DVD Collectors Online

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a review by RossRoy

WHAT THEY SAY

The next installment in the Harry Potter series finds young wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) facing new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they try to uncover a dark force that is terrorizing the school.

MY THOUGHTS

Year 2 at Hogwarts. Further advancing the story, thing are starting to take a turn for the worse. Voldemort starts getting a bit more fleshed out. Our heroes are getting more powerful and now have more control over their powers. Yet, it still feels like they got lucky. We finally start seeing the lovely Ginny Weasly more. I love how some seeds are already being planted for events that will happen much further down the line. It helps cement the story as a whole, give it direction to drive it forward. This year's story is great. The Drago-Harry anomosity is building. Snape is... well.. Snape   Unfortunately, this marks the last appearance of Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore. I would've loved to see how he'd handle some situations in the later stories. His replacement does a good job, but right form the first movie, Richard Harris brought something special to the role. A good movie, a good story, and part of a great fantasy world.

RATING

(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on July 5th, 2010)

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, a review by Danae Cassandra

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Year of Release: 1970
Directed By: Jaromil Jires
Starring: Jaroslava Schallerova, Helena Anyzova, Petr Kopriva, Jiri Prymek
Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Overview:
A girl on the verge of womanhood finds herself in a sensual fantasyland of vampires, witchcraft, and other threats in this eerie and mystical movie daydream. Valerie and Her Week of WondersMy Thoughts:
Firstly, let me say this is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. You could take just about any still from this film, toss it in a frame and hang it on the wall of a gallery. The cinematography, costuming, lighting, all of it is simply gorgeous. Valerie is worth seeing simply for it's visual beauty alone.

It's also a somewhat impenetrable surrealist film. The plot, such as it is, features Valerie, a young woman on the cusp of womanhood, threatened by vampires and religious authority, envied by her grandmother for her beauty, and flirting with an erotic relationship with a young man who may be her brother. I'm of the opinion the film is really allegory about Valerie's sexual awakening upon getting her first menstrual period. Recommended for lovers of art films - this is film as art, not as storytelling.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 3.5/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 11th, 2016)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

18. Earshot (1999-09-21)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Jane Espenson (Writer)
Director: Regis B. Kimble
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Ethan Erickson (Percy), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Larry Bagby III (Larry), Keram Malicki-Sanchez (Freddy), Justin Doran (Hogan), Lauren Roman (Nancy), Wendy Worthington (Lunch Lady), Robert Arce (Mr. Beach), Molly Bryant (Ms. Murray), Rich Muller (Student), Jay Michael Ferguson (Another Student)

The thoughts of our characters are fun. Cordelia actually always saying what she's thinking. Oz thinking weird thoughts.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 6th, 2009)