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So... Another year at Hogwarts with Harry Potter, this time with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And it's been a little over a year since we last saw Harry and the gang in The Chamber of Secrets - and a lot has changed. The kids have grown up a little. Michael Gambon replaced the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore and most significantly, for the first time we have a new director in Alfonso Cuaron, replacing Chris Columbus, the man behind the camera the first two times around. And the result? Pretty much the same. A high quality film that is entertaining for both fans and non-fans of the series.

This time around, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is returning to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under some serious circumstances. Somebody has escaped from Azkaban prison. And it wouldn't be a Harry Potter story if Harry weren't smack-dab in the middle. The criminal in question is Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), behind bars for murder and known for turning Harry's parents over to He Who Must Not Be Named (aka Voldemort). When Harry learns the awful truth about Black, he wants to catch him and kill him for being responsible for his parent's death. Before the year is over, the young wizards (and witches) will have some more adventures, learn a thing or two, and Harry will learn the actual (not so awful) truth about Sirius Black.

I've still never read a page of a Harry Potter book. I still want to, but it's just not happening any time soon. So, I have to live through the movie. And what do I think? Well, as an individual movie, and as part of the series, this movie holds up extremely well. And I'm kicking myself that I didn't figure it all out. "Sirius" Black! Professor "Lupin"! Aha! How could I not see that ending coming? I guess that's a testament to the strength of the storytelling. Well done.

In time for the holidays, The Prisoner of Azkaban is now available in a two-disc DVD package. The first disc contains the feature and some movie trailers. The second contains enough special features to keep even the most die hard Potter fan amused.

First up on disc two - "Divination Class". Select this option and you'll find "Trelawney's Crystal Ball" which contains 5 deleted scenes (without commentary). Also in this section of the DVD there's a featurette titled "Creating the Vision" looking at the making of the movie with cast and crew interviews. The best part here is listening to director Cuaron and Potter author J.K. ROwling provide their thoughts about the story and characters. Finally, there's "Head to Shrunken Head" which features interviews by Johnny Vaughn and the film's 'Shrunken Head' character with the cast and filmmakers. Some funny moments with the kids and some interesting bits from the adults. (Overall, this section was the highlight of the special features - at least for me.)

The disc's next section is "Defence Against the Dark Arts". Here, you'll find a feature titled "Magic You May Have Missed" where you're shown scenes from the movie and are quizzed about things going on in the background. There's also a feature titled "Tour Lupin's Classroom" where you can do just that with a little click of your remote.

Visit the "Great Hall" and there's a couple of more interactive extras. They include a "Catch Scabbers" game where you can play Crookshanks the cat and chase Scabbers the rat. And, in "The Quest of Sir Cadogan", you can help Sir Cadogan find his way to protect the Gryffindor Common Room.

Take the "Tour Honeydukes" option and again, another interactive tour of one of the movie settings.

Finally, there's the "Hogwarts Grounds". Here, you'll find a link to the disc's DVD-ROM features and a preview of the Prisoner of Azkaban game from EA Games. Visit "Hagrid's Hut" on the 'Grounds' and you'll find "Care of Magical Animals" where you'll learn about the film's animal trainers. Also in "Hagrid's Hut" you can select "Conjuring a Scene" which is an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the makeup/visual effects from the movie, ranging from Sirius Black and the werewolf to creating Buckbeack and the Dementors. I found this featurette particularly interesting.

The disc's DVD-ROM features include a Hogwarts Timeline where you can learn about the history of the school and about Harry Potter, complete with video clips from all three films. There's also a section where you can collect online trading cards.

Overall, some decent features to complement a great movie. Like I said earlier, there's enough content here for your beginners to your fanatics. Now, all we have to do is wait until November 2005 for our next fix of the adventures of our young Mr. Potter. Maybe I should take the time from now until then to catch up on my reading.

Check out the official site.