The Lost World
By Michael Crichton
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    #358
    Some university classes in subjects like Biology, Philosophy, and Literature assign the JP novel as required reading. (From: jurassiraptor)
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    July 29, 2001
    Apes Break Records
    We could probably tell this was coming: The studios are estimating POTA will make $69.6 million this weekend, the biggest non-holiday opener ever, surpassing "The Mummy Returns" record of $68.1 as well as JP3's opening weekend gross of $50.1 million. As for JP3, it took in a somewhat-respectable $22.5 million, putting its 12-day total at $124.8 million. It's also probably worth noting that despite POTA's impressive numbers, it did not beat TLW's record -- it still stands firm at $72 million. Final numbers are due tomorrow.
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    July 28, 2001


    Bad News For The Dinos
    To say JP3 lost to POTA last night at the box office might be an under-statement: According to Showbizdata.com, Tim Burton's "re-imagining" took in an impressive $25,061,500 yesterday, while JP3 dropped to second place with a measly take of $6,648,000 (Almost four times less than POTA and only $1.3 million more than the 3rd place movie, 'America's Sweethearts'). You could argue that POTA had the advantage of starting on a Friday while JP3 started in the middle of the week, but it does seem certain POTA will be beat JP3's 1st weekend gross of $50.1 million. (Thanks 'Trillian')
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    July 27, 2001


    New Name For 3rd GBA Game
    A new preview of the third JP3 game for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance system at pocket.ign.com reports the title has had a name change. Instead of "Primal Fear", it's now called "Island Attack". While the name may have changed, IGN says that the game is still "a tense, action-packed adventure game set in an isometric perspective." It's due out November 20th. (Thanks 'Mikey1886')
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    Winston Justifies Animatronics
    There's a very interesting interview with several JP3 personalities, effects guy Stan Winston among them, over at entertainment website MadBlast.com. Among other topics, Winston addresses the touchy issue of, "if you could do all the effects CG, why not do everything CG?". Here's his justification:

      For me, the essence of any good movie that is grounded in reality, where you have human actors, to work the most important thing will ultimately be the performance of these actors. Any actor will tell you that 50% of acting is reacting. Any really good actor, any studied actor, any brilliant actor will tell you that they will give you their best performance when they are acting against another good actor. What kind of a performance can you expect out of that actor when there’s no actor there? At the end of the movie when Tea Leoni is on her knees and that velociraptor walks up to her and sniffs her and nudges her, there are two actors there. She’s dealing with the real thing and there is no way in the world that Tea Leoni could have created that performance pretending it was happening. That in no way undermines the importance and the brilliance of what was going on in the CG world. CG animation has gone to levels that is beyond anything I have ever seen, you could ever imagine. [But], if every time you went to a movie that involved fantasy creatures and real human beings and you knew that every fantasy character was animation, you would hate it. You would no longer be grounded in reality. You want to feel it’s real. You want to be fooled. You want to know that at least some of it is real and I don’t know which one it is. Once you know that it’s really there, that that spinosaurus really exists, it’s there, it’s on the set, you can let go of when it’s CG and when it’s not because you’ve accepted it. You have bought into it because you know it’s there.”
    You can read the full article here. (Thanks 'utahraptor')
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    Roger Sticks Up for JP3
    Look's like Roger Ebert has become one of JP3's biggest supporters: According to a report sent in by David, on this weeks "Ebert & Roeper at the Movies", the two argued about whether JP3 or Planet of the Apes was better. While Roeper said POTA is the "best summer blockbuster so far", Ebert said that it dragged on and was "no where near as fun as JP3". Later in the show the two resumed their bickering, with Ebert commenting that POTA should be been more like JP3. The final word of the show came from Ebert: "I will bet you anything that JP3 will outgross [POTA]." You can read Ebert's review on JP3 here, and his view of POTA here.

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    $100 Million!
    Well, it's official, according to Movies.yahoo.com: JP3 has broken the $100 million mark in only its 9th day of release. It took in a little over $4.5 million yesterday, bringing the total to $102,281,645. (For comparison, it also took JP 9 days to reach $100 million, though only 5 for TLW -- those two films had the advantage of a long holiday weekend, however.)

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    Apes vs. Dinos
    20th Century Fox is certainly betting on their monkeys: In an attempt to surpass JP3's $50.8 million weekend, they're opening Planet of the Apes today in a "studio-record" 3,494 theaters, exactly 60 more than JP3, according to this morning's Variety. Who will win when the dust settles? Stay tuned...

