Paradise Lost 2: Revelations

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations_720p(480P)

Trailer—Paradise Lost 2: Revelations

The first film was so successful at causing doubt that a lot of restrictions were placed on this second film. Now only one parent of the murdered boys is willing to take part, no footage is allowed to be recorded in court, and the attorneys of two of the accused will not be interviewed. As such, this film has to struggle to find more things to detail, and also has less scope than the original. This film is mostly about saying that it could have been somebody else. They find reported teeth marks on one of bodies, which some experts argue aren't teeth marks and some say that they are. All this means is that how can we trust "experts" when they argue with each other. A lot of focus is placed on John Mark Byers. Here is a man that comes off as mentally unstable, has a violent and drug filled past, lies (or is at least very confused) about aspects of his life. How can you tell three different stories about how you lost your teeth? I mean really different stories. It's aggravating that somebody with such a poor grasp on reality cannot even consider the boys' innocence (I've read that now he does). His wife dies due to undetermined causes and still he is less of a subject than the three boys. Again, this film isn't about who did it, only that it may not have been these boys, and there is no real evidence to suggest that it was. I'm glad these guys are now out of jail, and hope Berlinger and others will continue their investigations to find the real killers, even if that just means finding proof that it was these boys.

in response to first comment, the filmmakers do not ever appear in this documentary, unless you are considering the stills on the extra section on the DVD. Jessie Miskelley's original lawyer and the support group for the West Memphis 3 do appear, along with the stepfather of one of the murder victims, Mark Byers, quite a lot, showing both sides of this case. Physical evidence and the lack of is discussed, as well as a forensic expert brought in to back up this information with scientific proof. perhaps a referral to www.wm3.org is in order for anyone who is confused about this case.

The Paradise Lost Trilogy is a great documentary series about three boys who are convicted of murder. All three films seem to be underrated but it's the second film that is the most underrated of them all. Paradise 2 is kind of like watching a train wreck happening and you can't look away. The filmmakers do a great job of showing how a persons bizarre actions and words along with rumors, insinuations and circumstantial evidence can make a person look completely guilty of something when in reality they are innocent. Really makes a person stop and think about how the three boys were convicted by a flawed criminal system.

Generally riveting follow up of the case where three quite possibly innocent young men sit in prison for murdering three children. Certainly, at least given what the two documentaries show, there is way beyond 'reasonable doubt' that they're responsible. But what was a moderate flaw in the first film becomes worse here; In the same way the prosecution disturbingly made the evidence fit their theory, throwing out, ignoring, or belittling what didn't fit, the film-makers seem to play some of the same game in reverse. Crucial questions about alibis are never answered, and this sequel spends too much energy trying to pin guilt on Mark Byers, step-father of one of the murdered boys. Is there some spooky circumstantial evidence that he may have been involved? Absolutely. But proof? The man even voluntarily takes a lie detector test, and passes with flying colors, which the film- makers then dismiss since the man is on various prescription mood altering drugs. But do we ever hear an expert say those drugs might affect the test? No. More disturbing, the film seems to imply he's guilty because he looks and acts weird, and says confusing and contradictory things, the very sort of 'guilt by odd behavior' association both films attack in relation to the three boys found guilty. The fact that Byers (supposedly) has a brain tumor, and what effect that might have on his outward behavior is never explored at all. And watching this character at such length starts to get dull after a while, as his rants go on and on. None-the-less, this is still a very interesting film, the most moving sections being those spent with the three now young men in jail for a crime they likely didn't commit. All have grown up a great deal in the 4 years since the last film, and are sad and articulate reminders of how horrifying it can be that people never given the benefit of a fair trial are allowed to sit and rot in prison. And the amazing lack of despair or bitterness they show is a testament to human resilience.

Paradise Lost 2 is a brilliant suspenseful documentary with an unbelievable conclusion. The audience is invited to play in the guess work of who is actually telling the truth. The film makers let the evidence unfold in front of the viewer allowing them to draw what seems to be the inevitable conclusion and then throw a complete curve ball when the results of the polygraph test come back. An engrossing and astounding look at the American justice system.

Paradise lost 2 is the follow up film to the first documentary about the Robin Hood Murders. This film shows us how the convicted boys have been coping since they have been in prison and how the murdered boys parents have dealt with the past few years. This film also focuses on more evidance that these boys are not guilty and how there is growing speculation on one of the murdered boys father that he is responsible for the 3 boys deaths. Yet again the film gets far to graphic , why do we have to see pictures of the castrated murdered boy? We do have an imagination HBO, and we can use it. The father who is under suspision comes across as a horrible man who looks as if he is a mixture of a drug addict,a bible basher and inter breading but having said that most of the people we see from Arkansas look and come across as being like that. I do feel this film is heavily biased towards the convicted boys but i also feel they should never have been convicted in the first place. 8 out of 10.

Anyone who watched the original documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills probably has serious misgivings about the guilt of the West Memphis Three. It appeared that the police and judicial system grabbed onto the easiest suspects and ignored the parent of one of the boys. Using Satanic ritual to stir up the local yokels, the grabbed three convictions with insufficient evidence. There is no doubt in this followup that Mark Byers is certifiable and a stone criminal, and most likely the true murderer. The efforts at appeal were fascinating, but the film does not give the whole story as the appeal for Echols was denied in 1999, but Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley's Rule 37 hearings (begun in the fall of 2008) will continue in Jonesboro, AR on August 10, 2009 and last for two full weeks. In addition, last month, the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered the Craighead County Circuit Court and Judge David Burnett to "correct supplemented record on appeal," requiring the lower court to include a sworn affidavit by a prominent Arkansas attorney that alleges extraordinary juror misconduct in Damien Echols's original trial. This story is not over.

After finding the first one absolutely riviting and cause for thought and discussion, we looked foward to Paradise Lost 2 with some anticipation. It was too long for the little new information it contained. It spent way too much time on John Byers with no payoff. Only after reading the wm3.com website, we learned that he and his wife had quite a history of crime, drugs and abuse; this should have been brought much more in the movie instead of his irritable rantings. The end of the movie should have tied up the loose ends better so you could come away with a good understanding of where things stood. I thought the "support group" looked more like groupies for Echols which was pretty wierd. They weren't much more coherent and logical than Byers in many ways. I don't think the bite marks ruled out the boys at all; only that they didn't bite!@