Here is where you can discuss the non-SW projects I've done if you've been able to scrounge up any of them. Super thanks to MBJ and a fellow named "Manono" over at VideoHelp.com for helping me learn the tools of the trade. They helped me hone my skills before attacking the Star Wars edits. Darth Enzo, Dark_Jedi, Darth Simon and Rikter have also been very helpful in QCing edits. And Darth Enzo, Boba Feta, TheCassidy and Rikter have all done great artwork for these as well.
The Wizard of Oz Special Extended Edition
NOW IN BLU RAY!!!
It includes a reincorporated dance number for the Scarecrow (anybody who has the LD or DVD should know this supplemental scene) and an optional soundtrack of Dark Side of the Moon.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
A hybrid of the perfect original and the bastard Special Edition. The cleaned up optical effects and the two deleted scenes (minus any CG moments in the "bathtub" scene) from the SE were inserted into the original cut. No crappy CG-e.t., no hippies, no walkie talkies. Like my OT re-edits, I tried to make a less-offensive SE.
Tomorrow Never Dies: The Cunning Languist Edition
Restoring K.D. Lang's song to the opening credits, where it belongs. Recently remixed in 5.1
Harry Potter
HP and the Sorceror's Stone
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* Dudley in his Smeltings uniform
* Letters in Eggs
* Hagrid and Harry on the Underground (excellent setup to the dragon subplot)
* Extended Potions Class (Harry giving cheek to Snape)
* Harry, Ron and Hermione make up after the Troll incident
* Christmas in the Great Hall (Harry dwelling on the Mirror)
* Cramming in the Great Hall / Neville Leglocked
HP and the Philosopher's Stone
---------------------------
Same as above, but the "Philosopher's Stone" version of the film. You may ask, "But wait, ADM, didn't you do this before?" Or maybe "What's the difference, other than the title card?" For the uninitiated, when Chris Columbus made this film, he shot two versions of every scene where the stone was mentioned. One where they use the word "Sorceror's" for the U.S. release and one where they use the word "Philosopher's" for the rest of the world. They even used two different props (or changed the text in CGI, I don't know which) for the library book from which Hermione reads about the stone.
Of course, R2-6 received this version of the film in PAL format and have been subjected to the usual PAL speedup issues. But Canada had an R1 NTSC version of this film, making it a special rarity. That is the source of this extended edition.
HP and the Chamber of Secrets
-----------------------------
* Extended scene of Dobby and the cake.
* Extended flying car scene when they are taking off from King's Cross
* Extended scene in Borgin and Burke's where Lucius and Draco Malfoy come in and Harry has to hide. Lucius has come in to see some of his dark arts materials due to all the raids. (This is a more chilling introduction to Lucius.) Immediately followed by ...
* Another Borgin and Burke's scene where Borgin catches Harry on his way out
* Harry finds Filch's Kwikspell letter when he is leaving Snape's office upon arrival at Hogwarts.
* Extended introduction of Colin Creevy where he says he's muggleborn.
* Lockhart's pop quiz ... all about himself.
* Extended Qudditch scene where the rogue bludger goes through the crowd.
* Extended Dueling Club scene where Justin introduces himself as a muggleborn.
* Additional scene after Harry finds out he's parseltounge. Harry reflects on who he is up a hill over looking the lake.
* Extended study hall scene Harry overhears the Ernie, Hannah, & other Hufflepuffs talking about him.
* Additional scene where Fred and George tease Harry about being the heir of Slytherin and even Harry begins to doubt himself.
* Hermione says she got the slytherin robes from the laundry when she is brewing the polyjuice potion.
* Crabbe and Goyle meet Ron and Harry dressed like them after waking up from the sleeping draught.
* Harry and Ron visit Hermione in hospital (after the cat incident.) They have found Tom Riddle's diary and Ron says he recognises the name off a trophy. Leads into ...
* Extended scene of Harry writes in the diary.
* Harry wakes up Ron to tell him Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets.
* Additional scene where Harry bumps into Harid on the corridor and Hagrid says he's been up to Dumbledore's office about the pheasant killings.
* Harry gets his invisibility cloak out his trunk and covers Ron and himself with it before going to Hagrid's hut.
(The only scene not restored was the additional scene in the forest where Ron and Harry find the Ford Anglia. It ruined the surprise return of the car to save them.
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
------------------------------
* Extended bird sequence (Great John Williams-scored flute solo in its entirety)
* Return from Hogsmeade village in the Great Hall - Exploding candy
* Upon returning to the Gryffindor commons, McGonagall tells the students to be wary; Harry broods on Sirius (This was edited down from the full scene, which was an abandoned sublot of Sirius invading Harry's room while they slept, having found Neville's list of passwords.)
* Sir Cadogan takes the position of the Fat Lady
HP and the Goblet of Fire
-------------------------
All eight deleted scenes from the DVD have been restored.
* Students of Hogwarts sing the school song for the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons
* Durmstrang student asks a Hogwarts student to the Yule Ball
* Harry attempts to talk to Cho in the hallways before finally running into her at the owlry.
* Flitwick introduces the "Band that needs no introduction," followed by a full-length rendition of "Do the Hippogriff" by Jarvis Cocker.
* Harry overhears Karkaroff and Snape arguing while blasting students out of carriages for snogging.
