Showing posts with label Movies Starting with L. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies Starting with L. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2008

THE LOST WORLD JURASSIC PARK II NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie The Lost World Jurassic Park from imdb

After a small girl is attacked by a small group of compsognathus, Ian Malcolm discovers that there is a second island full of a variety of dinosaurs. Dr. John Hammond decides to send four adventure to monitor the dinosaur's lifestyle before INGEN move forward in controlling the island. Ian Malcolm doesn't like the idea and wants to contact the other three members, but before he can contact them, he finds out that his girlfriend, Sarah Harding is already on the island. Now, what was supposed to be a natural viewing of the incredible creatures in their habitats, has turned into a rescue mission with everyones life at danger. Written by Film_Fan

Four years after the failure of Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar, John Hammond reveals to Ian Malcolm that there was another island ("Site B") on which dinosaurs were bred before being transported to Isla Nublar. Left alone since the disaster, the dinosaurs have flourished, and Hammond is anxious that the world see them in their "natural" environment before they are exploited. Written by Murray Chapman {muzzle@imdb.com}

Ian Malcolm is recruited by John Hammond to lead a research team to Isla Sorna, an island 87 miles to the south of Isla Nublar (the site of the original Jurassic Park). Here, InGen Bioengineering had constructed the secret "Site B", where the dinosaurs were actually bred and then transported to the park. Hammond's nephew, who has taken control of InGen, leads his own team to the island to capture the dinos and bring them back to the U.S. to become attractions at a "dino park" in San Diego. The dinos cause havoc and have a field day with the movable "feast." Written by John Deming {jfdeming@sprynet.com}

With the apparent public discovery of the 'Site B' production island full of dinosaurs, John Hammond assembles a team to visit and document the area before it is exploited by others. Included in the four man team are Dr. Ian Malcolm and his girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Harding. When the team reaches the island, they soon discover the presence of another group of people. This new group however are not there for biological data but instead have something more sinister in mind. After a series of events, both groups become stranded when all their communication equipment is lost. It is then that the terror really begins as both groups scramble for their lives. Written by P. Wong {pwong@nt.net}

The film picks up four years after the disaster at Jurassic Park. On a nearby island, dinosaurs have secretly survived and been allowed to roam free but now there is a more ominous threat--a plan to capture and bring the dinosaurs to the mainland. John Hammond, who has lost control of his InGen company, sees a chance to redeem himself for his past mistakes and sends an expedition led by Ian Malcolm to reach the island before the mercenary team gets there. The two groups confront each other in the face of extreme danger and must team up for their own survival in a race against time. Written by Robert Lynch {docrlynch@yahoo.com}

Here is a review for the movie The Lost World Jurassic Park from Dvdtalk

The Movie: "Lost World" was obviously going to be looked at incredibly harshly after the success of "Jurassic Park". Although the film itself isn't as successful creatively as the original, it's still not a bad picture and has some entertaining moments. While this sequel proved that there's still territory with the series to discover, the third film will have to certainly go in a different direction to be engaging. Dr. Ian Malcolm(Jeff Goldblum) is the main cast member that returns, this time along with a daughter (Vanessa Lee Chester) and a palentologist girlfriend(Julianne Moore). They bring along a photographer(Vince Vaughn) and an equipment specialist. On the other hand, another team is also heading towards the island to capture dinos to be used in a theme park in San Diego. The problems start in the very begining, which takes way too long to get started. Characters are slightly less defined than the original film, including a stereotypical "bad guy" in Arliss Howard's leader of the second team. The daughter of the Goldblum character is somewhat irritating; the kids in the first film were scared but well-written - about another character, this girl says "she doesn't even have Sega!". The few good lines have obviously been reserved for Goldblum, such as the gem at the begining, "oooh, ahhh...that's always how it starts. And then there's the running...and the screaming." Once the movie really gets going, it's really more of a matter of filler between action scenes, some of which are remarkably entertaining - some of which that seem like a repeat, aren't. The scene that's always going to be in everyone's memory is a scene where characters are "holding on by a thread" - I won't ruin it. The film definitely has some problems, but I still think it provides an entertaining couple hours. Where the first film was "classic entertainment", this film is just "basic entertainment". The DVD VIDEO: The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that Universal has produced is striking. Being only a couple of years old, the film offers a crystal clear image with no signs at all of print flaws such as marks or scratches. Only the slightest trace of pixelation shows up, but this is very brief and hardly noticable.

Sharpness is excellent throughout; detail and clarity are very good too, even in the darkest sequences. Colors are similarly as enjoyable as they were in the first film - the deep greens of the jungle looking beautiful and very well-saturated. Locations and cinematography both look stunning and well-rendered on this DVD. Black level is solid and flesh tones are accurate and natural. Like the first film, this is a great presentation.

SOUND: The best summary for the sound in "Lost World" is this: take all of the elements that made "Jurassic Park" such an exciting soundtrack, and turn them up to "11". Louder, more agressive, more powerful. You can practically feel the roars of the various dinosaurs as they fill the room.

