#edited the CG so we can enjoy it in full length!

[kyouxa]

Diabolik lovers Chaos Lineage: Kino (Story 13+CG)

In terms of the gameplay: The black choices lead up to a bad ending, the white choices lead up to a good ending. Please no reposting onto other sites, ask me before translating this into another language too! If you enjoy these translations, please consider supporting me on ko-fi.

Monologue

I knew that the unexpected return of one’s visual memories could be quite intense.

But despite knowing that, I had Ayato-kun and Subaru-kun call for both, Kanato-kun and Laito-kun. I sent them since both of them regained their memories already.

And of course, I was also aware that the pictures on the smartphone wouldn’t awake any good memories they have—

After all, Ayato-kun and Subaru-kun were bawling and being absent minded for a while after that too.

But we simply didn’t have time for them to recover. We were leaving those two to Ayato-kun and Subaru-kun, while Kino-kun and I hurried over to Scarlet’s mansion.

The ones we had to save from there were obviously Shu-san and Reiji-san.

Kino-kun and I, who already forcibly opened the door of the mansion’s entrance hall, also forcibly showed the photos on the smartphone to them.

Place: Scarlet mansion — Entrance hall

Shu: Nn… what’s this...

Reiji: This is way too foolish… I still am the eldest son of the Scarlet mansion. I also am very much unaware of a family titled “Sakamaki”...

Yui: (It’s still the same thing. Trying to show them those imagines will end up bringing their memories back, but for the price of them suffering)

(And even though they will suffer, I have to make use of what I have in my hands to make them remember…)

Shu-san, Reiji-san… do you know who I am?

Reiji: ...Yes, I do know now. Thanks to your… actions.

Shu: That was a really unpleasant encounter just now.

Yui: ...I’m really sorry about that. But, I’m more than glad you’re back to your usual selves now…

Monologue

Armed with the ultimate weapon of Kino-kun’s data, we were able to safely regain the memories of all the Sakamaki family members.

I still can’t help but wonder what Kino-kun was thinking about when he stared at me during that process.

After that, I asked about Yuma-kun, who was apparently already absent from the house, and then went into the forest with Shu-san and Reiji-san.

Ayato-kun and the others were already waiting in the cave I happened to find in the depths of the forest.

And then, the Sakamaki brothers, who had their memories returned, finally came together.

Place: Outside — Cave

Yui: Seems to me as if Laito-kun and Kanato-kun are doing okay too, right?

Subaru: I guess. They completely lost their temper at first, but they’ve finally calmed down now.

Yui: I see, I’m happy they calmed down...

(So it was a risky way to have them all regain their memories this way after all…)

(I’m so sorry, everyone…)

Subaru: So, what’s going to happen to us from now on?

Yui: I sadly don’t know any details about that either.

However, there’s no doubt that someone gathered us here and rewrote everyone’s memories in order to make us fight one another.

Subaru: Our memories… ?

Yui: Besides, it also seems as if the place we’re currently staying is something like a miniature garden made with magic, so it won’t be easy for us to get out of here...

Subaru: Seriously... ?

Laito: Sounds like it’s unmanageable, doesn’t it?

Kanato: So you’re saying that we still can’t go home from this place for a while, is that it?

Yui: Laito-kun! Kanato-kun!

Laito: Nfu, sorry. I just simply had to eavesdrop.

Yui: Are you two fine enough to stand up already though?

Kanato: It’s more than frustrating to continuously lie down.

Yui: I-I see...

Reiji: It appears as if Kanato and Laito have finally awakened as well, how pleasant.

Yui: Reiji-san and Shu-san!

Reiji: We now have to discuss our current circumstances. Everyone, come here.

Yui: Ah… yes!

*everyone gathers*

Yui: (It honestly feels quite out of place to see everyone gather together after such a long time…)

(I guess I somehow became used to only seeing Kino-kun as representation for the Sakamaki mansion…)

Kino: ...Guess this is the final game over, hm?

Yui: Eh… ?

Kino: Now that everyone here regained their memories, they’re probably going to suspect me all the time.

Yui: I know it’ll be okay if you seriously explain yourself to everyone.

Kino: What exactly am I going to explain to them? If I tell them about my true colors, they’ll be even more cautious than they were before.

“I was aiming for amicable fire, but I had no other choice but to aim for you depending on the current situation.”

Yui: D-Don’t cover it up… !

Reiji: Please be quiet.

I have heard a little bit in advance already, but please explain what exactly is happening again.

Yui: (..... ! He’s looking at me. That’s right, I’m the one who still knows this situation better than anyone else)

I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain it cleverly, but I’ll still try my best…

Monologue

I summarized the acquired knowledge I’ve gathered during my time here until now to everyone.

This is undoubtedly a space created by someone’s magical powers.

And according to that, we’ve also been taken here by the mentioned person we don’t know anything about yet.

