Here's another clip from Chris. It's when Ian and Sarah are talking inside the trailer.

I added the semi-complete Cast/Crew List, coutersy of TV Guide Online

Will JP2 beat the opening-weekend record?. That's the big question at the moment, and according to top movie executives, they are predicting that ''Lost World'' will gross between $65 million and $75 million this weekend, which would surpass the four-day opening weekend record of $56.8 million set last year by ''Mission: Impossible.'' (thanks to Adam)

If you have the Dinosaur Scrapbook, you'll notice that they show a lot of pictures that didn't make it into the film. David points out that on page 6, at the top right, there is a picture of Roland Tembo, and Peter Ludlow talking at some restaurant that wasn't in the film. On page 8, there is a picture of the raptor at the bottom lift wasn't in it either. He also adds that the pictures on pages 46 (the raptor on the right, 47 (the raptor in the middle, and at top right), 52 (pictures #1,9,7& 5) weren't in the movie as well. Unfortunately, that's the way movie-making works, some scenes get left on the cutting room floor....

Wiserman adds to the list of "Lost Scenes" in The Lost World: He states that in the "Making of The Lost World" book, numerous scenes were said to have been cut from the movie, including a T-Rex vs. raptor showdown in the rex nest, an attack by the Rexes on Kelly as she cringes in the high hide, and a semi-finale in which pteranodons attack the rescue helicopter.

Talking about The Making of The Lost World by Jody Duncan, it is now out in stores, and can be ordered (and at a discount) in The Shop

Check out this Mr. Showbiz tounge-in-cheek article entitled "Pit Bull Backlash Dogs The Lost World":

It used to be that you could count on disaster flicks to deliver four things: impressive special effects, formulaic scripts, spotty acting, and a dog that narrowly escapes the jaws of death. Well, not anymore--at least not on the latter score. Near the end of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex devours a canine hors d'oeuvre, and thoroughly savors the morsel. "It's about time a dog bit it in one of these films," cheers Lost World star Julianne Moore, and judging from audience response to the scene in preview screenings, many moviegoers agree with her. But screenwriter David Koepp's reason for scripting this particular mutt's demise boils down to something more basic than a desire to distinguish the film from Independence Day, Daylight, Dante's Peak, and all those other dog-loving movies. Koepp explains, "It was a pit bull, and I thought it deserved to die!"

Though pit bulls have earned their unmatched reputation for viciousness, not everyone seems to share Koepp's attitude. A spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A.S.P.C.A.) responds: "It's sad that a screenwriter for one of the biggest films in Hollywood can't realize that pit bulls don't need any more bad publicity. They are not bad dogs--it's unfortunate that many of them have irresponsible owners and breeders. It's just horrible to make generalizations like that about any breed."

The A.S.P.C.A. rep cheers up a bit after being reminded that pit bulls aren't the only animals mistreated in the Jurassic movies, and postulates that perhaps the dinosaur abuse that the films depict actually lessens the likelihood of copycat crimes against animals. "Because they're about dinosaurs, people will realize that it's just fantasy," she explains. "They aren't going to start abusing iguanas or anything."

Here's an interesting article from Movieweb: (thanks to Rory:

LOST THEATERS BEING FORCED TO BUY DTS SYSTEMS
In what is being called "a bold power play," the Lost World is being released only in the Digital Theater Systems (DTS) digital sound system and conventional analog stereo, the Boston Globe reported today (Friday). Steven Spielberg and Universal pictures are limited partners in DTS, the newspaper observed. A Universal spokesman told the newspaper, "The long-term goal is to set a standard. That's what we want to help DTS do." The newspaper reported that many theaters had been rushing to buy new DTS systems since they learned of Universal's decision. An exception, reportedly, has been Sony theaters whose parent company produces a rival sound system. For the most part, Sony theaters will be showing the film in analog stereo.

