The Descent: Part 2
Director: Jon Harris Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Krysten Cummings, Gavan O'Herlihy
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Horror movies have exploited primal fear of the dark for decades, but Neil Marshall's 2005 film, The Descent, set a new precedent.
It saw six thrill-seeking women embark on an expedition to explore an unmapped cave system below the Appalachian Mountains. But if finding themselves trapped under hundreds of metres of rock wasn't scary enough for the chicks with picks, the discovery that they were not alone - and that many of their number would not be returning to the surface alive - certainly was. But once you know what's lurking in the dark, the dark ceases to be as scary.
With the cat now out of the bag (sorry, no spoilers), the very thing that made The Descent so original is its sequel's biggest obstacle to overcome.
It's a dilemma that many horror filmmakers have come across and their solution is invariably the same: up the gore. Picking up just hours after the first film ended, it sees sole survivor Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) waking up in a hospital bed with only patchy memories of her ordeal. Suspected by the local sheriff (Gavan O'Herlihy) of causing her friends' disappearances, she is forced to return to the cave with him as part of a team searching for survivors. Unsurprisingly, the rescue operation quickly finds itself in need of rescue.
The film features some of the most creative and unrelenting butchery seen in any recent horror, as well as elements of black comedy that escaped the previous movie. While it lacks the knockout punch of the original, and suffers from flat dialogue and weak characterisation, it's still an enjoyable thrill ride.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com