans.

Only Lovers Left Alive opens April 11th.

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New Teaser for Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

Not every film headed to Sundance in a couple of days is a premiere, or one looking for distribution. Some have been already made the rounds and have release dates firmly in place, such as Jim Jarmusch's vampire romance, Only Lovers Left Alive. Debuting at Cannes last year it's been met with enthusiastic response, especially for stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, and could be something of a sleeper when it opens in a couple of months.

A brief UK teaser has been released before it hits the snowy climes of Park City, and besides the fangs and blood, there seems to be a pretty introspective look at a number of different subjects dear to Jarmusch's heart. Hiddleston and Swinton play long-lived vampire lovers reunited after years apart, only to have their reunion interrupted by the arrival of her sister, played by Mia Wasikowska.

Co-starring Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, and John Hurt, Only Lovers Left Alive opens in the UK on February 21st, and here in the U.S. on April 11th.

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Trailer for Jim Jarmusch's Vampire Romance 'Only Lovers Left Alive' with Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston

In the works forever, Jim Jarmusch's unconventional vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive finally hit the festival circuit this year and the response has been incredibly strong. After the questionable, confounding The Limits of Control, some are saying this may be Jarmusch's best film in years, and now the first trailer has arrived so the rest of us can see what all the fuss is about.

Starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampires Adam and Eve, the film centers on the long-lived lovers' reunion. But just as they're beginning to enjoy one another's company after living on opposite ends of the world, Eve's sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) shows up and ruins everything. Jarmusch's cool, languid approach is on full display here, which works nicely with the inherent sexiness of his cast. Other than the occasional flash of fangs you'd barely know this was a vampire movie, but that's always been one of Jarmusch's trademarks using genre as a cover to tackle whatever subjects he finds most interesting.

Also starring Anton Yelchin, John Hurt, and Jeffrey Wright, Only Lovers Left Alive still doesn't have a release date. Will it ever get one? I'm starting to have doubts.

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Jim Jarmusch adds Anton Yelchin to his vampire tale, 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

Last year turned out to be something of a mixed bag for Anton Yelchin. His biggest hit by far was in voicing one of The Smurfs, while his on screen roles mostly went ignored by audiences. Not even starring opposite Colin Farrell was enough to get people to care about Fright Night, and for all the buzz surrounding Mel Gibson in The Beaver, it kinda came and went. However, Yelchin was widely praised in all those flicks, and earned some serious leading man attention for Like Crazy. So it wasn't all bad.

While fans of Dean Koontz(like yours truly) wait patiently for updates on the Odd Thomas adaptation Yelchin is starring in, the actor is jumping into a project that has been in the works for a few years now. Deadline reports he'll join Jim Jarmusch's long in the works vampire film, Only Lovers Left Alive. Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, and John Hurt star in the story which follows a love affair between two star-crossed vampires.

Yeah, we're all sick of vampires at this point, but this is Jim Jarmusch we're talking about here. There's a good chance the entire film is a bunch of vamps sitting around a table discussing philosophy over hot blood and doughnuts. In other words, expect the unexpected. Filming should begin this summer.

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Tom Hiddleston replaces Michael Fassbender in Jim Jarmusch's vampire flick, 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

It seems like once every seven or eight months we get an update on the next film from the...unusual indie auteur, Jim Jarmusch. All we've really known about it over the course of nearly two years is that it would be some sort of love story between vampires, a genre I could do with less of but expect Jarmusch to put a unique spin on. Attached nearly since the beginning have been Jarmusch regular Tilda Swinton, along with Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska, with John Hurt coming aboard some time after that I believe in what is described as a major role.

The sporadic movement on the film appears to have claimed it's first victim, however, as Fassbender isn't mentioned in a recent story by THR, in which they announce Tom Hiddleston(Thor, War Horse) joining the film. Now with an official title of Only Lovers Left Alive, it's described as a horror drama about "two vampires who have been in love for centuries."

It makes sense for Fassbender to back out, considering a lot has changed for him since this project was first announced. He basically has the run of any film he wants, and can't afford to wait around. Hopefully this means he'll be jumping into Twelve Years A Slave sooner rather than later. For Hiddleston, this continues his run of juggling mainstream tentpole flicks like Thor and The Avengers, with prestige stuff like War Horse and The Deep Blue Sea.

Filming is expected to take place later this year in Germany for a release in 2013.

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Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Tilda Swinton to star in Jim Jarmusch vampire flick

Remember when vampires were creatures meant to be feared? Now they sparkle in the sunlight rather than burst into flames, and humans are portrayed as volunteering to be turned into one of the undead bloodsuckers. Totally backwards. With so many vamp films steadily streaming into theaters, I could do with some sort of moratorium or something. Unless the director is Jim Jarmusch, then he could make all the vampire movies he wants.