If you insist in finding a "moral" in The Lost World, here's an article from AOL's "Entertainment Extra" section, thanks to Rory Payne:

"JURASSIC PARK raised the question of man's role in trying to control nature. "You decide you'll control nature and from that moment on you're in deep trouble because you can't do it," says Michael Crichton. "You can make a boat, but you can't make the ocean. You can make an airplane, but you can't make the air. Your powers are much less than your dreams would have you believe."

The debate continues in THE LOST WORLD; this time the argument is framed by setting the story in the dense forest wilderness where man's impact on life and the environment is clearly evident. As the Native American Chief Seattle observed a century ago, "man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."

"The Lost World is exactly what it implies," says Spielberg. "A lot of people who think they can control nature are very presumptuous about their role in the scheme of things and wind up on the short end of the food chain. You have to band together to live and go on."

"It's important in these movies that animals never be characterized as villains, because they are not," Koepp points out. "they're just doing what they do. It's when the humans come into conflict with one another that they may find themselves at the mercy of the animals."

Bradley Young reports that John William's "Lost World Theme" was used by the NBA during the introduction of Game 3 of the Chicago series!

JP2 Tid-bit: The only actor in the trailer scene that could actually climb the rope was Vince Vaughn.

Spoiler Warning: Just to address something I've been getting a lot of e-mail about, many people feel that there had to be Raptors on the boat in the end, because a T-rex couldn't have killed all the people on the boat. Drew Welsh wondered how a T-rex killed the guy driving the boat without destroying the pilot house. It seems like only Raptors could have done it. Could this be a possible plot for JP3?

Reading through some of the new reviews in the You Review JP2 section, I'm noticing that a lot of people didn't like the gynmastics scene, where Kelly does her routine and kicks the Raptor out of the window. But when you think about it, it wasn't that bad (some lady in the theater actually started clapping) -- Kelly had to do something in the movie. If it was just shorter (Kelly swings and kicks it, and Ian says his witty line), it would have been much better. Just my opinion.

I just added a few new shows to the Event Calendar section, as well as two new reviews to the Reviews section.

A few "Easter Eggs" (for lack of a better term) have been spotted in the movie: First, during the San Diego scene, look for the "No Dinosaurs, Skating, Skateboarding" sign. Also, the guy in the San Diego scene that runs up to a window, and then is pulled away by the T-rex is none other than the screenwriter of the film, David Koepp. (Koepp is listed in the credits as the "Unlucky Bastard"). Also, I didn't spot this one, but in one of the last scenes during the news report, you can see Steven Spielberg sitting with Ian, Sarah, and Kelly in the reflection of the TV. (thanks to Ryan Salmon, among others)

Scott Smith reports that the Universal City Odeon Cineplex in California, they are having a "Lost World Interactive Environment", where visitors can see actual props and settings from the film.

Mr. Showbiz has a special JP2 section of their page, with interviews with Goldblum, Moore, Postelwaite, and David Koepp. (thanks to Chris)

Spoiler Warning: A few people have e-mailed me to ask how it is possible that the T-rex managed to get itself back into the cargo hold on the boat after killing all of it's crew. Well, I'm not Mr. Spielberg, but I would guess that after the T-rex killed the guy holding the button, it went back into the hold (for some reason) and got trapped there as the doors closed.

Jorge made another really cool picture, perfect for your Windows background. Here it is!

I added reviews from Hollywood.Com (thanks to Trevor and Cinemania.

Wow! I've only had the You Review JP2! section up for a little more than a day, and people have already submitted more than a hundred reviews!!! Keep them coming in!

Being the maintainer of a popular Lost World webpage does have it's down side, mainly, I knew all sorts of strange things about this movie, before I had even seen it: I knew all the characters, their names, I knew how the movie would end up, and I even knew some of the lines! I figured this would have a negative impact when I finally saw the movie I'd been anticipating for so long, but fortunately, that was not the case. In a word, this movie is excellent. So good, in fact, that I would classify it as just as good as the first one.