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    July 25, 2001


    JP3 to Pass $100 Million Today
    The folks at Universal are probably getting ready to bust out the bubbily, as it seems very likely JP3 will cross the $100 million mark sometime today (it made $4,773,260 yesterday, bringing the US total to $97,748,765, according to Yahoo Movies). The numbers for today will be available tomorrow afternoon.
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    Davis Interview
    There's a fun chat with JP3 composer Don Davis at IGN FilmForce, where the musician talks about JP3, his long-past projects (Davis did the music for 'Captiol Critters'!), and what he's doing next. Davis mentions in the article that some tracks on the JP3 CD (such as "Boneman Ben") don't actually appear in the film. "The cue.. is actually a compendium of a number of cues," he says. "We had to turn in the track list before we started recording, so we had to make a lot of those decisions beforehand – before we had music and were able to say, 'This will go good, and this won't.' As it turned out, I think it's a pretty good mix." As for scoring a potential JP4, Davis adds, "I would absolutely be interested in working on Jurassic Park IV. That all depends on who's going to direct. If Joe Johnston directs and wants me back, I'm there." (Thanks JPDatabase)

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    VCD Pirates Get Locked Up
    Here's an interesting story from yesterday's edition of Malaysian newspaper "The Star". According to the article, during a recent raid of a VCD production plant, "two men were arrested and about 20,000 pirated VCDs of latest blockbuster movies, including Jurassic Park III and Pearl Harbour were seized." (Thanks JP3HQ)

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    Hey You Guys!!!
    Non JP3-related coolness: LOOK at what Harry just posted. And yes, that is a grownup Short Round. AWESOME. Here is the related story.

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    July 26, 2001


    Horner on Discovery Channel Tonight
    Tonight's episode of "Deadline Discovery" will feature "The Facts Behind Jurassic Park's Fantasy", a special hosted by JP3 dino consultant Jack Horner. "The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park are back and more realistic than ever. But from a raptor's roars, to crushing jaws, did the filmmakers get it right? Plus go behind the scenes to learn how the special effects technology brought these creatures back to life." The show airs at 10pm ET/PT. (Thanks 'Ian122785')
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    Official JP3 Site Updated
    A few people pointed out that a new 4 minute "behind the scenes" video is available in the "Special JP3 Video Content" section of the Official JP3 Website (flash site), this one hosted by Ariana Richards (she's all growed up!) and which discusses the effects of JP. It's a pretty cool documentary, featuring interviews with Stan Winston, Jim Mitchell, and Michael Lantieri. Also worth noting on the Official JP3 site is a new "dino challenge" game, some sort of pokemon-style thing where you can build dinos and challenge friends. (Thanks 'Alpha Spino')

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    July 24, 2001


    Box Office Summary
    It seems kinda silly to mention box office numbers every day, but for the record, JP3 took in $5,872,140 yesterday, bringing its total to $87,258,250. At this pace, JP3 should cross the $100 million mark sometime Wednesday or Thursday, well ahead of the opening of this Friday's new film, "Planet of the Apes". An interesting related fact: JP3 made more in 5 days than Spielberg's "AI" made in 4 weeks. Sorry Stevie.
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    July 23, 2001


    More JP4 Speculation
    Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cindy Pearlman cornered JP3 director Joe Johnston and star Sam Neill to ask them about a possibility of a JP4. While there's still nothing definite (and it will most likely stay that way for a long time), Neill did offer one suggestion:
      "I'd never say never again," Neill says [about returning in JP4]. "I'm very happy with this movie. But my thoughts for 'Jurassic Park 4' is that we eliminate one certain aspect of American culture that bothers me. Let the T-Rex stomp on all Wal-Marts! No one would mind the dinosaurs attacking stores that brought the downfall of downtown America," says the native New Zealander.

      "It would be so easy for those birds at the end of Part 3 to just follow the helicopter with the surviving humans. They could follow them back to the mainland," hints director Joe Johnston.

