"Sisters," the remake of the 1973 cult movie by Brian de Palma, is living proof of the culinary adage that fresh is always better. There's so much here that's just been scooped out of the can and nuked in a microwave — most of what had made the original "Sisters" compelling and scary has been reheated to acquire the taste and texture of preservative-laden pap.
It's not a straightforward remake — the ending has been changed and the story is set in the present-day, with director Douglas Buck peppering the movie with cell phones, state-of-the-art security alarm systems and CCTV etc. Oddly, despite the modern trappings, the ambience remains mustily analogue, enhanced by frequent cuts to monochrome footage supposedly taken in the 1980s but resembling something out of a 1930s vampire movie, complete with blurred visuals and staticky sound. This quirky discrepancy aside, there are plot inconsistencies that pile up faster than the body count. By the final reel, you've given up caring and Buck seems to have given up on coherency.
Still, "Sisters" yields some entertainment in its casting as it seems Buck is targeting film buffs. Lou Doillon, the daughter of actress/singer Jane Birkin and French filmmaker Jacques Doillon ("Ponette") and half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg, plays the lead, for example, and Chloe Sevigny, the princess of American alternative cinema, also stars. Banking on Sevigny's performance in "Boys Don't Cry," Buck tries to fan some sexual chemistry between her and Doillon, but the flame, at best, only flickers.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.