Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by David Mirkin

Casted by:

Mira Sorvino as Romy White

Lisa Kudrow as Michele Weinberger

Vincent Ventresca as Billy Christensen

Alan Cumming as Sandy Frink

Janeane Garofalo as Heather Mooney

Julia Campbell as Christie Masters

Camryn Manheim as Toby Walters

Elaine Hendrix as Lisa Luder

 Story: 

Romy White and Michele Weinberger are two friends living together in a beachfront apartment in Los Angeles, California. Romy works as a cashier in the service department of a Jaguar dealership; Michele is unemployed. They are both single and unambitious. Romy encounters former high school classmate, Heather Mooney, who informs Romy about their upcoming 10-year high school reunion back in Tucson, Arizona.

At first excited at the prospect of attending, Romy then has the realization that they will not be able to make a good impression at the reunion. Desperate to impress their former classmates, Romy and Michele make last-ditch attempts to improve themselves to avoid the bullying they endured, mostly at the hands of the "A-Group", led by cheerleader Christie Masters.

In a series of flashbacks from 1987, Romy and Michele's suffering is revealed; Christie attached magnets to Michele's back brace and once took a bite out of the burger Romy was eating. Christie humiliated them once again at the prom, telling Romy that her handsome jock boyfriend, Billy Christensen, was in love with Romy and has now broken up with Christie to be with her. Christie tells Romy to wait for a dance with Billy. Christie and Billy then ride away together, unbeknownst to Romy, who patiently waits all night long at the dance for Billy. In tears, Romy then dances with Michelle in a depressed state.

Failing in their attempts to get jobs and boyfriends, Romy and Michele decide to simply pretend they have been much more successful by showing up in an expensive car and business suits. Romy obtains a nice car from the Jaguar dealership, and Michele makes their outfits.

On the way to the reunion, they decide to claim that they invented Post-it notes, reasoning that their true origins are obscure. Romy wants to state it was her idea to invent Post-Its and Michelle's main contribution was deciding they should be yellow, which Michele takes as an insult to her intelligence. This leads to a further argument about who's the cuter of the two. The argument results in their decision to go their separate ways once they reach their destination.

When they arrive, Michele hears Romy saying that she invented Post-its all by herself. Michele convinces the A-Group girls that she invented a special kind of glue, explaining the glue's complicated formula in great detail. Sandy Frink, the nerd who had a crush on Michele in high school, turns out to be incredibly wealthy and gorgeous and hits on Michele, while Billy and Romy reunite and hit it off. Both Romy and Michele win awards as the most successful members of their graduating class. Though still refusing to speak with each other, they look back at each other with longing.

Seventy years later, an elderly Michele learns that Romy is on her deathbed, so she calls her to make amends. However, they rehash the same argument. Romy dies, flipping her the bird, and they never get a chance to resolve their issues.

Michele wakes up alone in the car in the present day, disturbed by the previous dream sequence. At the reunion, Romy has begun to spread her story. Heather Mooney disrupts their lie by revealing the real name of the person who did in fact invent Post-It notes (something Heather learned in business school). The A-Group girls begin a vicious verbal attack on Romy. Michele ineptly defends her. Christie further humiliates the two in front of everyone by revealing Romy's lie; Romy runs out, with Michele chasing after her.

Michele then tells Romy that she genuinely thought that their lives were wonderful just the way they were, before Romy said that they were not good enough. Michele also says that they should not care what everybody else thinks. They change into fun, stylish outfits they've designed, and return to the reunion, determined to have some fun at any cost.

They confront Christie about her bullying. Romy says she no longer cares about Christie because Christie is just "a bad person with an ugly heart". Christie makes fun of their clothes; former classmate Lisa Luder, an ex-member of the A-Group who has since become a fashion editor for Vogue, sees things differently, and announces that the outfits are actually very well made and overall "not bad". Christie begins to attack Lisa, but Lisa coolly dismisses her in front of the crowd that has gathered to watch. The other A-Group girls defect and Christie is left by herself, while everyone makes their way over to congratulate Romy and Michele. Heather apologizes to Romy and Michele and tells them that the two of them had actually made her unhappy in high school, for she had been in love with Sandy. Romy and Michele then make her feel better by saying that she too had the luxury of making someone miserable, referencing former classmate and head of reunion committee Toby Walters, to whom Heather was always cruel in high school.

