Rating: 
Summary: Riveting. Must see.
Review: If you enjoy documentaries on crime, or just well done documentaries in general, you must see both of the Paradise Lost films. The filmmakers do a great job of presenting both sides of this heartbreaking story. This is fascinating stuff that you'll be able to watch over and over. You definately need to watch the first one before the second.
Rating:
Summary: Watch this film!
Review: It is crucial that you see this film - even if only to highlight the injustices of the Arkansas Judicial System and its 'Good Ol Boy' Network. One of the saddest aspects of this film is that it has a cheap quality about it. One wonders if it had been done in a higher quality would it have been taken more seriously - the upside to that is that it was made at all, because frankly these young men are just numbers to the Department of Corrections now. Upon watching the documentary, the cliché that fact is stranger than fiction is exemplified here. You have a bereaved father who carries on like a B-Movie actor and the sacrificial lambs (Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley) who seems to be blindsided by what's befallen them. I can tell you that you will be enraged if you begin to delve deeper into this case. Mara Leveritt's book Devil's Knot is painstakingly researched but is very Pro-Defense. However, the facts are the facts and these boys are innocent.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars, though not quite on a par with the first
Review: Paradise Lost introduced us to what may be the most frightening onscreen villain in years : a biased judicial system. 24 jury members (2 separate trials) that had made up their minds before they had even set foot into the court room. And like any good villain, it has to slaughter a few innocents to be really scary. PL2:Revelations shows us the aftermath of said slaughter: The seemingly destroyed lives of Jessie Misskelly, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols (Even though they seem to have come to terms with their fate. That doesn't mean we should). Just like a good horror sequel, it shows us that the monster is even bigger and more powerful than previously guessed. The prejudice towards the 3 innocents spreads a lot further than the original trial courtroom. We have some heroes along the way in the name of the Free The West Memphis 3 organization, and seemingly at the center of it all, John Mark Byers, one of the parents of the 3 murdered children, and the mysterious death of his wife. Just like the first, this film moves, touches, infuriates, frustrates, and compels everyone I know who has come in contact with it. It is a testament to how powerful a film camera can truly be, and regardless of your opinion on whether or not the 3 are innocent, it is impossible to walk away from this film and forget it. This, like the first, is one of those film experiences that will haunt you for a long, long time. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: Creepier than fiction
Review: Remember the freaky mother of one of the victim's, the one that put her dead son's Boy Scout handkerchief over her head and did a little dance for the cameras in the first movie? The same kind of weird displays are seen in this sequel, as the film chronicles events after the first trial. Most disturbing of all is Mark Byers, the father of one of the boys killed. His improv rantings and melodramatic displays portray a freak in a freaky small town. This guy is more disturbing than Hannibal Lechter, and more so when you remind yourself the guy is for REAL!A little weaker than the first film, yet still a fascinating documentary of a small town thrown into chaos by a big-town crime.
Rating:
Summary: scary that this can happen here in the U.S. ...
Review: Sequel to Paradise Lost. Exposes society to more facts dealing with this modern-day witch hunt. Anyone interested in crimes, police, etc. should watch this. Shows a sampling of how wrong justice can sometimes go.
Rating:
Summary: And the Truth Shall (Hopefully) Set Them Free
Review: Sequel to Paradise Lost. Exposes society to more facts dealing with this modern-day witch hunt. Anyone interested in crimes, police, etc. should watch this. Shows a sampling of how wrong justice can sometimes go.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, Disturbing & Not As Objective As 1st Film
Review: The star of this piece is Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the murdered boys. The 1st documentary left us with the question of whether he could have been the murderer instead of the 3 young men who were convicted. This sequel is dominated by that idea and Byers is a clearly psychotic man, under the influence of at least 5 psychotropic prescriptions, who was more than willing to perform for a fee paid by the filmmakers. Frankly, without Byers, I don't think a full length documentary about why the 3 young men are still in prison, would have captured as much interest. Is there reasonable doubt about the guilt of those men? Oh, yes, and that was present in film #1. In fact, the West Memphis, Arkansas police force's methodology for handling forensic evidence rivals the LAPD's handling of the same in the OJ Simpson case. Incompetency seems to be a job qualification in West Memphis both for the police department and the judiciary. However, I am troubled by the filmmakers paying Mark Byers to perform for them. He does give us a villainous performance that is chilling and eerie. He reminds me of Robert Mitchum's character in the "The Hunter," as the evangelical minister tracking two children. It is possible that Byers is the killer. It may even be probable. However, because of the incompetence used with the forensic evidence, any murder case will probably remain incapable of being proved beyond a reasonable doubt against Byers or anyone else. I think the first documentary was a great deal more objective and didn't rely on using Byers as the lead actor or character of the piece. I was convinced that a gross injustice had been done the 3 young men and this film merely shows that still, at this late date, that injustice continues.
Rating:
Summary: Free the West Memphis Three
Review: This case, has trully not had a fair trial, these guys have basically, been charged for nothing more than living their own life, since when is that illegal? But, to call another man guilty when you have no proof of what has really happened when all these other signs are around you. Look at John Mark Byers, he is a mad man, not only did he have his teeth encrypted, but he has the knife with his sons blood on it. So how are you gonna say that these three innocent men are capable of this when these other clues lead to someone else. I guess it's just a way of saying our Government sucks, they rid of any other clues proving of innocence of the people they claim did it. Watch these films, and read Devils Knot by Mara Leveritt for a better understanding of what really happened. Also visit www.wm3.org FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE.
Rating:
Summary: Free the West Memphis Three
Review: This case, has trully not had a fair trial, these guys have basically, been charged for nothing more than living their own life, since when is that illegal? But, to call another man guilty when you have no proof of what has really happened when all these other signs are around you. Look at John Mark Byers, he is a mad man, not only did he have his teeth encrypted, but he has the knife with his sons blood on it. So how are you gonna say that these three innocent men are capable of this when these other clues lead to someone else. I guess it's just a way of saying our Government sucks, they rid of any other clues proving of innocence of the people they claim did it. Watch these films, and read Devils Knot by Mara Leveritt for a better understanding of what really happened. Also visit www.wm3.org FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling, Dramatic, and Sadly, True
Review: This documentary and its predecesor "Paradise Lost: The Robin Hood Hills Murders," tell the story of three teenagers accussed of a brutal crime perpetrated on three young boys.
No matter what you end up believing, that the West Memphis Three are guilty or innocent, this film will leave an indelible mark upon you. Even two years later I still get the chills when I think about this crime.
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