Lastly, this person changed up our memories to make us start a fight between each other—

Place: Outside — Cave

Subaru: So we don’t know who it is yet, but I’m guessing we were manipulated by that old bastard again. Damn it!

Laito: Now that my memories returned, I can also clearly sense that this is all feeling out of place.

I was already wondering why everyone was so desperately motivated to fight over something like a supreme ruler.

Subaru: You weren’t showing any sort of eagerness whatsoever!

Shu: Be quiet already… at least we understand the situation now.

But there’s still one more thing we have to get confirmation about.

Reiji: ...That is indeed right. Now then, there appears to be one unfamiliar person here, is that right?

Yui: …..Nn!

Kino: There you go, they noticed immediately.

Ayato: What the, so I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that guy.

Laito: And I already thought I was familiar with everyone, but I guess there’s still someone we need to get acquaintance with.

Kanato: I wouldn’t even have noticed him. Who are you? Please introduce yourself.

Yui: (Kino-kun…)

Kino: Fine with me. I’m Kino. Karlheinz’s zeroth son.

Subaru: Zeroth son? You mean that old man… ?

Yui: Kino-kun is… Karlheinz-sama’s secret child.

Ayato: Secret child!?

Laito: Heh, so there’s still another brother aside from us, you say?

Kanato: I haven’t heard anything about there possibly being a secret child.

Subaru: That’s also the first time I’m hearing about this.

Shu: Well, that old man could possibly pull off anything.

Yui: Shu-san…

Reiji: I agree on that. That could be a quite possible story for him indeed.

Nevertheless, none of my siblings here share any possible knowledge about your existence either.

Which is simply too convenient for this situation and your sudden appearance. The timing seems to be way too perfect for that.

Kino: What are you trying to say? Can’t you tell me what you wanna say bluntly?

Reiji: Then I will simply say it straightforwardly. Is it not that you are the main culprit behind this situation?

Yui: ….. !

Kino: See, I already knew it would come to this.

Yui: (Now everyone’s eyes are really watching him with suspicion… !)

Shu: I remember I received an anonymous letter while my memories were still weird. And because of that, I got into a lot of uncalled trouble.

Wasn’t that your doing as well?

Kino: As expected from you, Shu. Quite a good guess, I’d say. That’s right. I was the one who sent that letter.

Yui: Kino-kun!

Shu: You admitted that really easily.

Reiji: I see, so it was truly you who bothered doing such a trivial mischief.

Kino: That’s correct. Well, I have no other choice but to say the truth after coming this far, right?

Or maybe this is just an evasion, so I sound too imprudent to come up with this kind of kind?

Yui: (I have to talk about this. I have to aim to stir up this family circle, to get everything to somehow work out)

(And if I succeed, everyone might end up being hostile with each other… !)

Well, um!

Yui: To tell you all the truth, Kino-kun has also continuously been helping me until now!

Kino: ...Hah?

Shu: He helped you?

Reiji: What an abrupt call… but what is it that you mean by what you said just now?

Yui: U-Um, that is...

(I know there’s no way I could directly lie to either Shu-san or Reiji-san’s eyes…)

(But even if that’s so… I’ll just tell them the truth of that matter then)

The day I regained my memory was the same day I woke up in the church and then got taken away to the Scarlet mansion.

Subaru: You remembered that early already!?

Yui: Exactly. At first, I was awfully confused about everything though. After all, Reiji-san and everyone else were in a really weird state.

I didn’t know where this place was, and neither could I try to discuss it with anyone.

Reiji: ...That is indeed true.

Yui: But Kino-kun already remembered way earlier than I did already, so he ended up helping me a lot.

And when all of you were about to kill each other, he gave out fake information and therefore disturbed that plan.

Because of that, Ruki-kun and Carla-san were unable to do anything as well.

Laito: Hmm, now that you say it, it does sound plausible, right?

I mean, Carla’s plan to go seal away Bitch-chan was eventually canceled at the end.

Kanato: Ruki also told me and Ayato about that certain thing. We’ve been merely looking at the situation for a while by now.

Yui: He didn’t only do that though, he also helped me when I was about to fall off a cliff.

And just after that, Kino-kun was the one who extended the conflict between Ayato-kun and Subaru-kun.

Ayato: Ahh… come to think of it, that really was the case.

Subaru: Thanks to that, nobody got beat up at the end.

Yui: If Kino-kun hadn’t been there, someone might’ve ended up being injured. And that… could’ve been me as well at that point.

So, please… believe in him, for my sake.

Kino: You...

Shu: Even if you suddenly end up saying that, there’s still no way I can believe this so easily.

...You’re lying about this guy, aren’t you?

Yui: That’s not the case whatsoever.

Reiji: Is there any evidence of his innocence then?

Yui: Evidence, you say...

(There’s no evidence. And since there’s not… I have to make something up)

The evidence is that all of us want to go home from this place. And because of that, Kino-kun’s power is definitely being really useful.

That’s the only proof I can give you.

