ArtisDead

The Hobbit The Legendary Edit a fanedit by Wraith

The Legendary Edit indeed! I like what KeithBlk said. “Do we need another Hobbit edit?” If that refers to this edit, then yes!

I have watched so very many Hobbit edits. I went through various stages of thought. Each time one was released that I liked, I thought that it was the best. Each for a different reason. The first to really catch my attention was Spence’s edit. Cutting three movies down to an action packed thrill ride was quite a feat. Then there was the other legendary edits by Kerr, L8wrtr, Adam Dens, Dustin Lee and M4. Each had their own merits for consideration of the being the best Hobbit edit. Wraith even mentored the editor of the Battle of The Five Edits snd played a huge part in its success. It is excellent and fits a niche. Q2 and TM2YC both released their three part edits. Both were incredible. I finally settled on M4’s edit being subjectively the best Hobbit edit for my preferences.

I viewed Wraith’s previous Hobbit edits and was acutely aware of just how much work he had put into them. Especially, the one that this edit was derived from. It was very close to being what this edit has become.

This edit is the perfect Hobbit edit. I know that is subjective. I’m serious. It is the perfect first movie to The Lord of The Rings. It’s darker. It’s more serious. It’s less stupid. It’s less bloated. I’ve watched it fifteen times now in it’s various workprints and will continue to watch as the obsessive compulsive legend continues to tweak it. There are so many microcuts to improve the narrative that it boggles my mind. I know the movies so well that I catch all of them.

It’s literally unlike any other Hobbit edit and it will become most Middle Earth fans’ favorite Hobbit edit. I only hope that I am here to see it.

Wraith you have outdone yourself! This is what fanediting is all about. The transformative power of skilled editing is on full display here.

I highly recommend this edit and thank you for creating this perfect Hobbit edit for us.

The Hobbit The Legendary Edit a fanedit by Wraith

The Legendary Edit indeed! I like what KeithBlk said. “Do we need another Hobbit edit?” If that refers to this edit, then yes!

I have watched so very many Hobbit edits. I went through various stages of thought. Each time one was released that I liked, I thought that it was the best. Each for a different reason. The first to really catch my attention was Spence’s edit. Cutting three movies down to an action packed thrill ride was quite a feat. Then there was the other legendary edits by Kerr, L8wrtr, Adam Dens, Dustin Lee and M4. Each had their own merits for consideration of being the best Hobbit edit. Wraith even mentored the editor of the Battle of The Five Edits and plated a huge part in its success. It is excellent and fits a niche. Q2 and TM2YC both released their three part edits. Both were incredible. I finally settled on M4’s edit being subjectively the best Hobbit edit for my preferences.

I viewed Wraith’s previous Hobbit edits and was acutely aware of just how much work he had put into them. Especially, the one that this edit was derived from. It was very close to being what this edit has become.

This edit is the perfect Hobbit edit. I know that is subjective. I’m serious. It is the perfect first movie to The Lord of The Rings. It’s darker. It’s more serious. It’s less stupid. It’s less bloated. I’ve watched it fifteen times now in it’s various workprints and will continue to watch as the obsessive compulsive legend continues to tweak it. There are so many microcuts to improve the narrative that it boggles my mind. I know the movies so well that I catch all of them.

It’s literally unlike any other Hobbit edit and it will become most Middle Earth fans’ favorite Hobbit edit. I only hope that I am here to see it.

Wraith you have outdone yourself! This is what fanediting is all about. The transformative power of skilled editing is on full display here.

I highly recommend this edit and thank you for creating this perfect Hobbit edit for us.

Eyes Wide Shut The Eyepainter Edit

I have always loved most Kubrick films. A Clockwork Orange became one of my favorite movies as a kid when I snagged the video disc (the ones that look like records not big cds) from one of my parent’s video disc rental stores. 2001 changed my entire outlook on SF films when I was a kid. I was that nerd who ducked his head in the Star Wars crowd because I liked Kubrick more than Lucas.

That being said, I was immediately drawn to Eyes Wide Shut when it was released. I couldn’t fathom Top Gun Tom and his trophy wife in a Kubrick film.

I was surprised, neither were bad and seemed entirely in their element playing surreal characters.

When my friend, Eyepainter first announced that they were going to put their spin on this Kubrick classic, his last dance before the big one, I was curious?

