Posted by sean at 170.148.92.44 on February 06, 2003 at 17:19:04:
In Reply to: They feel like two different movies... posted by Booty Princess on February 06, 2003 at 16:43:21:
: I don't know if "choppy and rushed" is the way to put it, though. Did you feel that way prior to seeing the (IMO) superior "Untitled" version?
I saw it twice theatrically, the second because I had a friend in SAG and thus could get in for free ... and both times, I liked it, but it felt really rushed, like relationships formed too quickly to get on to the points that those relationships would lead him too ... I don't remember all the specifics, except that the beginning I thought was horribly rushed. Anyway, some time between the two screenings was when I found out just how much he had cut, and then I kinda figured there'd be a better version eventually.
: I think "Untitled" illuminates the secondary characters and relationships more clearly, and the slower pace balances the out-there, frantic plot points...but the released version is more about William's story, and really, that is the heart of the whole thing. I can definitely see how all the cuts he made were justified.
I think that 'Untitled' may be slightly too long, but that 'Almost Famous' is way too short. I mean, I understand, for instance, why Kyle Gass got cut out, but it's also the funniest scene in either version. I think 'AF' is about how all these things changed him, but 'Untitled' is actually about the things that changed him as well, which makes it far more interesting to me (also because William is the least interesting character in the movie or, to be a little clearer, the most generic).
But I agree, they're practically two different movies. The good version of the story, and the great version of the story. Very similar to 'Fellowship of the Ring' that way, except that the shortened version (in that case) didn't bug me nearly as much initially. ['Two Towers', on the other hand, I can't wait for the extended version of, 'cause I think that's a movie that really skimped on the character work.]