Vultural

Crouching Dragon: The Tiger Lily Cut (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - ssj

When the original Crouching Tiger was released in 2000, thousands of hardcore Asia film fanboys plunged into a tailspin tizzy.
“This is going to ruin Hong Kong and Japanese exploitation!”
Apologists for the film and peddlers of imports did their best to mollify those nervous Nellies.
And yet … mainstream Westerners, exposed to “artistic” Asian action cinema, began sniffing the landscape.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made a sh!tload of money, and, as doomsayers predicted, future Asian fare became easier for world digestion. Wackiness went on the fade.

Thankfully, ssj mangled this talky bi-polar film back to the crazy roots of Shaw Brothers!
By jettisoning mounds of talky exposition and utterly subverting the subtitles.
Plot now revolves around a stolen Iron Chef blade, and the bickering and backstabbing that go on behind the scenes. And, of course, battles to regain the mighty kitchen cleaver.
Should I mention additional, juicy double entendre dialogue?

Great antidote to the borefest that the original was. Energy level diminishes in the final act, and jokes start to fall flat. The story tumbles into a confused mess, but what the hey, this is still brilliant for what is it.

Alpha, by genre:

Action (subdivided) - Asian (subdivided) - Comedy - Drama - Horror
Mystery - Noir (subdivided) - PreCode - Silent - Docs - Misc

Used to organize with Whereisit, but hell, I have an expiration date.

Collins, Max - Bait Money

First appearance of Collins’ “Nolan” character, criminal loner patterned after Westlake’s “Parker” and Willie’s “Sand.”
After surviving a botched hit, Nolan brokers a truce with Family members who hold a grudge.
He must pay $100K to brother of underboss he whacked years earlier.
Because of a Family contract, no pros will work with him, so he is forced to enlist amateurs.
Plot follows the last heist theme, with a lot of time devoted to establishing the caper.
Good read by a young Collins (age 20) before he placed Allan in his signature.
Followed soon thereafter by a sequel, Blood Money.

Collins, Max - Blood Money

Immediate sequel to Bait Money finds Nolan returning to the Family,
managing a small motel with lounge and pool.
An offer if extended for full reinstatement, a larger establishment to manage,
if he pays a hefty “consideration.”
All too soon, he learns someone found his stash and fled with it.
Guns are oiled, and the hunt begins.
Another fast moving, hard boiled yarn by a very young Max Allan Collins.

Harper, Sue - The Dark Nest

There must be close to 50 stories here. Each, three pages in length, give or take.
This is not a book to plow through hurriedly, as if fulfilling your reading quota.
Rather, read 1-2 before retiring, or if you need a light breeze to dispel those cobwebs gathered whilst trying to translate that Abdul Alhazred manuscript you chanced upon at Thrift Town.
In “The Growler,” Clarissa’s … ahem … vagina finds her voice, and begins voicing her very strong opinions.
Middling actor Selina stumbles into onstage instability, drawing the attention of a new audience.
Sarah, a clever thing, juggles two suitors in “Doubling Up.” Back in the day, running two or more dates wasn’t an easy trick. They always find out. And when they do …
“The Promontory” finds the lone woman standing on the shore, narrowing her eyes, watching the small boat approach. Behind her, the landscape is nondescript. All she can do is wait.
I’m not even halfway into the contents. The book is filled with brief moods.
This must have been fun for Ms Harper to write, it certainly was to read.

Star Wars: Fall Of The Jedi (Neon Noir) (Star Wars Prequels) - ONLYYODAFORGIVES

The three Star Wars prequels are combined into a single viewing experience. Running time is under two hours, many stories have been jettisoned. The heaviest trims are from Phantom Menace, weakest of that trilogy.
Music has also been dramatically altered. So much so, I would argue this ought to be considered a Silent film. What dialogue there is, is quite sparse and conversations are often murky.

Filesize = 1 GB. Video = 1910 x 816p AVC, Audio = 125 kbps AAC. 2 Channel stereo. No subs.

Straight up, this is a fairly inspired edit, radical in it’s approach. If you go into this thinking, “This is going to be like an extended music video,” you will not be disappointed.
The video editing is alright, though there are too many fades in a franchise that noticeably uses wipes. Many of the transitions could have been more seamless.
The audio remains problematic. The score is fabulous. Synth, ambiant, techno, dark beat, Industrial, glockenspiel.
Forget the dialogue, though. It is muddy or garbled.