Sandy Frink then arrives via helicopter, and turns out to be a billionaire who made his fortune from inventing a special shoe rubber. He goes over to talk to Romy and Michele. Michele tells Sandy that he must be the most successful person in their class; Sandy responds that despite all the wealth and success he has, the one thing he doesn't have is her, and asks her to dance with him. Michele agrees, so long as Romy can dance with them too.

After an interpretive dance to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" that receives huge applause, Sandy escorts them to his helicopter.

Heather walks out, not interested in the new Sandy. While smoking, she encounters a mysterious classmate dressed as a cowboy. Heather remembers that in high school, he would often offer her a light by silently flicking lit cigarette butts at her. This time, Heather demands that he talk to her. The cowboy lights her cigarette with matches and apologizes for his previous behavior, stating that he had suffered from a speech impediment in high school.

Romy and Michele leave with Sandy. On their way out, they encounter Billy Christensen, who is now Christie's husband; he is now an alcoholic, living a miserable life with Christie, and unsure if he's the father of her latest pregnancy. When he propositions Romy, she tells him to go up to his hotel room, get undressed and wait for her. He excitedly shuffles off; Romy laughs, having finally settled the score with Billy. They board the helicopter and see Heather down below amongst some bushes, making out with the cowboy.

Six months later, back in L.A., Romy and Michele use money loaned to them by Sandy to open their own fashion boutique. Heather Mooney has stayed in touch and has become friends with the girls, shopping in their store (and finally getting an outfit that's not all black).

 L² Scored: 9/10

L² Comment:

What is the best way to spend a night alone? For me, a good comedy will helps. Miss Lisa Kudrow quite a lot, therefore i decided to watch this movie of hers back in the 1997, when she starts getting her fame through "Friends".

This movie makes me think alot about my old high school time. I'm the nerd back then and not really fix in well with a lot of the schoolmates. But for me, one or two friends who are close and knows me well is enough for me, just like Romy & Michelle. 

I don't need "quantity" friends, i just need "quality" friends to spend my time with ~ cheers !

The Relic

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by Peter Hyams

Casted by:

Penelope Ann Miller as Dr. Margo Green

Tom Sizemore as Lt. Vincent D'Agosta

Linda Hunt as Dr. Ann Cuthbert

James Whitmore as Dr. Albert Frock

Clayton Rohner as Sgt. Hollingsworth

Chi Muoi Lo as Dr. Greg Lee

 Story: 

John Whitney, an anthropologist for the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, studies a tribe in South America, and drinks a soup made by the tribesmen. Shortly after, Whitney accosts a merchant ship captain, asking him to remove from the ship the cargo Whitney intended to send to Chicago. Unwilling to delay the ship's departure, the captain refuses and Whitney sneaks aboard. He doesn't find his cargo and cries out.

Six weeks later, the ship arrives on the Illinois River, with its crew missing. Chicago PD homicide detective Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta and his partner, Sgt. Hollingsworth, investigate the ship and find dozens of bodies and severed heads in the bilge.

Dr. Margo Green, an evolutionary biologist, arrives at work at the museum. She and her mentor, Dr. Frock, examine Whitney's crates. The crates are empty, except for a bed of leaves and a stone statue of the "Kothoga," a mythical forest monster. Noticing a fungus on the leaves, Margo takes some for analysis. That night, a security guard named Fred Ford is murdered in the same manner as the ship's crew. D'Agosta suspects a connection. Believing the killer is still inside the museum, he orders it closed until the police have finished searching. Dr. Cuthbert, the museum director, protests and mentions an important upcoming exhibition.

Margo discovers the fungus contains concentrated hormones found in several animal species. In the container of leaves, she finds a beetle which earlier crawled inside and has grown to abnormal size. The beetle has mutated into a hybrid creature, possessing both insect and reptilian DNA. Ford's autopsy reveals that his hypothalamus was extracted from his brain, exactly like the bodies from the ship. In the museum's basement, the police are startled by a homeless man and shoot him death. The man is found to be a convicted felon with a history of mental illness. Finding Ford's wallet on him, everyone except D'Agosta considers the case closed. Nevertheless, D'Agosta has to give in when the Mayor orders him to let the exhibition proceed.

