Vultural

Pearl Harbor: Strength and Honor Edition - ADigitalMan

Cracking good film!
The original, I hated.
Never fear, this sucker cranks.
As noted in other reviews, the love story is completely excised; the focus is on roaring action.
Visual editing is terrific, and is complemented by a thundering audio mix.
Narrative is on the shallow end, but that was to be expected when there were so many top name actors involved.
The nurses storyline suffered most. They ended up being little more than eye candy with a handful of lines.
Not a complaint, just an observation.
This is an older edit, but one of the better ones. Top job by ADM.

Fury Road (per Mad Max) - Amadi

Overview - An audacious, ballsy effort, removing one of the singular characters from a feature.
Mad Max, without Max. This cannot work. It has “fail” all over it.

Video - 1920 X 800 mov (which my system could not read, so I converted to mp4). Transitions and cuts are cleverly done. Damnit, I kept looking for Max (note, while glimpsed, he is unimportant). There are probably too many fade-to-blacks for my liking, but the editor disguises this with an ongoing audio mix that stitches scenes.

Audio - 1536 kbps LPCM 2-Channel stereo. No subs. Stereo, really? Yes, subs and stereo are my usual nitpicks, especially for high performance flicks. Eh, deal with it, loser. The sound is high octane, with no jarring flaws.

Narrative - None of the Max films are penetrating character observations, nor packed with plot nuances. A full bore action ride, one expects incoherence now and then, compensated with throat stopping stunts. There are a lot of cuts throughout, but this holds together for me. The original film is one I have watched numerous times, however. Someone viewing this cold may be puzzled by motivations.

Enjoyment - I enjoyed this. I appreciated it. I cannot believe how well Amadi pulled this off. While not an edit I would watch repeatedly (it just feels incomplete to me), the editing is a master class. In fact, I envision this editor readily finding work as a Hollywood axe-man. Whenever a star becomes a troublesome prima donna, the studio could hire Amadi the Eraser.

Saga Of The Apes (Planet Of The Apes) - BionicBob

This was long, but held my interest throughout.
BBob’s editing choices were always inventive, often uncanny.
Excellent pacing, and the sprawling narrative was generally clean.

Saga Of The Apes presupposes the viewer has a working familiarity with the chimp flicks.
Fair enough. Were you going into this cold - you would be going out confused.
Audio fine, with no jarring cuts or volume spikes.
(Note: I love The Carpenters. The shopping and the song? No no no.)

Video work is solid, with no editing errors to my eyes.
That said, I’m not a fan of split screen. Often confusing.
Moreover, the screens themselves seemed smallish.

Third act seemed helter skelter. That could have been me.
Nevertheless, this is highly recommended.
Great job, BBob

Salting The Battlefield - 2014 - 6/10

Finale of the Worricker espionage trilogy.
Nighy’s character continues to elude, while releasing “innocent” data to press outlets.
Shifting locations, replacement cellphones, and unlikely allies notwithstanding, the mesh tightens.
Omnipresent cameras and GPS tracking prove double edged. Stakes are career ending.
Great series for adults. Cynical, intelligent, sharp. Not one shooting or explosion through three films.

Turks & Caicos - 2014 - 6/10

Second part of Johnny Worricker spy chase.
More secrets begin to surface, making a fall guy essential and inevitable.
Worricker slips to the Caribbean isles of Turks & Caicos, encounters characters both shady and sinister.
As in the earlier film, very limited action, the plot comes through dialogue and observation.
Another powerhouse cast with Christopher Walken, Winona Ryder, Helena Bonham Carter, Rupert Graves.

Page Eight - 2011 - 6/10

First part of espionage chess match.
Bill Nighy plays Johnny Worricker, career intelligence analyst.
His boss reminds him to focus on another “the usual classified report.”
One brief sentence on page eight reveals a hitherto hidden piece of rot.
Then all the pieces begin to shift, cover, blame.
Also with Michael Gambon, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis.