    I certainly wouldn't mind watching Rexy crush a few Starbucks.. (Thanks Comingsoon.net)
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    $81.4 Million
    Well, it's official, according to this Universal press release: JP3 took in $14,783,000 Sunday, bringing it's five-day "weekend" total to an impressive $81,386,110. (Thanks 'JP Animal Control')

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    JP3 Smashes Records Overseas
    The third Jurassic Park movie seems to be doing even better overseas than it is here in the US. According to this Variety article, JP3 was released in 12 markets this weekend, "delivering figures that generally eclipsed the bows of the original 'Jurassic Park.'". In Mexico, for instance, JP3's $1.9 million 2-day gross is a new record, while in Singapore, JP3 finished with $752,000, 15% higher than "MI:2" and 50% higher than the first JP film. Similiarly, in Malaysia, JP3 beat JP's record by 66%. (Thanks 'Sgon2')

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    JP3 Given Higher Rating in Australia
    Looks like not everyone agrees that JP3's violence is equal to the previous films. According to an article in today's edition of the Courier Mail, JP3 has been assigned an "M" rating by the Film Censorship Office in the land down under, higher than the rating given to JP and TLW. "['M' means] that only children 15 and over will be able to see it without a parent or guardian," the article says. The film is due out there August 30th. (Thanks David)

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    'DNA Factor' Review
    Long-time site reader Trillian has written up her review of the new Game Boy Advance game, "Jurassic Park: DNA Factor". You can read it here. If anyone else would like to contribute a review of a JP3 game (CD-ROM or GBA), please e-mail me!

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    July 22, 2001


    JP3 Makes $20 Million Saturday
    The recipts from Saturday's box office is in, with JP3 taking in a little over $20 million ($20,539,000) in its fourth day of release, according to Showbizdata.com. This brings it's total take so far up to $67,365,610. This was $9 million more than the second place movie, "America's Sweethearts". Meanwhile, Reuters is estimating JP3 will take in $50 million this weekend alone, putting the 5 day total at $80.9 million -- higher than JP's opening weekend ($50.2 million), but falling short of the $90.2 million record set by TLW. Another interesting statistic from this E! Online article: This weekend has put JP3 into the record books as the third biggest July opener ever, "just behind" X-Men and Men in Black. Final numbers are due tomorrow. (Thanks Cody)
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    JP4 Rumor Roundup
    A few more tid-bits of information to add to the pile of JP4 rumors. In a very interesting interview with Sam Neill at Zap2It.com, Neill admits that he is "contracted to do three [JP] movies", though he still can't see his character back on the island. JP3 star Tea Leoni suggests a plot idea: "I see a phone call for Dr. Grant, and he answers the phone and this puff of blonde hair rolls over and says, ‘Who was that honey?’ and that’s my character!" Neill responds, "Wow, I would end up with Tea? And then poor Bill I guess gets chewed up somehow, or maybe we all go back and it’s not the dinosaurs killing us, but there’s a murderer among us? I’d be happy to do that (with her) as long as we don’t leave San Diego." While the actors may not know what JP4 is about, several sources seem to suggest it will indeed happen. According to "Unreel" magazine, "Steven Spielberg's company Amblin has confirmed that a fourth installment of the dinosaur series is already in development." And in an article on JP3 in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper a few days ago, JP3 producer Kathleen Kennedy one again commented that "Steven has something really amazing in mind for JP4." (Thanks 'Big Razzie', 'Cryolophosaurus', and Cary&Cory)

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    Jurassic Articles
    Every self-respecting entertainment journalist and their uncle are writing articles about JP3. Here's a few of interest:

