I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

One summer later, Julie is still haunted by her deep kept secret and the fisherman who harvests no tuna. Despite a new best friend, a new high school and a new hair-do, she finds herself entwined in another fishy business. Brandy (singer behind the hit The Boy Is Mine) joins the slashing flick while Freddie Prince Jr returns as Julie's love interest.

Grosser hookin', screechier shrieks, bloodier mess, more boobs (and to think that's not possible), I Still Know... will not disappoint, at least in these aspects. Not caring to pick up exactly where it left off in its prequel (Julie finds the fisherman crashing into her bathroom through the glass doors), the scenario is not unlike sister flick Scream 2 where the victim tries to pick up the pieces in her life a year after the trauma.

What's new? More cheap thrills (of which only a few succeeded), a more gorgeous Jennifer Love Hewitt, a more politically correct gang, Bahamas set, a more unbelievable plot... What's better? Little if any actually. However the pace, hook-n-chase sequences and surprises are just as entertaining as I Know. Kevin Williamson, the screenplay writer behind the latter and the Screams, was not involved with the sequel's script and it clearly shows. Do not be too psyched for I Still Know... but nonetheless, don't let your guard down.

If Julie and gang hit-and-ran one summer and the fisherman haunts them one summer later killing her best friend and now another summer down the road hunts for her in the Bahamas, shouldn't it be I Still Know What You Did 2 Summers Ago? The producers did notice the technical inaccuracy but decided against a yucky sounding title. Good Choice.

ROUNDERS

With a feel and style very much similar to that of Oscar winner Matt Damon's self-penned film Good Will Hunting, this picture about a law under-graduate's struggle with his passion for gambling is real and relatable. Matt is Mike McDermott, a complusive gambler who's good at his trade but quits after a major loss with the help of a beautiful girlfriend played by Gretchen Mol. When his long time buddy Worm (Edward Norton of American History X and Primal Fear) is released from jail with a heap of unpaid gambling debts, he finds himself turning back to his compulsion.

A cosy pace runs the film. Rounders is no glossy Hollywood pic despite the high profile stars in it. Assembling 2 of the best actors of our generation, this drama deals with loyalty, choices and passion above gambling. With a 1st person voice-over, Mike battles with his promise to quit poker and faces storm with his girlfriend - a cheating gambler buddy didn't help a bit. To Mike, gambling is a skill game with luck being a negligible quotient and sees a future playing in the big leagues in Vegas. Many may find the ending objectionable but taking a small step back and looking at it, Mike and Worm play 2 different gamblers with 2 outlooks and most certainly, 2 different destinies. Director John Dahl may have a point afterall - gambling's not necessarily a vice ; it all depends on the gambler. Addiction or passion : I guess it's not always possible to draw a line.

Fans of either or both actors and a drama piece like Good Will Hunting will find this 2 hour film most appetising. John Malkovich aka Hollywood's reknown villain (The Fifth Element, The Portrait Of A Lady) plays a scary-turn-comedic Russian mobster, making the cast ensemble one of 98's finest. Looking at Matt's career moves so far, gaining so much critical appraisal and commercial acceptance, he is undoubtedly well on his way to major superstardom. Catch him here with yet another veteranic performance.

RONIN

Finally, a stylish high-action movie about diplomatic strife and terrorism that is not confusing. IRA, KGB, CIA, power weaponry, exotic European beauty, exotic European cities, car chases and Robert De Niro (Sleepers and Jackie Brown). Broody and dangerous-looking Jay Reno (The Professional) is part of this cosmopolitan film with fantastic action and an unpredictable plot. The ever elegant Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show) adds a cool touch of femme fatale femininity to this testosterone-charged pic.

Flawless in almost all aspects as a quinntessential terrorism-cum-mafia movie, Ronin is a masterful piece with all the right ingredients in the right proportions with an original flavour. The viewer-friendly storyline is a refreshing change from other movies of the same genre with loads of confusing diplomatic spiderwebs. All the main characters are at least 2 dimensional with the ever suave Robert Deniro stealing the show needless to say. Expect welcoming turns and surprises that keeps up with this adrenalin arousing ride.

The great cinematography which features the beautiful cities of Europe including Nice and Paris is nothing short of a feast for hungry eyes. Even indoors sets are well filmed without the typical cheesy backdrops one grows numb to in B-rate flicks. With a heavy Euro-feel reminiscent of Harrison Ford's Frantic and one of the big screen's best car speed chases (out-doing Taxi and Blackdog), coupled with cinematograhpy as excellent as The Horse Whisperer's and fire-action as potent as The Professional, you can rest assure knowing you'll get your money's worth.