Wrath Of Man - 2021 - 6/10

Premium grindhouse from Guy Ritchie.
Hill, soon referred to as “H”, hires on as newest driver in armored delivery company.
The Los Angeles outfit has been getting jacked, though H swiftly reveals himself as a non-negotiator.
The plot jumbles around (the Ritchie style / schtick) but delivers.
Jason Stratham coasts, portraying his character as the offspring of a robot and a zombie.
My taste for action has diminished, though I appreciate a decent caper heist.
This has that, as well as the ingrained stain. Karma or mojo, it’s bad.
Redemption, not this film. Bullets, plenty.
Fans of 90’s action heroes (not pajama wearing superheroes) should be excited.

I Used To Be Darker - 2013 - 6/10

Indie fare, as Northern Irish runaway lass makes her way to aunt & uncle’s home in Baltimore.
The adults, both in late 40’s, are wading hip deep toward divorce.
Both were musicians when they were younger. One took the yoke of employment, the other still chases the muse.
Quiet slice film, as the runaway observes the rocky home she had hoped was sanctuary.
Musty, moody, though enjoyable enough.

A Letter From Perdition - 2015 - 5/10

Even in dystopia, whether following disease or fallout, the mail must go through.
If … someone will carry correspondence through an empty, bitter cold landscape.
Except the terrain is not so empty, as the whisperer of lies joins the courier.
Concept short has misty photography and professional sound mix.
Situations and motivations are vague, and the ending is several beats below satisfaction.
If the director was aiming for allegory, he was too diffuse.

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming - 2017 - 4/10

Another installment of overcooked, feeble minded franchise.
Who watches this? Guilty here, I live with two obsessed sharky finatics.
Story borrows from - plays homage to - steals from a plethora of action classics.
For the knowledgeable, there will be quotes, puns and groaners.
Cameos litter the cast. From desperate has-beens to cosmetic surgery survivors who resemble lab experiments.
Story? Oh, sorry. Shark infested tornadoes down spout the globe.
Luckily for those nations there are Yanks who will save them.
One of them even says, “We’re trying to make America great again … make the world great again.”
Audiences across the planet howl in glee.
I believe there is a 6th installment, but the girls have lost interest. Lucky me.

Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens - 2016 - 3/10

The perils of living with shark enthusiasts …
One might think this stale franchise went belly up a couple installments earlier.
As long as has-beens line up for cameo immortality, and suckers tune in, it’ll go one forever.
Bigger, noisier, with almost nonstop action, and countless human dinners.
This ‘nado spirals out of Las Vegas, twists eastwards, through Texas, up tornado alley into Kansas.
Aside from cameos, this is sprinkled with iconic references to better films.
I’d say avoid, assuming you control the remote.

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell, No! - 2015 - 4/10

Unfortunately, most members of the household are really into this series.
Each installment, apparently, has a greater budget, indicated by improved effects and photography.
Also dozens of cameos, probably working for nothing or scale.
What is slipping away is heart and goofy humor, replaced by winking calculation.
Attempts are made at explaining the “sharknado effect,” which indicates numerous future installments.
Concepts remains the same. Sharks in twisters, culling stupid members of society who can’t find shelter.
If you bought Jamie Foxx as bazooka shootin’ President in one film, you will have no problem with Mark Cuban as President here.

Sharknado 2: The Second One - 2014 - 3/10

Was this film really necessary?
I suppose.
C’mon, you have two tornadoes approaching Manhattan. Both filled with sharks!
(never dolphins, piranha, goldfish, surfers).
Plus a giant snowstorm! (no bears, wolves or hockey goalies, alas)
Add has-beens and dubious celebrities (Judd Hirsch, Kelly Osbourne, Billy Ray Cyrus, Downtown Julie Brown, et al)
What’d ya got? 90 minutes of labored stupidity.
Better budget than the first film, though this more self-conscious and tries too hard.
The hero remains dumber than a biscuit. Film introduces his still-smokin hot high school flame.
He prefers the ole divorced face.
I’m yelling at the screen, “Jump hottie! Dump botox!”