On the opening night, D'Agosta orders locking down all areas of the museum except the main exhibition hall. Dr. Frock and Margo are the last ones in the laboratory wing, and are trapped there. They keep working, and discover that Ford's killer is after the hormones on the leaves. D'Agosta and several officers search the basement tunnels once again. They are attacked by an unseen creature, which kills a tracking dog and an officer. D'Agosta tells Hollingsworth to evacuate the museum, but he is too late. In the main hall, the headless body of the murdered policeman falls into the crowd, causing a panic. During the hysteria, the museum's alarms are tripped and their security system goes haywire. The fire doors close, trapping a small group of people inside, and the power fails. Two security guards try to restore the power, but are killed by an unseen creature.

D'Agosta finds his way to the lab, and meets Margo and Dr. Frock. They are then attacked by a Kothoga, an enormous chimeric beast. They manage to close a steel door to stop it. Margo theorizes that the Kothoga grew from a smaller animal that mutated after eating the fungal leaves in the crates. Dr. Frock expands on her hypothesis: without the leaves to eat, the Kothoga instinctively seeks the closest substitute: human hypothalami. The tribe that Whitney was studying must have discovered the properties of these leaves, and used them to turn a given animal into a biological weapon that would eventually die when it ran out of targets (they would first carefully hide themselves, and then loose the beast onto the territory of a threatening/rival tribe).

D'Agosta finds a radio and tells Hollingsworth to lead the museum guests out via an old coal tunnel. Several guests refuse to go, opting to wait for the fire doors to be opened from the outside. The Kothoga returns to the main hall and murders them, as well as the S.W.A.T. officers entering through the skylights.

Margo deduces that, as the Kothoga is part-reptilian, it is likely cold-blooded and can be killed with liquid nitrogen. She and D'Agosta collect the remaining leaves from the lab, but discover that Dr. Frock -who had earlier 'volunteered' to stay behind because of his wheelchair-bound condition -has already been killed by the creature. In the sewer underneath the museum, D'Agosta uses the leaves to lure the Kothoga away from the coal tunnel, allowing the guests to escape the museum. However, liquid nitrogen has no effect on the creature. Margo and D'Agosta flee. D'Agosta tells her to lock herself in the lab, while he tries to stop the creature. As Margo protests, her computer completes the analysis of the creature's human DNA, which was earlier determined to make up some 33% of the biological gestalt. The Kothoga was not sent back by Whitney, The Kothoga is Whitney, mutated after drinking the tribesmen's soup.

The Kothoga smashes into the lab through the ceiling, while D'Agosta is locked outside. The creature chases Margo and corners her. It suddenly pauses, seemingly recognizing her from its former life as Whitney. Margo starts an explosive fire that destroys the Kothoga, while she survives by hiding inside a maceration tank. As dawn comes, D'Agosta and a team of police break into the lab, see the charred remains of the Kothoga, and rescue Margo from the tank.

  L² Scored: 3/10

L² Comment:

This movie is based from the best selling novel of Douglas Preston's Relic (1995), but how best selling? I'm not sure, but if purely based on this movie, I don't think is best selling at all. First of all, the storyline is so predictable, its kinda like Aliens & Predators back in the 80s... Furthermore, the creatures inside totally look the same as the creatures from Aliens + Predators... Well, this will fall in my "one-off" movie list which I will not watch it again...

Hercules 1997

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by John Musker

Voiced by:

Tate Donovan as Hercules

Susan Egan as Megara

Danny DeVito as Philoctetes/Phil

James Woods as Hades

Frank Welker as Pegasus

Rip Torn as Zeus

 Story: 

After imprisoning the Titans beneath the ocean, the Greek gods gather to Mount Olympus for Zeus, and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. While the other gods are joyful, Zeus' jealous brother Hades plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Turning to the Fates for help, Hades learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow Hades to locate and free the Titans to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules does not interfere. Hades sends his minions Pain and Panic to dispose of Hercules. The two succeed at kidnapping and feeding him a formula that turns him mortal, but fail to remove his superhuman strength before Hercules is found and adopted by the farmers Amphitryon and Alcmene.

