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Large's Ark

L8wrtr

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LargesArk_front.jpg




Original film name:
Garden State
New film name: Large's Ark
Film studio name: Fox Searchlight
Date Original Film Was Released: 2004
Date Fanedit Was Released: Feb 2011
Runtimes: 102 minutes
New Runtime: 101 minutes
Amount of time Cut/Added: 8 min. cut / 7 min. added

Intention: This edit is designed to explore the emotional turmoil of Large’s character. I greatly enjoyed the original theatrical version which is quirky, charming, funny, and tender, but I always felt that the movie lacked the emotional punch that the Large’s character arc suggests or hints to. Although it is stated that his character has been medicated for the better part of 13-15 years, he comes out of the haze quickly and seems to have little emotional ill-affects, while making an incredible leap of personal insight. I’m drawn to stories of redemption, personal growth and reconciliation of father/son relationships, so I wanted to explore that thrust of this film. The result is a version which holds true to the theatrical; it is still charming and quirky, but now has a more serious tone and exposed emotional vulnerability which helps the viewer experience Large’s journey through to the end, which I have drastically changed to remove the stereotypical Hollywood ending.

Editing Details & Cutlist:
The DVD has a ton of deleted material and in my opinion, most of it was correctly left out, however there were 3 scenes which speak directly to Large’s journey:
- A confrontation between Large and his father in the bathroom where his mother died.
- An extended version of he conversation in the Ark
- An extended version of the conversation between Large and Sam in the bathtub

I elected to stick with only the scenes in the bathroom. While the material of the Ark scene clearly helps give direction to Large, the dialogue is too on-the-nose and doesn’t feel natural. These characters for which we’ve never met say exactly the right metaphysical comments, opening their intimate views to a total stranger; it is clearly the screenwriter talking, and not the characters, so it felt false to me. My goal was to make this movie feel as real as possible, so I elected to leave the ark scene as it played theatrically.

Unfortunately all of the deleted scenes were in letterbox, so had to be blown-up and distorted in order to match the A/R of the rest of the film. These scenes do stick out visually, particularly the scene between Large and his father, but the emotional content was critical to the story I set out to tell.

Because the 5.1 audio keept all dialog on the center, and only in a few instances allowed the music to bleed into center, I was able to replace a significant amount of the soundtrack. I love the original soundtrack, each song is wonderful, but as I crafted the story, trimmed scenes and rearranged them, the tone of the film went more serious and I wanted more introverted songs to match the tone at each point in the journey for Large.

Cuts removed/added/extended:

- Replaced opening Logo sequence with L8wrtr logo and new music (Soggy Noodle by Paul McCartney)
- Replaced music during opening airplane sequence (St. Agnes and the Burning Train by Sting)
- Overlaid dialogue of Large talking to Sam from their final conversation in the Airport (this scene is cut in this version, so the purpose of the dialogue is ambiguous)
- Replaced song when Large gets out of bed (Save Me by Aimee Mann)
- Cut Large driving in L.A. and his job entirely
- New title card
- Cut audio of Aunt singing as the Save me continues to play, inserted ambient outdoor sounds
- Cut shot of Aunt clearly singing, fade song out as Large goes to see his friends.
- Swap scenes of Large getting his shirt from his Aunt and Large talking to his father.
- Replaced song played while Large uncovers motorcycle and drives to the party (Sometime around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event)
- Cut the entire scene of Large getting pulled over
- Replaced song where Large first gives Sam a ride (Twin suns of Tatooine by Jeremy Mezzersmith)
- Cut brief line of dialogue by Large during pet burial scene “Oh yeah, I guess I haven’t told you why I’m here yet”
- Replaced scene where Large is looking into the fridge and surprised by his father. This scene is clearly intended as the beginning of Large’s last day as he A) States it is last day, and B) is wearing the shirt that he wears throughout his last day. This scene is replaced by a combination of existing footage; Large looking at photos and then walking into his parents, and then the deleted scene of his father surprising him and them then discussing her death.
The deleted scene has a few minutes are cut, primarily the awkward exchange of Large implying she killed herself, they both pretend to not be saying it, now when Large insinuates it, his father immediately gets it and Large doesn’t pretend to be not saying it. Also cut the portion of his father talking about his dream and wanting everyone to be happy. Again, too on-the-nose. (also added in audio of continuous dripping of water)
- Cut sene of Large not being able to swim.
- Replaced song played as Sam ‘tap dances’ (January Rain by David Gray)
- Replaced Andrew looking at photos and then walking into parents bathroom, with the scene of him looking into his fridge and being surprised by his father
- Replaced song while Large and company ride around (Indefinitely by Travis)
- Replace music during the end of the Ark scene (Singalong Junk by Paul McCartney
- Cut the screaming into the Abyss scene
- Restore deleted bathtub scene
- Replace song played as Large leaves Sam and heads to plane (One by Aimee Mann)
- Cut everything after Large stares into camera while sitting in the plane. Role credits (with new credits inserted)

Release details:
NTSC Single Layer
 

spence

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Congratulations on finishing! Looking forward to seeing it.
 

herowoac

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Downloading. :)
Unless Megaupload behaves even worse then usual,
I'll probably watch this tomorrow.
 