Sharknado - 2013 - 3/10

To paraphrase a Spinal Tap review.
Sharknado = Sh!tnado.
Hurricane slams into Santa Monica, after having sucked hundreds of sharks into its whirlwinds.
Flying sharks apparently have no problem breathing air, and they bite off limbs and heads of passing humans.
Streets fill with water, even in the hills of Beverly Hills, and sharkies swim from living rooms to dining rooms to … dine!
Terrible acting, awful script, mindless direction, crapo music, especially bad CGI.
Followed by sequels.
John Heard uncannily resembles Brian Wilson. Other producers should have picked up on that.

Matrix Revolutions: Epic Edition - geminigod

I put off viewing partly because I did not want to waddle through sorry assed Revolutions again.
Then I delayed reviewing because I wanted to listen to Geminigod’s audio commentary.

In a nutshell, the A/V editing was spectacular. I missed glitches and fudges he referenced in the commentary.
Had to go back, and even then they were often hard to catch.
He wisely purged the bulk of the inane bungles from Revolutions.
Also, he made a good argument that the sequel ought to have been one long film, rather than two.
Best, this edit redeemed the franchise (which seems due to revive).

Less compelling, were Geminigod’s prolonged defense for the importance of Zion. I never bought that argument. Zion, to me, represented a separation of humanity into elites and mudbugs. Far as Zion went, if the machines whacked them, fine by me.

Commentaries by their nature are enlightening, thoughtful, and maddening. Geminigod’s was no exception. For every point he addressed, and I thought “Ooh, I hadn’t thought of that,” then he would belabor another cue for five minutes, and I’m going, “Hey, Pilgrim, movie’s rolling, stay on topic.”

This really was a powerhouse job, with a tremendous amount of editing and rearranging, in crafting a true, alternative experience.
And barking aside, I truly appreciated the editor’s words. Most enlightening.

Time Waits For No One (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) - TM2YC

Part of the Time travel Consecution, this is a haunting, at times perplexing, love story.
I watched it three times, to get the feel of the story, because this is rather messy.
Other reviews have suggested this be even shorter, but that might prove a jumble.
This is tucked away on the DVD. Don’t over look it. A small gem, worth your time.

Apocalypto: The Legend Of Jaguar Paw - Sinbad

Mild trim of Mel Gibson’s naturalistic masterpiece, removing much of the dialogue.

Video - 1280 X 696p AVC. Image is razor sharp, cutting is excellent.

Audio - 512 kbps AAC 2 Channel stereo. Subs, limited. For a film such as this (big action, high adventure) I would have preferred 5.1 sound, I am not editing, however, and most editors choose stereo. Subs are more problematic. Sinbad has cut a swath of them. The film holds, as does the narrative. The remaining subtitles are poorly timed. Most are short, way too short. They should have been given a once-over in something like SubtitleEdit before hard coding.

Narrative - As mentioned earlier, the edit, despite heaving cutting, is coherent and straightforward, especially to those who have watched the original. Most trims passed by unnoticed, save for one at the end.

Enjoyment - Yes, though primarily as watching an exercise. The edit is well done, though I don’t see it as essential, or one that I would watch more than a few times.

Quantum Of Solace: Bond’s Revenge - Last Survivor

Really enjoyed this.
Much more character focused than the original.
Liked that overlong action sequences were trimmed.
Never bought the Vesper backstory, not in this, nor in the original.
Bond is a sexual predator, he would never get emotional about anyone.
Maybe M.
So when Vesper’s ghost appeared, I crinkled a bit.
That said, the video insets were nicely done. Slick.
To me, QS remains the weakest of the Craig 007s, but I enjoyed this far, far more than the original.