Years later, the teenaged Hercules becomes an outcast due to his strength, and wonders where he came from. After his foster parents reveal the necklace they found him with, Hercules decides to visit the temple of Zeus for answers. The temple's statue of Zeus comes to life and reveals all to Hercules, telling him that he can regain his godhood by becoming a "true hero". Zeus sends Hercules and his forgotten infant-hood friend Pegasus to find the satyr Philoctetes—"Phil" for short—who is known for training heroes. The two meet Phil, who has retired from training heroes due to numerous disappointments, but Hercules inspires him to follow his dream to train a true hero who will be recognized by the gods. Phil trains Hercules into a potential hero, and when he is older, they fly for Thebes. On the way, they meet Megara—"Meg" for short—a sarcastic damsel whom Hercules saves from the centaur Nessus. However, after Hercules, Phil, and Pegasus leave, Meg is revealed to be Hades' minion, having sold her soul to him to save an unfaithful lover.

Arriving in Thebes, Hercules is turned down by the downtrodden citizens until Meg says that two boys are trapped in a gorge. Hercules saves them, unaware that they are Pain and Panic in disguise, allowing Hades to summon the Hydra to fight Hercules. Hercules continually cuts off its heads, but more heads replace them until Hercules kills the monster by causing a landslide. Hercules is seen as a hero and a celebrity, but Zeus tells Hercules he is not yet a true hero. Driven to depression, Hercules turns to Meg, who is falling in love with him. Hades learns of this and on the eve of his takeover, offers a deal that Hercules gives up his powers for twenty-four hours on the condition that Meg will be unharmed. Hercules accepts, losing his strength, and is heartbroken when Hades reveals that Meg is working for him.

Hades unleashes the Titans who climb Olympus and capture the gods, while a Cyclops goes to Thebes to kill Hercules. Phil inspires Hercules to fight and kill the cyclops, but Meg is crushed by a falling pillar saving Hercules from it, allowing him to regain his strength. Hercules and Pegasus fly to Olympus where they free the gods and launch the Titans into space where they explode, though Meg dies before he returns to her. With Meg's soul now Hades' property, Hercules breaks into the Underworld where he negotiates with Hades to free Meg from the Styx in exchange for his own life. His willingness to sacrifice his life restores his godhood and immortality before the life-draining river can kill him; he rescues Meg and punches Hades into the Styx. After reviving Meg, she and Hercules are summoned to Olympus where Zeus and Hera welcome their son home. However, Hercules chooses to remain on Earth with Meg. Hercules returns to Thebes where he is hailed as a true hero as Zeus creates a picture of Hercules in the stars commemorating his heroism.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

You all will be damn surprise that this is the very first time I watch this cartoon hehe~ Though it was quite some years ago, but it is nothing the same with all those classic Disney movie, it is fun to watch with its fast paced and packed with dozens of pop cultures. Drawing wise "Hercules" is also bit different than the Disney's heroes. Of course a lot of new elements were added in to make this myth look more interesting, yet it didn't "wow" me that much...

Scream 2

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by Wes Craven

Casted by:

Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott

Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers

David Arquette as Dewey Riley 

Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cici Cooper

Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks

 Story:

 While attending a preview of the film Stab, a film within a film based on the Woodsboro murders depicted in Scream, college student Phil Stevens and his girlfriend Maureen Evans, are both killed by Ghostface, though the onlookers at the theater witness Maureen's death and believe it to be a publicity stunt until she dies before them. The following day, the news media, which includes local journalist Debbie Salt, descends on Windsor College where Sidney Prescott now studies, alongside fellow Woodsboro survivor Randy, her boyfriend Derek, classmate Mickey, and best friend Hallie. Sidney, who receives prank calls, is oblivious to the killings while nervous and paranoid of the release of Cotton Weary.

