Summer of Blood

Onur Tukel, the painter-filmmaker who wrote, directed, and starred in this low-budget comedy, is a sort of laidback version of Woody Allen, an articulate neurotic who is utterly self-centered, inevitably seeing every situation (even tragedies befalling others) in terms of the effect it will have on him. The first half of Summer of Blood—in which Erik Sparrow (Tukel) not only breaks up with his longtime girlfriend when she proposes (and then immediately regrets the decision after his attempts to date other women crash and burn), but also suffers through his dull work routine—is very amusing, thanks to Tukel's deadpan portrayal of an obnoxious ass. But it oddly becomes much less interesting after Erik is bitten by a vampire and becomes a member of the undead. It's not just that the “vampire comedy” genre is overcrowded (and frankly anemic), but following the bite, the film never really manages to come to life again. The ironic twist (only in the undead state can Erik really care about other people) doesn't gain traction, and the ending is both flat and pretty tasteless. Optional. (F. Swietek)