:rant: I have posted in the "rate the last film you saw" thread but I am so confused so it deserves a topic all on its own :huh::huh:

Earlier on in the year I went to see a film call REC - spanish horror blair witch style with english subtitles...thought it were quite good...

At the cinema the other day I saw an advert for a film called "Quarantine" - it had scenes from REC but in english and it kept saying "no one knew why the events happened - until now" etc etc and I thought GREAT - its the sequel to explain REC but done in english...

Watched it tonight and it was just REC but in english with american actors...

Have I missed something??? cos I thought it was exactly the same as REC with no added bits...:huh:

What a let down :mad:

The reason being that so many people refuse to watch a subtitled film as (and I quote a much commented phrase at box office) "I don't want ta read or wud go ta library!" (usually uttered by people for whom library is actually a foreign language in itself)

Hence the glut of remakes of foreign horror films over the years. Most are pretty bad being pretty poor relations to the original source and swopping tension and chills with violins to tell you when to be scared. The whole reason why the originals chilled and shocked so much apparantly lost on the Hollywood system.

Now, I haven't seen Quarantine yet - I am willing to wait for DVD as it looks (as you point out) like a carbon copy of the original REC. However, I have heard from some reliable sources that if you ain't seen REC, then it delivers the same experience pretty well, keeping the style and formulae of the film pretty much intact.

So, the big question is where to get the balance right on remakes for those who won't watch a film with words? Do you remake it scene for scene, or do you mess it all up (see The Ring or The Grudge for prime examples of how to miss-the-point-totally)?

Personally I would love it if people who get used to subtitles and thus make the original films the success they deserve to be, but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

The reviews aren't that great.

Whereas the Spanish Angela character actually is a well known TV presenter in Spain (called, funnily enough, Angela), the American one is the kinds of actress you've already seen in the background of lots of other films.

Also, the reason for the infection isn't really explained in REC until the end, but in Quarantine is mentioned early on, and just makes the ending (which is similar) a bit redundant and confusing.

Stick with REC. I have :)

The reviews aren't that great.

Whereas the Spanish Angela character actually is a well known TV presenter in Spain (called, funnily enough, Angela), the American one is the kinds of actress you've already seen in the background of lots of other films.


The reviews I've read have been pretty decent (it currently runs at 63% on RT, which is above average - most negative reviews tend to dwell on the fact it is a remake rather than looking at it as a film in itself)

Not sure about the Angela trivia there - never read anything about the character being a real reporter. The actress who played her in REC was Manuela Velasco, who fits the description (seen in the background of lots of other films) you gave to Jennifer "Dexter" Carpenter (who also starred in The Exorcism of Emily Rose) .

As I say, I'm not that bothered seeing Quarantine, having already seen Rec, but all hints point at it being a more faithful remake than other fereign translations of recent years.

A quick word of warning - the Spanish are going to follow the US tradition of slowly ruining a great idea, with REC 2 in filming now (bizarrely starring Manuela Velasco as Angela again). Cue franchise and pointless continuation of what worked well as a one-off story.

The reviews I've read have been pretty decent (it currently runs at 63% on RT, which is above average - most negative reviews tend to dwell on the fact it is a remake rather than looking at it as a film in itself)

Not sure about the Angela trivia there - never read anything about the character being a real reporter. The actress who played her in REC was Manuela Velasco, who fits the description (seen in the background of lots of other films) you gave to Jennifer "Dexter" Carpenter (who also starred in The Exorcism of Emily Rose) .

As I say, I'm not that bothered seeing Quarantine, having already seen Rec, but all hints point at it being a more faithful remake than other fereign translations of recent years.

A quick word of warning - the Spanish are going to follow the US tradition of slowly ruining a great idea, with REC 2 in filming now (bizarrely starring Manuela Velasco as Angela again). Cue franchise and pointless continuation of what worked well as a one-off story.

Cloverfield 2, anyone?...

Rec is a top movie must admit when we put it on we didn't know it was subtitled we went oh no :rolleyes: but after 10 mins we knew it was a movie worth watching.

Cloverfield 2, anyone?...

Yup.... Really not convinced Cloverfield needs a sequel (or multiple sequels & prequels if the gossip is owt to go by). Really enjoyed Cloverfield and as intriguing as the idea of a 'different point of view' would be, it would definitely end up just being a poitless excercise in repetition (see the Saw franchise for another fine example of how to kill a decent idea with sequels)

Yup.... Really not convinced Cloverfield needs a sequel (or multiple sequels & prequels if the gossip is owt to go by). Really enjoyed Cloverfield and as intriguing as the idea of a 'different point of view' would be, it would definitely end up just being a poitless excercise in repetition (see the Saw franchise for another fine example of how to kill a decent idea with sequels)

Yep!! Saw was a very low budget movie and it blew them away with how well it did.....Cue sequel to cash in on this..

I must admit saw 1 was brill...I also think 2 & 3 were fantastic (probably made too quickly to cash in on the popularity) but 4 was pants!!! saying that, everyone told me not to see saw 5 but I went anyway and thought it were pretty decent!!

Saw 1 could have been a standalone film and that was the idea...

REC was fab!! I didnt see at cinema cos of subtitles but got it on dvd as soon as was released...

Quarantine was a let down - not very well acted and seemed rushed (although it was the same scene for scene) - didnt work for me..:mad:

I only like Saw 1 & 2. From Saw 3 on it didn't interest me anymore.

Yup.... Really not convinced Cloverfield needs a sequel


The question is whether Hollywood needs one, not whether Cloverfield does. The movie moguls are as keen to make money as anyone else, so they want the best odds they can get of producing a profitable film.

Unfortunately, for forty years at least their idea of how most to improve those odds has been "hey, that film made a huge amount of money. Let's make it again and we can make the same amount again."

And why look at Saw? If you want some serious examples of a good film massacred by its own sequels, remember that Rocky was an Oscar-winner, and The Dirty Dozen was one of the best war films ever made.

I won't be bothering with Quarantine. We went to see .Rec earlier this year, subtitles and all and it was a brilliant film (can't remember what I rated it on the other thread, but it must have been a high score). Can't see the point of watching it all over again in American. From the trailer it is scene for scene and word for word identical. That's Hollywood cashing in on a good storyline and making it more accessible for the English speaking population who can't or don't want to read subtitles. Give me World cinema any day, it's far more refreshing than a lot of the dull US cinema.

Rec is the better film, sounds one sided but im not even going to bother watching Quarantine, Its pretty much shot the same as REC, scence for scence! This is one of my main rants at the moment, good forign films being remade, sadly normally always badly.

Think Quarantin is bad?

Anyone who has ever seen oldboy will know it cant remade! Especially by those two!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/07/spielberg-smith-oldboy-remake