Two other Woodsboro survivors arrive: officer Dewey Riley to help Sidney, and reporter Gale Weathers to cover the case and make Sidney talk to Cotton Weary - who is attempting to gain fame from his exoneration for the murder of Sidney's mother. Sidney unwillingly goes to a party with Hallie; at a sorority house, Ghostface murders fellow student Cici and again targets Sidney and her friends, as he crashes the party and attempts to murder Derek, though Dewey appears causing the killer to flee. The next day, when Gale receives a call from Ghostface, Dewey, Randy, and Gale deduce that he is on the campus and they search to find his location, but Randy, who was speaking to the killer on the phone, is murdered. While it is declared unsafe, two officers prepare to take Sidney and Hallie to safety, but instead are murdered while Ghostface is unconscious. Escaping, the two attempt to find safety, to no avail - Hallie is killed. Dewey and Gale view a tape of Ghostface killing Randy, while Ghostface appears, seemingly killing Dewey, while Gale flees to hide and eventually escapes.

Sidney finds Derek bound to a stage prop and is confronted by Ghostface who reveals himself as Mickey and kills Derek. Mickey details his plan to be caught and become famous in the ensuing trial before announcing his accomplice as Salt, who is actually the mother of Billy Loomis, and seeking revenge for her son's death. Mrs. Loomis betrays Mickey and shoots him. Sidney and Mrs. Loomis fight until Cotton intervenes and shoots Mrs. Loomis. As they wait to see if Mrs. Loomis is still alive, Mickey leaps to his feet and is shot to death by Sidney and Gale. Sidney then turns and shoots Mrs Loomis in the head, 'just in case'. While police arrive, Gale finds Dewey to be injured but alive and accompanies him to the hospital while Sidney instructs the press to direct questions to Cotton, rewarding him with the fame he has been chasing while removing the attention from herself.

  L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

This films speaks by itself "The sequence is always not as good as the first film", and its true. Scream 2 came a year later than the first one, and the story is not as interesting as the first. The only part that make me feel interested is when Jade Pinkett is killed in the cinema~ :P

Wishmaster

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by Robert Kurtzman

Casted by:

Tammy Lauren as Alexandra Amberson

Andrew Divoff as The Djinn/Nathaniel Demerest

Chris Lemmon as Nick Merritt

Robert Englund as Raymond Beaumont

 Story:

The narrator, Angus Scrimm, in his only words in the film, introduces the audience to the creatures called "djinn" with the following statement:

Once, in a time before time, God breathed life into the universe. And the light gave birth to Angels. And the earth gave birth to man. And the fire gave birth to the djinn, creatures condemned to dwell in the void between the worlds. One who wakes a djinn shall be given three wishes. Upon the granting of the third, the unholy legions of the djinn shall be freed to rule the earth. Fear one thing in all there is...fear the djinn.

The next scene is set in Persia during the year 1127 A. D. with the djinn asking a Persian emperor to make his second wish. The emperor asks the djinn to show him wonders. The djinn uses his powers to torture and mutilate people in the palace. Before the emperor can make his third wish, Zoroaster, a sorcerer, interrupts and states that upon the third wish granted to the one who woke the djinn, a gateway will open between the worlds and the evil race of djinn can live on Earth. The sorcerer then reveals a fire opal. The djinn is sucked into the jewel, where he remains captured.

In present day America, Raymond Beaumont is supervising workers as they lower a box containing an antique statue of Ahura Mazda onto a ship's deck. The worker who is lowering the crate is drinking on the job and accidentally drops it from his crane, killing Beaumont's assistant and destroying the statue. It breaks open and a dockworker finds the fire opal inside, which he steals and pawns. The jewel ends up at Regal Auctioneers, where boss Nick Merritt gives it to appraiser Alexandra Amberson to examine. Her examinations of the jewel wake the djinn.

Thinking she saw something inside the jewel, Alexandra takes it to her labworker, best friend and potential love interest Josh Aickman to analyze. Later, as he is collecting data, light reflections cause the gem to explode and the djinn is released. The lab is destroyed and Josh is killed, upon his wish for relief from his physical pain.