The length of time that it took to finish the commentary track made me almost forget about the edit. The controversy surrounding the nudity in the art that I did for the edit kept me interested (the original uncensored art is a bonus included in the download).

I’m not going to give the edit away but I will say that Eyepainter accomplished what they set out to do with this edit. It’s top notch.

It seems a bit soft and a little grainy to me but that didn’t take me out of it.

Excellent work, as always, my friend! See you in Gotham City!

Eyes Wide Shut The Eyepainter Edit

I have always loved most Kubrick films. A Clockwork Orange became one of my favorite movies as a kid when I snagged the video disc (the ones that look like records not big cds) from one of my parent’s video disc rental stores. 2001 changed my entire outlook on SF films when I was a kid. I was that nerd who ducked his head in the Star Wars crowd because I liked Kubrick more than Lucas.

That being said, I was immediately drawn to Eyes Wide Shut when it was released. I couldn’t fathom Top Gun Tom and his trophy wife in a Kubrick film.

I was surprised, neither were bad and seemed entirely in their element playing surreal characters.

When my friend, Eyepainter first announced that they were going to put their spin on this Kubrick classic, his last dance before the big one, I was curious?

The length of time that it took to finish the commentary track made me almost forget about the edit. The controversy surrounding the nudity in the art that I did for the edit kept me interested (the original uncensored art is a bonus included in the download).

I’m not going to give the edit away but I will say that Eyepainter accomplished what they set out to do with this edit. It’s top notch.

It seems a bit soft and a little grainy to me but that didn’t take me out of it.

Excellent work, as always, my friend! See you in Gotham City!

Well. Now I know what my good friend has been up to over here.

Hi,
I would love a link to this edit.
Thanks
Art

Hi,
I would love a link to this edit.
Thanks
Art

Yeah…four years too late.

You are the man! I was debating who was going to do this first among the great editors. I somehow knew ot would be you! If you need art, I’m on it already!

Halloween: The Doctor’s Cut a fanedit by JNisch

Halloween has always held a special place in my movie lover’s heart. It was the first movie that really scared me. I saw others later that did, as well, like Alien and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original).

I never really got into the Friday The 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street movies (sorry ray). I was unable to suspend logical disbelief long enough to enjoy them.

There is something special about the idea that Michael could be superhuman just by the power of his own will. Several effervescent self help gurus have proclaimed that you can do almost anything if you put your mind to it. This very ideology puts Michael on a different level.

We get to see Michael’s madness intimately and it looks a little different than a mindless serial slasher like Jason or Freddy. Michael seems to be called by a power greater than himself. That’s extremely chilling.

JNisch travels a much different path than the editors before him with this edit. The idea of focusing on the dichotomy of Michael and his relationship with Dr. Loomis instead of Michael slash, slash, slashing his way to Laurie Strode is genius. There is a tumultuous relationship there. You can’t help but think that Dr. Loomis almost admires the purity of Michael’s single-minded murderous rampage. That is brought out magnificently by JNisch in this edit.

JNisch only excised what was necessary to drive his intended narrative. The segue from the first movie to the second was so well disguised that we had to watch it several times to determine where it was. And it works perfectly.

Using Don’t Fear The Reaper in the beginning segment which is a black & white memory of Michael’s first kill was downright unnerving. I kept restarting it so that we could feel the chill run up our backs and watch the hair on our arms stand up. It sets the perfect tone for what’s to come. Right out the gate we experienced how intensely Dr. Loomis recognizes the evil that is Michael Myers.

The edit fired on all cylinders from that moment on literally leaving us breathless. By the time we got to the end and that very haunting cover of Don’t Fear The Reaper by Keep Shelly in Athens, we felt like some sort of transcendent moment took place. And we were sober. This is our definitive replacement for the first two Halloween movies.

I’ve seen so many edits of the many iterations of Halloween. Some were very well done. One was absolutely chilling. None were quite like this one. I have watched it over and over again trying to figure out why this one had such an effect on me. I may never know. I do know that this feeling is the very reason that I love fanedits and put so much time into helping faneditors.

It’s not a perfect edit and it won’t be for everyone. Those of you who are like us are in for a rare treat.

I will let others pick it apart technically. I loved it too much to even consider doing it myself. I gave it an arbitrary 9 in both categories for that reason.

