Hey Guys,
Sorry for the late response on this. I've been wanting to comment on everyone's work for some time now.
First I just want to say that I really, really enjoyed seeing all the different faneditor's perspectives on the same subject. Batman has always been one of my all-time favorite characters of any media. He's got the best stories, and he's got the best villains, and he even has to overcome some of his own demons along the way. So, this project was a real treat for me, both to contribute to, and to be a viewer as well.
Boon did an amazing job on the DVD design for starters. Loved the title intro, the music and all of the transitional flutters of bat wings between menu selections. You'll have to teach me how to do it as good as you, Boon.
The first short I watched was Dluppers' "Intruder Alert": Batgirl Begins. It was interesting to see any scene from Batman & Robin again since the last time I saw it was in the theater. I own the DVD which came as part of a box set, but haven't dared to crack it out of the case yet. Dluppers did a good job editing, he can't be faulted for that. I think though that you probably could have left it at her getting suited up and then she runs off as Batgirl. We kind of know what happens after that. Or maybe we don't want to know. No need for the Poison Ivy stuff, in my opinion. And then "Suit me up, Uncle Alfred!" was one of the worst lines of the entire Batman film franchise; a line which my friends and I still deride to this day. Why anyone would choose to do something serious with any scene from Batman & Robin is beyond me, but it was interesting to watch, nevertheless. Even if only to be reminded of exactly how bad Batman & Robin really was.
The next one I watched was Throwgncpr's "Mayhem & Mistletoe", which I absolutely loved. How incredible did Batman Returns look in black-and-white? It looks like it could have been filmed that way originally. Those security guards looked like they belonged on the Andy Griffith show. And I loved the "Pleasantville effect" you employed. Catwoman's red lips have never looked more seductive and Batman has never looked more heroic with the screaming yellow Bat-belt and Bat-symbol blazing across his costume. This was a really interesting way to view this story, Throw. Forget the "extras" discs you're always releasing and start doing some true fanediting! You've got a real talent! Great job!
And then we come to the unfortunate Grievous Angel Draven's "The Savings Never End!": Not sure how this one got by Quality Control. While I like Grievous Angel Draven, and I agree with the point of his short, which is that Batman & Robin was nothing more than a cartoonish, insulting, cash-grabbing toy commercial for Warner Bros. and the awful Joel Schumacher...a) this is information we all have known for ten years now, and b) we got the point loud and clear after the first few minutes. No need to drag it on for ten minutes just because that was the time limit. Now, I know it was supposed to be comedic in a subversive, self-deprecating way, and I think we needed some comedy in this collection. But it quickly became tedious to watch and toward the end downright painful. The over-loud voiceover didn't help it much and quite honestly my finger was on the forward button through the latter half. Sorry, Grievous, but it was a true disaster. But somehow, I have a feeling that maybe that's exactly what you intended.
Jokersmailbag's "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate": Not only do I love the title, but the idea and execution of this was perfect. The question? What would it be like if Batman would have been an 80's TV series instead of a movie? Have you got the visual in your head? That's exactly what Jokersmailbag delivers. This is definitely one of my favorites on this collection. I enjoyed it immensely. Great job!
Jack Tourette's "The Killing Joke": It was really unfortunate that the picture quality couldn't have been better on this, but I understand the reason why. And I'm glad Jack Tourette went through with this edit despite that fact. It was interesting to see a sliver of this "Birds of Prey" series that I never even knew existed before this project. Very cool. Seems like you did a good job on the editing, even though I don't have anything to compare it to, which makes it difficult to gauge the extent of the work done on this. But kudos for unearthing this rare find and presenting it to us in ten minutes.
Uncanny Antman's "The Gordon Perspective": Gary Oldman's portrayal of James Gordon is one of the best and most underrated performances to come out of the world of popular film in the past ten years. A lot of times, seeing a sequence out of context, even if you've seen it a hundred times, when it's pulled out from under the weight of the rest of the film...especially one as big in scope as Batman Begins...it can create an entirely new experience. And that's how I felt when watching this short. I felt like I was watching a cop-drama instead of a Batman film and I think that's what Uncanny Antman intended. Great to see it solely from the perspective of Gordon. Editing was seamless, picture quality was brilliant. Great job!
CBB's "Bat Memento": Video quality aside, which I hear has been corrected in the new version, as someone else has observed this was an inspired and completely appropriate choice. I love the idea. I love the execution. It couldn't have been an easy thing to approach, but I think you covered all the bases. And even though we all knew what happened and what to expect, the entertaining part was to see your choices, Boon, on what you chose to show and not to show. If I had one minor criticism it would be that I would've included the Katie Holmes character or her as a little girl at the very end (or is it the beginning?), just to bookend and have some resolution or justification for what we had seen in their exchange at the very beginning (or is it the end?). Other than that small observation, I found it vastly interesting, unique, entertaining and for the most part complete. Great job!