Alex, thinking the gem has something to do with the explosion and subsequent death of Josh, tracks down Beaumont, to whom the statue belonged. Beaumont tells Alex to visit a folklore professor named Wendy Derleth to find out more about Ahura Mazda and the gem. He also invites Alex and her sister Shannon to a party he is hosting.

The folklore professor tells Alex about the jewel, the djinn and its evil history. Later, Alex learns that the djinn needs to power the gem with the soul of humans and then grant her three wishes before he can unleash the djinn on Earth. During this time, the djinn, who had been in demonic form, removes the face of a corpse in the morgue, taking on the dead man's form and the name Nathaniel Demerest. The djinn, now Nathaniel, goes about granting people wishes in return for their souls while he searches for Alex. He finally tracks down Alex's boss and grants him a greed-inflicted wish so that he can get Alex's address.

Alex is haunted by visions whenever the djinn grants a wish. She goes to Wendy's house to consult with her again, but Nathaniel has already killed her and taken her form. During their conversation, Alex realizes she is really talking to the djinn. He confronts her and asks her to make three wishes. He even gives her a "test" wish. She uses this wish and orders the djinn to kill itself. He complies by blowing his head off with a gun, yet the wound heals instantly; as the djinn is immortal, he cannot be killed. Alex then uses the first of the "official" three wishes: her first being to know her opponent, the djinn. He teleports her to his terrifying world within the gem, thus demonstrating his true nature to her. Next, she wishes herself back to her apartment, alone. The Djinn had been threatening Alex's sister, so Alex sets about finding Shannon. She races to Beaumont's party and Nathaniel follows. While talking to Nathaniel at the party, Beaumont makes the mistake of wishing his party would be unforgettable, and Nathaniel begins wreaking havoc by causing the art pieces to kill the guests.

The djinn finally corners Alex and traps Shannon, trying to scare Alex into making the ultimate third wish. Alex wishes that the dockworker had not been drinking on the job two days ago undoing the events that followed (and presumably reviving the djinn's victims back to life) and trapping the Djinn in the opal. The dock scene is shown again and the now sober operator has no trouble lowering the crate containing Ahura Mazda. Alex goes to see Josh at the lab. He notices that Alex is strangely pleased with herself, but she will not say why.

Back on the statue of Ahura Mazda, which is now in Beaumont's private collection, the camera zooms inside the jewel and shows us the djinn on a throne, waiting to be released.

 L² Scored: 3.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, seeing Wes Craven's name on the production team is the main objective for me to watch this movie but it is a lil bit dissapointed i must say... No matter how much hit actor they got in this movie (Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Jenny O'Hara...), it really can't help much~ Having Djinn as a main character is a smart choice, but the storyline is dull and there is no climax in the movie... Basically its a failure, my scores are for those big names~

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Released Year: 1997
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Casted by:
Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm
Julianne Moore as Dr. Sarah Harding
Pete Postlethwaite as Roland Tembo
Arliss Howard as Peter Ludlow
Richard Attenborough as John Hammond
Vince Vaughn as Nick Van Owen
Vanessa Lee Chester as Kelly Curtis Malcolm
Story:

Four years after the incident at Jurassic Park, John Hammond has lost control of InGen to his nephew, Peter Ludlow. Ian Malcolm violated his non-disclosure agreement and went public about the events, but few believed him and threats of legal action prevented him from producing any evidence, leaving his academic reputation destroyed. One day, Hammond summons Malcolm to his home and tells him about "Site B," located on Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs were actually engineered, before being sent to Isla Nublar when mature. The island was abandoned after a hurricane wiped out most of the facilities, and the creatures were left there to live wild. Hammond asks Malcolm to help him stop Ludlow from using Site B to bail out the bankrupt InGen, and to help him convince environmentalists to leave the island as a nature preserve. Malcolm initially refuses, but agrees to go after learning that his girlfriend, paleontologist Sarah Harding is already there.