Taking a good suggestion from various pieces of fan mail Spielberg received after Jurassic Park, the movie springs out of the gate with an outstanding scene where a small girl gets attacked by several dozen Compys. The tension does not let up, however, until the final, thrilling sequence, where a T-rex rampages down the streets of San Diego, in an obvious "Godzilla" homage. (At one point, the camera cuts to several Japanese businessmen running down the street, glancing over their shoulder at the gigantic beast). The CGI effects here (as in all points in the movie) are top-notch, although I do think that the CGI animals are much more detailed than the animatronic creatures (except for the baby T-rex, which was brilliant).

The human cast is, for the most part, very good. Goldblum, playing Ian Malcolm, delivers his trade-mark performance, seemingly making the lines up as he goes along. Julianne Moore as Dr. Harding was much better than I had expected and Peter Postlewaite is excellent, as usual. The only character I really had a problem with was Vanessa Lee Chester as Kelly. If you thought Lex had no point being in the first movie, except to "boot up the door locks", then you'll think Kelly is even less important in this one. I would have liked to seen her as dino chow, but, alas, she's Ian's daughter..

The action in this movie is amazing. The "Trailer Scene" is excellent--they could have ended the movie right after that and it still would have been good, in my opinion. The few scenes with the raptors show how the CGI effects have improved in 4 years, including an superb "cat-and-mouse" game with Malcolm and the Raptors which garnered several screams from the audience. And of course, I won't mention the San Diego scene...

For all you parents, this one is defiantly more violent than the first--Spielberg and company have definitely upped the "death factor" in this movie, although most of it occurs off screen or on the other side of some object.

There are several aspects of the movie, however, that I thought could have been improved, mainly in the character and plot development departments. The main conflict of the story (the bad guys want to take the dinosaurs off the island), still takes too long to come out into the open. Several characters (such as Dr. Burke and Carter), seem to exist for the sole reason of getting eaten, and only have around five lines, three of which are screams. And the gymnastics scene with Kelly really should have been scrapped. The writing, for the most part, was very good--there weren't any really bad lines like Lex's "I like cows" line from the first movie, and on the whole, the movie seems to be funnier than the first. At one point in the trailer scene, Eddie asks Ian, Sarah, and Nick, dangling precariously over the cliff, if they "need anything". Ian sarcastically replies: "Yeah, I'd like 3 double cheeseburgers with the works." We laugh, but it's a strange, nervous laugh.

In conclusion, if you insist on looking at this movie with a critics eye, you'll find that you'll be picking it apart, finding things that you didn't like. The Lost World is simply mindless fun, like a great rollercoaster ride at a theme park. If you're like me, and go to movies to get away from reality, all you have to do is "check your brain at the door" (like someone suggested) and watch this movie with an open mind. I guarantee you too will be caught up in Spielberg's brilliant film making.

Well, today is the big day! Starting today, you'll notice a new area on the page, called You Review JP2! (pretty catchy, eh?), where you can submit your own review along with your rating! Also, thanks to Jorge for the new logo!

More JP2 commercials/scenes care of Chris:

Here's an article from the Edmonton Sun: (thanks to Eric Spoeth)

Some of Stan Winston's best friends are aliens and dinosaurs. These creatures are born of Winston's imaginaion and then painstakingly brought to life for such films as The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2, Interview With a Vampire, The Relic, and Jurassic Park. Winston's creatures have earned him four Oscars, including one for the dinosaurs he created for Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. When Spielberg called Winston to head the creature department for The Lost World, the special effects wizard knew he had the most difficult assignment of his 25-year career. "The sad fact was that the shock of the new wouldn't be new anymore," Winston said. "We'd already amazed people with our dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. We had to make them more special than the first time or it wasn't worth coming back."