* Moody tells Harry "We can win this thing" after his run-in with Crouch
* Ron explains just how big a deal Crouch's death is to Harry and Hermione
* Harry tells Hermione and Ron about the missing polyjuice ingredients while his scar becomes more painfu
HP and the Order of the Phoenix
-------------------------
All nine deleted scenes from the DVD have been restored.
* Trelawny Eating (bits interwoven throughout Umbridge's speech as reaction shots)
* Neville Speaks Up For Harry
* Steady Cam Around the Gryffindor Common Room
* Umbridge Questions Trelawny (full version, repeated bits removed from the montage)
* Malfoy, Crabbe And Goyle Bully A Student (giving Umbridge the idea for the Inquisitorial Squad)
* Filtch Blows On Umbridge's Smoking Hair
* Harry Hermione and Umbridge in the Dark Forest - Extended Version (Some lighting changes and unset color timing but whatever)
* Ron Checks in on Harry
* Harry Enters Dumbledore's Office
HP and the Half-Blood Prince
ONLY IN BLU RAY
-------------------------
All deleted/extended scenes from the Blu Ray have been restored in glorious 1080p
* Extended walk-and-talk between Harry and Hermione about Draco and the vanishing cabinet.
* Harry notes to Hermione that he thinks Draco is leaving the castle.
* Harry suspects there may be a second vanishing cabinet.
* Extended bits in the cave.
* Flitwick's haunting choir intro to the invasion of Hogwarts.
* Harry's last time in the common room.
* "Keep the snogging to a minimum".
Elf
Deleted scenes reinstated. I honestly can't remember if my mix here is 2.0 or 5.1. I suppose I'll have to look back into that.
Blade Runner
My first ever fan edit, this mixes the Director's Cut and the international cut. I used the opening credits from the DC for legibility's sake. After the "flyover" sequence, cut to the international cut (sourced from the Criterion LD). Then, as the elevator doors close on Deckerd at the end, cut back to the DC credits for sound-smoothness on the closing music and legibility. Simply, this edit takes the international cut and removes the happy ending, leaving the ultraviolent scenes and voiceover intact.
Pulp Fiction Extended cut
Five deleted scenes reinstated. Movie is letterboxed, but not anamorphic, due to limitations in the source material. 5.1 surround sound.
Blazing Saddles Extended cut
Five deleted scenes (which were present in the TV cut) reinstated. Anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 surround sound.
Monty Python's Life of Brian extended cut
Four deleted scenes reinstated. Quality of the source material is less than perfect, but you can never get too much Python. Anamorphic widescreen. One scene wasn't reinstated because the quality was just way too bad.
Aladdin restored edition
When Aladdin was released in 1993, Arab-American groups protested a line in "Arabian Nights" that was subsequently changed for home video (rather ham-fistedly, if you listen).
Then, certain puritanical child-protection groups became convinced that the line "Good tiger, take off and go" was actually saying "Good teenagers take off their clothes." This line was removed for the DVD release.
I have restored both of these lines to how they were originally heard in theatres.
The video, to my understanding, comes from the IMAX remaster, but I am not aware of any material changes (unlike what Disney did to the Lion King) making a video restoration necessary.
Remember The Titans Extended Edition
I have always loved this film. I decided to add back in the six scenes that were in the supplements, but content dictated some editing of these scenes. The subplot where Sheryl is picked up by her mom at the beginning of football camp and then dropped off at the end was removed, as Sheryl was the "water girl" mid-way through. The scene where she is picked up is therefore split into two parts, bookending a sequence where three deleted scenes are inserted side-by-each. Sheryl and Bill Yost have a conversation about Boone being "in way over his head." Then cut to Sheryl's mother showing up (unexpectedly in this edit) to give Bill full custody. Then cut to the bit about Boone being unable to smile. Then cut back to the original scene, but Yost is now talking to Julius about how "Friends don't come easy."
Additional sequences are restored of the players breaking down the racial boundaries. Then, further along in the movie, the remaining deleted scenes are restored. Most notably, "Sunshine Strikes Back" is restored, as it unquestionably shouldn't have been deleted in the first place. A final restored scene of Bill and Sheryl attending church with "The Rev" (and Boone's family) is more important than it seems on the surface. When inserted between his learning of the "fixed" game and the game itself, the original rhythm is broken in favor of showing Yost grappling with his faith and his willingness to step outside of the comforts of his white church -- where he sits on the deacon board to boot -- to see God from a different point of view. This helps crystalize his "epiphany" on the field in the following scene.
Hannibal: Desserts Served With Your Main Course
An extended alternate cut. About 22 minutes longer, this reintegrates most of the deleted material.
After re-editing the Star Wars saga to his own satisfaction, fan editor ADigitalMan began looking at other films he has appreciated over the years and, where possible through the availablity of good supplemental material, has extended them through the judicious addition of deleted scenes and alternate takes.
Here he has attempted to create an alternate cut of Hannibal, the adaptation by acclaimed director Ridley Scott of Thomas Harris' controversial follow-up to Silence of the Lambs. ADigitalMan has integrated over a dozen deleted scenes to bring the running time around 2:30. In an attempt to make the movie fit better as a sequel to Silence, it was imperative to restore Clarice's trip to the dungeon as she looks for clues to the whereabouts of her old nemesis. Meanwhile, as Hannibal sets up Inspector Pazzi in Florence for the ultimate tribute to Pazzi's infamous ancestor, he can't help but offer advice about another serial murderer terrorizing historic Florence. And while "Il Mostro" isn't as central a figure as "The Tooth Fairy" or "Buffalo Bill" were in the previous stories, we come to know that Hannibal may indeed know more about the killer than he is letting on.