Malcolm is joined by Eddie Carr, an engineer who built the group's custom vehicles, and Nick Van Owen, documentary producer and environmentalist. Shortly after arriving on the island, they encounter a Stegosaurus herd and meet Sarah. When they return to camp, they find Kelly, Malcolm's daughter, was accidentally locked in one of the vehicles while visiting him before departure and looking around. Malcolm tries to contact the boat to take them home, but they are interrupted by the arrival of an InGen team sent by and joined by Ludlow. The rival team quickly captures samples of several species, including Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Gallimimus, Pachycephalosaurus, Triceratops, and a swarm of Compsognathus, pointed out by paleontologist, Dr. Robert Burke. That night, Nick and Sarah sneak into the InGen camp to free the dinosaurs and cut the fuel lines on the vehicles. The freed dinosaurs cause a huge commotion as they escape, compounded by the exploding vehicles. Roland Tembo the leader of the InGen team, admonishes his second-in-command, Dieter Stark, for the lack of security.

Roland wishes to capture an adult male Tyrannosaurus, and creates a trap by breaking the leg of a baby T. rex so that its cries might lure its parents. When he returns to the camp, Nick frees the baby, taking it back to their trailer so Sarah can set its broken leg. The adult Tyrannosaurs come searching for their child and, after retrieving it, throws one half of the hinged trailer over a cliff with Malcolm, Nick, and Sarah inside. Eddie throws down a rope and tries to pull the trailer back up using one of the SUVs, but his SUV is attacked by the Tyrannosaurs. Eddie is torn in half and eaten. The trailer falls off the cliff, but its occupants survive by holding on to the rope, only to be rescued by Roland and the InGen team. With all of the communications equipment destroyed in the attacks, both groups team up to reach the old InGen compound's radio station, right through a Velociraptor nesting site. During the walk to the station Stark is killed by a pack of Compsognathus.

At night, the male Tyrannosaurus comes across the group's camp and pokes his head into Sarah and Kelly's tent, sniffing Sarah's jacket covered with blood from the baby's leg. One of the InGen team workers notices this and screams, waking up the rest of the group as they all begin to run, with the female Tyrannosaurus in pursuit. Dr. Burke is eaten, while hiding behind a waterfall, by the female Tyrannosaurus. After initially failing to kill the male Tyrannosaur (mainly because Nick stole the bullets from his gun), Roland uses a tranquilizer gun to knock the dinosaur out. After fleeing from the female Tyrannosaur, the InGen team passes through a field of tall grass and are picked off one-by-one by Velociraptors. Malcolm, Sarah, Nick, and Kelly pass through the field unharmed and Nick reaches the compound, but the others are attacked by three raptors and go into hiding. After a fight with the raptors, Ian, Sarah, and Kelly run towards a building where they reunite with Nick and contact a rescue helicopter. As they fly away, they see that Roland has caged the male Tyrannosaur and Ludlow preparing to ship it and the baby back to the mainland. However, Roland is depressed over Ajay's death (from the raptors) and resigns his post in InGen, declaring to Ludlow "I think I've spent enough time in the company of death." He then walks away towards a helicopter.

When the ship carrying the dinosaur arrives in San Diego, it crashes into the dock. A boarding party finds out the entire crew is dead. While searching for survivors, a guard opens the cargo hold and inadvertently releases the Tyrannosaur, which escapes into the city. Malcolm and Sarah learn that the Tyrannosaur stopped breathing due to a tranquilizer overdose, it was given amphetamines to bring it around, but not knowing the proper dosage, they administered too much and the dinosaur is out of control. Realizing that the Tyrannosaur will likely come for its infant, Malcolm and Sarah rush to the Jurassic Park amphitheater(which was Hammond's original idea before he decided to locate the park on an island) to get the baby T. rex, which had been brought in separately by plane, and during this time, the T. rex is wreaking havoc in San Diego, having eaten a fleeing civilian and a dog. They lure the adult with the baby and run back to the boat. Ludlow tries to intervene, but is trapped in the cargo hold, injured by the adult, and devoured by the baby. Malcolm and Sarah manage to tranquilize the adult before it can escape again, and seal it in the hold.