Members from OT and FE previewed and offered suggestions aplenty back in 2015.
Me included. In fact, I mentioned two video glitches, and they are still there.
In the end, the editor walked away from both forums. His edit has been available on YT in decent quality ever since.
No mistake, this is a bold, enjoyable version.
Could be better, but what’s there is damned good.

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Intro-sequence-to-neon-noir-fan-edit-of-the-prequel-trilogy/id/17852

Dune: The Alternative Edition Redux (Dune) - spicediver

"A film that’s been admired, hated and puzzled-over in fairly equal amounts … "

How about, all the above?
Stunning set design and ridiculous costumes. What are the Sardaukar, firefighters?
Gorgeous Brian Eno theme - then Toto.
Exposition that advances the plot, dialogue that booms bombastic.
Top tier actors driven by madman Lynch to ham it up.
I loved Dune - I hated Dune.

Spicediver did an outstanding job in focusing the narrative thrust of the movie.
I appreciate how he organized the structure into four books.
Video editing was fine. When deleted footage was used, it was noticeable. Sharp to grainy. Yet the result was in keeping with his intended edit.
Audio, once or twice I caught some dialogue that did not match mouths. More often than not, there was a crop or he inserted audio when character backs were turned. Again, this was meant to enhance pacing or narrative, so I don’t want to nitpick.
I really enjoyed this edit, which eclipses my other copies, including the mini-series.

Trailer = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK5eoV93oyg

I have been rather naughty here. I ripped the English subs, then rewrote almost all.
My version is not very kind to the characters, making them fools.
My subs (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ACdIClTiiJ85pjr3qLO1dsS1vxiSHWgB)
If necessary, rename the subtitles so they match the title of the film.

Summers, Montague - Six Ghost Stories

My, what a delicious, if sadly brief, collection of treats.
In “The House Agent,” an impulsive, headstrong woman pressures her husband to do-do-do lease the long-empty country house. No matter that is has an unsavory reputation with villagers. She refuses to listen, won’t hear a word of it!
Summers must have possessed incredible hearing, as well as an organized memory. “The Governess,” a poor soul in service to a flighty, scattered gentry, is brought to life by an aristocratic dame.
“A Toy Theatre” and “Romeo And Juliet” are wicked forays into the uglier sides of theatre boards.
Let us not overlook the book collector, and his purchase of a possibly genuine / possibly fake rare grimore.
(Word to the wise. When translating Latin, do not do so aloud.)
These are all Jamesian tales, seasoned with naughty humor, similar to Reggie Oliver.

Raiders (Raiders Of The Lost Ark) - Steven Soderbergh

Yes, that Steven Soderbergh. He has done several of these since his temporary retirement from directing. He has also remained aloof from the fanedit community or is incognito.

The adventure classic gets a sonic overhaul. All audio - dialogue, music soundtrack, sound effects - wiped. In essence, Raiders is a Silent. This is so viewers can concentrate on the visual design without being distracted. The editor does tack on a very distracting film score, however.

Image is glorious black n white. High contrast, razor sharp. Interiors bear a deep black, Noir look. No story editing or narrative rearranging, though. As has been noted before, Raiders plays well in black n white.

For audio, Mr. Soderbergh selected music tracks from Trent Reznor scores “The Social Network" and “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” At times, cues match the tone or tempo of the video narrative - other times the music is jarringly amiss. One gets the feeling he fired up his favorite tracks without considering how appropriate they would be.
Mr. Soderbergh likely has access to state of the art audio editing equipment, or computer software. He could have easily tinkered with his musical cues so they matched the screen narrative. Again, he did not seek feedback from the fanediting community.

Still available on Mr. Soderberg’s site - extension765 - in decent quality as of 2020 05.

The Descent: Extended Cut - Mikedrew87

Wail, baby, wail! Wilderness survivalist vacationers rappel into unexplored depths.
Deep, deep inside the cavernous depths, they learn real survival skills.
Neil Marshall’s best film (though Dog Soldiers is a close second) and a great horror ride.

Video - 1280 X 720p AVC. A great looking film. Dense blacks, a lot of moving shadows, and dim lighting. Plenty of ways this edit could go wrong. Excellent rendering beginning to end. Most of the missing scenes went by unnoticed.

Audio - 192 Kbps, 2 Channel AAC. Really? Stereo? The original audio is a superb sound mix of echoes and ambiant noises, perfectly in keeping with a cave interior. This is missed here. Also, no subs. Yes, I know I am in a minority in commenting about subtitles. A fair amount of dialogue is difficult to understand. Whispering, shouting, characters talking over each other. I may know this flick by heart, but others may not.

