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CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (2003) (****)

Two things have to come together to make a good documentary a great one -- skilled and dedicated filmmakers that know what questions to ask and who to ask them to and serendipity. This film has both. The film chronicles the lives of the Friedman family, whose patriarch was convicted of child molestation along with his youngest son. It was one of the most famous such cases in American history. What the filmmakers lucked into with this documentary is that the oldest son, David, filmed and video recorded many family meetings even after Arnold, the father, and Jesse, the son, were arrested.

The film unblinkingly peers into the turmoil that this family went through. We get glimpses of Arnold as a funny, happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but after the charges were brought against him, he becomes a quiet, meek guilt-ridden lump. Elaine, Arnold's wife, seemed to love her husband before the charges, but old buried issues boiled to the surface and she quickly wrote him off. This betrayal by his mother created great anger and resentment in David, who sees his father through rose-colored glasses and sees his mother through cloudy resentment. Seth, the middle child, didn't even participate in the film, which adds to the story's mystery and makes the reading of the affects on the family more complex. Jesse, the youngest son, seems the most resolved about the situation and the most honest about the way he views both his father and mother. The last family member interviewed is Arnold's brother Howard, who is very emotionally scarred by the scandal. A revelation about Howard late in the movie adds a whole new wrinkle to him and his brother.

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READ MY LIPS (2002) (***1/2)

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 10:32am

This French thriller is a film that Alfred Hitchcock would have loved. Ordinary people thrust into extraordinary events. The frumpy Carla (Emmanuelle Devos, FORGET ME) is a secretary at a construction firm. She is partially deaf – able to read lips though. The men at the office ridicule her behind her back. They have a knack for always discarding their coffee cups on her desk. Overworked – one day her boss tells her to hire an assistant.

The employment agency sends over newly released convict, Paul (Vincent Cassel, IRREVERIBLE), who has no office skills whatsoever. At first repulsed, but strangely intrigued, Carla hires Paul and quickly gains a feeling of authority, finally having someone under her. In a way identifying with Paul's outcast persona, she helps Paul get a place to live. When a colleague steals a project she has been working on for three years, Carla asks Paul for some help. This "criminal" act starts Carla and Paul exchanging favors for favors, leading to Carla reading the lips of gangsters to find out when a bag of laundered money is coming in so Paul can steal it.

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BATTLE ROYALE (2000) (****)

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 12:01am

This film from Japan was an international sensation. It was a controversial one as well. I saw it by getting an all-region DVD from Korea off e-Bay for Christmas. But I am now seeing it at some indie rental outlets for rent. I've been waiting two years to see this film and it was well worth it. Simply explaining the plot will explain the controversy.

It's set in a near future Japan where adults have lost all faith in the morals of the teen generation. As a way to keep the youth as a whole in line, they have instituted a new act where one ninth-grade class a year is chosen to participate in Battle Royale. The 42 students must kill each other off one by one until only one teen survives. If you don't kill, a collar around your neck will explode, killing you.

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FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981) (***1/2)

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 12:01am

This may be the most underrated Bond movie of the series. It's easily the most realistic and one of the most thrilling. I can't yet say if it's Roger Moore's best, but it's a huge step up from his first outing in the miserable LIVE AND LET DIE. But we'll get back to Moore later.

The film starts off by acknowledging ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, which was the first non-Connery Bond film and the one where Bond gets married and his wife is murdered. In the beginning of this film, James Bond visits his wife's grave, which adds an emotional pull to the film that sometimes Bond films lack. The first sequence where Blofeld controls Bond's helicopter is humorous and a wonderful wink from the filmmakers that this entry in the series is killing off the silliness and excess that had been building up.

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CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) (****)

One of the best films of 2000, this is the kind of film that you love to watch over and over again. That's saying a lot for a subtitled film. Director Ang Lee (ICE STORM) brought to life a Chinese kung-fu move with heart and emotion. I had to twist my wife's arm to go see this in the theater. It's now one of her favorites and she let out an audible, "wow," in the theater when the first character effortlessly takes flight.

Veteran fighter Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat, ANNA AND THE KING) is about to retire and he has given his legendary sword, the Green Destiny, to Sir Te (Lung Sihung, EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN). It also allows him to reunited with his childhood friend, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh, TOMORROW NEVER DIES), who is employed as a guardian. Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien have long loved each other, but have kept their feelings repressed. Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang, RUSH HOUR 2) is the Governor's daughter, who is engaged to marry a man she does not love. Secretly, she is being trained in the Wudan martial arts by thief and murderer, Jade Fox (Pei-pei Cheng, THE LEGEND OF BLACK MASK), who killed Li Mu Bai's master.