Kino: You, what are you being so selfish for… !

Reiji: I see. You are trying to prove his innocence in order to get benefits out of it.

Yui: (I can’t look away now. I know it’s difficult, but I can’t act timid)

(I’ll never let Kino-kun be isolated ever again)

Reiji: ...Okay, I sense those are your true feelings in this situation. It is meaningless to continue this dispute anyway.

We shall try setting aside our misgivings about this man for the time being then.

Yui: ….. ! Reiji-san…

Reiji: Does anyone have any objections about this?

Shu: Not really, just do as you please.

Ayato: It was difficult to understand and neither did I listen to everything. But not understanding anything is better sometimes, right?

Yui: (And here I was wanting everyone to listen to me all the way)

Subaru: Heh… well, just in case you’re really a bad guy, we’ll just crush you before you can do anything.

Kanato: I’ve been fine with this from the beginning.

Laito: Seems as if everyone has no objection then, Bitch-chan.

Yui: That’s good to hear… thank you, everyone!

(The suspicion might’ve not completely vanished yet, but that’s totally fine enough for now)

Kino: ...You really did that, hm? But you know that I’ve never said anything about not trying to do anything in those circumstances anymore, right?

Yui: Kino-kun, you won’t do anything weird anymore. I’ll guarantee that myself.

Kino: Why would you be able to guarantee that? Ah, whatever, I lost motivation either way...

Laito: Say, why don’t you go and settle this discussion in a rather calmer place than here?

I’m not really in my best conditions right now, which is also probably because my memories just returned to me.

Kanato: I’m also… still feeling somewhat dizzy to be honest...

Yui: Then I think it would be best if you laid down a little again.

Reiji: There is no point in proceeding with this discussion if we are unable to come to a conclusion, is there?

Let us do as she suggested, and rest. We should be able to think about a way to get out of this place here at a later time as well.

Yui: Yes!

*time passed*

Yui: (I’m so happy to see everyone with their memories back now)

(And luckily, Kino-kun won’t be suspected for the time being either…)

Kino: Hey, you. Come with me for a bit.

Yui: Eh? Okay, sure.

(I wonder what it is? ...Oh no, could it be about the retribution I made up just now!?)

(Err, what will I do if I can’t have faith in him? I should figure it out for myself)

Place: Forest — Lakeside 

Yui: Kino-kun... where exactly are we going? You know, everyone will be worried if we leave the cave any longer than that.

Kino: ...You unnecessarily covered me up.

Yui: Eh?

Kino: Tell me, why did you protect me by covering my actions?

Choices

1) Because you did help me (white)♡♡♡

2) Because I don’t want you to fight (black)

— Because you did help me♡

Yui: It’s true that Kino-kun helped me through a lot though. And that’s simply what I told them.

Kino: You only cut those parts out of the story that didn’t seem very convenient to tell them, isn’t that right?

Yui: T-That’s... well, I guess you’re right.

— Because I don’t want you to fight

Yui: Because I didn’t want any of you as brothers to fight in this situation right now.

Besides, I didn’t want anyone to hate on you either…

Kino: That again? You’re not gonna stop telling me about this stupid playing brothers thing anytime soon, right? I have no intention of working together.

Yui: But when I talked to them about it, they seriously seemed as if they were ready to accept you.

Kino: I don’t know about that. I’m still skeptical. After all, you’ve only told them about convenient information about myself.

end Choices

Kino: Say, you threw them into utter confusion by lying to their faces, right?

You also hide the fact that my true intentions were to kill all of them, right? I wonder, is it really okay for you to lie to them like that?

Yui: Err, that’s...

(I know very well that it’s not good that I’m hiding this. It would just be so terrible to talk about something like this now. But then, I also might be careless with driving everyone into an either life or death position with hiding it)

(But the moment I would’ve told them those exact things, they would’ve also started to look at Kino-kun as their opponent—)

...That’s fine.

Kino: Hah?

Yui: As long as I know Kino-kun’s safe, I accept lying to all of them.

And no matter what I would’ve told them, I wouldn’t leave you by yourself anymore.

Kino: What did you just...

Yui: Ah...

(What I said right now is how I really feel, so why am I the one with a rising temperature!?)

(Besides, he’ll leave me once we’re out of here anyway… that’s right, Kino-kun will go to Yuri-san when he returns)

Err, anyway… don’t you think it would be best if everyone escaped from here together by now too?

We should definitely concentrate on that first before anything else. It also seems as if Shu-san and the others are willing to cooperate with that plan.

Kino: ...Why would you bring up their names now all of the sudden?

Yui: Eh?

Kino: You must be happy, your so-called important Sakamaki’s finally returned to being normal. Guess you’re really satisfied about that.

Yui: Y-Yeah, I’m really happy they’re back.

(I just hope Kino-kun won’t start a fight with them in any way)

Kino: ...That smile, it pisses me off.