For The Lost World, which opens in town Friday, Winston created two giant T-Rexes and their baby. "I'm most proud of the baby T-Rex. It is a self - contained robot with 45 points of movement but no umbilical cord," Winston says. "There are no wires, so the actors can treat him like a living animal. "This has never been done before."

The baby's parents are bigger and better than their predecessors from Jurassic Park. "First, they're twice as heavy. Instead of weighing 9,000 pounds, they each weigh nineteen tons. "But they can move much faster and with more finesse. They are much stronger and more violent, yet they can stop on a dime." Winston is quick to point out just how advanced the jaws of his T-Rexes are. "We had to make them strong enough to rip a steel vehicle apart, but safe enough to grab hold of an actor's leg."

Dennis Muren is in charge of the computer or digital effects. Muren is proud that his computer crew created more and better dinosaurs for The Lost World. "In Jurassic Park, we had 27 dinosaurs representing seven species. In The Lost World, we have 80 dinosaurs from 10 species. "The real computer advancement is that we've given them much more realistic skin and they move so much better." Muren points to the sequence in which hunters in jeeps rope, tranquillize and cage a number of stampeding dinosaurs. "We used basketballs on the plain to let the actors and stunt drivers know where we would be placing the dinosaurs with our computers. "We've made such incredible advancements that we can actually have the actors seemingly rope the dinosaurs and pull the to the ground.

Here's another interesting article, this one from The Singapore Straits Times: (thanks to SpiceBoy)

DURING production of The Lost World, Steven Spielberg would sometimes drop his face in his hands and say: "I'm 50 years old and I'm making a Godzilla movie," screenwriter David Koepp recalls. "But then he would look up with a smile and say: 'I'm 50 -- and I'm making a Godzilla movie!' "

"What we felt Crichton accomplished with the book was the biggest toughest thing -- which was to justify a continuation of the story," Koepp said. "Other than for reasons of corporate greed, why should this story be continued? And we felt he'd come up with a really smart answer for that. And so we spun from there."

"The whole vision of the film is way beyond what the first one was," said Mr Dennis Muren, senior visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, which created the digital dinosaurs. "I look at this like Star Wars next to Empire Strikes Back. It's just much bigger."

And much more intense. Executive producer Kathleen Kennedy acknowledged some concern over The Lost World and its PG-13 rating. "With movies like this, when there's a level of intensity -- and I think everybody knows, with dinosaurs, this is going to be scary -- you (parents) have got to see the movie first. Know your kids and decide whether or not you think they should see it. "But we can't make Jurassic Park for six-year-olds," he added. "That was not our intention and we did that very deliberately. This is not an animated movie that's designed to be shown to little tiny children."

Check out this really cool picture from Trespasser: Jurassic Park, the upcoming PC game from Dreamworks Interactive: (thanks to Max Szoc)

(click to enlarge)

Wiserman was able to attend the "preview gala" of the new JP2 Exhibit at The Museum of Natural History in New York: "Very well done exhibit - lots of clips from the movie, endless memorabilia, lost of dino skeletons, and actual animals from the movie. They had the live-action versions created by Stan Winston's creature shop, and I got to see them up close, which was pretty cool: Mamenchiasaurus, Stegosaurus, baby Stegosaurus, baby T-Rex, 2 or 3 Raptors, a few Compies, and the Triceratops. They also had the actual Mercedes M-Class and field equipment used in the movie, and a bunch of storyboards and a very cool light show.". The exhibit will open to the public on June 24th

I added a few new reviews of JP2 from the following sources: Joel Siegal, Gene Siskel, Eye.net (thanks to Kit), USA Today, Gannett News Service (thanks to Jay Gunn), and E! Online.

Check out the Hollywood Online Store to buy some JP2 merchendise online! (thanks to Max Szoc)

The transcript from last night's online chat is available here. (thanks to Spoeth and Kid4N64)

From Robert Lasowski:
Well, Dan, I just got back from the promotional screening of The Lost World and it was better than I could've imagined. First, a small note is that Universal now has a cool new opening that they introduce at the beginning. The trailer scene...my God, was it great! Malcolm, Nick, and Sarah are hanging over the cliff while Eddie Carr tries desperately to save them...with two T-Rexes watching over him. Goldblum has some great lines in the movie...one tension-breaker during the trailer scene is so great I won't give it away here.