By morning, as Malcolm and Sarah fall asleep on the couch in their living room, Kelly watches television reports of the cargo ship on its way back to Site B, surrounded by a convoy of naval vessels. The program breaks away to an interview of restored InGen Chairman John Hammond, who explains that the island will now be left alone as a natural reserve so the dinosaurs can live free of human interference. He offers a quote by Malcolm, "Life will find a way." The scene cuts to Site B, where the family of Tyrannosaurs is shown reunited in the wild, alongside a herd of Stegosaurus migrating and a flock of Pteranodons flying overhead.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

Not being fussy or what, but i really dont think this sequel is better than the 1st movie. Without Sam Neil, the whole movie seems lost (maybe it wanna suit the name of The Lost World? lol). For me, Jeff Goldblum is not really a good actor i must say. He seems to have the same expression through out the whole film. And Moore is kinda fat and clumsy in this movie.

Overall, the one thing that i like is the small dinos which came out in a swamp to attack. Nice :)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Released Year: 1997
Directed by Clint Eastwood

Casted by:
Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams
John Cusack as John Kelso
Lady Chablis as Chablis Deveau
Irma P. Hall as Minerva
Jude Law as Billy Hanson
Story:

The movie goes around with Jim Williams' trial at court. John Kelso, a magazine reporter finds himself in Savannah amid the beautiful architecture and odd doings to write a feature on one of William's famous Christmas parties. He is intrigued by Williams from the start, but his curiosity is piqued when he meets Jim's violent, young and sexy lover, Billy.

Later that night, Billy is dead, and Kelso stays on to cover the murder trial. Along the way he encounters the irrepressible Lady Chablis, a drag queen commedienne, Sonny Seiler, lawyer to Williams, whose famous dog UGA is the official mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs, an odd man who keeps flies attached to mini leashes on his lapels and threatens daily to poison the water supply, the Married Ladies Card Club, and Minerva, a spiritualist.

Between being Jim's buddy, cuddling up to a torch singer, meeting every eccentric in Savannah, participating in midnight graveyard rituals and helping solve the mysteries surrounding Billy's murder, Kelso has his hands full. The lawyer does his best to help Jim being not guilty and it works. But at the end of the movie, Jim was hit by a heart attack and was found dead.

L² Scored: 3/10

L² Comment:

Umm~ what should i say? i m always a fans of clint eastwood like changeling and million dollar baby... but i m not quite sure about this old production of his... maybe i m not interested in watching this kind of fim. tats all~

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

Released Year: 1997
Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Casted by:
Leonardo Di Caprio as Romeo Montague
Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet
Harold Perrineau as Mercutio
Paul Rudd as Dave Peris

Story:

In the fair Verona, there's 2 gang which is Montague and Capulet who do not like each other and always fight for their life. But during one party that the Capulet have, Romeo from the Montague and his gang sneak into the party for fun. In the party Romeo met Juliet and these 2 youngster quickly fall in love with each other crazily.

By the help of the nurse, Juliet managed to meet Romeo for a few times without the notice of Mr & Mrs Capulet. The both of them have sex. While Mercutio, Romeo's best friend has a fight with Juliet's cousin. Romeo came to stop them but was injured. Mercutio get upset and try to fight back but was killed on spot.

Feeling anger and sad, Romeo found Juliet's cousin and kill him instead. After that Romeo was afraid that the police will lock him in jail, therefore he met up with a priest and ask for help before he run away from the city. The priest told Juliet to take a medicine which will make her look temporary death so that the Capulet parents will not force Juliet to marry the young and good looking Dave Perris which is the Government Son.

The priest has post a mail to Romeo regarding the fake death of Juliet, but the letter did not reach Romeo. Hence, when Romeo heard that Juliet has die, he gone crazy and rush back to the city. He threathen the guard and went into the funeral place where Juliet lie at there. Feeling sad, Romeo drank a poisonous drug to end his life. But before he clsoe his eyes, Juliet Came alife again from the medicine she took earlier. With regret, Romeo passed away sadly.

Poor Juliet saw her Romeo has dead, silently pick up the pistol and ended her life too.

L² Scored: 2/10

L² Comment:

Basically, this is from William Shakespear and i thought i would enjoy it like hell. But hell no... i totally don't understand anything that they said. The production team has move the whole scene to the modern world which is difference from the novel but the dialogue remain as those classic thingy. My headache get worse when i listen to all those dialogue. Sorry, i dont like this movie at all.