More important exposition is restored as well, including the fate of Jack Crawford, the escape of Hannibal from Florence, and the moment of clarity for Hannibal when he fixates on Paul Krendler in the final act.
Finally, a custom modified version of the alternate ending is presented here, with more subtlety and grace than the theatrical cut or even the supplement allowed.
Love or hate this sequel to Silence, there is no denying that Ridley Scott did a masterful job with what he had to work with (even correcting the greatest sin of the novel by outright changing the book's universally-deplored ending). A film rich in visual depth, both in the old world and the new, this edit merely goes to enhance a beautiful romantic art film. It's merely incidental that the unrequited love is between serial killer who eats his victims and the agent tracking him.
And so, ADigitalMan presents and extended alternate cut for you entitled "Hannibal: Desserts Served With Your Main Course." Get out the fine china and crystal, enjoy all the goodies you are treated to during this feast of a film, and prepare for the most cerebral dinner party you will ever experience.
Red Dragon: Desserts Served With Your Main Course
An extended alternate cut. About 6-7 minutes longer, this reintegrates most of the deleted, extended or alternate material. This helps strengthen the relationship between Will Graham and his son (which in turn makes the climax all the more powerful), shows us more of Will Graham's analytic mind, Dolarhyde's madness (including the excised "Red Dragon Voiceover" by Frank Langella), Dr. Chilton's tactlessness, and snips out Lloyd Bowman's reading of the decoded message to heighten the tension of what it might say as Will waits to hear it.
I personally liked this film. While it's not nearly as great as Silence, I give props to Ratner for at least trying to capture that film's mood. So once again pull up a chair to the dining table and enjoy this last soiree with Anthony Hopkins in the role that made him a household name.
The Terminator Extended Edition
All of the deleted scenes re-integrated into the film:
* Sarah's "I'm so wholesome I could puke" conversation in front of the mirror before starting work
* T-800 leaving the scene of the first termination
* Several bits with Traxler and Vulkovitch in pursuit
* Bit where Traxler is considering that Reese may be telling the truth
* Traxler's admonition to Reese to protect Sarah before dying
* Sarah deciding to destroy Cyberdyne & Reese's breakdown (long, excellent scene)
* Sarah planning on all the great things Kyle will see and do after they change the future
* A little post-coital intimacy between Sarah & Kyle
* The chip being discovered ... at Cyberdyne
Two language options are presented, based on the original mono and the 5.1 remix.
T2: ADigitalMan's Fourth Option Special Edition
Very little to this edit, actually. It adds the scene of the T-1000 searching John's room into the Special Edition. This scene was included in the Special Extended Edition on the official disc, but you also had to watch the alternate ending to see it. Now you don't.
T3: ADigitalMan's Alternate Edition
* Sgt. Candy scene restored as a pre-credits sequence. Closes with the signature drum fanfare I worked-up for the Cyberdyne scene in T1.
* T-X downloading John's lieutenants is cut, so it looks more like she's uploading the virus through the LA mainframe. (Since we start hearing about it afterwards, this works really well. It makes the T-X's primary mission to ensure that Judgement Day actually happens).
* The names of John's lieutenants are cut during the two assassination scenes, so it looks like she's systematically taking out potential John Connors, much the way the T-101 did in T1 with Sarah.
* Her "gasp" after sampling "the real" John Connor's blood is removed, because she wouldn't have an emotional reaction like that.
* T-101's explanation of the Lieutenants during the "escape" is removed. It is left in later as it sets up the events at Skynet without detriment to the story. She simply is carrying out another default program having failed to terminate John and Kate.
In the end, I think the T-X is a much more logical machine now. Her default program is now:
1) Upload virus that sets chain of events into motion that brings Skynet online
2) Eliminate John Connor (to her analysis, she did, since those "in the system" were taken out).
3) Eliminate Kate Brewster
4) Eliminate Robert Brewser after Skynet is activated
5) Eliminate top lieutenants
-> Upon carrying out #3, she gets concrete evidence that #2 was not completed.
-> If 2 and 3 are not accomplished in time to execute #4 by 6:18 p.m., execute the time-sensitive task of #4 before resuming 2 and 3 or proceeding to #5.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
ADigitalMan's Shaggadelic Extended Edition
Four deleted/extended scenes reinstated:
* Extended intro to Number 2 (His bit about owning the Franklin Mint)
* Lois Chiles' scene: Family of the Henchman
* Rob Lowe's scene: Friends of the Henchman
* Extended scene with Number 2's offer of a billion dollars to Austin (the Fendi Briefcase argument).
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
ADigitalMan's Shaggadelic Extended Edition
Several deleted/extended scenes reinstated:
* Dr. Evil shares personal secrets on the Jerry Springer Show
* Extra intro with Rebecca Romijn
* Austin turns Rebecca down
* Cappucino machine gag in Starbucks HQ
* Austin's shrinkage in Cryo (Nanook of the North)
* "I smell a little green monster."
* Mini Me meets Young Number 2
* Shaking, umm, hands with Robin Spitz Swallows
* Frickin' rotating chair
* Austin tells Felicity about Vanessa the robot
* Mini Me driving the motorized tricycle
* Austin's Bar and Library
* Number 2 and Fat Bastard
* Austin investigates Felicity with remote control and a Metal Detector
* Mini Me gnaws the joystick
* Shite in a pine tree
* You are so beautiful
* 2 on 2: technically it's not cheating.