*Kino grabs Yui*

Yui: Eh? Kino-kun. I can’t move when you hold onto both of my arms like that...

Kino: That’s exactly what I’m aiming for… Nn

Yui: Ah… d-don’t bite into my ear, stop that...

Kino: So this really is your weak point after all. And you felt it even though my fangs just touched them?

Yui: Ngh...

(My whole body got all over the place because of that. I have to admit that it doesn’t feel unpleasant, but I can’t stand this either way… Nn)

Kino: I know I sucked from there already, so this time I’ll try and do it more gently.

You let out such a nice voice the last time I sucked there after all… Nn… Nn...

Yui: ….. !? Kino-kun, please… no more… Nn…

*Yui struggles*

Kino: It’s no use trying to struggle, y’know. Here, look at me properly. You have to feel me through your whole body.

Yui: Even if you say things like that...

Kino: I’ll release you once I get a full taste of your blood. This time I’ll go for the neck...

Nn… Hmm...

Yui: Ah… Ahh...

(This is weird, I feel no particular pain this time. Maybe it’s because he almost sucked all the possible places on my body already… but is that really it?)

(I can feel Kino-kun’s voice and breath burn into my skin… my whole body feels as if it’s on fire, it’s so hot…)

It’s… it’s no good…

*Yui falls over*

Kino: Oh, did you lose strength?

Yui: That’s because… you’re sucking my blood like that…

Kino: And that’s the reason why you lost your strength? I mean, I didn’t even suck that much yet.

Not only that, but you also have a bright red face. Did you feel good or something?

Yui: (...Uwah, he saw right through me)

Kino: Well, whatevs. Seeing your face red like that was kinda refreshing to be honest.

If my dear princess wishes for me to cooperate with them, I might as well do so for her sake now.

Yui: (...Nn, he just told me for the first time ever that he’d cooperate with me)

Do you… mean that… ?

Kino: I mean, I can still crush them after we returned back to the real world. On top of that, I really wanna get out of here as soon as possible.

Yui: Ah…

(That’s right. There’s still a person waiting for Kino-kun to come home… Yuri-san. He surely wants to leave for her sake)

(Why… Why is it that my chest hurts)

(...I know I shouldn’t feel like this. I have to continue to think positively until the very end)

Thank you. Let’s work together to make sure all of us get home safely!

Kino: With everyone, hm?

Yui: Eh? Did you say something?

Kino: Nothing in particular. Anyway, let’s go back there now.

Yui: Ah… y-yes.

Monologue

As I watched Kino-kun’s back, while we started walking, it still looked as if he’s very lonely to me.

I felt my chest tightening itself when I saw this, so I hurried up to be able to walk with him side by side.

And then, as I casually looked up, I saw the starry sky shining down on us.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #473

Top Ten Deleted or Restored Scenes

This week I watched Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which is obviously distinct from Joss Whedon’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which I saw in 2017. One of the ways it’s different is that it’s literally twice as long. Another is it’s been much more warmly received by fans and critics, rather than greeted with ferocious opprobrium like the earlier, allegedly studio-mandated version.

The road that led us to this moment, with this expensive re-edit of an earlier, unsuccessful film, is long and tumultuous, as well as tragic on a number of levels. Personally I was one of the few who actually had a good time with what I suppose we might as well call Whedon’s League; it weirdly felt cheap and inconsequential, but after two overwrought, self-important, and joyless exercises in grimness and misery, it was a breath of fresh air. It was like the feature-length pilot of a superhero TV series that, y’know, is starting off on slightly shaky ground, but there’s enough there to enjoy: the banter between the characters, the hints of future plot arcs, the general tone of daffy adventure. To quote Aquaman from that film (but not from the Snyder version): “I can dig it.” The new edit feels a lot more epic, more like a proper movie; the much-slowed pace allows all the characters room to breathe. We get some great moments, such as a heroic introduction to Barry Allen as he rescues his future girlfriend from a car crash, and a cute little scene of Alfred teasplaining to Diana. The plot is detailed a lot more thoroughly (albeit in a scene of incredibly clunky exposition), and we spend more time with Steppenwolf, learning more about his relationship with Darkseid and why Earth is so cosmically special. All told, it’s an improvement, even if the second half resolves into basically the same CG-heavy punch-fests as the theatrical cut; here the action is a little bit more coherent, but it’s a hell of a lot slower and as such (in my opinion) often a bit more boring. Plus I personally found the Cyborg story a bit of a drag; he’s a very dour character, moping over his lost life and bombarded by tragedy, and we get very little of the verve of his comic characterisation, and absolutely none of his animated counterpart’s sense of fun. In fact, the thing that I always butt up against is that for the most part these characters feel utterly divorced from their source inspiration; Superman looks and acts nothing like Superman, Batman is incredibly one-note. Flash and Aquaman are more successful in giving a new spin on those characters, even if Barry Allen is basically just Wally West. Only Wonder Woman looks and feels like what we collectively imagine Wonder Woman to be, and is by a country mile the best thing in the film.

