FILM by Shane “Special Edition” Hnetka
Movie composer James Horner passed away recently, and while his long career seems to be remembered for his soundtracks to big, sweeping epics like Titanic, Avatar, Braveheart and Troy, I’ll always remember his steel drum tracks to ’80s action films like 48 Hours, Commando, Red Heat and, of course, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Remember when Khan’s hijacked Reliant sneak-attacks the Enterprise and Kirk thinks his way out of a no-win scenario? Horner’s soundtrack takes that great scene and makes it legendary. Rest in peace.
Comic Con Madness
The world’s biggest comic book convention is back from July 9-12. As every year, the San Diego Comic Con is less about comic books and more about upcoming movies and TV shows.
What comic book movies and TV shows will get sneak-peeks in 2015? Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice? Suicide Squad? Captain America: Civil War (even though Marvel isn’t attending this year)? Supergirl? Legends Of Tomorrow? Preacher? American Gods? I guess everyone will just have to stay tuned.
It’s strange to think that what started out as a fan con in the 1970s has evolved into a big Hollywood showcase. Then again, Hollywood only makes super-hero movies now so I guess it kinda works.
Cut And Uncut
On July 14 Fox will release X-Men: Days of Future Past on Blu-ray and DVD. What’s that, you say? It’s already on Blu-ray and DVD? Well, you are partly correct. But this is the Rogue Cut.
What’s the Rogue Cut, you ask? Maybe you should stop asking questions and let me talk.
Anna Paquin, who plays the X-Man Rogue, had her scenes cut from last summer’s X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Apparently they weren’t essential to the plot. But now, Bryan Singer has recut the movie and the longer version has more Rogue in it.
Thus, the Rogue Cut.
This isn’t the first time a studio has put cut footage back into a movie. James Cameron sliced half an hour from his 1989 sci-fi flick The Abyss, losing so much of the plot that audiences were left with a film that made no sense. When he re-edited The Abyss for home video, an entirely different movie was created.
Other movies, from Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars to Bad Santa and Fifty Shades Of Grey, have had special editions. Sometimes they’re great. Other times they’re a cash-grab and waste of time.
It might be interesting to see Anna Paquin’s scenes in Days Of Future Past but it doesn’t change the fact the movie was fine without her.
Shane Hnetka is a Regina film and comic book nerd. He also writes Dog Blog’s weekly “Sunday Matinee” column at prairiedogmag.com.