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"QUARANTINE" (2008) (Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme *Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Heavy None None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Minor Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: A television reporter and her cameraman end up confined in a quarantined apartment building where something horrible is occurring to the residents and everyone else there. PLOT: Angela Vidal (JENNIFER CARPENTER) is a TV reporter who, along with her cameraman, Scott Percival (STEVE HARRIS), are going to spend the evening doing a story on a Los Angeles fire department and specifically two of the firemen there, Jake (JAY HERNANDEZ) and Fletcher (JOHNATHON SCHAECH). The first part of the evening is standard stuff around the station, but a call finally comes in and the firemen -- with the TV crew in tow -- set off for an apartment building where the super, Yuri Ivanov (RADE SERBEDZIJA), has reported troubling screams coming from an older tenant's unit. Upon arriving, LAPD cop Danny Wilensky (COLUMBUS SHORT) is already there, while residents such as veterinarian Lawrence (GREG GERMANN) are there trying to figure out what's happening. When the cop and firemen enter the older woman's apartment, she's acting strangely, seems infected by something unusual, and then suddenly attacks Fletcher, leaving him badly wounded. Danny ends up shooting and killing her, but he and the others then realize they're in quite a bind. Not only are others in the building similarly infected by something that's turned them into wild animals, but the authorities on the outside -- apparently aware of what's occurring inside -- have sealed all of the doors and windows, effectively quarantining everyone inside. With no way out and no one to help them, those remaining try to avoid the infected and crazed killers, all as seen through Scott's camera that catches everything that occurs. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into "you are there" types of horror films, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JENNIFER CARPENTER plays a TV reporter who does fluff stories, but ends up in a horrific situation when she and others are quarantined inside an apartment building containing crazed killers infected with a contagious disease. Initially eager to cover the story as it unfolds, she eventually goes into survival mode and is quite frightened and freaked out by what's occurring. She uses strong profanity. STEVE HARRIS plays her cameraman who's rarely seen (since the movie is shown through his camera lens), but accompanies her mindset. He also uses strong profanity and has to kill to stay alive. JAY HERNANDEZ plays a fireman who's drawn into the situation and has to fight off and kill the infected. He uses strong profanity. COLUMBUS SHORT plays a cop who's already on the scene when the firemen and TV crew arrive. He tries to keep the situation under control, but is the first to kill one of the infected, all in self-defense. He uses strong profanity. JOHNATHON SCHAECH plays Jake's firemen partner who does some sexual flirting with Angela before finding himself as one of the first outsiders attacked and infected by the disease. He uses profanity. RADE SERBEDZIJA plays the apartment building manager who tries to assist the authorities when they arrive. GREG GERMANN plays a building resident and veterinarian who diagnoses what the contagious disease is and paints a bleak picture for the survivors. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a quick look at the content found in this R-rated horror film. Profanity consists of at least 17 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue and innuendo are present, while some men are seen in towels and some brief underwear views occur involving the infected people. Violence includes crazed, infected people attacking others (with lots of biting) and wounding or killing them, as well as non-infected people battling and killing the infected by various means (including gunfire), while there's also a vicious dog attack. Most of that has very bloody and/or gory results, and that material, various visuals, and moments of potential peril might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary for some viewers. No drinking is seen, but a character appears to be intoxicated, while another mentions having a lot of Vicodin in his apartment that he labels as a pharmacy of sorts. Bad attitudes are present, as is some brief tense family material, while some kids might be enticed to copy behavior in the film to try to scare others. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, the entire film's view is through a TV cameraman's lens, resulting in nonstop camera movement (bouncy, wild shots and lots of disorienting footage) that will likely make many a viewer queasy. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, some of that occurs late in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Seeing an injured man, one resident states he has tons of Vicodin in his apartment, labeling that as a pharmacy of sorts, but he wants to make sure Danny isn't going to arrest him for that. One resident appears to be intoxicated. BLOOD/GORE Danny and the firemen slowly enter an older woman's dimly lit apartment and then spot the woman who's acting oddly and has blood on her nightgown. As they continue approaching, she then goes crazy and wildly attacks a man, biting him on the neck, resulting in a very bloody wound (and Danny has blood on his glove-covered hands). Others carry him down the steps to the lobby, but just then Fletcher's body suddenly hits the floor at the bottom of the stairwell, with a pool of blood around his head. Angela slowly peeks into the old, crazed woman's