Killer Toon - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Deo Webtoon: Yeogosalin // 더 웹툰 : 예고살인

Arresting mix of live action and manga panels.
Selected viewers of a web artist’s preview installment find life imitating art.
As characters in the strip live - or in this film - die, so do they. In the same, gruesome manner.

Police get involved, undecided whether the artist is culprit or pawn.
Then they begin trawling through the past.
Perhaps a bit too clever and convoluted for its own good, but rarely boring and beguiling throughout.
Enough in this to watch a couple times.

The Broken Butterfly - 1919 - 6/10

A composer, sojourning in the Canadian woodlands, meets a spirited maiden.
Orphaned, she lives with her bitter, scolding aunt and her faithful dog.
Love develops between the couple, he composes an orchestral work in her honor, and proposes.
The story is patchy, yet extends good twists, flashbacks and fateful encounters.
Lew Cody as the composer is fine, if made up to look too old.
Pauline Starke as Marcène lights up the screen. She is the reason to watch this early Silent.

Lorna The Exorcist - 1974 - 5/10
AKA - Les Possedees du Diable

No, Lorna is not an exorcist, but instead a female Mephistopheles.
She makes the devil’s bargain with down on his luck, impoverished Patrick.
Fortune, repute, happiness in exchange for his daughter once she turns eighteen.
Desperate - and childless - he agrees.
Nine months and almost eighteen years later, Lorna returns, ready to take possession.
Narrative is more linear and logical than the typical Jess Franco outing.
Sex sequences serve the plot - sometimes - and are not as clinically pornographic as other films.
Sideplot of one of Lorna’s discards (and Franco himself as psychiatrist) is pointless.
20 year old Lina Romay fine as the daughter up for grabs.

Invisible City: S01 - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Cidade Invisível

First the mysterious death of his wife, followed by a body washing up on shore.
A body that seems human, but might also be a dolphin.
Eric, detective for the Environmental Police, investigates a small tavern and delves into a subculture of entities.
Episodes are steeped in Brazilian folklore, characters are differentiated, the pace percolates.

At the core, as so often. lies money. In this case, land, owned by the poor. Coveted by developers.
Seven episodes, roughly 35” each, meaning this could have been a fuller, richer experience.
The conclusion of S01, slightly unresolved, should satisfy commitment avoiders.
A second season is underway, though I suspect I won’t watch.

Dark City - 1950 - 6/10

Opening credits read, ‘Introducing Charlton Heston,’ but make no mistake, he is the star.
Weak faux noir from Paramount has Chuck, Jack Webb and Ed Begley fleecing a small time courier out of 5G he’s carrying for a larger, stronger mob.
The courier is soon whacked, and the easy score grows more dangerous.
Heston’s character meanders around from rat to shyster to sorta good guy.
Ex-girlfriend Lizabeth Scott sings three songs, which struck me as padding, unless she’s your kind of canary.
An OK enough drama, but if you want gloomy, fatalistic Noir, seek elsewhere.

United - 2011 - 6/10

Docudrama of Man U’s 1958 Busby’s Babies.
The young team dominates England’s pitch, journeys to Beograd for European matches.
Not really a football flick, as I had thought.
Conflict with league officials, technical issues on the aircraft, survivors bookmark the story.
This story is less well known outside England, and perhaps fading into memory now.
Characters, even those with major lines, are barely more than shades.
Actual turf action - none.
The visual image is too soft, and the color overly desaturated.

Berlin 1945: Diary Of A Metropolis - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - Berlin 1945: Tagebuch Einer Großstadt

Well done, three part WWII documentary that genuinely adds to the history.
One part sees Berlin bracing for the final Allied (Soviet) assault, another part the conflict, final third the occupation.
All told though voice actors reading from diaries, memoirs, letters, etc …
Ordinary Berlin residents, students, office workers, forced labor, doctors, journalists, soldiers from both sides.
Bolstered with photos of the writers, and a tremendous amount of unseen footage.
The tone is neutral, stoical, a trait often expressed by survivors
Again, this is one year, in one city, with multiple points of view. Essential for history types.