Kolpitz's "Inner Turmoil": Being a big fan of Batman the Animated Series, I was very happy to see someone used it's material. And Kolpitz has done it in a very creative way, blending it with scenes from Batman Begins, Scarecrow's fear toxin affects Batman by transporting him into this animated hallucination (which I thought was an excellent device, by the way). And then later, the tables are turned on Scarecrow as Batman gives him a taste of his "own medicine" much to the same animated effect. Again, I loved the concept. Loved the execution. And this being Kolpitz's first edit, I emphatically encourage him to keep practicing and do many more in the future. Great job!
And finally to Mollo's Pussy Control: I think it's really unfortunate for Mollo that his Catwoman story came after Throw's on the disc. Because, of course the two are going to be unfairly compared. And since they use a lot of the same footage, whichever one came second was doomed to be written off by most as superfluous. For me, the two couldn't have been more different and are equally as good. Mollo's skill at editing is great, his handling of the story is great. I LOVE the end credits and the "Pussy Control" song that plays to an image of Catwoman endlessly licking herself. LOL! This short was done with style and an unexpected sense of humor. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mollo's stuff in the future.
On the next Consecution project we should probably try to be careful not to pick similar ideas.
A few words on mine "Bruce Wayne - Depths of Darkness": I'm happy with how it turned out. It was a challenge to meet that time limit and I regret not being able to do a more complete end credit sequence. The goal was to create a pseudo-sequel to The Dark Knight without using any footage of Batman. It was a twilight-zone style, guilt-ridden nightmare through an alternate reality that could've been Bruce Wayne's future, but wasn't. Or was it? The end can be interpreted either way. Which Bruce is dreaming? I think what the short really ended up accomplishing was that it showed what a great actor Christian Bale really is. To see him go from one extreme to another is actually frightening. I think we covered all the bases of emotion in this short and Bale plays it to the hilt. For those who haven't seen The Machinist, the one where he lost all that weight, I'd definitely recommend it.
Anyway, great, great, great, great project, Guys. Lots of fun. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Let's not stop. What's next for Consecution? Zombies? Is the vote tally in yet?
--ID
Sorry for the late response on this. I've been wanting to comment on everyone's work for some time now.
First I just want to say that I really, really enjoyed seeing all the different faneditor's perspectives on the same subject. Batman has always been one of my all-time favorite characters of any media. He's got the best stories, and he's got the best villains, and he even has to overcome some of his own demons along the way. So, this project was a real treat for me, both to contribute to, and to be a viewer as well.
Boon did an amazing job on the DVD design for starters. Loved the title intro, the music and all of the transitional flutters of bat wings between menu selections. You'll have to teach me how to do it as good as you, Boon.
The first short I watched was Dluppers' "Intruder Alert": Batgirl Begins. It was interesting to see any scene from Batman & Robin again since the last time I saw it was in the theater. I own the DVD which came as part of a box set, but haven't dared to crack it out of the case yet. Dluppers did a good job editing, he can't be faulted for that. I think though that you probably could have left it at her getting suited up and then she runs off as Batgirl. We kind of know what happens after that. Or maybe we don't want to know. No need for the Poison Ivy stuff, in my opinion. And then "Suit me up, Uncle Alfred!" was one of the worst lines of the entire Batman film franchise; a line which my friends and I still deride to this day. Why anyone would choose to do something serious with any scene from Batman & Robin is beyond me, but it was interesting to watch, nevertheless. Even if only to be reminded of exactly how bad Batman & Robin really was.
The next one I watched was Throwgncpr's "Mayhem & Mistletoe", which I absolutely loved. How incredible did Batman Returns look in black-and-white? It looks like it could have been filmed that way originally. Those security guards looked like they belonged on the Andy Griffith show. And I loved the "Pleasantville effect" you employed. Catwoman's red lips have never looked more seductive and Batman has never looked more heroic with the screaming yellow Bat-belt and Bat-symbol blazing across his costume. This was a really interesting way to view this story, Throw. Forget the "extras" discs you're always releasing and start doing some true fanediting! You've got a real talent! Great job!
