Gemma Arterton stars in the brand new vampire movie Byzantium. No one is all that impressed, but films about bloodsuckers tend to sell these days, so at least it has that on its side. Quick rundown: Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and Clara (Gemma Arterton) are a couple of young women on the run – initially, you don’t know anything about the reasons behind their flight. Gradually, as they settle into a guest-house on the South Coast.

Here, the ladies’ past begins to unravel and we find out exactly how they got to their current undead-ness and general situation. Also, Clara takes over the management of a brothel, after killing the man who held that job previously, and Eleanor, in a bout of remarkably modern self exploration, signs up for creative writing classes. You could not make this stuff up. Well, actually you could and apparently someone did.

The film is based on a play by Moira Buffini and is getting mixed to negative reviews so far. But while vampire movies are a dime a dozen these days, at least this is one with female protagonists. That’s somewhat of a new twist. In any case, it’s pretty obvious who would find this film appealing – if you enjoy a bit of fangy fantasy, it might be your cup of tea. If not, Byzantium is probably skippable.

Gemma Arterton, BBC RadioSaoirse Ronan, The Host Screening
Plot twist - this vamp flick is female-driven.