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GINGER SNAPS (2000) (***1/2)

This Canadian teen horror film played some festivals in the States, but never got any true theatrical release. The film went straight-to-video in 2001 and has slowly garnered a cult following thanks to the Internet. There is a good reason for this; it's the very smart horror film.

The story follows the Fitzgerald sisters – Brigitte (Emily Perkins, IT) and Ginger (Katharine Isabelle, FREDDY VS. JASON) – whose fascination with death has led them to become outcasts in their community. They stage gruesome death photos and disavow anything girly. They are even late in getting their periods and dread the day they come, thinking they will change into everything they hate. Recently, dogs of their town have been turning up mauled to death. One night, the girls find the culprit – a werewolf, which attacks Ginger. Slowly, the teen starts to go through a transformation, unleashing the animal inside. The original werewolf was smashed by a van, driven by a young drug dealer named Sam (Kris Lemche, EXISTENZ). As Ginger strikes up a relationship with a punk kid named Jason (TV’s NOAH), Brigitte talks with Sam about the werewolf and how to cure someone who has been bitten. Rounding out the cast is the girls’ clueless, caring, but ultimately kooky mother Pamela (Mimi Rogers, GUNG HO).

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MONSTER (2003) (****)

The buzz for this film is electric. It's based on the true story of "America's first female serial killer" Aileen Wuornos. It is a low-budget independent film from a first time feature director Patty Jenkins. If you haven't heard of it yet, you will. The main reason for this is Charlize Theron (CIDER HOUSE RULES). She plays Wuornos in a performance that is mesmerizing and brutally real. If she does not win the Oscar, they should discontinue the award forever.

Many people say they didn't even know it was she. With make-up and adding some 20 pounds, the slim, blonde model transformed into a trailer trash female straight from central casting at THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW. A lot of people didn't think she had a performance like this in her from her past work as "the girlfriend" -- they just weren't paying attention. If you watch her performances as the "girlfriend," they are all different. She truly never gives the same performance twice. Check out her performance in THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE to see some of what she can do. Theron embodies Wuornos in everyway. Watch her eyes – she is the character.

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THE LAST SAMURAI (2003) (***1/2)

In general, the reviews of this film have been positive. It has made a few top ten lists for 2003. However, the negative reviews for the film always bring up that the movie depicts a white hero coming in to save a minority group. I can see how this opinion is being formed. However, these critics are missing the bigger point.

The story follows decorated Civil War and Indian War fighter Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise, MAGNOLIA) as he is hired to help train the new Japanese military in the ways of the West. Algren is a drunk and has been squeaking out a living by doing gun demonstrations on tour. The Japanese "soldiers" he is supposed to train are peasants and farmers, who must go up against the highly skilled samurai. Even with guns, the Japanese soldiers are no match for the samurai. In the battle, Algren is taken prisoner, because the samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe, U.S. debut) is interested in knowing his enemy and respects the fighting spirit in Algren. Katsumoto places Algren in the care of his sister Taka (Koyuki, U.S. debut), who was the wife of one of the samurai Algren killed. Through his time in the samurai village, Algren learns about the code of honor these people live by and is haunted by the Indian massacres he participated in.

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MYSTIC RIVER (2003) (***1/2)

This film perplexes me. The hype is high and it may not have lived up to my expectations. Every year there is a critical sensation that just doesn’t blow me away like all the reviews say it will. Maybe over time, this film will resonate more, once it’s distanced from the hype. But that's not to say I didn't like the film, which is fueled by powerful performances and a harrowing crime story.

The story deals with how tragedy often reaches from our pasts and taints our futures. Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) was abducted when he was an adolescent as his friends Sean (Kevin Bacon, FLATLINERS) and Jimmy (Sean Penn, DEAD MAN WALKING) watched. Over the years, the three friends grew apart. Jimmy went to prison and has been married twice. His daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum, SONGCATCHER), with his first wife, is the love of his life. His new wife, Annabeth (Laura Linney, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME), complains that he needs to remember that he has two other daughters. Dave is plagued by what happened to him, unable to reconcile it in his mind. Sean has become a homicide cop and is estranged from his wife who calls him but doesn’t speak.