Narrative - Generally, I couldn’t care less about extended cuts. Footage was trimmed for a reason, either it was repetitive, or useless padding, or it dragged the pace. The inclusion of ten brief scenes gives more shades to a few characters. Otherwise, the narrative itself is untouched.

Enjoyment - I’ve watched the DVD dozens of times. Moreover, growing up, I went caving hundreds of times and The Descent is one of the best cave films out there.
It does have two strikes against it, however.
One, the cast is all female. insecure males dislike females: be they wives, coworkers, exes, doesn’t matter. These guys, for one reason or another, just have an animosity. If you are one, then don’t bother with this. γνῶθι σεαυτόν
Second, this movie is a real nail biter. Tension tightens throughout for at least two thirds of the story. The reveal of the dwellers comes late. Impatient souls will be happier with a trailer.
For everyone else, this is a terrific thriller /slash/ horror flick.

Star Wars: Ultramachete (Phantom Menace & Attack Of The Clones) - Razil

Straight off, the faneditor refers to this as “Clone Wars III & IV.”
The choices made are peculiar. The film begins with the pod race on Tatooine.
Next to the battle of Naboo, followed by ten years after …
Afterward, a mild editing of The Attack Of The Clones.
In case you were wondering, this is NOT a three-in-one of the prequels.
Filesize = 8 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC. Audio = 5.1, 550 kbps AAC. No subs.
Despite the specs, the aspect struck me as curiously flattened.

Note the black bands on top and bottom.
Once excised, the true ratio is closer to 1920 X 620p. Very, very widescreen. Stretched.
Clearly, he was having trouble. I remember Razil sought help at FE, but do not recall if veteran editors offered advice or not.
Sadly, his thread there has since been purged. (The one at OT abides. See below).
Razil had PM’d me back in the day, unfortunately as I was losing interest in yet another SW edit. So I never watched at the time.
Apologies, Mr Razil.
Recently, I checked his PM from 6 years ago. Lo! the file links are still active.
So, belatedly, I downed and watched.

Razil’s epic opening explanation. (Wall of text alert!)
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/New-project-Star-Wars-ultramachete-bit-of-help-needed/id/16070

The Frighteners Recut (The Frighteners) - Neglify

Frighteners is one of those Horror films I watch every couple of years. Peter Jackson’s career was ascending rapidly at this stage, having nailed a hit with Heavenly Creatures and bracing for the challenge of Lord Of The Rings.
As a genre film, Frighteners remains the uneasy mix. Part Mystery, part Thriller, all Horror, yet undermined by moronic comedy. Silliness, stupidity. Several cringe sequences make the Stooges look like Woody Allen. Any improvement on that score is well applauded.

Video - As expected, excellent work here. I never missed a single trim, though deep in the film I realized I had not winced yet. The moments I had hated were gone. The colors were fine, albeit subdued, but that is Jackson’s palette.

Audio - Highly dynamic 5.1 mix. Dialogue was clean and focused. No subs. I never needed subtitles, but checked after the fact.

Neglify’s version is now my preferred Frighteners, displacing the original. My main problem with Jackson’s version was always the humor. Silly rather than clever, dull witted rather than razor sharp. Jackson’s jokes are sophomoric at best. (Feebles remains a brilliant exception.) Neglify excised the stupidity. The trims might be light, but they are effective. Stellar job.

Camus, Albert - The Plague

I first encountered this, a lifetime earlier, in college FLIT (Foreign Literature In Translation).
The book was not what I was expecting, me being 19-20 and simply reading the title of PLAGUE!!!
The novel stayed with me, though, to the point that I bought a used Modern Library edition and added it to the stacks.
I next read this in the 80’s, as AIDS spilled out from the margins, and looked to sweep like a scythe through humanity.
In the book, after the eruption of rats, key characters wither to their essence.
The resigned, the valiant, the selfish, the industrious, fighting an implacable foe, a microscopic adversary that seems to posses a cunning intelligence.
Weeks ago, I started rereading this again, as the pace of the current panic escalated.
I read slowly, half hoping by the time I finished some sort of remedy or control might be at hand.
The fool and his delusions.

