Isolation

I read somewhere that some commenter said "a hand was being put up a cows ass 3 times under the time of 15 minutes". Now that is bull actually. If this person would have listened to the things the actors in this movie had to say, he would have understood that the cow was about to give birth and that the person "putting his/hers hand in the cows ass" was a veterinarian that was about to check the calves condition and therefor made a ultrasound on the cow. Anyhow, this movie was actually better than expected. Especially since I read a comment that was no use to me what so ever. I liked this movie because it seemed quite real. It seems like something that could happen. But if you want something including explosions, watch something else. This is not the movie! I have heard that Irish meat could give "mad cow disease" and after "Isolation" I am not eating any more Irish meat. "Isolation" is scaring enough, fun to watch (at least if you like animals), gives a real feeling and this might be why I found it scary. In my opinion the things that scare me the most is stuff that could happen in real life and this could. I liked this B-movie a lot. Enjoy this movie when you are tired of all the explosions from the Hollywood action world.

Isolation is a very odd horror/thriller, but it works. The storyline isn't the best (animal experiment gone wrong), but its doable. The thing that makes the movie pretty good is the characters, suspense, and fear of the unknown. The actors are not well known, but they are good, they make it a lot more believable. Also, they act in a realistic manner, which also really helped. Over all its a great suspense film. Yes, the idea as a whole is pretty trite and corny, but the director made it work into something good. Its a good above average horror/thriller that is actually pretty underrated. I rate this 7/10. Rated R for violence/gore, language and a scene of sexuality

The broken farmer Dan (John Lynch) rents his farm for the scientist John (Marcel Iures) from the Bovine Genetics Technology that is researching genetic modifications of cattle to increase its fertilization. The veterinarian Orla (Essie Davis) is bitten by the calf while helping the cow to deliver, and she feels that something went wrong with the experiment. During the night, the cow has a narrow passage for the calf, and Dan asks the young couple Jamie (Sean Harris) and Mary (Ruth Negga) that is parked in a trailer in front of his farm's entrance to help him in the delivery. When the offspring is born, it bites Dan; Orla arrives later and realizes that it is a genetic anomaly and she sacrifices the calf. During the autopsy of the animal, she discovers that the fetus is pregnant and she destroys the freak hybrids. However, one of them escapes and attacks a cow first and Jamie later. When John arrives in the farm, he discovers that there is the danger of infection of human beings and decides to quarantine the spot. But one offspring is alive and need to be captured.

"Isolation" is a creepy and gruesome version of Alien in an Irish farm. The cinematography is very dark like the story that is simple but works, and the locations are indeed repugnant. But the direction and the cast make the difference with excellent work highlighting the always excellent John Lynch. The special effects are great and the open conclusion gives a perfect ending to this movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Quarentena" ("Quarantine")

I have just seen this film and was really surprised by it's quality. I knew not of the Director but only of the Irish Film Board that helped in the project, up until today I had yet to be entertained fully by this board. This is no longer the case.

I can see that other people on the message board have slated this film with one going as far to say that this is stolen from Scott Sigler Ancestor. Sad as it seems but this said individual does not realise that Ancestor is also a rewrite of many DNA/Animal experiment stories. Dean Koontz watchers for a start or how about Peter Benchley's Creature.

With that upset out of the way this Film is a great piece of jump, tension and scare that's well worth your time. Expertly shot, Directed with passion and an effects Team that has used Animatronics instead of cheesy CGI which so many creature flicks these days fall foul of. Like the Thing and Alien this will become a cult hit. I was a very early supporter of the Thing and I turned out to be correct in my belief, I believe this to be true once more.

All in all this is nothing new but it's just what you've been looking for since the introduction of CGI monsters and the disappearance of blood soaked, repulsive, gooey textured monsters that look and feel real.

Excellent work.

Billy O'Brien pulls no punches and avoids no arm-in-bum shots in this tension-filled, dark film. The first portion of the movie, the viewer is left in a fog of confusion, constantly trying decipher exactly what's happening on the farm. The high level of confusion felt by the viewer perfectly parallels that of the protagonist--Dan, played adequately by John Lynch. Though exactly what "went wrong" is never truly established, its effects certainly are and lead to a horrible series of events.

Marcel Iures played John, the conductor of said experiments. His performance pushes the film towards its climax. He provides a dark and knowing force in the film albeit a somewhat typical mad scientist mold that he fits into.

O'Brien's greatest achievement is the reality in which he creates his film. His frequent use of a hand-held camera lends it a voyeuristic, documentary type of feel. He also utilizes a number of point of view shots to keep the viewer as close to the unappetizing going-ons as possible. That along with the low-key acting creates a very realistic portrait of farm life. Still, a threat found on a bovine farm can only be so terrifying. And though the idea is refreshingly original, the writing is still average at best. The characters share too many traits and seem to lack interests or goals outside of mere survival.