Two very very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Spence, my brother…this thread was a good read. I am intrigued. Lots of very good feedback. Some strange…

krausfadr said:

This is as smooth as baby Yoda’s butt.

I really don’t want to know how you know this…

I’ve heard that ArtisDead is quite an artist…

Your edit sounds interesting.

These look very interesting!

bbghost said:

With some help from a few people over at fanedit.org (including Spence and DigModiFicaTion from here, thanks to you both) this edit is nearing its truest final form.

Wow! Thanks Ghost.

1 is my favorite, as well.

Jigsaw Endgame a fanedit by Maniac and Zagadka

Blood, Gore and More Blood and Gore

Maniac and Zagadka have been at it again with a new collaboration from their twisted minds. These two need serious therapy.

Jigsaw Endgame seems to literally pickup where A History of Desperation left off. Bringing together scenes from both Saw III and Saw IV seamlessly, we are presented with Kramer’s endgame.

Jigsaw and his apprentices plan the final game teaching people to appreciate their lives as two FBI profilers help detectives suit through Jigsaw’s test and piece together the mortal puzzle.

I didn’t care for these movies when they were released. I did see a bit of genius in the writing. I think most people don’t get past the obese amount of gore that these movies throw at you to see the existential underpinnings. However, if I am to be force-fed existentialism, I’ll open my crate and get out my Skinner books and read them again.

The most depressing thing about this series is not the myriad of ways to torture but the bleak view of human nature, specifically our talent for ruining the present to avenge the past.

A point that is driven home in this edit that is quite intligent screenwriting is that Saw IV takes place during the events of Saw III (which you don’t realise until the very end). Amazingly, you learn through this edit and these two installments that the SAW timeline us literally all over the place. Minor characters return years later, and Jigsaw himself actually dies in Saw III, but that doesn’t stop him from coming back each time, without supernatural elements involved.

There are more dirty rooms, rotting flesh and elaborate torture. This time the masked sadist whose fondness for men in chains continues unabated, has decided to play marriage counselor to a couple whose young son has been killed in a car accident.

He creates a protégé in Amanda, a whack job who slices her own thighs when no one else’s are handy. Amanda probably spent a lot of time in her teens writing to men on death row.

Some new devices include a rack that twists one’s extremities until the bones pop out, and an abattoir-inspired scenario involving deliquescent pigs is enough to make you long for the stench of rotting corpses.

We are immediately given a reveal that the new games may not have been the work of Jigsaw. His point of giving his victims some chance of survival wasn’t followed here. The person being tortured would have died no matter what.

The tension that the first film had and to a lesser degree the second, is completely absent here. However, gore is definitely a big part of this movie and it utilizes it quite well. It’s used mostly in the torture storyline which continues to be the most interesting part of this franchise. We are to feel for our main character as he goes through each test and while it isn’t as emotional it could have been, it’s a decent study of grief, even when it feels a bit over the top. The driving force of this storyline also continues to be the anticipation of our character’s decisions which is interesting and captivating.

The good news is that, while not able to completely redeem the source material, Jigsaw Endgame is far more enjoyable than it’s parts. It is a far more character-driven affair than the SAW franchise as a whole, which often seems like an exercise in gore just for the sake of it. This is the most human that we’ve seen Jigsaw. John Kramer is now an ordinary man with extraordinary skills who, due to tragic events in his life, finally snaps. Jigsaw ends up being the most sympathetic character in the edit, which is no small accomplishment when you consider that he’s also the source of all the film’s violence.

It’s amazing how Zagadka and Maniac were able to come up with ideas to maximize on the little that was actually good about these films and bring them together into and edit that’s far more enjoyable and easy digested.

Much of the movies’ plots in this franchise rely on characters making completely arbitrary decisions. If someone opted to go left instead of right then Jigsaw’s entire plan could have fallen apart. It’s inconceivable to think that even a puppet master as ingenious as Jigsaw could have foreseen and prepared for every possible decision that his subjects would make. The edit highlights this arbitrary nature of the story’s construction. The ending that will frustrate as many viewers as it impresses.