* Gag reel
Austin Powers in Goldmember
ADigitalMan's Shaggadelic Extended Edition
* "Legs" sequence in the opening credits
* Austin Drunk after the Knighting
* Balzac, Dickens & Longfellow
* Scott takes over the Evil Empire
* Dr. Evil & Mini Me work out
* The disagreeable inmate
* Frickin' Idiot Convention
* Hello Mahza, Hello Fahza
* Nigel's Dutch-hating Diatribe
* Dr. Evil Has The Con
* Fook Mi and Fook Yu in Japan
* Why Fat Bastard's diet failed
* More Fahza
* "What's It All About, Austin" musical number
* Bad Reaction to sharks
* Post-credits gag reel
Version 2.0 moves the "Dr. Evil has the Con" scene after the demonstration of Preparation H to the World Organization. Number 2 was holding the box for the key during that scene, so it really belonged here. A bonus feature was also added ... "Evil Hill" ... a short fan film by the same guys who did "George Lucas in Love" that shows exactly why Dr. Evil became a bad guy.
ADigitalMan's "No, it really is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein"
When this movie was released, I was cautiously optimistic. I had loved Mary Shelley's original novel since I was a kid, and the notion that an accurate representation of Frankenstein was coming excited me to no end. As the movie unfolded, I couldn't believe what a powerful and accurate retelling I was witnessing. Beautifully shot, totally faithful, and respectful to all the original characters, this movie hit the nail on the head.
Then they decided to "revive" Elizabeth and the whole thing fell apart. I was dumbfounded at how the film could have progressed so well, only to screw up the end so miserably.
Every October I watch lots of classic monster movies. This year I attempted to watch this film again, and came to the same conclusions I did in the theater eleven years ago. Only now I had the tools to fix yet another disappointment. It was an easy enough film to correct: Lop off the asinine plot twist and cut to Victor in the North after Elizabeth's murder. You know, kinda like the book and all. Purists may still cry foul, but this is pretty much what Mary Shelley wrote. It works for me. So I share with you Mary Shelley's Frankenstein ... for real this time.
Pearl Harbor: ADigitalMan's "Strength And Honor" Edit
I write this having completed my first viewing of the final cut. This may be the finest re-edit I've done. Using the R-rated Director's Cut as my basis, I have completely removed the awful romantic love triangle and thereby turned this into a kinetic war movie that focuses entirely on the lead-up and attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Like Titanic, Pearl Harbor was really two movies in one. A story of a historical disaster, and a love story. It made Titanic float, but it made Pearl Harbor sink. By removing the ham-fisted love story, the movie becomes a visually stunning actioner that hits the gas and doesn't let up for two hours.
We see the genuine comradery between lifelong buddies Rafe and Danny without any pointless tension thrown in. We respect Evelyn as a capable nurse who rises to an incredible challenge. She isn't romantically linked to either character, which keeps the focus on the looming war from all sides ... Rafe's combat post in the RAF, Danny, the other flyboys and nurses posted at Pearl, the newsreels, the intelligence and analysis in Washington, and the preparation of the Japanese for the attack. When all hell breaks loose, we're squarely focused on it, and not on false tensions written out of a marketing playbook.
Some scenes were moved around in the first act to improve flow, but rather than pulling out little bits here and there, I mostly lopped out giant sections and left others intact. Just remember, the Ritalin-challenged quick-cut editing style is Michael Bay's work, not mine. The most finessed part of the edit is the bar scene upon Rafe's return. Instead of having lifelong friends sniping at each other and descending into fisticuffs over a woman, we have Danny somewhat speechless and in awe of his friend who has returned from the dead. Moments like that aren't moments for anger and hate, they're cause for celebration, and that's how the scene now plays out.
Oh, and Bruce Willis is taken right the F--- out of this film. If there ever was a moment that pulled me out of a movie, it's was seeing John McClane limping around in triage behind Jennifer Garner's bewildered Nurse Sandra. That one shot drained all the emotional investment the attack built up. All it needed was a "Yippie-kay-yay" as a final punch. Whatever. It's gone, and Jennifer Garner's moment of clueless despair right along with it. It only improves her character and keeps you emotionally invested in Nurse Betty's death.
Kate's voiceover brings the film to a pitch-perfect close. No cheesy scenes of "the family" flying about in the clouds. The end is more patriotic, more noble, and yes, more uplifting than a crop duster.
What we're left with is a film that pays genuine tribute to the men (and women) who fought and died at Pearl Harbor, and those who lived on to fight out World War II. Clocking in at 2 hours 8 minutes (including credits) it feels like the perfect length.
Love Actually: ADigitalMan's Bloated and Flatulent Extended Edition
Acclaimed British comedy writer Richard Curtis (Black Adder, Mr. Bean, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary) made his directoral debut in grand fashion with what has quickly become one of the most beloved films of the new millennium. On the official DVD, Curtis noted that the raw cut of this interweaving film was around 3.5 hours, but was trimmed considerably to get a two-hour running time for a theatrical presentation. This edit restores about 30 minutes worth of deleted scenes from the DVD into places where they seemed to fit, and reorders a few other things for flow.