Director John Frankenheimer, the man responsible for The French Connection 2, employs camera movement and executes action sequences with such natural grace you enjoy the scenes without incurring a headache. Even after an adrenalin draining 2 hour roller-coasting, you'll wish it'll go on for a little more. Ronin is highly recommended if not for nothing else but simply because Robert De Niro does it again.


MIGHTY JOE YOUNG

A beauty named Jill Young (Charlize Theron of The Devil's Advocate) and a beast (gorilla named Joe Young) lose their mothers on the same night when a group of ruthless poachers went on a gorilla massacre. Shot by one of them while protecting Joe, Jill's mother makes her promise to always protect Joe just before dying from the fatal wound. Jill grows up to become a leggy blonde beauty, all this time living with the natives and keeping Joe's existence a secret from the outside world. Joe turns into an extraordinary gorilla weighing 2000 tonnes, being one of the few gorillas who inherited the special gene that comes across every few generations. When his existence is discovered and threatened, Jill decides to bring him to an animal reserve in California with the help of Gregg (Bill Paxton of Titanic). The poachers behind Joe and Jill's orphanage returns 12 years later to haunt Joe.

With a great leap in visual effects, the gorilla is far from mechanical-looking but Joe is still 'awkward-looking' at times. This Disney picture gives a luke warm satisfaction with its mediocre storyline and mild action. The city-rampage reminiscent of the Japanese Lizard's last year is watchable but out-dated. Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton has little chemistry to begin with and although her bond with Joe is heartfelt, it remains a far cry from Sigourney Weaver's performance in Gorilla In The Mist.

The saving grace is the climax of the movie when Joe risks his well-being to save a kid in a burning ferris-wheel. Typically Disney, all's well ends well although they almost had me there for a minute. Running about 105 minutes, the movie seems shorter in recollection with little or no plot complications whatsoever. A good laugh you wouldn't get and shouldn't expect. A fine choice for mature kids and probably a bad one for young toddlers despite Joe's kind-natured persona. The violence he wrecks and the roars may just be a little too much for them.

MEET JOE BLACK

Directed by the director behind the Oscar-nominated Scent Of A Woman, Martin Brest, Meet Joe Black is similiar in its style and taste to the best picture nominee. The film is more beautiful than its lavish sets and chiseled leads. Graceful and well-paced, Joe is not only watchable but literally interesting despite its much criticised film length. A film not for everyone for sure but if you're lucky enough to find yourself romanced by the film, you'll be sure to fall deeply. Not unlike Titanic, this movie is classy with a distinct sense of grace and quality. It has a direction and meets its destiny with humour, sadness and romance. With an intriguing manner of treating such an unusual theme on the silver screen, Joe is delightfully rescuing among the over-manufactured doses of love stories.

Brad Pitt, touted sexiest man alive, and relatively new-blooded Claire Forlani tell the tale of an impossible supernatural romance. Unlike City Of Angels which is on the verge of being melodramatic, Martin draws this love story like an experienced artist. With an ending one couldn't decipher or outsmart beforehand, Meet Joe Black is the quintessential movie experience. Anthony Hopkins, the master of his craft, overwhelms with another fantastic performance. This is not just a film for lovers but for fathers and daughters as well.

Brad Pitt is the entity Death who explores the aesthetics of mortal life with the help of millionaire Sir Hopkins in Brad's body. The end of his vacation will mark the time for Death to claim Sir Hopkin's life. Brad falls deeply in love with the millionaire's daughter, the sensual and elegant Claire Forlani. Life, death, love, family, fate... you'll find it all in this film adapted from the old film "Death Takes A Holiday". Meet Joe Black is far from a movie meant only for Brad's fans. The picture is much bigger. Our generation's Casablanca? You be your own judge. For what's worth, you'll come out of the cinema with more than a 180-minute joyride.

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

Nora Ephron reunites the leads of Sleepless In Seattle for another romantic comedy entitled You've Got Mail. Not to be mistaken as a sequel to the 1993 blockbuster hit, Mail is about two rivaling owners of bookstores in the same district who are in fact email-mates under pseudonymns : Shopgirl and NY152. A technologically updated version of Sleepless? Yes and no. With many familiar clues of a Nora Ephron film, Mail smells like it but unfortunately tastes a whole lot different.