I don’t really want to be too negative about it though, even if that was me just being negative for a very long paragraph. At the end of the day, I just do not get on at all with Zack Snyder’s interpretation of the DC Universe, to the point where I feel aggrieved at missed potential (treating the New Gods as just random conquering aliens!) and do not see anything of characters I love (Superman wearing black is not cool in any way shape or form). However. The existence of the “Snyder Cut” and the fact it ended up as a film that we can watch if fascinating, and it’s gotten me thinking of other films where we know additional material exists. Probably the earliest example of this I can remember is Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars; I remember seeing a grainy low-res version of that scene on the Making Magic behind-the-scenes CD-ROM that came out around the time of the Special Editions. Since then, as my knowledge and interest in film has grown, the existence of deleted or alternate scenes, or even entire cuts of movies, has grown and grown. Some of these have a kind of mythic status; others are curios. I remember reading the “removing the chip” scene in the Terminator 2 comic adaptation, so getting to watch that in the Special Edition DVD years later was fascinating. And, of course, you have The Lord of the Rings, which has spun deleted and alternate scenes into additional material for a whole other set of movies – the Extended Editions, which to my mind are the definitive versions of the films (even if Peter Jackson considers the theatrical cuts to be “official”).

And let’s not even get started on Anchorman: Wake Up, Ron Burgundy, which probably is a Top Ten all of its own.

So what we have here, then, are my ten favourite deleted scenes. Sometimes it’s just that I like the scene; sometimes it’s that I genuinely think it adds a great deal to the film overall. Some of these are now common knowledge, or part of a longer cut or special edition; some retain a sense of mystery. At least one I’d never seen before! But they are all very, very cool in their own right, and testament to the difficulty and organic nature of film production.

The Death of Saruman (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003): despite the theatrical King already heading well into three hours, it’s a shame Peter Jackson and co couldn’t find room for this scene, tying up Saruman’s story. It gives Christopher Lee one more moment to shine, spitting insults and attempting to divide the assembled heroes with his wizardly words, before he receives his comeuppance via beleaguered servant Wormtounge. It’s a great death, homaging one of his Hammer Horror deaths, and I genuinely feel the film is a poorer without it. It’s an excellent addition to the Extended Edition, and restores Lee’s visage to the beautiful end-credit portrait section where it belongs.

Removing the Chip (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991): another scene now part of an extended Special Edition, this was mythical for a while; it seemed we knew about it even in ’91. In order to learn new things and adapt his programming, Arnie’s T-800 has his brain chip removed, basically; but once Linda Hamilton has taken it out of his head, she wants to destroy it and kill the Terminator while she has a chance. This is great characterisation, but the fact that the T-800’s ability to change and grow is referenced a couple of times in later scenes (“Are we learning yet?”) makes its absence feel all the greater.

Luke and Biggs (Star Wars, 1977): talking about “mythical”, this is one of the doozies. “Did you know there was a scene where Luke met his friend Biggs on Tatooine and they talked about joining the Rebellion?” – it was the stuff of legends. It foreshadows the later scene of Biggs at the Rebel base and gives his death more weight. However, I can understand its removal; it’s rather long and comes at a time when the film needs a lot of momentum to just get the droids to Luke and the adventure to really start. Plus Luke’s teenage friends ripping on him for claiming to have seen a space battle feels a bit atonal with the rest of the film at that point (funny as it is).

The Spider-Walk (The Exorcist, 1973): this one was another widely discussed with my friends (not in 1973, obviously), after its appearance in (I think) Mark Kermode’s documentary about The Exorcist. A supremely creepy scene where the possessed Regan walks on all fours, upside down, down the stairs. William Friedkin said the emotional intensity of it comes at the wrong moment in the film, and he’s probably right, but taken on its own terms it’s a really disturbing visual.

The World Trade Centre (Spider-Man, 2002): I guess this counts as a deleted scene, as it was supposed to form part of a montage in the middle of the film, but most people who saw it at the time will think of it as a banned trailer. Basically, Spider-Man traps a helicopter full of criminals in a giant spider web spun between the towers of the World Trade Centre. I remember watching it, and awing at it, when at university in 2001. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the trailer and scene were understandably shelved. I’m not sure if it’s available officially even twenty years later, which I think is a shame; it’s a fantastic scene (apparently one not directed by Sam Raimi, though) and the final image is actually both moving and powerful.

Pig Headed (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988): something that I’m not sure is quite as prevalent today is film fans discovering deleted scenes by reading officially-licensed adaptations, whether that’s books or comics. This scene I read in the Roger Rabbit comic adaptation. Bob Hoskins’ Eddie Valiant is assailed by the bad guys and dumped in the street with a bag over his head; when he removes the bag, this toon-hating ‘tec discovers to his horror they’ve given him an animated pig’s head. He promptly rushes home and attempts to wash it off in the shower. It’s both funny and a little disturbing, and leads nicely into the scene with Jessica Rabbit in his apartment, but I kinda understand why they cut it. For one thing, I think it raises some disturbing questions about what constitutes a “live” toon and ways to “kill” one other than the film’s Dip.