* Alternate opening that morphs from a famine relief poster in Harry's office to the scene when that poster was photographed, featuring two African women talking jovially about their husbands and the merits (or lack thereof) of a prospective son-in-law
* Daniel looking up pictures of Claudia Schiffer online and getting lured into a barrage of pornographic pop-up ads just as his father-in-law arrives unexpectedly.
* Extended sequences of how this allows Daniel and Sam to bond unexpectedly, and a peek into Sam's room, where he has built a shrine to romance films.
* "Bad Bernard," Harry and Karen's disgruntled son, laments being cast as an angel in the Nativity play.
* Mia visits Mark's gallery as he unveils his new photographs ... and finds them to be much more than he bargained for.
* John and Judy discuss Christmas presents for their family and feel the first arrows of love.
* Harry and Karen visit Mark's gallery and select it as the venue for Harry's office party.
* Karen is called to visit Bad Bernard's Headmistress about his Christmas essay.
* The Headmistress returns home and tells her ailing lover about Bernard's essay, bringing some humor to her day.
* Billy Mack and Joe visit the suits at the record label and to Joe's chagrin, Billy Mack tells them what he really thinks.
* Daniel and Sam lip synch to Scott Walker's "Joanna"
* John and Judy's grossly out-of-place arrival at the play is removed.
* Karen opens the play with a special note to the Headmistress.
* Post-credits scene bookends the Africa subplot where the daughter and son-in-law referenced in the alternate opening express genuine love in spite of difficult times.
Titanic: The White Star Extended Edition
Titanic has gotten even bigger! This three disc set restores all 29 deleted scenes to bring the run time to a whopping 3.75 hours. Using the Special Collector's Edition of James Cameron's TITANIC as a basis, this extended edition restores all of the deleted scenes in context with the film. Disc One presents the extended edition up through the collision with the iceberg. Disc Two presents everything afterward, with the original theatrical ending. Disc Three is the same as disc two, but with the Alternate Ending, so you can choose which one to watch.
Dune: The Reconstructed Workprint Edition
This edit attempts to reconstruct David Lynch's workprint better than the official EE. It removes most (if not all) of the offensive elements that led Lynch to remove his name from the EE. Erroneous FX shots are eliminated, and as much of the Theatrical Edition as possible is used for the sake of better sound and score. It also restores most of the deleted scenes that were not present in the EE but finally showed up as a supplement on the DVD. These are noticibly lower in quality, hence why I call this a "workprint" edition. They nonetheless add to the detailed, if convoluted plot that Sci-Fi fans know and love. At any rate, while some of the footage is sub-par in video quality, you don't find yourself taken out of the moment when wrong ship flys over the wrong planet in the middle of a scene.
I attempted to correct the missing Fremen eye colorations, but quickly realized I was in over my head, so only two shots have been fixed (those alone took a couple of hours rotoscoping by hand). Good luck spotting them! If anybody wishes to improve this fan edit by fixing all of these eye shots, please do.
I left David Lynch's name in the credits, hoping this would not seem arrogant, but instead a genuine tribute by a fan, in hopes that this more closely matches the Extended Edition he would have created, if he'd only been given the chance back when he cared about the film. Mr. Lynch, if you're reading, we do love your film, and will continue to wish for your true extended cut to see the light of day.
Halloween: Hell and Horror in Haddonfield
The Whole Bloody Story of the Night HE Came Home
PANSY ALERT: This movie still scares the piss out of me. Didn't stop me from taking on the challenge.
Dark_Jedi wanted a version of Halloween and Halloween II that flowed seamlessly as one film. Even though I had both films in my collection, I put off this edit for a long time due to the pansy alert you read above. Once I committed to the project, I started with the official Extended Edition of I, that includes the shot-for-TV additions AND all the graphic violence and nudity. They don't hurt the film in my judgement. Right where the credits roll, I spliced the movie. Two problems ... the audio was in the middle of the Halloween theme and the second movie starts with a reprise of the ending events, with a synth-heavy Halloween theme playing after Loomis' "You don't know what death is" line and the opening credits for II.
Fortunately, the video was easy to cut around and it became an issue of the audio. Enter creative liberties. By running the closing credits' music over the scene of Loomis in the front yard and The Shape in the back yard, not only do they time perfectly to end when Loomis hooks back up with the sheriff, but this great synth drone from H2 mixes in perfectly when Loomis realizes Michael is still on the loose after being shot. It gives the scene a much more ominous presence.
I would have used the extended edition of H2 if a similar official widescreen release existed. But it doesn't, so H2 is only the theatrical cut.
Then, at the end, I simply ran both sets of closing credits over looped editions of the closing theme(s).
I never did like the "Mr. Sandman" closing of H2, but it is part of the film. So I decided to make it available as the default audio option. But the real jewel was re-using the closing music from H1 as the ending for H2. It ends the film with the Halloween theme that Carpenter himself did, and it lets us hear Michael's breathing through the mask as we watch his body burn. This also sets up the sequels in typical slasher-flick style.
In the end, you see the entire story of what happened in Haddonfield, Il. on October 31, 1978 until dawn the following morning. It takes about 3 hours 8 minutes to watch, including credits. If it scares the bejeesus out of you, then you share my dread. Just don't let the Boogeyman get you! Muwahahahahahhahaha!
