THE DESCENT PART 2

THIS PICKS UP WHERE THE DESCENT LEFT OFF.  SARA IS FORCED INTO HELPING A RESCUE TEAM GO BACK INTO THE CAVES TO FIND HER FRIENDS.  ONCE AGAIN THEY ENCOUNTER THE FLESH EATERS AND HAVE TO FIGHT THEM OFF TO SURVIVE.
AS A STAND ALONE FILM, THE DESCENT PART 2 IS AN OKAY HORROR MOVIE.  IT'S VERY BLOODY, VERY VIOLENT AND DOES HAVE SOME SCARY AND SHOCKING SCENES.  AS A SEQUEL TO THE DESCENT, IT WRAPS UP THE STORY NICELY AND LEAVES AN OPENING FOR A PART 3.  HOWEVER, THERE ARE SIMILAR THINGS TO WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST MOVIE, BUT JUST IN DIFFERENT MODES.  PERHAPS THAT IS INEVITABLE WHEN DEALING WITH A STORY THAT TAKES PLACE IN A CAVE.  I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE ENDING; WHAT HAPPENS DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT THE STORY, EXCEPT THAT IT ALLOWS FOR ANOTHER SEQUEL. 
RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5

THE DVD CONTAINS A BEHIND THE SCENES, DELETED SCENES AND A COMMENTARY TRACK WITH THE DIRECTOR AND CAST.

THE DESCENT

A YEAR AFTER SARA LOSES HER FAMILY IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT, SHE AND 5 OTHER FRIENDS GO CAVE EXPLORING.  AT FIRST, THE CAVES SEEM QUITE HARMLESS AND BEAUTIFUL, THEN THE EXPLORERS ARE ATTACKED BY A CLAN OF FLESH EATING BEASTS.  THE REST OF THE MOVIE IS ABOUT THEIR ATTEMPT TO SURVIVE.
THIS IS A GREAT HORROR FILM.  IT HAS ALL THE ELEMENTS YOU WOULD EXPECT: TERROR, VIOLENCE, BLOOD AND GORE AND EVEN SOME HUMOR THROWN IN.  IT IS AS MUCH ABOUT THE WOMEN'S DESCENT INTO THE CAVES AS IT IS SARA'S DESCENT INTO MADNESS.  I LIKED HER TRANSFORMATION FROM A GENTLE PERSON INTO A FIERCE FIGHTER.  ALSO, THE FIGHT SCENES ARE WELL DONE, QUITE GRAPHIC AND VERY EXCITING.  ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL DEVELOPED AND BELIEVABLE.
RATING: 4 OUT OF 5

THE DVD CONTAINS A BEHIND THE SCENES, DELETED SCENES, BLOOPER REEL, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR AND TWO COMMENTARY TRACKS.

HANNA

HANNA STARS SAOIRSE RONAN AS A 15 YEAR OLD ASSASSIN TRAINED BY HER FATHER ERIK HELLER, PLAYED BY ERIC BANA.  TRYING TO KILL BOTH OF THEM IS HELLER'S FORMER HANDLER, PLAYED BY CATE BLANCHETT.  WHILE ON THE RUN, HANNA MEETS UP WITH A FREE WHEELING BRITISH FAMILY AND DISCOVERS WHAT SHE HAS BEEN MISSING BY NOT LIVING A NORMAL LIFE.
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE IDEA OF HAVING A 15 YEAR OLD GIRL PLAY AN ASSASSIN WAS NEW AND ORIGINAL.  I WASN'T DISAPPOINTED.  THE FIGHT SCENES INVOLVING HANNA WERE WELL DONE AND DIDN'T PULL ANY PUNCHES (EXCUSE THE PUN) AND SHE KILLED WITHOUT EMOTION.  I ALSO LIKED THE SCENES WHERE HANNA WAS DISCOVERING A WORLD SHE HAD NEVER SEEN -- EXPERIENCES WITH TELEVISION AND ELECTRICITY BEING TWO OF THEM.  ON THE DOWN SIDE, I DON'T THINK BLANCHETT'S CHARACTER WAS EVIL ENOUGH TO BE THE VILLAIN AND THAT TOOK AWAY FROM THE SUSPENSE IN THE CHASE SCENES.  THE MOVIE DOES BOOKEND ITSELF WELL WITH AN ECHOING OF AN EVENT IN THE OPENING IN THE ENDING. 
RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5

THIS DVD RENTAL CONTAINS NO EXTRAS

LIMITLESS

LIMITLESS STARS BRADLEY COOPER AS  EDDIE MORRA, A DOWN AND OUT WRITER WHO IS HAVING WRITING PROBLEMS, MONEY PROBLEMS AND GIRLFRIEND PROBLEMS.  THEN, ONE DAY HE RUNS INTO HIS EX BROTHER IN LAW WHO GIVES HIM A NEW EXPERIMENTAL DRUG.  THIS DRUG ALLOWS EDDIE TO ACCESS HIS ENTIRE BRAIN TURNING HIM INTO A GENIUS.  HOWEVER, THERE ARE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS WHICH EDDIE MUST OVERCOME TO SURVIVE.
I LIKED THIS MOVIE.  IT IS ONE OF THOSE WHERE IF YOU ACCEPT THE PREMISE THEN YOU CAN ACCEPT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE.  THE ONE IRRITATING PART OF THE MOVIE IS THE CONTINUOUS NARRATION BY MORRA EXPLAINING THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.  I JUST WANTED HIM TO SHUT UP AND LET THE STORY UNFOLD ON ITS OWN.  THE ENDING SEEMED A LITTLE LIKE A COP OUT, JUST AN EASY WAY TO TIDY THINGS UP.  I WAS ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE STORY IS SAYING YOU CAN SUCCEED BY TAKING DRUGS.
RATING: 3 OUT OF 5

THE RENTAL DVD CONTAINS NO EXTRAS.

SOMEONE'S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR

A group of medical students find some old records at their school detailing experiments done on a married couple involving a new drug.  The experiments turned the couple into sadistic killers who murder their victims through sexual torture.  The students also find some of the drug and take it themselves.  The killers return to the school, and the students try to figure out what is happening.
This is a brutal violent film that involves male rape and mind bending episodes brought on by drug use.  There is full frontal nudity of both males and females.   Two or three times during the movie there were stretches of 20 to 30 seconds without any dialog and only music playing.  I could understand what the director was attempting to do, but it seemed to take away from the flow of the movie rather than enhance it.  The ending was a bit unexpected, but if you watch the movie again, the clues can be picked up.
My rating: 2.5 out of 5

The DVD extras contain a 45 minute behind the scenes, deleted scenes and two commentary tracks.   

BAD REPUTATION

This is a movie about a shy high school girl who has no friends and spends most of her time alone.  Then one day, the captain of the football team takes an interest in her and invites her to the after game party at his house.  She goes, and he and his teammates and their girlfriends get her drunk, take advantage of her and put up flyers at school labeling her the school slut.  The victim then decides to get revenge on the ones who attacked her.
I found this movie to be somewhat unbelieveable and boring.  The actions of the victim's mother and the school guidence councelor were completely false.  And up until the last 20 minutes, the movie just sort of plodded along, and the way she gets her revenge is not very new -- it's stuff that has been seen many times in different movies.  Finally, the ending was just awful.
My rating: 2 out of 5

The DVD has no extras.