The Smart Guns (Aliens, 1986): that Jim Cameron really does like his Special Editions; I could have added something from The Abyss here, too. This scene is iconic, and to be honest it’s only recently I discovered it was part of the Special Edition; to me, Smart Guns and Aliens go hand-in-hand, so I must have watched the ol’ Spesh Dish quite early on. These are some awesome automatic gun emplacements, turrets that seek out and shoot anything that comes near. That’s cool in and of itself, but the tension as the crew watches the ammo count drop ever lower, and the Aliens keep coming, is masterful.

Finding the Crew (Alien, 1979): speaking of deleted scenes from an Alien movie, what about this doozy? Now included as part of an extended/director’s cut of the film (Ridley Scott’s another one of those who likes tinkering with his back catalogue), it’s a cool and incredibly creepy scene, but one that doesn’t make a lick of sense given the subsequent direction the franchise took. Ripley, near the end of the film, discovers the crew all gunked up in cocoons, and in the process of being turned into Alien eggs. Obviously this has been retconned, with Cameron concocting the Alien Queen in the sequel, but the scene on its own is very powerful. It’s also, incidentally, the first time we hear a strung-up human say “kill me” in an Alien film, aware that their fate is going to be so much worse than death.

Principal Ford (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982): I thought this was more-or-less mythical until I searched for it on YouTube this week. After Elliot frees the frogs in his science class, he’s brought before his principal, who believes the young boy is off his tits. He spouts some cringy commentary about drug use, peers out of his blinds, and is oblivious to E.T. psycho-kinetically raising Elliot’s chair off the ground. The twist is, despite never seeing his face, the principal is in fact played by Harrison Ford (presumably doing a favour not just to Spielberg but his then-wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison). It’s a funny scene, and I think it could still be added without straining anything (unlike the bath scene that was briefly re-inserted), but as the film is practically perfect in every way, why mess with it? Steve knows what he’s doing.

Sergeant Candy (Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, 2003): unlike the deleted scene from T2, this is neither useful character work or important plot-building. Rather, it’s one big gag, and in that sense I guess your mileage may vary on whether it’s worthwhile or not. A bunch of army and intelligence brass watch a video about the development of the cybernetics program, and we are introduced to Sergeant Candy, a soldier who will serve as the template for (essentially) the Terminators. He’s, obviously, Arnie, but the gag is he has an incredibly strong Southern accent, something that one of the assembled brass criticises, and then… well, I’ll save the punchline for if you wanna watch the link. I think it’s funny, and in-keeping with the slightly more frivolous tone of the first two-thirds of T3. It’s probably just as well they removed it, but on the other hand, there’s as much stuff in that film that doesn’t work as stuff that does, so maybe they should shove it back in just for the lols.

There we are; ten fun or important deleted scenes. Surprised/disappointed that I never had room for the famous “Octopus Scene” from The Goonies (which, like T2’s chip scene, is a cut moment that’s actually referenced later on!). maybe in a few years I’ll come back and do a Special Edition of this list, and include, like, fifteen items or something.

[anthonymmartinez]

Post-Human from Post-Human Media on Vimeo.

Post-Human is a scifi proof-of-concept short based on the award-winning and bestselling series of novels by me, David Simpson. Amazingly, filmed over just three hours by a crew of three, the short depicts the opening of Post-Human, drawing back the curtain on the Post-Human world and letting viewers see the world and characters they’ve only been able to imagine previously. You’ll get a taste of a world where everyone is immortal, have onboard mental “mind’s eye” computers, nanotechnology can make your every dream a reality, and thanks to the magnetic targeted fusion implants every post-human has, everyone can fly (and yep, there’s flying in this short!) But there’s a dark side to this brave new world, including the fact that every post-human is monitored from the inside out, and the one artificial superintelligence running the show might be about to make its first big mistake. ;)

The entire crew was only three people, including me, and I was behind the camera at all times. The talent is Madison Smith (Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural) as James Keats, and Bridget Graham (Pixels, Manhattan Undying, Hemlock Grove) as his wife, Katherine. As a result of the expense of the spectacular location, the entire short had to be filmed in three hours, so we had to be lean and fast. What a rush! (Pun intended).

The concept was to try to replicate what a full-length feature would look and feel like by adapting the opening of Post-Human, right up to what would be the opening credits. Of course, as I was producing the movie myself, we only had a micro-budget, but after researching the indie films here on Vimeo over the last year, I became convinced that we could create a reasonable facsimile of what a big-budget production would look like and hopefully introduce this world to many more people who aren’t necessarily aficionados of scifi exclusively on the Kindle. While the series has been downloaded over a million times since 2012, I’ve always intended for it to be adapted for film, and I’m excited to have, in some small measure, finally succeeded.