Superman: The Movie
Feed The Babies Extended Edition
Here's another little one. A far cry from the holy grail that would be a fully anamorphic International Salkind Extended Edition, this merely gives us two more scenes in the film (about 3:15 to the runtime). Richard Donner noted in his 2001 interview with IGNFF about the forthcoming Expanded Edition that he was particularly looking forward to the reinsertion of "Ned Beatty feeding those things underground." Well, they didn't show up in the actual 2001 Expanded Edition, but they were included as a supplement on the DVD. So I've put the two scenes with this tiny subplot back in. It greatly captures more of Lex's twisted mind, and it bridges the gap between Superman flying away from the desert and flying into the prison with a little more grace.
Superman II: The Hybrid Cut - Now on Version 2
Yep, like half the planet, I've done my own re-edit of Superman II using the parts I like best. After years of petitioning, begging and pleading, fans of Superman got what they asked for. In November of 2006, the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II finally became a reality. But it turned out the Holy Grail
really was just a plain ol' cup. Sadly, Donner's Cut was so focused on removing the elements of Lester's film that they failed to acknowledge the genuine contributions Lester did make to the Superman II. Most notably, a coherent ending, not recycled from what ultimately climaxed the first film, original intent or not. Imperfect though it was, the Donner Cut did give fans what they wanted most: The long lost footage of Brando, and all the original scenes with the cast we grew to know and love, in context for the most part. In some ways, it is superior, and in others, it is inferior to the Lester Cut. The ideal cut lies somewhere in between. Thus, this fan edit merely tries to make the best story out of all the elements. Specifically to my edit:
1) Alternate version of "Planet Krypton" cue by John Williams opens the film.
2) Non kills the guard, Zod Breaks the crystal and the rings come down. Cut to:
3) Brando asking the council to pronounce judgment.
4) As Phantom Zone speeds away, Krypton Explodes and Alexander Salkind credit speeds out of this. Credits are from Donner Cut.
5) Zoom into earth cuts to the tail-fire of the XK-101 Rocket with Supes chasing it.
6) Lots of bad CGI removed. Rocket Explodes, shattering Phantom Zone from Lester Cut but with "FREE!" mixed in. Fade out as Villains fly to the moon.
7) Fade in on Metropolis Street vendor, then cut to Perry reading the paper.
8) Lois Jumps. Bad eye-beam shots removed. Awning was always open.
9) Extended Prison sequence
10) Moon, with "curl" discussion back at Mission Control. Hairdryer line cut.
11) Donner's getaway.
12) Tour of the honeymoon suite.
13) Heading North
14) Falls rescue is a hybrid of the two cuts, with Lois noticing Clark's absence reinstated.
15) Donner's version of Lex in the fortress
16) Pink Bear scene, trimmed down.
17) Heading South
18) Non picks up the snake, but only ponders it.
19) Superman takes Lois to the fortress, picks up flowers and dinner.
20) Ursa arm wrestles.
21) Dinner. No sex with Lois while super-powered. No Kryptonite condoms in this story.
22) Brando depowers Superman. Nookie afterward.
23) Donner cut for a long long time, until ...
24) "Care to step outside?"
25) Donner cut Metropolis battle and Fortress
26) Arctic Police, Smallville line removed (with a fantastic musical edit behind this whole scene)
27) Fortress NOT destroyed. Cut straight to the kiss.
28) Tearful farewell on terrace
29) Memory Kiss
30) Elevator Bully
31) Diner Bully
32) Flag Flying High, end credits.
*) Plus, I've included a bonus slideshow of "Mr. Thau, Please Create In CGI Villains Rule The World Scene?" images by yours truly.
New Additions in Version 2:
33) When Lex discovers the fortress, the story of the three Kryptonians is told by BOTH Jor-El and Lara
34) Extended version of East Houston Idaho now includes non killing the young boy who tries to escape on horseback
35) Depowering scene completely re-worked to mix and match Lester and Donner's footage for improved storytelling.
Superman Redeemed - Now on Version 2
This project of pure insanity presents a hybrid cut of Superman III and IV, with elements of all four films worked in. I had the crazy concept for this film after watching them for the first time since I was a kid. Though they're both miserably wretched to watch, they do have some fantastic elements in them. III had the great stuff with Lana in Smallville, plus the classic good vs. evil Superman battle. IV had a great concept with Superman trying to disarm the world and Lex trying to capitalize on it, but the FX were miserable, the action sequences were misguided, Lenny was annoying, and the whole Lacy plot was nothing but superfluous padding. It would have been a great movie of the week in the early 80s at best.
Was there enough salvagable material in these two, and could it be constructed into a working plot? I wasn't even sure going into it, but I thought so. When I realized that the Paris sequence from Lester's SII could be the lynchpin of the story, it all fell into place. The end result is surprisingly coherent and entertaining. Some bad FX still remain, and a couple of disjointed cuts were inescapable, but it's better than sitting through those two films in their entirety ever again. Just as the character of Superman is redeemed in the junkyard, so do these two junky films get redeemed, leaving a more fitting legacy for Christopher Reeve. Hence the name: Superman Redeemed.
I could detail the edit, but I think I'll let it speak for itself. A few notes though:
1) A healthy dose of the STM Original Soundtrack helps to patch scenes together and punch others up.
2) Lenny doesn't bust out Lex, Miss Tessmacher does while Otis looks on, dumbfounded. It was great to put these characters into this film. Thank you Donner Cut Deleted Scenes!
3) Brando is heard.
4) Darth Editous is the coolest guy on this board. One key shot still had Richard Pryor in it, which I was prepared to accept after my slipshod attempts at digital character removal. Then DE offered to fix this and presented the result in less than a day. As Clark would best say it: "Golly, what a swell guy!" Check out this page to see what awesomeness he produced.
