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

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Discover the intriguing inside stories of why so many of Britain's most celebrated stars took roles in the series. See the newly unveiled screen test between Daniel Radcliffe and Evanna Lynch (selected to play Luna out of 15,000 hopefuls!) Go on the set to see firsthand how each of the directors brought unique strengths to the series. Witness the amazing transformations as Daniel, Rupert and Emma grow with their characters over a decade of unprecedented filmmaking. My Thoughts I have no idea how many times I've seen this one now, though this is the first time I've watched the Blu-ray version.  I love the movie - though I don't care for the snake parts...and the basalisk still freaks me out even though I know it is CGI.  What can I say...I'm a wimp.  All the spiders don't bother me at all though. This is a good adaptation from the book.  There are changes, but they aren't huge and don't irritate me to no end like seems to happen more and more with the later movies.  The story is a little more complicated and definitely darker in tone than the story of the first book/movie.  Voldemort comes across as a bigger threat and there seems to be more danger.  A bit more about just how powerful a wizard he was comes out.  I think this one is a lot darker than the first movie - and book - but this is mild compared to what is coming.  The violence is mild and things are really scary, though some children may find a few things scary.  There is a decent amount of humor added in as well, much of it provided by something Ron says or does.  I think the way he reacts to the spiders is really funny.  Though if I was in a situation with real spiders like he was in the movie, I would have freaked way more than he did. The characters of Ron, Hermione, and Harry are growing and developing and becoming more complex.  The actors are doing better with the parts too.  They are starting to become a bit more mature, which fits since they are dealing with more serious issues.  Hermione shows again how intelligent she is and what a power witch she is becoming by figuring out that potion as a second year.  She does other things like that in the later books that have unfortunately been cut from the movies.  The new characters are wonderful and the casting for them is perfect.  Lockhart is such an insufferable dolt and Kenneth Branagh does a great job with the part.  Doby is done very well as is Lucius Malfoy.  With the way Lucius acts, it becomes clearer why Draco is the way he is. I watched the extended version of the movie this time that has about 17 more minutes.  There are just little differences here and there.  I wasn't sure about all of the changes until I watched the deleted scenes.  The main new extra lasts about an hour and 20 minutes and is focused on the characters.  There are interviews with a lot of the cast about their characters.  Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are shown the most.  The casting of different characters through the sixth movie is covered.  The directors talk about some of the casting as well.  Not all of the characters are covered.  It would have been nice if more of them had been mentioned, though that would have made the extra a lot longer.  None of the characters who will be introduced in the last movie are talked about, though at one point, I'm sure I saw Luna's father in the footage playing.  Since nothing tied to the last movie is brought up or even hinted at, it does make this featurette or documentary - whatever - feel unfinished to me.  The movie has held up very well and is still enjoyable to watch.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione already look different from the first movie.  I'm so glad that the cast has stayed the same through all the movies.  It just wouldn't have been the same if some of the parts had been recast. This Ultimate set is wonderful and something that Potter fans will enjoy. I did post a review on Epinions after I saw the movie in the theater in 2002.  I have thought about updating the review, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

(From Dragonfire88's Alphabet Marathon on July 4th, 2010)

Conspiracy, a review by Antares

Conspiracy





Year: 2001
Film Studio: British Broadcasting Corporation, Home Box Office, HBO Home Video
Genre: Drama, Television, War
Length: 96 Min.

Director
Frank Pierson (1925)

Writing
Loring Mandel (1928)...Written By

Producer
Frank Doelger
Nick Gillott (1945)
C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo
Frank Pierson (1925)
Rudi Teichmann (1955)
David M. Thompson (1950)
Peter Zinner (1919)

Cinematographer
Stephen Goldblatt (1945)

Stars
Kenneth Branagh (1960) as Reinhard Heydrich
Clare Bullus as Maid
Stanley Tucci (1960) as Adolf Eichmann
Simon Markey as Stenographer
David Glover (1927) as Supervising Butler
David Willoughby as Orderly #1
Tom Hiddleston (1981) as Phone Operator
David Spinx (1951) as Cook

Review
       In 1942, at the confiscated estate of a Jewish businessman, Reinhard Heydrich, Adolf Eichmann and the upper echelon members of the Nazi party, came together to set in motion the plan to execute all people deemed irrelevant and unnecessary to the forging of the new German state. The decisions made at the would lead to the systematic extermination of over 14 million Europeans, of which 6 million were Jews, and would be forever remembered as the ConspiracyRatings Criterion4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.

(From Conspiracy (2001) on December 8th, 2009)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Odo is ordered to bring Quark before a Federation grand jury and he does this with joy. But their travel doesn't go as expected, they crash on a planet that is barely capable of supporting life and they have to find a way to send a distress signal. Meanwhile Jake moves into his own quarters and Nog, who's in his sophomore year at Starfleet Academy, moves in with him during his practical training aboard the station.

My Opinion: This was a great Odo/Quark episode. They were bickering like an old couple and they basically are. I liked it how they voiced their anger and "hatred" and yet neither one gave up on the other. Episode like this one convinced me that it was a good idea to make Odo solid (at least for a while).
But I also liked the Jake/Nog part. Nog has definitely changed due to his training and they have grown apart, but they are still very good friends.

Synopsis: Sisko scans a picture of an ancient - an lost - city on Bajor into the holographic computer when he's hit by an electrical discharge. When he awakes he starts to have visions that help him to find that city. But that visions also tell him that he mustn't allow Bajor to join the Federation or it will be Bajor's undoing.

My Opinion: This was a typical "Sisko as religious figure" episode and I told you I feel uneasy about them. Even Q, surely a god-like figure, was never treated with that much reverence in the Star Trek universe.

Synopsis: Kira's past is catching up with her. Someone is killing the members of the Shakaar resistance cell one by one and he seems to have special plans for Kira. While Odo tries to find whoever is behind this, Kira tries to keep her friends alive albeit with little success.

My Opinion: The world is grey, not black and white. This episode proved that point very well. And I really liked that Kira didn't start to apologize for what she did because I never believed she did regret it. He was the enemy and she fought against the enemy with all her might. There's no such thing as a clean war and she is no hypocrite claiming there was.

Synopsis: Quark sells Odo an infant shapeshifter who has been badly injured by radiation poisoning. Dr. Bashir can treat him and now Odo tries to teach the glass of jelly how to become a real shapeshifter and how to communicate with its environment. But it's only when Dr. Mora Pol helps him that they have some success.

My Opinion: This episode is great for two reasons. The first one is that a lot of scenes of this episode were about Rene Auberjonois talking to goo in variably-shaped glass bowls. And I loved watching him at that. I also liked how he argued with Mora and that they finally ended their quarrel about how Mora treated Odo when Odo was the goo in the bowl.
The second reason is that Odo can finally shapeshift again. It was a great gift from the dying infant and I loved the scene where he transformed into that hawk and flew around the promenade.

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on January 30th, 2009)