L8wrtr

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Yeah, MU was screwy yesterday. I did do a test download and eventually was able to successfully pull all 21 files, uncompress and burn a DVD, so you should be good to go
 

elbarto1

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cutlist makes no menion of the jeremy mezzersmith (sp?) song addition. has that been removed?

congrats on finishing, i guess someone should get off his ass and make cover art :p
 

L8wrtr

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elbarto1 said:
cutlist makes no menion of the jeremy mezzersmith (sp?) song addition. has that been removed?

congrats on finishing, i guess someone should get off his ass and make cover art :p

^fixed
 

herowoac

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Ok, so I just finished watching Large's Ark, and here's what I am thinking:

First technical stuff:
I've only watched the main movie, and not listened to the commentary track,
or looked at any trailers, so I'm not reviewing those at this time.

Both video and audio seem largely flawless.
All issues I pointed out after watching the preview seem to have been fixed.
Except for the deleted scene in the with the father in bathroom (more on that later)
The cuts are also completely seamless as far as I can tell,
except for the "Oh yeah, I guess I haven’t told you why I’m here yet” cut at the pet funeral,
which, while certainly not jarring in any way, is clearly noticeable to me, and I think would be to anyone watching closely.
(But I guess you wouldn't see it if you weren't looking)


And then to the storyline: (Heavy spoilers abound)
Garden State is one of my favorite movies of all time.
I love the story of a young man waking up from drug induced numbness and finding he's alive,
and that he has something to live for.
And I love the quirky humor, and the independent movie vibe over the entire production,
it's not a movie with classic three-act structure, it doesn't follow a traditional form or genre,
It's just Zach Braff doing things his own way and doing it very well. (with the help of great cast and crew)

He does however use some traditional tools. One is pacing. The original movie starts with a very slow feel to it,
which is strongly in contrast with the dramatic things happening on the screen,
as a way of illustrating just how apathetic Largeman, the main charcter is.
And later on the movie picks up more and more pacing, as Largeman becomes more emotionally involved in his life,
until the end where he goes through some sort of transformation, and becomes seemingly indiscriminately life-afirming.

Almost needless to say, I felt the ending went too far, and I hated that Zack Braff had to conform to
what I felt was a Hollywood cliche of having the transformation reach some sort of logical end-point,
like the transformation happening up until the last 10 minutes of the movie wasn't enough.
So, one thing that I really loved about the preview of Large's Ark, as well as the final version,
is the ending. Gone is the overstating, all the over the top acting, and the dramatic shift in tone.
It's simple, to the point and just works.

In the preview version I was critical against using the deleted scene with the father in the bathroom,
because it had a much lower quality, especially the video, then all the other footage, including the other deleted scene.
and because it killed the pacing. It was a very long slow scene, at the time placed in a part of the movie
where the pace was really picking up.

In the final version it was moved to an earlier point in the movie (but all other issues remain), and looking at the cutlist,
as well as listening to the directors commentary (Zack Braff's that is), I think this is where it was actually originally intended, and it does work much better. Braff however notes that he ended up cutting it to improve the pacing.
And comparing to the preview version of Large's Ark, as well as the original movie,
I'm sorry, but I must say, I agree with Braff's decision. Having the scene as it is in the final version Large's Ark
I feel largely destroys the gradual shift in pacing that's one of the main driving forces of the movie.
It leaves the movie feeling much more flat and less emotionally involving, to the point where much of the magic is lost.

Another tool Braff uses extensively is music. Throughout Garden State he uses very emotionally powerful,
but also somewhat quirky and alternative, music to add to the narative (sometimes supporting it, as with the bike scene,
sometimes adding another dimension to it, as with the coldplay singing "we live in a beutiful world" over the traffic in downtown LA)

Large's Ark was very extensively and skillfully rescored, generally adding more subtle and intimate tracks
in place of Braff's comparatively overstated and wacky music, giving the edit a much more intimate and truthful feel,
that I appreciated very much especially in the preview version.
All the new music added to the final version after the preview was great too.
Sadly I felt because of the pacing issues I mentioned I wasn't able to get into it as much as I did in the preview.


And then, finally, a conclusion:
I was thrilled to see l8wrtr do an edit of garden state,
and I loved the preview version. I especially loved how the ending was changed. It was just as I wanted it.
Sadly I feel the decision to include the deleted scene with the father in the bathroom,
and moving it to an earlier point in the movie, ruined the pacing and left a movie I felt I could not get immersed in.

