jaybee wrote:I've seen the previews and "Taken" is on my short list of movies to see. Just not sure if MrsJaybee will like it - she's fine with action / adventure but not so fine with lots of graphic violence - what's your opinion on that angle?
Strange that they would edit a scene shown on the previews out of the final cut - I've nevered noticed that before in a movie.
The film was rated PG-13 which means that excessive violence, particularly something that involves showing bodily injury, wounding or blood, is a no-no. The movie has that current hyperactive editing style in which there are a lot of fast cuts during action scenes so that it's hard to tell exactly what is happening. That suggests speed and action when what's actually going on isn't all that exciting and in my view confuses the audience. It disguises a lack of talent by actors and/or stunt people in fight scenes, a lack of speed or stunt driving in chase scenes and an overreliance on CGI effects in action scenes. It also makes action sequences seem more brutal and bloody when you don't actually
see all that much on camera. I'm not a big fan but it's apparently the trend of the future. It's a shame, because old fashioned action pieces, in which you could actually see the stunt people performing their stunts, makes for real movie excitement.
Mrs. SSS and I watched the new deluxe DVD of How the West Was Won a couple of weeks ago. It's nowhere near the same experience as it was in a Cinerama theater, but what struck me was how elaborate and well staged the action sequences were. With those difficult and bulky Cinerama camera setups, editing of those scenes was at a minimum (and, needless to say there were no CGI buffalo in the stampede), but the scenes hold up remarkably well against anything you see today. The film actually won the editing Oscar, not for the amount of cutting, but for its effectiveness.
Trailers for many movies today are put together several months before a film hits the theaters. Often the score is different because the composer hasn't finished the score, so the studio uses old themes that they have the rights to (think how often you've heard the score from The Natural or Chariots of Fire in other trailers). Final edits also aren't complete in some cases, especially if the MPAA decide a film needs re-editing in order to get a lower rating (here, PG-13 vs. R). In other cases, test screenings may indicate some problems with the film, so it's shortened or certain scenes replaced with reshoots involving others. So scenes are sometimes cut from the trailer. Usually people don't notice unless there's something spectacular (such as a memorable line) in the cut scene that doesn't make it into the final version of the film.
