Screenscenes

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
Starring Daniel Radcliffe Directed by Chris Columbus 2.5
Paws

As a phoenix is crying on his lacerated arm, Harry Potter tells
us, “Of course, phoenix tears have healing powers.”
This is one of the many lazy coincidences that the new Harry Potter
film uses to save our hero just in time. It’s not dramatic
because it’s too easy.

Not that it really matters. “Chamber of Secrets” is
a wonderful display of computer graphics. Inanimate objects are
given personalities, such as a temperamental car, a book that
writes back, and the rodent-like Mandrake plants. This is not a bad
way to spend lots of money on a movie.

The characters also expand a bit since the last film which was
pretty much all exposition, but the excessive close-ups, from
grimaces to big smiles, feel manipulative. However, they’ve
also added two scene-stealers: Kenneth Branagh as vain, but inept
magician Gilderoy Lockhart, and Shirley Henderson as a moody
Moaning Myrtle.

Perhaps the greatest challenge the movie faces is the mass of
children you’ll have to deal with when you watch the film.
They naturally eat up the scenery, action, and gross-out gags while
climbing over their seats and vocally commenting on the film with
their parents. It’s not the ideal way to see a movie, but it
may actually add to your enjoyment of “Harry
Potter.”

John Williams’ score isn’t his best, and like the
film’s plot, it’s too easily entertaining without being
interesting. But then again why was this film made? Of course, the
Harry Potter franchise has money-making powers.

-Howard Ho

“Ararat” Starring David Alpay and
Christopher Plummer Directed by Atom Egoyan 3 Paws

“Ararat” is the first picture to directly address
the controversial Armenian genocide of 1915, which the Turkish
government denies ever occurred. Director/

writer Atom Egoyan explores the effects of fiction, the
discovery of truth, and the dangers of denial in this ambitious
undertaking.

Set in the present day, “Ararat” features Raffi,
David Alpay, a young man who wants to know the cause of his
father’s death. Raffi’s search for answers leads him
back to his homeland’s Mount Ararat and the brutal
genocide.

While the camera work and film score are breathtaking,
“Ararat” does not settle for a mere epic tale of
oppression and tyranny. By drawing broad comparisons between the
Armenian plight and its modern-day implications, Egoyan demands
that the audience step outside of the simple good-guy v. bad-guy
frame and understand these struggles as exercises in raw conviction
and belief, a highly refreshing proposition.

“Ararat’s” main fault, however, is its overly
broad agenda. Egoyan tries to make too many points and mixes too
many metaphors in the course of two hours, leaving subplots and
characters underdeveloped and certain scenes unexplained to make
room for the very literal account of the Armenian genocide. This
film would have benefited from tighter editing and a screenplay
with stronger characters and narrative.

However, the grand scope of this project and its groundbreaking
status make “Ararat” a film not to be missed. Its
ultimate success is its efficacy in bringing the Armenian struggle
to the world’s attention. Egoyan aims for the top of Mount
Ararat, and makes the climb with only a few stumbles.

-Paul Mendoza