Surrounds, as one might expect, get very impressive use here, and are even more active here than they were in the first film. In fact, as the film goes further all of the speakers work together to create a sonic assault that was extremely thrilling. Even slight background sounds are captured very well and very clearly, making for a natural-sounding environment. Bass is very, very powerful at times, and really tops off the exciting sound that the film offers. Certainly, this is one of those films where I feel the need to warn that if you have neighbors, you may want to watch the volume when you play "Lost World".

The John Williams score sounds dynamic and impressively clear, filling the room with ease. All speakers really work together remarkably well to build a complete surround environment here. Dialogue remains natural and easily understood, even in the most busy sequences. Praise here goes to the brilliant Gary Rydstrom and the rest of his sound crew who have crafted a great experience. Other films that Gary Rydstrom has worked on? Oh, "Titanic", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Haunting" and "A Bug's Life", among others. His name on a film's credits is a guarantee of fantastic audio.

MENUS:: The menus are generally the same style on "The Lost World", only slightly different pictures that have more to do with this film.

EXTRAS: Making "The Lost World": A nearly one hour look at the making of the film, this documentary is an impressive look at the technology that was improved between the two films and how this was used to make more remarkable, more agressive dinosaurs. There is a bit of interview footage towards the begining that gets that whole basic information element out of the way, then we are re-introduced to many of the effects crew who we met on the documentary for the first film. Technical information is nicely mixed in with footage and talk about what it is like to be on a Spielberg set shooting a film; how the director works, etc. Definitely an entertaining and informative documentary that provides a detailed look at the making of "The Lost World". Galleries: Galleries for conceptual art/illustrations, models, dinos("The World Of...") and storyboards. Also included are a production photo gallery, a gallery of pictures of the posters and toys for the film and also, a gallery of pics of ILM crew members at work. Trailers: Trailers for "Jurassic Park", "Lost World" and again, the very basic teaser for "Jurassic 3". All in Dolby 2.0 Also: Production notes, cast/crew bios. Final Thoughts: "Lost World" is not the phenomenal picture that "Jurassic Park" was; still, I find it to be an enjoyable film and DVD, and recommend Universal's new edition.

Here is the direct download for the movie The Lost World Jurassic Park.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

LAKEVIEW TERRACE NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Lake View Terrace from imdb

A young couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) has just moved into their California dream home when they become the target of their next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their interracial relationship. A stern, single father, this tightly wound LAPD officer (Samuel L. Jackson) has appointed himself the watchdog of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some, but he becomes increasingly harassing to the newlyweds. These persistent intrusions into their lives causes the couple to fight back.

Here is a review for the movie Lake View Terrace from dvdtalk


Neil LaBute has a lot of apologizing to do after his last picture, 2006's "Wicker Man" remake, failed at the box office and became the unintentional comedy smash of the last decade. While already surfing an unsteady career of provocative curiosities, "Wicker" sent LaBute's credibility into the toilet. "Lakeview Terrace" represents only a slight gasp of oxygen for the filmmaker, helming a mediocre suburban thriller absent any of the LaBute touches admirers have come to expect.

Moving into an idyllic Californian community, interracial couple Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa (Kerry Washington) are eager to start their dream life together. Living next door is police officer Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson, doing the traditional Jackson shuffle), a widowed father of two who doesn't take kindly to the pairing paraded in front of him. While Chris considers Abel's initial hostile neighborly invasions to be the stuff of common misunderstanding, it becomes clear that the cop is dead serious about the couple moving out. Trying to mount something of a counter attack, Chris learns the true power of Abel's badge and the reach of his threatening ways.

This isn't the first time LaBute has worked without the comfort zone of his own screenplay, yet "Lakeview Terrace" feels devoid of anything LaBute is known for, even with a plot that picks away at unnerving, humiliating situations at the hands of the morally corrupt (LaBute's bread and butter). The filmmaker is on autopilot, going through the motions with this flaccid story; it's a survival piece of moviemaking, not an authoritative one. The script by David Loughery and Howard Korder instead works customary "Unlawful Entry" moments of intimidation and helplessness, as Chris and Lisa strain under Abel's thumb, unable to retaliate through expected legal channels, or even the suburban justice David craves.

Considering the plot takes on severe racial and domestic antagonism issues, LaBute would likely be the one to make the material sing. Instead "Terrace" puts the filmmaker into a PG-13 half nelson that he can't escape from, neutering the movie's efforts to shade the central conflict a pleasing color of grey for optimal audience manipulation. The early head-butting between Chris and Abel shows wonderful promise, both in concentration of suspense and in performance, with Wilson and Jackson having a grand time as the combative, suspicious neighbors. Sadly, the film sours quickly as LaBute is powerless to explore the tension to more perverse conclusions that could snap the film awake.

By the last act, LaBute's batteries run down and the plot slips into formulaic thriller mode, moving the premise from an encouraging place of terror to an obvious one, sending the film out on a substandard note. Granted, this is hardly "Wicker Man 2: NOT THE BEES!," but LaBute should be counted on for a movie with more teeth than what "Lakeview Terrace" is prepared to offer.

Here is the direct download for the movie Lake View Terrace.