apartment. An infected and bloody person suddenly runs and slams into a wall and is then noted as being dead. The crazed woman, now very bloody, rushes at the others, with Danny shooting her dead with his handgun. A woman who's drooling and foaming at the mouth then vomits onto the floor. A rabid rat suddenly races at Scott, and he stomps down onto it, squashing it on the floor (with very bloody and gory results). We see Fletcher's leg that's badly injured, with the broken bone sticking out, with lots of blood. Later, we see Fletcher trying to walk on that leg that's all crooked and very gross looking. A rabid woman comes at the camera that we then see repeatedly bashing into her, leaving both the woman and the camera lens covered in her blood. A syringe is inserted into Fletcher's neck (presumably a sedative), followed by a power drill that's then used to drill into the top of his head for a brain sample (we hear the sound and see some smoke as well as a little blood when the bit is pulled out). An infected man attacks another person by biting him on the neck, with very bloody results. There's bashing against a frosted window, with bloody results on that. An infected little girl attacks her mom (both are bloody). We briefly see what look like blood and guts on the floor. A bloody and infected little girl suddenly attacks a man, with Jake then bashing her twice with a large mallet, killing her. An infected woman's hand and mouth are very bloody. We see a growing pool of blood around a person who's just been shot dead. An infected person smashes through a glass door to grab and attack another person, all with very bloody results. We see another bloody victim on the floor. An infected person attacks another victim, with very bloody results for both. We see an infected person feeding on a dead body (with bloody/gory views). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE En route to the apartment building, Fletcher jokes that he's the crew's "chick" rater (labeling women as attractive or not in passing). When Angela points out one, Fletcher says he thinks that was a "dude" and that "it's called a chick-o-meter, not a d*ck-o-meter." The infected who attack others would seem to have bad attitudes, but they appear to be reacting more out of instinct than general meanness. Those who quarantine the victims inside the building (only briefly seen as armed police outside, never personified) have bad attitudes for offering no information or aide to them. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. All of the footage is shown through a TV camera's lens, with much of the violence being shown in a very bouncy and/or disorienting fashion. All of the infected people have wild and crazed expressions on their faces (sometimes shown suddenly) that might be unsettling and/or scary to some viewers. Those in the building discover that they've been quarantined in there with the crazed people infected with the contagious disease. Angela slowly peeks into the old, crazed woman's apartment, with Scott's hand suddenly reaching out and touching her shoulder. A rabid dog attacks a man in an elevator (partially seen and then heard continuing after the doors close). The power goes off in the building. A syringe is inserted into Fletcher's neck (presumably a sedative), followed by a power drill that's then used to drill into the top of his head for a brain sample (we hear the sound and see some smoke as well as a little blood when the bit is pulled out). There's bashing against a frosted window, with bloody results on that. As Danny and others cautiously search for an infected little girl (with Danny having his handgun drawn), they realize that the first infected woman's body is now missing. As the attacks escalate, there's increasing panic and lots of running around. We hear the loud sounds of an infected person pounding on a door to get in and at more victims. Jake, Angela and Scott must slide past an infected woman who's cuffed by one hand to a banister, but wildly grabs out at them as they pass by. Angela scrambles to find the right key to get into a room as an infected person is coming at her and Scott. They succeed and that rabid person then pounds on the door from the other side. A reel to reel audio tape is played, but the speed is set too slow, thus giving it a creepy sound. Angela and Scott try to remain still and quiet as an infected person moves about the room, unable to see them due to the darkness (we see the scene through night vision that illuminates part of that). During this, the rabid person passes quite close by Angela. Angela finds herself alone, trying to hide from an infected person. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Automatic weapons: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Armed cops outside aim their automatic weapons at those inside the building (to keep them in while the place is sealed). Danny holds his gun on Jake and Angela. A few armed cops enter the building with their automatic weapons at the ready. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get the f*ck out of the way," "F*ck your orders," "What the f*ck is this?" "Don't you f*cking put your hands on me again," "A big f*cking group," "As fast as we f*cking can," "Bloody f*cking time," "We're f*cked," "I don't know what the f*ck is happening," "Holy sh*t," "(They don't) Give a sh*t (about us)," "Ah, sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "No sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "It's called a chick-o-meter, not a d*ck-o-meter," "Ass monkey," "Kick his ass," "Chick," "Dude," "Weird as hell," "What the hell /was that?" "Shut up," "Jeez," "My bad" and "Oh damn." The film might entice some kids to try to scare others via some of the material on display here. JUMP SCENES As Danny and the firemen slowly enter an older woman's dimly lit apartment, a dog suddenly races by. Angela slowly peeks into the old, crazed woman's apartment, with Scott's hand suddenly reaching out and touching her shoulder. An infected and bloody person suddenly runs and slams into a wall. An infected person smashes through a glass door to grab and attack another person, all with very bloody results. The various repeated, sudden attacks might be startling to viewers as well. An attic door suddenly drops down. Scott peers up into an attic with his video camera, slowly panning the dimly lit room. Just then, an infected person comes right at the camera. A person crawls toward the camera, but is suddenly yanked away and out of the camera shot. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 17 "f" words, 20 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("d*ck"), 7 hells, 2 asses, 2 damns, 5 uses each of "Oh God" and "Oh my God," 4 of "Jesus," 3 of "Oh Jesus," 2 of "Jesus Christ" and 1 use each of "God" and "Oh Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY There's a joking reaction to a sign in the fire house that reads "Pole Hole" (meaning the opening in the upper floor down the slide pole to the floor below). We see some guys in towels in a fire department locker room, while Jake and Fletcher jokingly open a shower stall door, with the firemen in there saying he hopes there's a wide angle lens on the camera. One then jokes for him to "put that thing away," while Angela says that gives a new meaning to "firemen's hose." Fletcher bets other firemen $100 that he can bag Angela by the morning. Having heard that from a distance while listening to his microphone, she tells him he missed a spot cleaning a windshield, with him suggestively replying he knows how to hit the spot. En route to the apartment building, Fletcher jokes that he's the crew's "chick" rater (labeling women as attractive or not in passing). When Angela points out one, Fletcher says he thinks that was a "dude" and that "it's called a chick-o-meter, not a d*ck-o-meter." We see a partial panty view of an infected woman, while an infected man is later seen in his underwear. Angela shows a little cleavage while on all fours facing the camera. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES An infected little girl attacks her mom (both are bloody) who's then cuffed to a banister while others go off looking for the girl. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Lawrence diagnoses the disease as a rapidly developing case of rabies that's deadly once the symptoms are present and contagious if any body fluid enters a wound. Whether authorities would really quarantine people inside a building as occurs here. VIOLENCE All of the footage is shown through a TV camera's lens, with much of the violence being shown in a very bouncy and/or disorienting fashion. Danny and the firemen slowly enter an older woman's dimly lit apartment, and then spot the woman who's acting oddly and has blood on her nightgown. As they continue approaching, she then goes crazy and wildly attacks a man, biting him on the neck, resulting in a very bloody wound (and Danny has blood on his glove-covered hands). Others carry him down the steps to the lobby, but just then Fletcher's body suddenly hits the floor at the bottom of the stairwell, with a pool of blood around his head. Angela slowly peeks into the old, crazed woman's apartment. An infected and bloody person suddenly runs and slams into a wall and is then noted as being dead. The crazed woman, now very bloody, rushes at the others, with Danny shooting her dead with his handgun. Upset about what he had to do, he then goes at Scott and has to be pulled back. A rabid rat suddenly races at Scott, and he stomps down onto it, squashing it on the floor (with very bloody and gory results). A rabid dog attacks a man in an elevator (partially seen and then heard continuing after the doors close). A rabid woman comes at the camera that we then see repeatedly bashing into her, leaving both the woman and the camera lens covered in her blood. An infected man attacks another person by biting him on the neck, with very bloody results. An infected little girl attacks her mom (both are bloody) who's then cuffed to a banister while others go off looking for the girl. A bloody and infected little girl suddenly attacks a man, with Jake then bashing her twice with a large mallet, killing her. Some people repeatedly kick an infected person who's trying to come under a metal door. We partially see another attack on a person. A non-infected person tries to exit the building but is shot dead from the outside, with other shots then coming into the building. An infected person smashes through a glass door to grab and attack another person, all with very bloody results. Jake, Angela and Scott run and encounter an infected person on a stairwell, with Fletcher hitting, kicking and bashing that person. Jake bashes an infected dog and then does the same to an infected man. Jake fights another infected person, pummeling them on the floor. An infected person attacks Angela, with Jake grabbing that woman and lifting her off the floor, strangling and/or breaking the attacker's neck (we only see their lower legs, including the attacker's come off the floor, twitch, and then stop kicking). Jake throws another attacker over a railing and down the stairwell atrium, where she crashes hard on the floor several stories below. An infected person attacks another victim, with very bloody results for both. An infected person attacks another victim, partially seen and more heard. A person crawls toward the camera, but is suddenly yanked away and out of the camera shot. Reviewed October 10, 2008 / Posted October 10, 2008

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