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FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963) (***1/2)

The second Bond film is considered by many to be the best. It ups the ante from DR. NO and Sean Connery has truly grown into the character. This entry introduced Desmond Llewelyn as Q, the inventor of all of Bond's nifty gadgets. It also starts some of the contrived conventions of the series, but ultimately it balances between the straightforward style of the first film and the superhero elements of later installments.

This time around the plot is far more complex, which makes it more engaging than DR. NO. The evil enterprise SPECTRE plans to ignite a war between the U.S. and Russia, so they can take control of the world in the aftermath. Russian agent Tatiana Romanov (Daniela Bianchi, ALWAYS ON SUNDAY) thinks she is doing a mission for Russia, but she is really being set up by SPECTRE. Her orders are to allow Bond to steal a Russian decoder, and once Bond is killed, his theft will be revealed starting WWIII. However, SPECTRE didn't anticipate the true sexual appeal of James Bond, who easily makes Tatiana fall in love with him. Bond's sexual prowess is definitely pushed more over-the-top than in DR. NO, however Tatiana isn't totally helpless, often helping Bond in crucial moments.

Blogs

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2003) (***1/2)

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 14, 2004 at 12:01am

Gurinder Chadha has followed up her wonderful film WHAT’S COOKING? with this delightful crowd pleaser about an Indian girl named Jess (Parminder K. Nagra, TV’s ER) who just wants to play soccer. The plot is standard “girl fights tradition to do what she wants” kind of story. What sets this film apart is that it has heart and real pathos. The characters are fleshed out and the action of the story occurs naturally.

Jess gets caught playing soccer and her father (Anupam Kher) and mother (Shaheen Khan, CAPTIVES) forbid her from playing. In a lesser film, this would be the big second act conflict that propels the film to an inevitable end. However, this film has Jess continue to defy her parents over and over again, much like a real teenager. She is spotted playing in the park by Jules (Keira Knightley, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) who invites her to play for her female team, which is coached by ex-men’s player Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, TITUS). Those three form an unusually believable love triangle.

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BAD SANTA (2003) (***1/2)

To call this movie a black comedy is being kind. It’s a coal black satire of the holiday season. I hardly ever notice cursing in movies now, but this one even pricked up my ears. Maybe it's the context of something innocent like Santa, but this film even shocked me. These are not complaints; they are the biggest compliments I can give this film.

Willie (Billy Bob Thornton, SLING BLADE) is a foul-mouthed alcoholic safe-cracker, who works with a black dwarf named Marcus (Tony Cox, FRIDAY). Every year they pose as Santa Claus and his elf at malls. On Christmas Eve, they rob the mall and live off their ill-gotten gains for the next year. This time around Willie ends up meeting a kid named Thurman (Brett Kelly, OUT COLD), who is an absolute hopeless loser. He starts to cling to Willie hoping that Santa will give him a present for Christmas. At first Willie doesn’t want to have anything to do with the kid, but ends up staying at his house.

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FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (1996) (***1/2)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez (DESPERADO) and written by Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION), this horror crime film bubbles over with cool. It plays out in two distinct parts — the first is a kidnap story and the second is a vampire yarn. Though completely different, Rodriguez brings a unifying style to the two halves and Tarantino writes the in a dramatic way where "good guys" and "bad guys" must come together to conquer a common enemy. Oh, and it's cool as hell… but I already mentioned that.

Seth (George Clooney, O' BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?) and Richard Gecko (Tarantino, DESPERADO) are escaped bank robbers trying to flee to Mexico. Bumps happen along the way mainly due to the extremely unpredictable and unstable behavior of Richard. The Gecko Brothers end up taking hostage the Fuller family, which includes ex-minister Jacob (Harvey Keitel, THE GREY ZONE), teenage daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis, CAPE FEAR) and his Chinese son Scott (Ernest Liu, THE WESTING GAME). They end up at the Titty Twister bar where the management turns out to be blood-sucking vampires.

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WORKING GIRL (1988) (***1/2)

In the role that made her, Melanie Griffith (LOLITA) as Tess McGill has never been better. The role allows her to use the sexpot type she played prior to this film, while crafting a much fuller character.

The story follows go-getter Jersey girl McGill as she gets a job as a secretary for no-holds-barred businesswoman Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver, ALIEN). McGill knows a great deal about finance, but she doesn't look or sound the part. After Katharine gets stuck in the mountains after breaking her leg skiing, Tess learns that Katharine had stolen one of her own ideas that Katharine poo-pooed earlier. Tess then assumes Katharine's identity and takes her business idea to Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) at a competing firm.