So, I'm sorry to say, this is not my preferred version of this movie, or indeed this edit,
and I will be making my own combination edit for my own private viewing combining the preview version
with the final version and the DVD version, removing the deleted scene with the father in the bathroom entirely.

And I'm of course still very grateful to l8wrtr for making it possible for me to make my own definitive version,
I certainly couldn't do it had it not been for his great work.
Thank you.
 

L8wrtr

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Thanks Hero.

Regarding the scene with the father. I certainly recall it was the one piece you didn't care for in the WP. However everyone else that watched felt that it fit with the intention of the edit. My wife in particular was far more moved by the final scene between Large and his father when the bathroom scene was included earlier in the edit. Without that that piece of their history, the meaning behind the dialogue is one-sided, particularly if I only kept the extended Large/Sam scene in the bathtub.

But that is the beauty of Fanediting and I am glad you'll be able to reconstruct a version of the edit to your liking. Of course there is also always the fast-forward button. I place a chapter stop at the beginning of that scene, and right after it ;)
 

spence

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Just finished watching it.

Well, I think I need to preface this by saying that I HATED Garden State when I saw it in theaters. Like, seriously despised. And I honestly don't remember much about it. I remember thinking it came off very pretentious, very "quirky for the sake of it," and very "I wish I was made by Wes Anderson but I wasn't." It was trying to be Indy and charming, which made it feel the opposite.

I love L8wrtr's edits, and again I didn't remember a whole lot of the original, so I decided to give this a whirl.

I'm glad I did.

As far as Technical goes, everything is well done. I don't remember what songs L8 changed, but I didn't notice any of them. There is a pretty noticeable quality drop from some of the deleted scenes, but I personally found them crucial additions, so that can be dealt with. All other editing is flawless and unnoticeable.

Now as far as the concept, I thought this was made into a real movie. The plot doesn't feel as meandering and nonexistant as it did in the original, and I can really feel the emotion of Large's arc (see what I did there?) as the story progressive. The quirkiness becomes sweet instead of overwhelming. The story moves at a nice pace and there's plenty of hysterical moments throughout. The love story is believable and enjoyable and all of the actors get to shine. Generally, I feel like if I had seen this in the theater, I would not have felt anywhere near as harshly, and might have even liked it. Luckily, I have this version to like now.

Basically, I feel that L8wrtr has taken a really, really craptastic movie and made it worthwhile. I highly recommend this edit!
 

bionicbob

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Just finished watching and wanted to say "THANK YOU" L8!

This was just a wonderful viewing experience!
The entire time I just kept saying to myself, "This is a great movie!".
Never once did I preface it by reminding myself this is a fan edit.
It didn't feel like an edit to me.
It was just a really good movie.

This is a beautiful alternate version of what I already consider a brilliant and charming movie.
While I still love the original, this version adds greater depth and weight to the overall narrative,
creating for me a very emotional journey and more satisfying conclusion.

While the reinserted scenes are of slightly different video quality, I actually thought this worked in favour of the movie.
It was almost as though the varying picture quality reflected Large's inner turmoil and emotional state.
So for me, the deleted scenes quality was more of narrative enhancement, than a distraction.
It just goes to show how well written and performed these scenes actually were and what a shame they hit the cutting room floor.
But now we have L8's version to enjoy Large's journey in it's full splendor.

I absolutely loved the music replacement choices. All seemlessly interwoven and a vast improvement over the original soundtrack IMO.

Again, just a wonderful, wonderful moving film.

Well done L8wrtr!
 

Brumous

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Heh heh, I'm posting in Bob's shadow this evening, but anyway:

Large’s Ark is an outstanding example of the fanediting art. The editor has refashioned the original to a version that’s more serious and somber, that rings truer emotionally, and that still has a lot of the charm and eccentricity of the original.

Although the original isn’t all that eccentric, as it follows closely in the footsteps of other indie favorites like Rushmore, Napoleon Dynamite, and other sagas about quirky, alienated and maybe neurotic, Gen Xers/Gen Yers. It’s a real puzzle why the scenes of Large in the bathroom were deleted from the original because those scenes seem like they always were the emotional heart of the movie. Maybe the original production team felt they were too heavy and serious, verging on Ordinary People territory. Well, thank goodness L8wrtr has reincorporated those crucial scenes. Yes, the video quality is a little worse, but I can live with it.

Technically the edits are mostly flawless. I thought I noticed the editor’s touch in a handful of transitions, but 98% are high quality in the way they’re integrated with the style of the original. The audio is even more impressive. Kudos to L8wrtr for impeccable music choices that merge totally with the story and recast the feel of the movie as less pop, more alt.

