Yes after reading your post I started a new game. 10 shines later, I get NO freezes. I even had FLUDD explain the controls on the airport as well as the plot in the cellblock twice, just to be sure.
==EDIT==
We should all use 1:1 isos whenever possible, in order to decide whether a game works or not. A couple more examples: Starfox Assault extracted iso blackscreens during intro to level 10, shrunk iso freezes just before battle with the final boss, full iso plays all the way to the end, as well as the end credits.
Also, Timesplitters 3 is reported as working, and it is, it also loads blazingly fast BUT in v.1.80 it froze on level 3, just as you and Harry Tipper were entering sector 3 (after restoring the water pressure). In v.1.101 it gets past that, but now it freezes in the next level, the train, immediately after headshooting the first enemy, Harry says ''that's some slick shooting man'' and then the game freezes
v. 1.101 is the new gold standard as of now