`DESCENT' TAKES VIEWERS WHERE EVIL LURKS.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic There aren't any dueling banjos in the blood-soaked shocker shock·er n. One that startles, shocks, or horrifies, as a sensational story or novel. Noun 1. shocker - a shockingly bad person bad person - a person who does harm to others 2. ``The Descent,'' but the movie again serves as a reminder that those looking to take extreme-sports vacations would do well to avoid the Appalachian wilderness. Neil Marshall's chilling thrill ride wowed U.K. horror fans when it was released last summer, and it's sure to do the same here. You'd do well to curl up in a fetal position fetal position n. A position of the body at rest in which the spine is curved, the head is bowed forward, and the arms and legs are drawn in toward the chest. from the get-go - it'll save you the time and effort later. Writer-director Marshall, known in horror circles for his 2002 werewolf werewolf: see lycanthropy. werewolf In European folklore, a man who changes into a wolf at night and devours animals, people, or corpses, returning to human form by day. classic ``Dog Soldiers'' (which never made it across the Atlantic), takes all of about three minutes "Three Minutes" is the 46th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-second episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on May 17, 2006 on ABC. to land his first bloody blow, which puts a young woman, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), in the land of perpetual nightmares. A year later, Sarah's thrill-seeking gal pals decide that she needs to get over the grieving, so they go on a caving expedition in the Appalachians. Bad idea. Actually, the bad idea was control freak control freak Slang n. One who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and situations. Noun 1. control freak - someone with a compulsive desire to exert control over situations and people Juno's (Natalie Mendoza Natalie Mendoza (born August 12 1978) is an Australian actress and singer, born in Hong Kong and raised in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Biography Natalie Mendoza (nicknamed: Natta, Nutty) was born on August 12th, 1978 in Hong Kong to a Filipino father and ) decision to deviate from the planned itinerary and explore a cave that isn't in the guidebook. Her mantra: If there's no risk, what's the point? Unfortunately, none of the six women notice the bloody handprints embedded in the cave's walls. And why is Sarah the only one hearing the voices? Something could be made from the movie's all-female cast getting stuck in tight passageways and (some of them, at least) being eventually covered in blood, a la Sissy sis·sy n. pl. sis·sies 1. A boy or man regarded as effeminate. 2. A person regarded as timid or cowardly. 3. Informal Sister. Spacek's Carrie awakening to her womanhood, but it really doesn't pay to think too hard about stuff like that. Marshall's movie is all about the ravenous nasties living in darkness Living in Darkness is the 1981 release by the hardcore punk band Agent Orange. It was released on Posh Boy Records in 1981. It is, especially in its current expanded release, considered the best of Agent Orange's efforts. who lick their chops as the women drop down farther beneath the surface and the lights begin to dim. The women are barely distinguishable as characters (all that darkness doesn't help) with the exceptions of Sarah and Juno, whose status as best friends is tenuous at best. Marshall telegraphs the root cause of the problem, but that doesn't make Juno any less a piece of work. The character can rightly stand beside Sigourney Weaver's Ripley -- Marshall has clearly watched ``Alien'' a time or two -- as one of the great female butt-kickers in recent film, a woman who takes an inordinate amount of pleasure in the sound of snapping bones. Marshall does, too, which makes ``The Descent'' one of the more disturbing B-movies to come around in a very long time. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672. glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com THE DESCENT - Three and one half stars (R: strong violence, gore, language) Starring: Natalie Mendoza, Shauna Macdonald. Director: Neil Marshall. Running time: 1 hr. 39 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: ``Deliverance'' goes underground. No dueling banjos, but plenty of squealing squeal v. squealed, squeal·ing, squeals v.intr. 1. To give forth a loud shrill cry or sound. 2. Slang To turn informer; betray an accomplice or secret. v.tr. in this chilling horror thrill ride. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: When cave explorer Juno (Natalie Mendoza) decides to deviate from the group's planned itinerary, the six women find trouble lurking below the surface in ``The Descent.'' |
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