    • The Manila Bullitin has a short talk with Jack Horner and Joe Johnston about the spinosaurs. Says Joe: "A lot of dinosaurs have a very similar silhouette to the T-rex, and we wanted the audience to instantly recognize this as something else."
    • Not really an article, but Live365.com "radio show" Sci-Fi Talk is running a rotating segment on JP3, which features interviews with Neill, Macy, Kennedy, Johnston, and Winston.
    • Zap2It.com talked to Leoni about JP3, where the actor talks about one unscripted scene on a catwalk. "I fell off a catwalk. It wasn't even on camera," she says. "Bill and I were hanging out on the edge (of a bridge where flying dinosaurs roam) - it was supposed to be filled with water and it wasn't yet because they weren't shooting that part - and I step off the back and I had a contusion the size of a beach-bucket between my legs."
    • An interview with Sam Neill in the New Straight Times talks with the actor about JP3, his wine (he only produces 800 cases of the stuff a year), and his action figure.
    • Gaming-Age.com has a preview for the upcoming GBA game "Park Builder" up online, you can read that here. And while we're talking about games, there's a review of the horrible CD-ROM game "Danger Zone" here, and a look at the un-playable "Dino Defender" here (The latter is written by yours truly).
    • And for the record, on "Ebert and Roeper at the Movies" last night, Ebert gave the movie "thumbs up" (echoing his print review), while his partner Roeper gave it a "thumbs down", saying it was "absolutely nothing new".
    (Thanks JP3HQ and David)
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    Horroronline.com Features JP3
    'Embryo' notice movie website Horroronline.com has been completely transformed into one big feature on JP3, with six articles on the film, including interviews with Macy, Neill, Kennedy, Ed Verreaux, and Stan Winston. (HorrorOnline.com is owned and operated by Universal Studios). Here's an excerpt, where Ed Verreaux talks about working in the infamous Stage 28: "This is Stage 28, and this space right here-all the way back around here on both sides-are the original sets from the 1928 version of Phantom of the Opera...Since the set is considered a historical landmark, the studio cannot disturb it or tear it down. So, instead, the production crews build around the ornate white facades."

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    AIM JP3 Buddy Icons
    If you're a user of AOL's AIM service, go to "Preferences" and click on "Buddy Icons". According to 'MxPx 8690', they now have a set of icons related to Jurassic Park.

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    July 21, 2001


    JP3 Trounces America's Sweethearts
    According to Showbizdata.com, JP3 took in an astounding $16 million on Friday ($16,212,500), beating the second place movie, Julia Roberts' "America's Sweethearts" by almost $6 million (it made $10,836,000). For those keeping track, this puts JP3's three-day gross at $46,826,610. (Thanks David)
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    Dan's JP3 Review
    Ok, here's my JP3 review. It completely destroys my credibility as an un-biased source of JP3 news, but hey, what the hell, right? I really, really, really liked the film -- I swear. Anyway, here I am:

      I think that what many people who have written negative reviews about this third Jurassic Park movie don't seem to understand is that the Jurassic Park series has never tried to be 'high art' in any sense of the word -- these movies have never aimed for Academy Awards (except, perhaps, in the special effects categories), nor ever really attempted to create a intricate plot with finely detailed characters.

      The first Jurassic Park was not about the moral implications raised by cloning -- it was about rampaging dinosaurs. The Lost World was not about the dangers of trying to disrupt the delicate balance of nature -- it was about rampaging dinosaurs. And yes, JP3 -- perhaps to an even greater extent than in the previous films, in fact -- also knows what it is about, and embraces the fact that at it's core, Jurassic Park films will always be "B" movies.

      But what great "B" movies they are! JP3 is the epitome of the summer movie experience: tense action scenes wrapped around thrilling adventure with a good dose of humor thrown in. I'll spare you the plot details since we know all that, but honestly, my review is pretty one-sided: I had very, very few problems with this movie. Unlike in TLW, where Kelly annoyed me and a few scenes just seemed out-of-place, everything in JP3 seemed to fit together perfectly. Perhaps with the exception of a very odd scene featuring the Cerosaurus, I felt JP3 was a tight, lean film, with very little extraneous details. I didn't even really have any problems with the ending, either -- what else could have happened?

      As I'm writing this, JP3 is already raking in the dough at the box office, leaving many Hollywood experts scratching their heads. Why, they must be asking, is JP3 making so much money, when a) the reviews of JP3 are mostly negative, and b) many people disliked TLW? Why is JP3 "jump starting" the summer movie season when theaters have been virtually empty all summer?

      I'll tell ya why: JP3 is light, escapist, summer movie fun, pure and simple. It doesn't try to do anything revolutionary with the franchise because the franchise is tried and proven. It has a thin plot because a thin plot is all that's required. Basically, JP3 is the kind of movie people love seeing. So I say, 'Bring on the DVD! Then the next one! We love JP!'