I also prefer L8wrtr’s ending, which better solidifies the idea that Large is setting his own destiny instead of always acceding to other people’s wishes.

Had the original production team decided to go with this interpretation of the material, they hardly could have done a better job. It’s funny, involving and a little surreal with a life-affirming message. 10/10.
 

L8wrtr

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Wow! Thank you Bob and Brumous! I cannot tell you how happy it made me to read these earlier today. So wonderful to see that people liked the vision I had for it, so thank you for taking the time to watch, and to comment!

L8
 

spence

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Seems like you have a bit of a hit on your hands L8! Congratulations on making a fanedit everyone seems to be enjoying.
 

Gatos

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Well I just finished watching this fanedit and I thought it was great.

The Edit: Whenever I watch a fanedit its pretty much my policy to read as little about it as possible before watching. I stay away from other people's reviews, and I don't look at the cutlist. So this was the approach I took when watching the edit.

I really liked the start of this edit. I never liked the whole airplane scene, it almost seemed like a Fight Club rip off (when Ed Norton's character says he has fantasies about a mid-air plane crash).

Most of the scenes that were removed from the film I didn't miss at all. The singing off "Once, Twice, Three Times A Lady" at the funeral. Large working at the Asian Fusion restaurant. Large getting pulled over by the cop (who ends up being his high school friend). It wasn't that I didn't enjoy these scenes in the original but it didn't affect the story (or rather their removal aided L8wrtr's vision for the edit).

I enjoyed all the new songs that were added and really felt that they "fit." Sometimes new songs in fanedits, or even soundtracks in original movies are just a bit off and don't seem to be a good match. This was definitely not the case with the new songs. I was also happy that some of my favorite songs from the original were left intact.

I am so glad that the scene of Large screaming at the top of the quarry was removed. My biggest problem with the original is that one scene. It just came off as very corny to me.

I liked the new ending. Although I really have no problem with the original ending, I guess that one line "this is it, this life" is a bit contrived. Although I did miss the song used in the original ending: Frou Frou's song Let Go but I am an Aimee Mann fan too. Her cover of "One is the Loneliest Number" fit perfectly with the ending montage showing all the people in Large's life alone.

The only thing I really didn't like in this edit, was the spill over of Method Man's voice into the next scene, where he gives the instructions to go to the quarry, and you see Large, Mark and Sam park and walk through the hole in the fence. I know this technique is present in a lot of films, but in this specific instance, I thought at the very least it should have been a bit shorter (maybe removed the part about "im gonna call the guy right now, he'll be expecting you").

Video and Audio Quality were great. However there is a noticeable difference with the deleted scenes (at least the one with his father). There is obviously not much that can be done about that and the reinsertion of these scenes was vital to the edit.

Special Features: The "About the Edit" section contained a thorough explanation of L8wrtr's intention with this fanedit. After "watching" (reading) this section of the DVD, I found myself very impressed with the amount of thought that went into this edit. L8wrtr seems to have a very analytical mind when it comes to the themes and tones of films.

In my opinion L8wrtr successfully achieved his goal with this fanedit. It was great to watch and I would say from an entertainment and enjoyment perspective it is equal to the original film.

I give it a 9/10!
 

L8wrtr

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Thanks Gatos! I'm happy to hear that the edit worked for you. I also liked the original closing song, and in fact, I really love the original soundtrack, all of the songs are fantastic, but they also didn't always fit the mood, and as you said Aimee Mann is amazing.

Regarding the Method Man voice-over. Yeah, I agree, it felt like a post-production solution on their part, as if that day's adventure was taking too long. I played around with minimizing it, but it just doesn't work, and because the only thing he's giving them is directions/a location, I can't just have them give him the tank and then cut to them showing up at the gate :(

Anyhow, thank you for taking the time to review the movie and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
 

Gatos

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L8wrtr said:
Regarding the Method Man voice-over. Yeah, I agree, it felt like a post-production solution on their part, as if that day's adventure was taking too long. I played around with minimizing it, but it just doesn't work, and because the only thing he's giving them is directions/a location, I can't just have them give him the tank and then cut to them showing up at the gate :(

Oops, thats my mistake. It's been awhile since I've watched the original, I didn't realize that part was in the original. Either way, I still thoroughly enjoyed your edit!
 

L8wrtr

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For the 5 fans of this edit, if you for some reason wanted to download it again, the links are back online. PM me or wait for them to find their way on to .info.
 

addiesin

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I'm a big fan of the original, but after reading your cutlist this does look like a slightly better (or at least "equally worth watching") version. Thanks for the re-up! I'm gonna check it out asap.
 

elbarto1

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any fan of the original owes it to themselves to see this version. its alot better.
 
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