Despite the flaws of the source material, Jigsaw Endgame is a gripping, fast paced thriller that will keep you engaged throughout. You may be somewhat confused avout what it all meant and how things played out, but you’ll also leave with a better understanding of Jigsaw as a character. If you liked the franchise or specifically, these two insane editors’ previous edit, Jigsaw A History of Desperation, you will love this edit.

Great work!

Another fanedit that deserves your attention

Godzilla King of The Monsters The Dramatic Cut INIGHTMARES

The so-called Monsterverse is a confusing concept for me. Who’s in it? Godzilla? King Kong? Their respective nemeses? Lost somewhere between being heroes or villains, superhero or horror they don’t seem to belong in any sub-genre.

To begin with…what an awesome trailer and an even more awesome teaser! That teaser made my skin crawl.

If you had

One chance

Or one opportunity

To create an edit that was everything you ever wanted

Out of a movie that you wanted to love but just couldnt

One chance

Or one opportunity to create a perfect edit

Would you do it?

INIGHTMARES did.

When I first learned about INightmares’ Godzilla King of The Monsters edit, I was very interested. I felt that they had an impressive goal. Cut out all of the cheesy unnecessary jokes and make the edit dramatic, as it should have been.

I previewed the edit and was rocked by the opening sequence. The edit was an almost completely different animal than the movie. It was dark and ominous. That jump scene was a genius idea. I made several suggestions that would further their goal. They were very responsive to ALL input.

Everything looked very hopeful and was on a positive track and then real life happened and it looked like the edit would not get completed. Very depressing, that.

A few weeks later INightmares informed us that they would resume their efforts to bring this deliciously wicked beast to fruition. A few of us got involved in previewing the edit.

They took our ideas and came up with even better ideas of their own. The entire experience was very kinetic and rewarding. The result is above and beyond what any of us expected it could be. I’m not sure that INightmares even realizes the classic monsterverse masterpiece that they have created.

It’s a nonstop thrill ride. Literally unrelenting action with huge beasts fighting and killing each other with puny humans trying to manipulate outcomes.

By rearranging and cutting a few scenes, Emma becomes an eco-terrorist villain. We don’t like her. Even when she martyrs herself to save Godzilla, we want to blame her for the whole debacle. In this edit, she truly becomes the real monster and I loved that!

King Ghidora may be the coolest CGI creature ever created. The final showdown between Godzilla and King Ghidora is one to rival any gunfight in the old west. Godzilla breathed atomic breath through his disembodied head right after totally kicking his ass. That’s unreal! and made far more dramatic in this edit.

When all else is stripped away, it becomes apparent that the original movie’s pulpit point is that humans are an infection that has disrupted the natural cycles of the planet. This sets up a complex angle about figuring out how we reconcile the Titans with our own need for expansion and consumption. That’s why this edit is so important. It’s an allegorical statement for the state of destruction of the earth that we have created and the necessary cleansing that needs to eventually take place. All of the unnecessary garbage has been stripped away to drive that point home. And does it ever.

I was rocked. Few edits have that effect on me.

This is edit is the movie that should have been released. I concur with Wraith, it is one of the best fanedits to be released and is a gamechanger in its scope. I for one completely feel honored to have been a small part of this edit coming to life.

I also concur with Stromboli Bones when they said that they chose to remember this edit as the movie that they saw in the theatre.

Thanks for giving us that!

Highly recommended!

krausfadr said:

@Artisdead I’m not leaving FE. I just don’t have an interest in posting my edits there.

EDIT: Sometimes it helps just to communicate. So I’ve removed my comments here about FE Staff.

You had decided to leave and had posted some not so nice things here when I made my post.

I am glad that it all got worked out. So…you will be releasing your morbidly delicious Hannibal edits there? You will be considering A better cut of Red Dragon?

DigMod said:

krausfadr said:

EDIT: Sometimes it helps just to communicate. So I’ve removed my comments here about FE Staff.

Does that also include signatures that might possibly reference something 😉

Not sure if that was a before or after thing. If before my apologies for assuming. 😃

Good luck on your edit!

Edit: how did my autocorrect think before was “beige” lol

🤔

Gonna miss you over there. You had some great ideas. I didn’t agree with all of them, but I loved some of them. Sorry that you feel the way you do. I am very confused about what led to this and don’t think its my business to challenge your perspective, but perhaps you should give it a spell and reconsider?