A distraction.
Escape (OTR), “The Scarlet Plague,” from 1954, relevant today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLzcA4RIBXc

Mandalorian could be turned into an old-fashioned serial.
15" per episode, with recaps and reduced credits.
Example: E02, purloining the egg for the Jawas. Just as the creature is about to finish him - Cliff!
Example: E03, pinned down by gunfire from the Guild - Cliff!
Could be rendered black & white, could be silent (ala, TMBTM).

Another markdown question.
Is there something similar to HIDE - SPOILER - NSFW ?
Or code to minimize a large wall of text.
Thanks.

Fear and Loathing In Fantasy Mission Force (Fantasy Mission Force) - matrixgrindhouse

Man, what a rush!
For fans of old school Hong Kong this is pell mell action.
The image is not the best, 640 X 480p. Appear VHS derived.
Worse, the audio is dubbed. Actually, that makes it much funnier.
What’s missing? Why, subtitles of course. In this case, they ought to be incoherent and have nothing to do with screen activity whatsoever.
Ostensibly a mission against Axis powers, agent Jackie Chan and a horde of extras tangle with soldiers, smugglers, kidnappers, Scottish Highlanders, an inept officer corps, masked cavalry, ninjas, Amazon warriors, and, wait for it, Snake Plissken!!
“Fantasy Mission Force” was ever an insane experience.
One gathers Mr grindhouse has cut and warped this as if he were under intoxicants and hallucinogenics.
Hence, the “Fear and Loathing” prefix.
Edit is neither worse nor better than the original, though the plot condensation is stunning!

Alien: Ripley Does Dallas (Alien 1979) - heathen3017

Not a full redo of the franchise opener, but a gentle extension.
This is a fine mix of theatrical, directorial, and extended versions.
Most noticeable added scenes are of the cocooned Dallas, and Jonesy being examined, then rejected by the xenomorph.
The Dallas sequence always felt unfinished to me (check the sequels for better cocoon work).
For whatever reason, I had never noticed Jonesy bit before.
The exterior CGI additions passed by unnoticed, a good thing.
Filesize = 2.2 GB. Thank you.
The video is a nice 1920 X 816p AVC. This a visually dark film and the image stays solid throughout.
Audio is 2 Channel stereo, 161 kbps AAC. No subs. The dynamic range is extensive. The score and effects are loud, dialogue much quieter (Ash, in particular). I was enjoying this on speakers, others around me, not so much. I eventually donned headphones.
This is an excellent edit and well crafted, and should appeal to all connoisseurs of extended versions.
In other words, Colonel Hutty and his followers, this is one you will enjoy.

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Alien-1979-Ripley-Does-Dallas-Edition-Extended/id/70190

This is heathen3017’s first edit. I look forward to more.

Star Wars: Blackened Mantle (Star Wars prequels) - Darth Lunar

Japanese 3-in-1 edit of the Star Wars prequels.
Dialogue is Japanese - no problem. Creative, alternative subs, although they are hardsubs.
Compelling reconstruction of the narrative. Phantom Menace footage limited to several flashback sequences of young Anakin. Jar Jar, pod-racing, and babble all removed.
Apprentice Anakin becomes unbalanced following his combat with Dooku; the Jedi Council try to help him, the Emperor tries to exploit.
The alternative story and resurrection of Darth Maul is inspired.

The edit contains problems, however, that might have been smoothed over or eliminated had the unit that created this reached out and sought feedback from better known fan-editing sites.
The parade of flashbacks often get confusing, and the storyline stumbles at times.
Clones and Revenge ping pong back and forth, and viewers are left to gauge hairstyles to keep up.
There are an excessive amount of fades, noticeable in a series which favors wipes.
Nonetheless, worthwhile for Jedi fans.

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Has-anyone-watched-The-Blackened-Mantle-a-Prequel-Trilogy-Edit-by-Darth-Lunar/id/46103

Miami Vice: 01 Vendetta (Miami Vice) - Ranger613

Overview - Extend the Miami Vice pilot to include “Calderone’s Return” (E04-E05).

Video - 512 X 384p AVC. The picture quality is a little soft, particularly in the pilot. Colors and sharpness improve during the second half. Editing is fine. A bit choppy during commercial breaks, though not a major issue. This is a huge ass file, 9.4 GB, which doesn’t seem right for the video size.

Audio - 317 kbps AAC. 2 Channel stereo. No subs. Dialogue is clear. The sound struck me as compressed, likely in keeping with TV from the 80s. Good for hearing conversations, less so if you desire gunfire, music, revving engines to roar from you speakers.

