Three Flicks

[REC] 3: Genesis is a continuation of the Spanish film series that uses the ‘found footage’ technique to chronicle a zombie outbreak, this time at an elaborate wedding in the Spanish countryside. In America the series was remade under the title Quarantine, but I think the original series is better, especially since the Spanish sequel incorporated an ingenious twist into zombie folklore. In this installment only part of the film is found footage, with the majority being filmed in standard fashion. Does this remove an integral hallmark of the series? Er, sure, but if the elimination of a gimmick  is enough to kill a series, then the movie was a waste to begin with; happily, I think REC survives the loss just fine. There’s plenty of suspense and gore, some humor, and a splash of genuine romance to make up the difference. Lisa thought it was too gory, but I thought it was just right. She’d grade this an F; I think it deserves a B.

Red Lights has genuine star power on the marquee: Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver headline this story about a long-retired psychic who returns to the stage in time to fuel the obsession of professional skeptic Weaver and her assistant.

 This movie literally ANGERED me. You have major actors on the payroll, what appears to be a decent budget, nice direction and cinematography and you **** it all away on a loose,  poorly plotted script with an amateurish ‘twist’ ending.  This is the kind of film that makes your soul scream at the injustice of it all. Somewhere people are being paid big bucks to write this garbage, while you slosh away at a dead end job and spend your hard earned money on their drivel. Grade: a big F

Your Sister’s Sister is a charming independent film starring Emily Blunt and Mark Duplass. One year after the death of his brother, Duplass’ character is adrift in life, anchored only by the friendship of his brother’s ex-girlfriend, played by Blunt. She sends him on a sabbatical to her family’s summer home, where he unexpectedly finds himself rooming with Blunt’s sister, a lesbian who just broke up with her lover.  From there things get complicated, but the film never loses sight of the strength of the relationship between Duplass and Blunt. I thought the movie was sweet, moving, and fun to watch. I grade this an A.