The survivors are rescued via helicopter after this tense scene and it seems like it's the end of the movie (at this point the film clocked in at one hour and fifty minutes, so it very well could've been). But it's not over...to the surprise of myself and the audience, the next twenty-five minutes are the greatest moments that probably all of us have spent in a movie theatre in months.

An A+ movie. Can't wait to see it again. In a summer that's filled with speeding boats, Batman, and men in black, will any of them match up to a pack of 65 million year old creatures?

From Jesse Taylor:
After seeing the movie, I would have to say that Speilberg out did himself with this one. the San Diego scene was unbeliveble and I have fallen in love the the T. Rex's baby. plus Goldblum did a splendid job. ****

From "Gapinteeth":
The theater was packed and the audience cheered as the light dimmed..Let me tell you, the place went bonkers when the san diego plotline was revealed!! The early exposition scenes go well enough, but once we're on the island, not much happens after the stegosaur sequence. However the film definetly picks up after the ingen folks arrive. The t-rex sequence with the trailers is awesome! very well directed with many fine hitchcockian-touches. The cracking glass imagery is brilliant!

As for the intensity factor, it's not that bad (although the entire audience jumped and howled during the raptor sequence). kids shouldn't have a problem with the film at all. the violence is not bad either, much of it off-camera. (with the exception of a few surprises i'll keep from you).

Of course, the fx are great, but i was most impressed with the baby t-rex animatronic. surprisingly real looking, considering how small it is (as compared the puppet compys). can't wait for all of you to see it! 4 stars out of 5

From Pete Miller:
I just saw LW in Chicago, and let me just say that all this waiting and anticipation was well worth the wait. LW is scarier, funnier, longer (it's only 3 min. but still longer) more dinos, amazing cinematography (the lighting used is much better than JP and is always giving you this eerie feeling) the trailer scene is by far better than the T-rex scene in JP (which I voted for as best scene in JP) and is one of Spielberg's best scenes ever.

The compy's (still while being chickens from hell) will even provide some extra comic relief which LW is full of (don't worry, none of the comedy is over done and all of it is funny). I also loved the raptor scene. They are gonna scare the crap out of you! They make the coolest entrance for any dinosaur (except for the brontasour in JP), Spielberg still has the skill of being able to make the audience jump whenever he wants to. ****

I added a review from the San Diego Union-Tribune and Mr. Showbiz (thanks to Gapinteeth and Trevor) to the Reviews Section.

Don't forget: Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore will be chatting live at 7pm EDT at the Universal Chat web page. Also, tonight at 8pm EDT on E! Entertainment Television, will be the premier of "The Lost World" Behind The Scenes

Check out some more tracks from the JP2 soundtrack at Music Boulevard (you can buy the CD there as well, it's $12.59 plus shipping) (thanks to Max Szoc)

A few of the "missing" areas on the Official Site have been filled in, including some really cool Desktop Tiles, Desktop Images, an Icons. (thanks to Scott Smith)

Here's an interesting tid-bit from James Bouquet: According to CNN, the cast and crew of TLW weren't allowed to use laptops or any electronic equipment on the set, because there was the chance that such devices would affect the dinosaur robots. Yeah, I'd bet 3 ton animatronic dinosaurs going out of control would be a tad dangerous.

Here's a cool picture from EDrive Online: (thanks to Trevor)

Click to enlarge.

I finally got around to adding a search engine to my page, something I'd been meaning to do for a long time. The Hukilau search engine is of the best freeware engine available, and I'm proud to have it on my page. Right now, you can only search through the entire history of the "What's New" pages. Click here to try it out.