Narrative - Pretty good about staying focused on “the Columbian,” the slippery Calderone. Future series dynamics are touched on (Rodriguez, and Sonny’s family). I though some of the driving scenes went on too long, as did the boat trip to and from the Bahamas.

Enjoyment - It has been ages since I watched the pilot. There are clumsy comic elements that would quickly disappear, along with Sonny’s kid and Lt. Rodriguez. I was always a big fan of this show, especially the later seasons. This does have a dated look to it. To be honest, I have shows from the 60’s and 70’s that look a hell of a lot better.
I liked this, but I have doubts post 90’s viewers would appreciate as much.

RoccondilRinon said:

The main focus of the edit, though, as suggested by the name, is stylistic…

Any update on the Édition?

Kaiju FanEdit: Gigan - Ghidorah - Armageddon - by Markus Bruckner
(Kinderarzt Dr. Fröhlich -1972 and Godzilla vs. Gigan - 1972)
AKA - ガイガン-キングギドラ-ハルマゲドン

23-25” short weaving a German family drama with Godzilla.
From the get-go, monsters begin annihilating the world (ie: Tokyo).
In Europe, a doctor and his wife decide now is the perfect time for an Alpine vacation!
The narrative criss crosses mayhem with denial.
Tech stuff: Video = 1280 X 720p PAL. Audio = 126 kbps AAC.

The image is poor throughout, likely the source was equally poor.
The audio goes out of sync, yet there are subtitles*, hooray!
Editing could have been tighter, but this was a student film, so I was forgiving.
The ending should have been shorter, not extending into two minutes of black frame.

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/UNIQUE-KAIJU-FAN-EDIT-GIGAN-GHIDORAH-ARMAGEDDON/id/62510

• Subtitles.
  I have been rather naughty here. I ripped the English subs, then rewrote almost all.
  My version is not very kind to the characters, making them fools.
  My subs (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ACdIClTiiJ85pjr3qLO1dsS1vxiSHWgB)

Hitchhikers - Wayne Workman

Drifters and thumb waving travelers catch a ride … with a catch.
They have to share their stories. Who they are, where they are from, how did they get that way.
Half hour one-off was a proposed pitch for reality series that was never picked up.
Too bad. It is more imaginative and less padded than the majority of cable time wasters.

Several people, myself included, from the FanEdit community helped or advised Wayne while he was crafting this.
Neglify edited the raw footage, many previewed, I wrote up a hundred questions Wayne could ask riders on subsequent episodes.
Everyone offered suggestions. From the small maps, subtitles for the mush-mouthed or road noise, to the female VO narrator (I believe she was Wayne’s girlfriend).
I don’t know how much Wayne spent. It was all his dime, but we were dead certain it would get picked up.
Except it didn’t.
Like I wrote, this show was creative and I think there would have been an audience.
Enough time has passed now, I don’t think Wayne will mind me posting it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8OiICw7iag

Darkman Lives! - MusicEd921

I first saw Darkman as a first run theatrical with an exceedingly rowdy audience.
Shouting at villains, cheering mayhem, really into payback and retribution.
This experience colored my memories, causing me to overlook problems that were more apparent when I bought LD and DVD.
Chief was director Raimi’s misuse of silliness and goofy behavior.
MusicEd921 trimmed the nonsense and more.

Video = 1920 X 1080p. The black n white definitely adds to the 30’s look the editor was striving for. Exteriors were sharp, interiors, especially Darkman’s warehouse laboratory, were soft. Night time saturation was fine. There was one editing quibble I had in a preview, which the editor rectified. Editing is smooth throughout.

Audio - 160 kbps, 2 Channel AAC. No subs. There were music alterations and special effects added. Nicely done. Dialogue is clear. No audio problems that I could hear.

Trims were minimal, yet the overall tone differs greatly.
By design, this edit brings to the fore the pulpy elements. Violence is toned down.
This is a PG, popcorn experience. While violent, it should be OK for older children.
A fun film, though not as dark as before. I think I would have preferred a rougher ride.
Still, if you want action, yet want to avoid obscenities and gore, this is a great choice.

Run Marty Run (Back To The Future) by BlueYoda

Supercharged reworking of “Back To The Future” is imaginative, inventive, best of all - fun!
Marty gets three chances to amend events that will impact his future.
The musical score has been wiped, and replaced with that of “Run Lola Run.”
The narrative structure has been wiped, and replaced with that of “Run Lola Run.”
This is a must-see edit for any aspiring faneditor!
Observe, learn, and broaden your ambitions, fledglings.