Last year Jarmusch revealed that he had a number of projects cooking, with one of them featuring a sterling cast of Michael Fassbender(Fish Tank), Mia Wasikowska(Alice in Wonderland), and frequent collaborator Tilda Swinton(I Am Love). At the time we had no idea what the film was, but now we know that all three will be playing vampires in the untitled film. John Hurt(The Skeleton Key) will be involved in a "major" role as well. Jarmusch describes it as a "crypto love story" set in Detroit and Tangiers. Exactly how those two places mesh into the same story should be worth the price of admission alone. 

This'll be Jarmusch's first film since the surpremely confusing The Limits of Control. Swinton was featured in that one, also working with Jarmusch on Broken Flowers, another movie I'd sooner forget. Fassbender and Wasikowska were just recently paired up romantically in the most recent adaptation of Jane Eyre, so I wonder if they'll be making kissy face in this one as well.  How Fassbender can fit this into his schedule is beyond me, but I'm sure that's why shooting won't begin until early next year.

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Jim Jarmusch is a busy dude

For awhile if you had nailed me down and asked me who the most unique directors working today were, Jim Jarmusch would've been the first name I threw out there. I'll put his films Stranger than Paradise, Night on Earth, Down By Law, Dead Man, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai up against anybody's. Then somewhere after that he seems to have hit a roadblock.Where his films have always been a bit eccentric or idiosyncratic, his most recent work has upped these traits to such a degree that I can't imagine anybody liking them except for Jarmusch himself.  I defy you to explain to me what the hell The Limits of Control is about.

With that said, I look at every project he involves himself with as a potential event. In a recent interview with Pitchfork, Jarmusch revealed that he's got multiple projects on the burner right now. The one he seems most interested in is an as yet untitled film, for which he's lined up an impressive cast already. Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender, and Mia Wasikowska have agreed to be in whatever that turns out to be. He hopes to begin filming early next year, but admits that financing hasn't been secured. Hopefully we'll have details  soon. Swinton is starting to become a Jarmusch regular, having starred in both Broken Flowers and The Limits of Control. Maybe I'll ask her what they're about.

Jarmusch also revealed that he's working on some sort of unconventional "opera" about Nikola Tesla, the famed engineer and rival of Thomas Edison. There's also a biopic centered around The Three Stooges, but Jarmusch admits this project is years away. I'm assuming it has nothing to do with the one we've heard was already in the works.

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Review: The Limits of Control

I'm hard pressed to figure out what exactly famed director Jim Jarmusch was trying to achieve with his film, The Limits of Control. Part of me thinks it was an excuse to glorify the beautiful Spanish landscape, which if that was the point then he more than succeeded. If the point was to create a dense, impenetrable, narrative-less waking nightmare, then he succeeded. If the point was to test the limits of my patience, not to mention the alertness of me and the rest of the people in the theater I was at, then he succeeded as well.

Control is basically the film equivalent of watching paint dry, even if that paint is multi-colored and full of amazing imagery, you're still doing something extremely dull and unproductive. Ostensibly, this is about a mysterious, cool hitman played by Jarmusch favorite Isaach de Bankole. He has no name, he's referred to in the credits as the Lone Man. Might as well have called him the Quiet Man, as he almost never speaks. He's been given a job in Spain, the details of which are unknown to us and frankly don't matter. The journey is what the film is about, as the Lone Man gathers instructions from an odd assortment of strangely named characters. For instance, there's Paz de la Huerta, aptly named Nude, who just seems to be this amorphous figure who shows up, asks for sex periodically, and then disappears. Or Tilda Swinton as Blonde, dressed up entirely in white and carrying an umbrella for no apparent reason. These people show up, make irritating, obtuse statements that are impossible to give a damn about. Completely unprovoked, mind you. I guess the Lone Man just inspires that sort of openness.

Not that I can see why. Bankole's Lone Man is as dull and lifeless as the movie itself. He drinks two expressos at a time, and don't you dare try to bring him a double. He practices his martial arts form in his hotel room. We see this repeated ad nauseum, to the point where people were openly sighing in disgust at it's overuse. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to anything that happens, nor is there a narrative to draw you in to the story. I confess I managed to only stay awake for about 90% of this thing, but I seriously doubt I missed something crucial in those few minutes I was out. In fact when I woke up they were still sitting in the same spot, with Gael Garcia Bernal still droning on about...something or other. Based off the snores I heard I'm willing to bet I stayed awake a lot longer than some others did. Not even Bill Murray, who drops by for a couple minutes to play the American, some sort of shady businessman, can breathe any life into this rotting corpse.

Jarmusch was one of the icons of the indie movement back in the 80's. His films were truly outside the paramters of the norm, especially his earliest work like Stranger than Paradise and one of my faves, Night on Earth. With the exception of Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai(another fave), his work has become more...aloof, is the word I would use. Broken Flowers, Coffee and Cigarettes, and now Limits, really have no narrative structure and seem more like a random series of conversations. His early stuff had the sense that atleast someone was on a journey of discovery, and was being aided in journey by other strong, opinionated people. Not so anymore. That part has been stripped away, and now we're left with something that's only interesting in the leanest sense of the word. Here's hoping Jarmusch gets back on his game again soon.
2/10

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