And then we come to the unfortunate Grievous Angel Draven's "The Savings Never End!": Not sure how this one got by Quality Control. While I like Grievous Angel Draven, and I agree with the point of his short, which is that Batman & Robin was nothing more than a cartoonish, insulting, cash-grabbing toy commercial for Warner Bros. and the awful Joel Schumacher...a) this is information we all have known for ten years now, and b) we got the point loud and clear after the first few minutes. No need to drag it on for ten minutes just because that was the time limit. Now, I know it was supposed to be comedic in a subversive, self-deprecating way, and I think we needed some comedy in this collection. But it quickly became tedious to watch and toward the end downright painful. The over-loud voiceover didn't help it much and quite honestly my finger was on the forward button through the latter half. Sorry, Grievous, but it was a true disaster. But somehow, I have a feeling that maybe that's exactly what you intended.
Jokersmailbag's "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate": Not only do I love the title, but the idea and execution of this was perfect. The question? What would it be like if Batman would have been an 80's TV series instead of a movie? Have you got the visual in your head? That's exactly what Jokersmailbag delivers. This is definitely one of my favorites on this collection. I enjoyed it immensely. Great job!
Jack Tourette's "The Killing Joke": It was really unfortunate that the picture quality couldn't have been better on this, but I understand the reason why. And I'm glad Jack Tourette went through with this edit despite that fact. It was interesting to see a sliver of this "Birds of Prey" series that I never even knew existed before this project. Very cool. Seems like you did a good job on the editing, even though I don't have anything to compare it to, which makes it difficult to gauge the extent of the work done on this. But kudos for unearthing this rare find and presenting it to us in ten minutes.
Uncanny Antman's "The Gordon Perspective": Gary Oldman's portrayal of James Gordon is one of the best and most underrated performances to come out of the world of popular film in the past ten years. A lot of times, seeing a sequence out of context, even if you've seen it a hundred times, when it's pulled out from under the weight of the rest of the film...especially one as big in scope as Batman Begins...it can create an entirely new experience. And that's how I felt when watching this short. I felt like I was watching a cop-drama instead of a Batman film and I think that's what Uncanny Antman intended. Great to see it solely from the perspective of Gordon. Editing was seamless, picture quality was brilliant. Great job!
CBB's "Bat Memento": Video quality aside, which I hear has been corrected in the new version, as someone else has observed this was an inspired and completely appropriate choice. I love the idea. I love the execution. It couldn't have been an easy thing to approach, but I think you covered all the bases. And even though we all knew what happened and what to expect, the entertaining part was to see your choices, Boon, on what you chose to show and not to show. If I had one minor criticism it would be that I would've included the Katie Holmes character or her as a little girl at the very end (or is it the beginning?), just to bookend and have some resolution or justification for what we had seen in their exchange at the very beginning (or is it the end?). Other than that small observation, I found it vastly interesting, unique, entertaining and for the most part complete. Great job!
Kolpitz's "Inner Turmoil": Being a big fan of Batman the Animated Series, I was very happy to see someone used it's material. And Kolpitz has done it in a very creative way, blending it with scenes from Batman Begins, Scarecrow's fear toxin affects Batman by transporting him into this animated hallucination (which I thought was an excellent device, by the way). And then later, the tables are turned on Scarecrow as Batman gives him a taste of his "own medicine" much to the same animated effect. Again, I loved the concept. Loved the execution. And this being Kolpitz's first edit, I emphatically encourage him to keep practicing and do many more in the future. Great job!
And finally to Mollo's Pussy Control: I think it's really unfortunate for Mollo that his Catwoman story came after Throw's on the disc. Because, of course the two are going to be unfairly compared. And since they use a lot of the same footage, whichever one came second was doomed to be written off by most as superfluous. For me, the two couldn't have been more different and are equally as good. Mollo's skill at editing is great, his handling of the story is great. I LOVE the end credits and the "Pussy Control" song that plays to an image of Catwoman endlessly licking herself. LOL! This short was done with style and an unexpected sense of humor. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mollo's stuff in the future.
On the next Consecution project we should probably try to be careful not to pick similar ideas.
A few words on mine "Bruce Wayne - Depths of Darkness": I'm happy with how it turned out. It was a challenge to meet that time limit and I regret not being able to do a more complete end credit sequence. The goal was to create a pseudo-sequel to The Dark Knight without using any footage of Batman. It was a twilight-zone style, guilt-ridden nightmare through an alternate reality that could've been Bruce Wayne's future, but wasn't. Or was it? The end can be interpreted either way. Which Bruce is dreaming? I think what the short really ended up accomplishing was that it showed what a great actor Christian Bale really is. To see him go from one extreme to another is actually frightening. I think we covered all the bases of emotion in this short and Bale plays it to the hilt. For those who haven't seen The Machinist, the one where he lost all that weight, I'd definitely recommend it.
Anyway, great, great, great, great project, Guys. Lots of fun. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Let's not stop. What's next for Consecution? Zombies? Is the vote tally in yet?
--ID
