Movie 10: Quarantine

A reporter and her cameraman are doing a piece on fire fighters. When a call out finally comes (it’s only about 10 or 15 mins build up) it seems routine. Some people in an apartment building hear some screaming from an old woman’s apartment and the cops have called the FD to come and knock the door down. When they get in the woman looks kinda rabid (no one says anything about it in the film really) and then acts a fair bit like a rage zombie (with a “what the fuck?” type reaction. No one in movies watches movies!). One of the cops is badly bitten and they get him out while one of the firemen restrains the woman. A few minutes later the fireman plummets to the lobby three floors below. Then it gets worse….

This is a remake of the Spanish (I think) film REC. I can’t do a little circle before that. I haven’t seen REC but I didn’t deliberately skip to the remake. I’ve actually wanted to see REC for quite a while and didn’t remember this WAS a remake till I got a little in. Occasionally I’ll see remakes or the cheap knock offs of movies before the movies they’re cashing in on. For example, at some point in the probably not too distant I’ll be watching “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” with Brendan Fraser. I’ve already seen “Journey to the Centre of the Earth (or to Middle Earth as it’s known over here) with Greg “the bearded dad from My Two Dads” Evigan. Cause that’s the order I ended up getting them from Love Film.

ANYWHO, initially I found this film a little dull. It takes a wee bit to get going and felt pretty hum drum. Performances were fine, the firemen were entertaining enough, but nothing special. The build up is necessary though as this is a horror movie and we need to give a shit about these people before they die horrible horrible deaths. And when the film gets going it’s actually not all that bad, good even. I’m glad it was a home watch as I haven’t braved a shaky cam movie (this is all from the camera man, or the floor sometimes, perspective and he hasn’t got a steady cam) in the cinema yet. I can handle it on a TV or monitor, but probably not on a 40 foot screen.

Like I said the performances are fine. There’s a few “oh it’s that dude”s in it but no one I can name. I think the main woman is in Dexter but I’ve yet to watch it. And Alan’s ex from Two and a Half Men is in there too. Strangely the immigration guy from The Proposal also crops up, so movie linkage continuity for once! Annoyingly the main woman completely loses it for the last…….half hour maybe. And screams. A lot. Far too bloody much. I can’t be arsed with someone screaming and crying and wailing in to the camera for a lengthy period as it starts to kill the thing for me. I stop caring after the first 5 minutes. We get it, your scared. Sack up woman, you’re a reporter.

There’s a couple of interesting deaths, some tension and its pretty well paced. They pull out quite a few stops too, things like someone getting beat to death with the camera we’re watching through. But its not a masterpiece. Maybe check out REC first as its supposed to be amazing (and maybe it’ll be movie 127 or something)

Next up: The Taking of Pelham 123