Manhattan Undying: This story of a romance between a Vampire and a dying artist paints a lovely picture but doesn't totally please the palate. Luke Grimes is a jaded young artist who enjoys a hedonistic rock star life, not caring for his art, unable to find inspiration. He is brought back to reality by the discovery that he has terminal lung cancer, with weeks to live at most. He is determined to find the perfect model on which to base his masterpiece.
Sarah Roemer pays the equally jaded Vampire who is tiring of the continuous avocation of picking up men to drain them dry. She is perhaps getting a tad careless as the police start to link the deaths and suspect a serial killer is at work. This police subplot doesn't work too well as the cops veer between seeing Grimes (he attended the same depraved clubs as the victims) and Roemer as suspects.
Inevitably Sarah and Luke meet up, Sarah has never seen her likeness and wants Luke to paint it. Luke finally has a muse but will he live long enough to complete the portrait? A dark tale of doomed love reminiscent of Only Lovers Left Alive but not quite up to that standard. Directed by Babak Payami from a screenplay by Matt Deller this is an effective Vampire film. 7/10. On Netflix.