Good to see jj back in the game.

reave said:

I have a 3 DVD version. I can post screenshots if someone wants to compare.

I would love to get my hands on that third DVD, boss man.

Thanks

Tony

Split Unbreakable Glass by Wraith

When I returned to fanedit forums about four years ago after being gone for several, I noticed that several of the editors that I considered to be the masters (geniuses some) of their craft had disappeared. They had moved on to another forum (no names), got banned from a forum (sometimes you have to follow rules, m.), or disappeared entirely. Sure, fanediting geniuses like Q2 and TM2YC stuck around, fortunately. And a lot of new masters arose. Much to my dismay, one of the disappeared ones was Wraith.

About three years later…Guess who returns? Wraith. With a great big bag of fanedits to share. I guess it’s obvious what he was doing for those six years. I always thought of him as a frustrated genius who didn’t always execute his ideas in a manner that would please all of his critics. Amazing ideas. I just don’t think everyone gets him.

I’ve watched so many fanedits lately, its difficult to keep up with my promises to review them. So I held off on requesting this edit. Even though I respect Wraiths edits…I didn’t really care for the movies it is derived from. I liked Unbreakable, but bought the others out of curiosity, watched them and put them in the chest. Then the edit was recommended to me by a prolific editor whose opinion I respect. And then another. And another. And another. So I checked it out.

Quite honestly, I wasn’t really prepared for this edit. I couldn’t make his description make sense. Then I watched it…the first time. My initial reaction was…WTF? So I watched it again. Same reaction. Then I pulled out the originals and watched them. I scratched my head. I wasn’t quite sure I grasped what Wraith had accomplished with this narrative structure. Then I watched the edit again. That time I was blown away. Split Unbreakable Glass is a very deep, multilayered masterpiece in narrative restructuring.

I felt a compulsion to understand what I had watched. Wraith and I began a long discourse in which I learned what was in his mind as he compiled this amazing edit. Wraith was very transparent with me. I learned so much about the creative process that goes into such a masterpiece. There were so many “how the hell did he do that?” moments that were answered. I am still amazed at things most viewers won’t even notice.

The order of scenes from the films themselves are all over the place if they are laid out the way that they appear in the edit. However, that was to fit the narrative structure of the edit. If they are played chronologically, you find many gaps. However, in the context they were placed in, the viewer fills in the gaps.

Wraith sustains the viewers attention by presenting self contained packages of information, which are very digestible, at the same time leaving an element of “I want more”…That keeps people engaged.

The edit is presented in three acts which are very thematically disciplined. Scenes are shifted into other chapters or acts to maintain that discipline in order to ensure viewer investment.

Most of Split is gone because it contained far too much of a horror element. Had it not been watered down, it would distract from the intended pacing and unbalance a very carefully planned build up. Keeping that low in emotional tone overall had the unexpected effect (on me at least) to both significantly lift the conclusion from Glass and conclude with the best ending.

Musical motifs were only cross fertilized where they served the character or emotional moments…Long takes where preseved where they were best needed rather than trimming for trimming sake.

Glass is used to frame the early scenes. Dr Staple is not a new character. There is a reason why the film opens with her. She is in the first and last shots deliberately. This edit is about The Coalition of Evil…we just don’t realize it. Having her open completely changes the first scene and Glass still frames Elijah, which is vital.

I hope enough people watch this for the revelations that can still be fleshed out, even though we think we know these movies well. Each time I watch it I learn something new.

Even though the edit seems long, its really not. There is just enough room to breathe and for the viewer to absorb and go on the journey…and the journey is what this edit is about.

I love fanedits and the creative process. I am so grateful for the many hours that Wraith spent with me to let me into his mind regarding this edit. I will treasure that memory for a long time.

This will be Wraith’s opus. Hell, it will be one for fanediting in general. It shows just how creative you can get.

The sad thing is…history has proven that far too many creative geniuses burn a fire so bright that it burns them out. Then they disappear. It’s up to us as fans to keep them encouraged with positive feedback so that they stay with us a bit longer and share their wonderful gift.

A masterpiece that must be seen by all who appreciate a good movie/fanedit/art.

Two very enthusiastic thumbs held as high as I can hold them!

Yeah, Wraith, it was a thesis!

There is also a review on Vultural’s review thread from someone who is NOT a SAW franchise fan.