Large's Ark

To the best of my knowledge, I was introduced to “Garden State” while browsing L8wrtr’s list of edits and stumbling across the page for this one, though it was a few years until I actually watched first it and then the recut. Didn’t leave a review then, but suddenly felt in the mood now to revisit and so here we are about two years later. My memories of the differences are therefore a little vague, with the only precise distinctions between it and this re-edit I can clearly remember being the yelling into the abyss and the altered ending, but I can recall enough to appreciate the difference in tone.

I think this edit is a definite enhancement in that respect, L8wrtr certainly achieves the stated aims of greater maturity, and while a few aspects are no doubt dated it feels personal in ways that so many other films try to emulate. For me the sign of a well-told story is having it stick in your mind for a few days after watching and I think this will be the case here. The integration of the new songs sounds seamless and the reinstated footage not standing out too badly, though I think there are a few instances of audio cuts within the first deleted scene that might be done a little more smoothly.

Thanks L8wrtr for not only producing the edit but for introducing me to the source film in the first place, hope that the long-mentioned HD remaster of the edit comes to fruition someday!

This is the first fanedit that feels entirely like an alternate version of a movie to me. I am a huge music fan and one thing I love to hear are alternate takes of songs. They never replace the original, but the best ones stand right alongside the originals on equal footing. That is how I feel about this version of Garden State. If this had been the theatrical release, and the soundtrack release, I believe it would have gotten the same acclaim and the soundtrack would have won a Grammy, as the actual Garden State soundtrack did. The scenes that were added back into the movie worked perfectly for this edit. I can see why they were cut from the other version, and either works. I feel like this is quite a wishy-washy review so far.... Let me say some things about the excellent music choices throughout: I loved every song. It helps that I've owned all these songs for years and I could have compiled the soundtrack myself from my pre-existing record collection, but it was great to hear Saint Agnes and the Burning Train kicking things off and then Aimee Mann and a slew of other great tracks. One of my favorite songs ever has been cut in this version--Only Living Boy In New York by Simon and Garfunkel---and I have to say, I couldn't agree more with you decision L8wrtr. It is an excellent song and I see why Zach Braff chose it, what with the themes of isolation, etc, but it always bothered me that the movie is called Garden State, and New Jersey is the setting and is referred to many many times, and Large flew in from Los Angeles and is headed back to LA, yet here is this song with New York featured so prominently in the lyrics and title. Cutting it was a smart move that I wholeheartedly agree with, but your music choices were smart moves throughout.
As for everything else, I don't know what else to say. It was an excellent alternate viewing experience of a movie I always loved anyway. It was like having a favorite song for years and then a special boxed set comes out containing a different take of that song, with a slightly different rhythm, vocal and phrasing. It doesn't replace the original--nor does it need to. But it sure is fantastic to have. Kind of like all the different versions of songs on the Beatles Anthology sets or getting to hear earlier or later takes of Elvis singing Suspicious Minds in the studio. Sometimes the sincerity comes through more on those unreleased versions and they stand, in my opinion, shoulder to shoulder with the classic released version and I would not want to have to chose only one or the other. I really enjoyed this :-)

August 6, 2012

This was a great edit. I didn’t care too much for Garden State and haven’t watched it in years. The emotional journey of the story feels more complete now, thanks to the restored scenes and trimming some bits of fat. The editing itself was flawless. And it’s not a SW prequel edit!

FANEDIT RATINGS
Audio/Video Quality – 9
Visual Editing – 10
Audio Editing – 10
Degree of Editing – 7.5 (rounded up to 8)

(NOTE: “Degree of Editing” is a 100% arbitrary rating that I keep in mind when reviewing edits. This is not meant to insinuate that a faneditor is lazy or not. Some fanedits require a lot more work than others and I take this into account.)

MOVIE RATINGS
Narrative – 9 (original is 8)
Enjoyment – 8 (original is 7)

April 26, 2011

It has been a while since I watched this, so it is hard for me to compare specifically to the original. I am an indy music nut however, so I do remember the original music well. I wasn’t sure how I would feel with you changing the music, but fortunately l8wrtr you have very good taste in music! At first it threw me off a little, only because I knew all the songs you picked and knew that most of them didn’t come out until a good while after the movie did. The first of these song changups pulled me out of the story for a sec as I reflected on that fact, but it actually really worked well as an alternative soundtrack to the movie. The songs certainly lended a great deal of emotional poignancy to the movie.

I have mixed feels about the opening airplane scene. It didn’t feel quite right to me or connect enough to the rest of the movie or to the end to justify keeping it.

I don’t recall any major technical problems.

So, good job! And thanks for an updated version of a movie that was fun to revisit! 9/10 overall.

March 23, 2011

When I saw this movie for the first time I was only 18 years old and I absolutely fell in love. However, the older I got, the more I started to realize the flaws. As Brumors pointed out, it seemed to focus too much on being quirky and indie, and what should have been the main focus of the movie (Large’s arc) was buried somewhere inside. The movie was supposed to be about him “waking up” from the fog of prescription drugs and coming to terms with his background, but in the end, I never really got that from it. So I hadn’t watched it in years, until coming across this edit.

By changing only a few small things L8WRTR has made a huge difference in this movie. Instead of focusing on this quirky, melancholy small town and its inhabitants, this is definitely Large’s movie – and it’s better for it. As others have pointed out, including L8 himself, the deleted scenes that are inserted are clearly of lower quality, and at first this took me out of the movie – but only for a second before I was drawn back by the quality of the scenes themselves. Why in the world were these left on the cutting room floor!? The scene with his father was so much better than the theatrical version, and gave their disdain for each other actually make sense.

And then there’s the extended bathtub scene between Large and Sam. Watching the original I always thought, “one tear, that’s it?” This version was a million times better, and in the end the lower quality didn’t matter in the least. One thing I was dissapointed with was changing the music cue during Sam tap dancing – this was my absolute favorite musical cue in the original film. I always thought it lightened the mood after such a deep conversation, which is what Sam was trying to do by dancing anyway. But that’s just personal opinion, nothing against L8 for it.

In fact, I thought the changes in the music overall were great. It really helped the new mood of the movie, which is far more serious. And that’s saying a lot considering how great the original soundtrack was. But I love Aimee Mann (Magnolia, anyone?), so ‘Save Me’ and ‘One Is The Loneliest Number’ were welcome additions.

Overall, I recommend this for those who loved the original, those who hated it, and especially those who’ve never seen it. This is Large’s journey as it should’ve been. I’ve already shown it to some of my friends who all had the same opinion. I still love the original, but this is a welcome alternative for a more mature audience. Awesome job, L8WRTR, I can’t wait for more.

Almost forgot! Without spoiling too much, the ending – much, much better :D