Many thanks to Ivan Torrent, an unbelievably talented composer who allows his work to be used for free for non-commercial films. We set the pacing of the opening to his incredible work, and we hope we can expose him to thousands of new listeners through our movie.

Also, a huge thank you to Michael Eng, who is literally the only visual effects artist to have worked on this film. He did everything CG that you see (and some that you don’t see) and is the reason the effects have such a unified, compelling look.

Thank you to Sanha Cho, my former student and now a film student at NYU for helping us with the cameras during our rushed set ups.

And my biggest thank you has to go to my wife, Jenny, who worked just as hard as I did on this project and deserves a ton of credit. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have a wife that supports my dreams like this. Jenny, you are the BEST! I love you!

And for you, the Vimeo community, a huge thank you! If I hadn’t seen such incredible films on here, done with micro budgets and affordable but powerful cameras, this would have been impossible. A special mention is deserved by Ian Watt, who made beautiful films with a Black Magic Pocket Cinema, a Glidecam HD4000, a Metabones Speedbooster, some nice filters and a Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 lens. We ended up opting for the Sigma 18-35 mm, but we basically had the same set up. Add a couple of tripods and a slider, and you’ve got what you need to make a great short film! We also used a Zoom audio recorder and a Rhode mic, and we edited the film in Final Cut and the sound in Adobe Audition. The colour correction was done in DaVinci Resolve. And yes, we did it all! Everything in post was done by Jenny, myself, and Michael. We even bought a second-hand Makerbot and 3D printed the original design for James' helmet! It was a heck of a lot of work, but it was a labor of love and we’re very proud of it. I hope you’ll enjoy it too, and if you feel like being extra awesome, please share what we did or leave a positive comment to help us get a feature film off the ground. :)

And a huge thank you to the growing Post-Human tribe of readers, who’ve made attempting something like this possible by supporting the series online so enthusiastically and making my dream of becoming a professional novelist a reality!

Filmconvert: KD 5207 Vis3 Film Color: 49 Curve: 54.2 Grain: 25 Size: 35mm Full Frame

CREDITS Written & Directed by David Simpson posthumanmedia@gmail.com

Th3 Awak3n1ng, Blue Factor and Angelus Ex Inferno by Ivan Torrent https://goo.gl/WXphk1

Madison Smith imdb.com/name/nm5073287/

Bridget Graham imdb.com/name/nm5016485/

Michael Eng Visual Effects youtube.com/channel/UCdNwqEFLCUJKEVTI_NbQPgQ linkedin.com/pub/michael-eng/96/83a/882

Post-Human VFX Breakdown: youtube.com/watch?v=ANFZRfNPrPA

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #425

Top Ten Things Missing From Disney+

It’s been about a month now since Disney+ finally – finally! – launched here in the UK, and what a ride it’s been. It’s totally taken over my daughters, in the sense that now they don’t watch TV, they watch Disney+; apart from token gestures to the iPlayer for the more educational endeavours of the likes of Numberbots or Do You Know, they’ve not seen anything not produced by the House of Mouse.

But at least I now know all the words to the Vampirina theme song.

Of course, it’s not all kids’ stuff; we’ve been enjoying visiting and re-visiting some classic movies, and The Mandalorian – which I pretty much figured I’d enjoy – has totally blown me away. It’s true that I adore The Last Jedi, but Mando is more of what I want from Star Wars going forward; singular takes that employ the classic iconography we know and love, but with fresh storylines and characters, giving us something familiar but different. It’s the Lone Wolf and Cub breezy space western I didn’t know I needed.

But the more I look at what’s on offer, the more I see things that aren’t there. This isn’t me being greedy and demanding more and more content (well, not exactly); rather, it’s things I find curious by omission. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of stuff on here that I really want to see; but at the same time, I don’t really get whey it’s not there. Or even if I do, I also find it a little odd. There are some obvious rights issues at play; but this is Disney, could they not fork out the money? And I’ve left off other films where I guess they’re timing the release to maximise publicity – for instance, whilst they brought Frozen II to the US earlier than planned, I sorta get why keeping it back in the UK might make financial sense. Similarly, the Christmas-themed Noelle was essentially a Disney+ “launch title” in the States, but I imagine we’ll eventually see it come November. Again, adding fresh content throughout the year makes sense, from a brutal capitalist perspective.

So this list isn’t a whine, necessarily; nor is it a deep-dive into Hollywood rights issues. It’s really just me pondering the reasoning behind what we got and what we didn’t. But make no mistake: I’m seriously pissed off we didn’t get number one.

The Ewok movies: Caravan of Courage (1984) and Battle for Endor (1985) were video rental staples of my childhood and really synonymous with my early love for Star Wars in general and Ewoks in particular. I am absolutely certain that they will not have aged well, and I wonder if their low-fi cheesiness is what keeps them off the service. Plus, maybe Disney doesn't want to acknowledge their continuity? Regardless, I think they’re missing a trick by not acknowledging the weird hinterland of Star Wars stuff pre its late 90s renaissance.