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OWNING MAHOWNY (2003) (***1/2)

This character study about a man with a severe gambling addiction continues to prove that Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors working today. Based on a true story about a bank employee who took his employer for $10.2 million, Hoffman sinks into this role completely. He never goes for effect, because like any addict his highs are muted by his addiction. It takes a bigger and bigger risk to even get him to blink.

Hoffman's Dan Mahowny is determined that if he gambles long enough he will be able to pay back all his debts, which he has accrued from gambling. At the bank he is promoted to assistant manager in charge of loans, which he starts making out to himself. His unassuming appearance and nerdy charm allow him to cover up his deceptions. But his gambling has gotten so bad that his bookie Frank (Maury Chaykin, HOSTAGE) cuts him off, because Mahowny starts making impulsive bets just to place a bet. Even bookies have to draw a line on how much they'll take someone for their money. Mahowny has a girlfriend named Belinda (Minnie Driver, CIRCLE OF FRIENDS), who worries and really cares about him, but when he invites her to Vegas with him she finally can't overlook his erratic behavior.

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ALL THE REAL GIRLS (2003) (****)

David Gordon Green is quickly becoming a director to watch. His only other film GEORGE WASHINGTON was one of the best films from 2000 and I eagerly await his version of the Pulitzer Prize award-winning novel CONFEDERACY OF THE DUNCES. Again he deals with young characters, this time in their late teens and 20s. ALL THE REAL GIRLS is a simple love story constructed with complex characters.

Paul (Paul Schneider, GEORGE WASHINGTON) is a notorious ladies man in his small working class North Carolina town. He starts dating Noel (Zooey Deschanel, ALMOST FAMOUS), the younger sister of his best friend Tip (Shea Whigham, TIGERLAND), who of course doesn't like the idea when he finds out. Noel has just returned from boarding school and Paul notice how she has grown up. They've known each other their whole lives and they approach this next step in the relationship with thought and idealism. But unlike so many other screen romances, the two lovers have other people in their lives that make a difference. The supporting cast is not just there to serve the plot.

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WHAT’S UP, DOC? (1972) (***1/2)

Director Peter Bogdanovich (LAST PICTURE SHOW) set out to make an homage to ‘30s screwball comedies and succeeded with flare. In many ways, it stands with the best of the genre.

Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal, LOVE STORY) and his fiancée, Eunice Burns (Madeline Kahn, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN) travel to San Francisco for a musicology event where Howard is up for a $20,000 grant. Zany craziness ensues from the beginning to the end due to four identical plaid bags each containing Howard’s musical rocks, secret documents, stolen jewels and Judy Maxwell’s clothes. Maxwell (Barbra Streisand, MIRROR HAS TWO FACES) provides most of the wackiness as she wills herself upon Howard, even renaming him Steve.

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HEAVENLY CREATURES (1994) (***1/2)

The first time I saw this twisted little film I didn't really like it. But after several viewings, I've been won over by LORD OF THE RINGS director Peter Jackson's tale of two young girls in the 1950s whose imagination and sexuality become too hard to handle for their parents.

Based on a true story, Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER) is a cubby loner who is nagged by her over-protective, yet caring mother, Honora (Sarah Peirse, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE). Then enters the flamboyant and highly imaginative rich girl Juliet (Kate Winslet, TITANIC). Before too long the two girls create an entire kingdom of knights and maids in their heads, casting themselves as central characters. Pauline starts going by the name Gina and Juliet goes by the name Debora.

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WHALE RIDER (2003) (****)

Set in a modern Maori community in New Zealand, this powerful drama chronicles three generations of one family, which is headed by a strictly old-fashioned patriarch named Koro (Rawiri Paratane, 2000’s ACCIDENTS). Koro is disappointed that his son Porourangi (Cliff Curtis, THREE KINGS) has not had a son, but a daughter. Defiantly he named the little girl Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes, film debut) after the mythic leader of the tribe. Porourangi leaves the community and his mother Nancy Flowers (Vicky Haughton, JUBILEE) takes the child in.

Koro’s disappointment fades over time once the love for his granddaughter grows, however, he’s very staunch in his traditional beliefs that his family needs a male descendant from his first-born son to carry on the leadership and traditions of his people. As Porourangi tells Pai, he’s looking for a prophet. When I first heard the plot of this film, I thought that the film was just going to be one of those solid girl-proves-she can-hang-with-the-boys type of films. I just wasn’t prepared for the honest power of this particular story.