Version 2 restores the Oil Tanker scenes, and adds various establishing shots to help the edits seem more natural.
Superman Returns
NOW IN BLU RAY
This edit adds in some deleted material and removes some material from the theatrical cut that makes the story tighter. After three different cuts, this is the one I settled on. The Bizzle gave me some of these ideas, either directly or indirectly.
1) The scenes in the first 20 or so minutes are rearranged. At the end of the credits, when we zoom into earth, we move to Ma Kent doing the dishes (using the deleted pan-down and with a few subsequent shots removed to get to the "happening" more quickly.
2) Small trim to the start of the Vanderworth scene. This rearrangement allows the Vanderworth scene to play with the audience. Is it Ma Kent talking to Clark, or is it something else?
3) Instead of the cornfield flashback, we have the shot of Clark and the shovel, followed by the X-ray newspaper scene.
4) Expanded version of the Lex/Kitty boat scene, where Kitty gets catty.
5) As the camera zooms through the "ice" to the fortress, part of the dialogue about the unnatural weather pattern and the crystals are inserted as a voiceover.
6) Brando is cut. It was redundant to Superman II, plus when you consider that we should see no more Brando after his energy was exhausted, it made sense to remove it. Instead, we cut away after Kitty's line "You act like you've been here before." Which Lex Has. He didn't need a refresher course from Jor-El.
7) Expanded conversation with Clark & Ma Kent, introducing Ben Hubbard. This uses that GREAT line about keeping the world from spinning, and that Cameron-worthy dissolve from the spinning baseball to the Daily Planet building. It expands on Clark's reluctance to still be Superman, and further underscores the theme that the world moved on without him.
8) Added source music behind the bar scene with old and new Jimmy. Listen carefully.
9) Likely to be the best change in the film, Stalkerman is cut without losing any of the exposition of Richard and Lois. The scene cuts from the cab ride to the exterior of the house. Lois never gives a lying "no" response about being in love with Superman, giving the scene MUCH more emotional resonance. Superman's flight through metropolis comes AFTER this scene, meeting the Jor-El voiceover seamlessly.
10) As the kryptonite shard is removed in the hospital, the shot of it landing in the glass is slowed down, a bigger sound effect is added, and the scene fades to black. Then "Superman is Dead."
11) In a change directly described by The Bizzle, the Daily Planet scene is trimmed down so we don't see or even hear about the crowd until we finally see it as Richard drops Lois off. The whole scene is tighter and has greater impact.
12) Lex's Paradise scene is moved to a post-credits sequence. This heightens the impact that Lois' revelation about Jason gives Superman the will to live by allowing him to disappear from the hospital quicker. (The sun apparently sets as fast as it does in X3, but whaddayagonnado?)
Bonus Audio Track: I've done my best to recreate an ISOMIX track for the film. With a few exceptions, it's pretty-near perfect, including all the edits made to the actual score to fit the editing. This was NOT easy.
Bonus DVD-ROM Content: Open the folder and see what's there.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The ADigitalMan Edit
This edit removes about five minutes worth of "over the top" moments from the infamous second installment in the Indiana Jones movies. It lessens some of Willie’s most obnoxious hysterics and one-liners, and removes most of the gratuitous "ickiness" during the dinner scene which detracts from the actual revelation of the plot. The result is a more streamlined film with a somewhat stronger female character, yet it doesn't betray her fish-out-of-water nature throughout the film. In the past I've joked that I can't wait for Indy IV so there will finally be a trilogy. But now I find this movie (which was not all that bad, it just had some severe misguidance) quite watchable. Hopefully you will too.
X-Men: The Last Stand
ADigitalMan's Extended Edition - Now on Version 2
This edit adds in about four minutes worth of deleted scenes, plus several elements from other deleted scenes into the audio of existing scenes as voiceovers or other elements to the mix. Lots of great action bits that were snipped out are restored back in, especially during the fight at Jean's house and the final battle at Alcatraz.
Version 2 re-works some of the lead up to the finale between Wolverine's return to the school and the trip to Alcatraz to smooth some of Ratner's horrible day-night-day-night-day-night mess.
No, It Really Is Bram Stoker's Dracula
Love Never Was!!!
Happy Halloween, guys!!! I've removed 25 minutes out of what was the coolest-looking of all the versions of Dracula ever made. Removed was the wretched love story that pussified the most evil character ever created in literature. You are not supposed to feel sympathy towards Dracula. You are not supposed to want Mina to join him in the realm of the undead. Dracula isn't some sweet, romantic man you're supposed to get emotionally entangled with. He's the devil's bastard and should be seen that way. Coppala's movie got so much right, and yet so much wrong all at the same time. But all that was necessary to make this film worthy of its name was to start hacking out what was never there to begin with: sections that, interestingly, had little or no bearing on the rest of the film. What's left is pretty much what Bram Stoker wrote, with that way-cool tie in to the real legend of Vlad Tepes at the start, and with a slightly alternate ending from the book that actually has massive emotional resonance in this version. If Mina's "infection" becomes a race to save her soul as it was in the book, remember, "salvation is his destruction."