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars: not the more famous Dave Filoni CG one, but the earlier series of shorts from the beloved Samurai Jack creator that ran from 2003-05. Beautiful, elegiac, and filling in minor plot points between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (we all wanted to know how Anakin got that scar, didn’t we?), these were fantastic tone poems dedicated to our favourite sci-fi universe, and I'm a bit mystified by their absence. Surely these at least are still canon?

1960s Marvel cartoons: y’know, like Spider-Man (1967-70) – the one with the theme tune. There were several of these shows, often adapting the comics, sometimes very literally (the Hulk one is practically a motion comic). Their quality now is perhaps variable, but they’re fascinating artefacts of their time. I'd love to see them again (especially as we’re probably not gonna see the Sony Spider-Man films any time soon).

The Hulk movies: Hulk (2003) and The Incredible Hulk (2008) are, neither of them, very fondly remembered; Edward Norton's solo outing very much the MCU’s red-headed stepchild, and Ang Lee's film predates the idea of shared universes to deliver a very singular vision. The rights to the Hulk are tied up in complex pre-Disney contracts, meaning a solo Jade Giant movie would need to be released via Universal, and I imagine that holds true for streaming. But come on; he's a major Avenger. Surely they could come to some arrangement regarding The Incredible Hulk at least, just to try to bolster the MCU playlist? It's not as if Disney can't afford it. 

Droids and Ewoks cartoons: in the Eighties ('85-’86 to be precise) young Star Wars fans could relive adventures in a galaxy far, far away with two different classic animations: one following the high-camp adventures of Threepio and Artoo, and another focused on Wicket W. Warrick and his furry friends. I've not seen either since I was very little, but I remember them both with enormous fondness, and I find their absence from D+ to be a personal attack. Even if – let’s face it – these are definitely not canon.

Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess (2012): see, this one's a bit strange. Sofia the First – the pleasant Disney Junior cartoon about a young village girl becoming a princess – is on D+, as expected. But its double-length pilot, released essentially as a TV movie, is not. The Tangled series had a similar debut, with its pilot “movie” Before Ever After, and that's on the service; so whither Sofia? It's not as if they’re gonna cause a Twitter storm by releasing it later. Did they forget? Is it down the back of Bob Iger’s sofa?

Logan (2017): yeah I know why this one isn't on there; it's full of effin' and jeffin' and blokes getting their arms lopped off. But it's a bit weird to only get two of the three Wolverine movies. True, the continuity of the Fox X-Men films is all over the place, but all the same, to miss out the “last” one feels a bit off, ultraviolence notwithstanding. Skipping Deadpool is more understandable, mind.

Futurama (1999-2013): Disney have rightly made a big deal about The Simpsons. But Futurama is more-or-less equal to Simpsons at its height (and being a much shorter run, less variable in quality). Whilst it skews a bit older, I don't see it as being unsuitable for Disney+, so not sure why it's not there. My guess is they're waiting to release it with a big splash somewhere down the road (unless there's some rights issue I'm not aware of).

The Indiana Jones movies (1981-2007): this is either another rights issue (do Paramount still own the distribution? Are they signed up to another service?) or they’re waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Because, really, this is a no-brainer; Indy is right in Disney’s wheelhouse. Sticking Harrison Ford’s weathered but beautiful face on their advertising is a huge draw. But if somehow they can’t show the Indiana Jones movies, then it’s gonna be weird come Christmas 2022 or whenever it is that James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Quiet Sunday at Home Watching Antiques Roadshow reaches the service. Say, they’re not gonna make us wait that long for the other films are they?!

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978): no, wait, hear me out. This could be big. I get why it’s not there, really I do; it’s a much-lambasted relic, a TV variety special kitted out with emerging Hollywood glamour, made when Star Wars wasn’t really Star Wars and therefore a perennial embarrassment to George Lucas. But its naffness is now legendary. Disney should give it a rudimentary nip and tuck, clean up the noisy VHS transfers that flood the internet, and whack it on National Geographic or something, maybe with a humorous retrospective documentary from the guys who did The World According to Jeff Goldblum or something. This could be a huge, and that’s a hill I’ll die on.

Right, that’s ten big ones whose omission either baffles or offends me. There are others, both large (whither Titanic?) and small (I find it a bit weird that Garfield 2 is on there but not Garfield 1). My eldest also noted that The Nightmare Before Christmas is missing, although I’d wager that’ll pop up before the year’s end (EDIT: turns out it is up there. I'm pretty sure it wasn't at launch, though). Disney is playing a clever game with content that is, to some degree, limited (in the sense that it can only really add new movies or shows that it makes itself, and there’ll only ever be a few of those a year); holding back some prestige flicks for opportune moments makes sense. But, c’mon; give us our Ewoks, man.