    While we're on the subject of reviews, you may want to check out Bob's (from Hawaii Movie Tours) take on the film. It's a bit different than mine, with Bob commenting, "I hope this is the last B movie I ever see." (Thanks 'XxMojoJoJonxX')
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    July 20, 2001


    JP3 Makes $11.5 million Thursday
    The box office take of JP3 dropped to $11.5 million ($11,589,750) Thursday, barely missing the Thursday record set by "Star Wars: Episode 1" back in 1999 ($12,307,918). The really big number, of course, should come later this weekend, when we get the final results from the Friday and Saturday showings of JP3. (Thanks David)
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    New JP3 Newspaper Ad Sparks Controversy
    First webpages with advertisements which shake your browser while pteranodons fly across the screen, and now this: According to a story from the Dow Jones News Service (originally reported by the Wall Street Journal), several newspapers across the country reportedly ran full-page JP3 advertisements Wednesday which were actually placed over newspaper content. The ads, a first for the struggling newspaper industry, "show only the silhouette of a flying dinosaur from the film and appear superimposed over pages of stock quotes or weather reports." While one newspaper executive insists the ad "wakes up the ho-hum of the daily newspaper experience," others say the ad has "crossed a line" regarding the usual distinct seperation between advertising and editorial. "Readers don't expect to have to consciously distinguish between [the two]," says one editorial on the subject.

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    JP3 on Dateline Tonight
    Tune in to NBC's Dateline tonight, where their usually-well-done "State of the Art" segment looks at the special effects of JP3, according to 'TheJPExpert'. Dateline starts at 9pm EDT/8pm CDT.

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    Universal Has Rights for 6 JP Movies?
    Here's something I've never heard before: In his (positive) review of JP3 over at FilmForce.ign.com, 'Drakk' noticed Glen Oliver mentions that, "As I understand it, Universal has the 'rights' to produce a total of six Jurassic Park movies, if it chooses to do so." Presumably these 'rights' come from JP author Michael Crichton, but this is the first I've personally heard of the number '6'.

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    Vince Vaughn in JP4?
    Let the crazy rumors and wild speculation about JP4 begin! According to "science fiction and fantasy" website 13thStreet.com, a "source" has told the site that Spielberg's idea for JP4 involves the return of TLW's Vince Vaughn (aka Nick Van Owen). "Spielberg would like to return Vaughn's character and have him the main character in the fourth film." Obviously, salt this one to taste... Curious fact about this site: it's owned by Universal Studios. Take that as you will... (Thanks Joe)

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    Bozeman Premiere Report
    Nate checks in with his report from the Bozeman, MT premiere, which took place on Tuesday at Museum of the Rockies. The event was attended by Joe Johnston, Jack Horner, Kathleen Kennedy, and a few other miscellaneous Hollywood stars. "[One] of the highlights of the evening was when all the celebs arrived to the theater, they were brought in by huge pickup trucks leased from a local dealer." Here's more from Nate, including an exclusive interview with Peter Buchman from the men's room:

      Right before the show started Joe got up on stage and said a little speech, and his best quote was, "I just want you all to know despite what it says on the marquee out there, this is the world premiere, not the Montana Premiere of "Jurassic Park III". We have these little screenings in Los Angeles, but we save the big stuff for Bozeman." That got a huge applause from the crowd, as well as when Ellie mentioned Jack Horners name [in the movie], and then when the truck pulled up to the dig site with the Museum of the Rockies on the door.

      Kathleen Kennedy also gave a speech that introduced Jack Horner who got a standing ovation, and she said "This is where it should be, this is the home of the dinosaurs. Jack has been such a tremendous help over the years."

      Also, to let you know Dan, at the reception when I got to talk to everyone, I did say thanks to Joe for talking to us over at DansJP3page.com, and he smiled and said that it is an awesome site and serves its purpose well.

      Oh plus when I was in the bathroom of the theatre I looked over and saw Peter Buchman taking a piss next to me, so I talked to him for a while. I asked him if there was really as much problems with the script as everyone says and he said that up until the night before the shooting that there was still no ending to the script. He said his next project is a collaboration with the writer of 3 Kings (the one with Clooney in it).

      I asked Joe, who brought along his kids, if he would do the fourth, and he said its not likely. He said he did the 3rd because he enjoys dinosaurs..

    Thanks Nate!
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    'DNA Factor' Review
    You might want read this review of the first JP3 Gameboy Advance game, "JP3: DNA Factor", before heading out to the store to pick it up tomorrow. According to the reviewer (who calls the game a "dud" and gives it a "5.0"), the side-scrolling adventure "[has] a pretty lame design and feels rushed through development to make the film's debut." The second GBA game, 'Park Builder', is due out in September. (Thanks 'MxPx 8690'.

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    [News from July 14th through July 19th]


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