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28 DAYS LATER… (2002) (***1/2)

This mix of THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD series and Stephan King’s THE STAND is the smart man’s zombie movie. This intense horror film has raw energy behind it. Director Danny Boyle has breathed life into a subgenre of scary movies that hasn't felt fresh in ages. There's grit and sweat and anger underneath this story, but there is also heart. The best way I can describe the mood of this film is to call it pure punk rock.

The set-up is typical; a virus quickly spreads through England turning humans into bloodthirsty killers. Jim (Cillian Murphy, GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING), a comatose bike messenger, wakes up in the hospital and finds the city deserted. He soon meets up with Selena (Naomie Harris, TV’s DINOTOPIA) and Mark (Noah Huntley, MEGIDDO: THE OMEGA CODE 2), who have been battling to stay alive against the infected for the last 28 days. Later on the trio meet, Frank (Brendan Gleeson, DARK BLUE), the devoted father of Hannah (Megan Burns, LIAM), and Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston, THE OTHERS), a no-nonsense leader of a small group of military officers.

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HULK (2003) (***1/2)

You could call this film the thinking man’s comic book movie. I personally didn’t find it as emotionally engaging as SPIDER-MAN, but it’s another great installment in the comic-turned-movie genre. Director Ang Lee (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) takes a traditional parent and offspring conflict and wraps it into a classic monster movie like FRANKENSTEIN.

Bruce Banner (Eric Bana, BLACK HAWK DOWN) is a talented young scientist who has trouble expressing his buried feelings. He is working on a regeneration healing experiment with his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly, A BEAUTIFUL MIND). An accident in the lab, which should have killed Bruce, only makes him feel better. His estranged father David (Nick Nolte, AFFLICTION) reemerges and sheds light on how his experiments have left his son “unique.” Betty’s distant father General Ross (Sam Elliot, TOMBSTONE) stopped David’s experiments and questions how Bruce could be traveling down the same road as his dad.

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UPON FURTHER REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 11/26/01)
One of the most important things about making a great fantasy/sci-fi film is the creation of the world. That's why HARRY POTTER is so great… The characters are rich and not cliché, which is the most surprising thing about the film. J.K. Rowling knows kids and developed all of them with different strokes… I could spend pages writing about the wonder of various scenes... I can't wait to re-visit this world and these characters in subsequent adventures.

* Upon further review: (****)
My original review stands pretty much as it did originally. However, I really do feel the HARRY POTTER films are turning out as masterpieces of children's entertainment. Like THE WIZARD OF OZ, you can watch them as an adult and not even think once that you're watching a film targeted to kids. That's saying a lot. For all the films I've seen, it's one of the ten best films of 2001.

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BULLY (2001) (****)

From Larry Clark, the director of KIDS, BULLY is based on a true story of a group of kids in Hollywood, Florida, who killed their friend. But don't confuse this film with those "based on true events" TV movies that are churned out after every tabloid tragedy. This is an intricate look at how violence leads to violence, and shows the truth behind the statement "idle hands are the devil's playthings."

Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro, GHOST WORLD) and Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl, TERMINATOR 3) have been friends since they were little kids. Ever since then, Bobby has been physically and mentally abusing Marty. The film subtly alludes to Bobby's jealousy of Marty's good looks and his own buried homosexuality. Marty gets into a relationship with Lisa Connelly (Rachel Miner, JOE THE KING), who Bobby eventually rapes. Later on, Bobby rapes Lisa's friend Ali (Bijou Phillips, ALMOST FAMOUS). After this Rachel formulates a plan to murder Bobby. Rounding out the group is Ali's druggie boyfriend Donny (Michael Pitt, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH), Ali's rehab runaway friend Heather (Kelli Garner, LOVE LIZA), Rachel's overweight cousin Derek (Daniel Franzese, PARTY MONSTER) and the wanna-be hitman Derek (Leo Fitzpatrick, STORYTELLING).

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UPON FURTHER REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 12/23/01)
I liked CHAMBER OF SECRETS quite a bit, even though it didn't blow me away like the first one did. This may be due to the fact that the plot structure is basically the same… The real delight of the film is the added details that have expanded the wonderfully immense world that was created in the first installment. I loved the plot element about mud-bloods… Another highlight is the new characters...

* Upon further review: (****)
I think the real reason I only gave this film 3 1/2 stars was because it didn't seem as original as THE SORCERER'S STONE. But I think I had that reaction because I had already been introduced to the film's universe. After watching this back-to-back with the first film, it really stands up against it. I really can't say that I like one any more than the other. But this is a film that really stands up well to repeated viewings. I'm really looking forward to next June for the third installment.

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