ADigitalMan and Darth Enzo Present
Rush, The Preservation Edition
Exit ... Stage Left
Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984
Through The Camera Eye
A Show Of Hands
On June 13, 2006, Rush fans had a lot to be excited about. After years of being out of print on VHS and Laserdisc, Exit ... Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984, and A Show Of Hands finally came to DVD in the Replay x3 boxed set. Unfortunately, new mixes replaced the original ones (including the superb Terry Brown mix from the original ESL video), and suffered significant over-compression. To make matters worse, "Lock and Key" -- a song that was only available on the ASOH laserdisc and not VHS, was notably missing from the DVD release. Not to mention, nary an easter egg or bonus track was to be found. Finally, Rush's original video collection, Through The Camera Eye was nowhere to be found.
This preservation does several things:
1) First and foremost, it restores the original PCM stereo mixes of the three live concerts from Laserdisc and synchronizes them to the Replay x3 videos
2) Second, it restores "Lock and Key" to the ASOH concert in context.
3) It captures the TTCE Video Collection from Laserdisc, and even adds the rare full-length video of "The Big Money" which was a bonus feature on the GUP Tour 1984 concert, preserving four concept videos that have not appeared on any of Rush's DVD releases to date.
4) All discs are chock-full of rare audio-only tracks as well. Some are embedded in the DVD experience, while still others are present in DVD-ROM folders for extraction and burning to CD-R.
Rush, The Preservation Edition is a nice compendium to your official Replay x3 set, preserving the original audio for posterity. The new stereo mixes are provided for educational comparative purposes, but the surround tracks have been purposefully left off to further encourage purchase of the official set. Do not support piracy. That is not the intent of this restoration. The intent is to supplement the official release so you can enjoy these legendary videos in all their original glory.
James Bond 007
Beyond The Ice
Restoring the original title of the 20th Bond film before it was changed to the unimaginative "Die Another Day," this edit attempts to remove the more ludicrous elements, so it can be seen as a more serious entry in the franchise. It removes Madonna both as actress and singer, only leaving an instrumental remix of the title track as source music during the cocktail party. It replaces the title track with "It's Over, It's Under" by Dolls Head, which was initially featured in 1997's "The Jackal." Not only did the song sound more Bond-like, but in a bit of serendipity, the lyrics actually match the visuals in the opening credits. If we didn’t know better (and we don’t, but we can assume) we’d think it was used as a temp track when the opening credits were designed.
Many of Jinx's worst lines are gone. Virtually all of the obnoxious Gaeta-cam moments are cut. The invisible Aston Martin has vanished completely (without losing the classic car-chase-on-ice). The wretched CGI parasailing sequence is nowhere to be seen. And in reverence to the late, great Desmond Llewellyn, Bond never calls the Quartermaster "Q" (even if that is his title).
The result is a leaner, tighter film that feels like a James Bond flick should ... certainly a little over the top, but not so out of this world that it defies all believability. Enjoy!
Spider-Man 3: The Darkness Within
Sam Raimi, Toby Maguire & company have delivered Spider-Man in an incredibly entertaining way for kids and kids-at-heart alike. The blockbuster success of the series is a testament to the respect they’ve shown for the comics and generations of fans. Yet, with the third installment, this superhero flick followed so many genre predecessors' third outings by going campy. In what was supposed to be the darkest chapter of our favorite webslinger's life, Emo Spidey was cheapened by Disco Pete and Bleeding Gums Parker, to say nothing of vibrating desks, annoying news correspondents, obnoxious kids, and a slow start overall. For Bruce Campbell enthusiasts, don’t worry, his obligatory scene has been spared from cutting because, well, he's Bruce Campbell. He offered the best levity in a movie that needed to be heavy elsewhere.
I've tried to rework the opening so the film gets to the point faster and is clutter-free. The campier elements are gone throughout the film and some new ideas are tried so that you feel Peter's descent as he battles the darkness within. This movie FEELS like it belongs with the other two now.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The First Kind was seen in theatres in 1977.
The Second Kind was seen in theatres in 1980.
The Third Kind was released to video in 1998.
They are not alone.
Two-in-one extended editions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which I've called "The Fourth Kind EE" and "The Fifth Kind EE." The Fourth Kind is much like the ABC cut where all the scenes from the different editions are restored into one extended cut. The Fifth Kind takes it one step further and puts in eight more deleted scenes that were included with the 2001 2-Disc Collectors Edition. They're in significantly crappy quality, and I attempted to un-blend the very ugly interlacing (IVTC wasn't sufficient so I used Restore24 to moderate success), upsize to Anamorphic widescreen, and perform some basic color correction to take out the reddish/purplish hue that plagued them all. But they do add interesting elements to the story.
While editing I made the decision to do both versions due to the pacing and quality problems created by the CE5K deleted scenes. I'll let each of you choose which one you like best; they're both quite fun and have their respective merits. The audio selections for my menus (which are virtually identical on both discs) are particularly fun this go around.
SOAPBOX:
I consider all of these to be educational projects. Please don't support piracy; please obtain a properly-licensed copy to any of the films I do. It is important for Hollywood to get the message that we're not out to rob them, but also that digital distribution is not going away just because of the MPAA's Gestapo tactics and monopolization of distribution through fixed media. Hollywood needs to find a legitimate way to monetize BitTorrent and similar technologies, rather than threatening to destroy them like they did Napster. Clearly, the MPAA learned nothing from the RIAA. But if users of the technology have properly licensed materials to begin with, then we will give Hollywood little legal ground to stand on when it comes to editing and sharing our works.
Howz that for a marketing strategy? 