40 Seconds - (New Version Re-Review) (2005) - By Duane L. Martin

Film Reviews: 40 Seconds - (New Version Re-Review) (2005) - By Duane L. Martin
Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 @ 23:05:00 Mountain Standard Time by Duane

There's nothing I hate more than having to give an independent film a bad review. I know how hard these people work on their films, and I always do my best to focus on what's good about it while giving a balanced view of what was wrong with it. What's even worse is when I have to give a bad review to a film where the filmmaker has obvious talent. Such was the case with my original review of 40 Seconds by filmmaker Ramiro Hernandez. The original version of 40 Seconds that he sent out to reviewers had so many problems, that I had no choice but to give it a bad review. It was really difficult for me because I could see that he had a lot of talent, but the film itself was just a mess.

Just recently, I received a mail from Mr. Hernandez stating that he had taken all the points I made in my review and used them to re-edit the film and make other changes in an effort to make the film better. He wanted to send me a copy of the newly edited version of the film to check out since many of the changes he had made were based on my original review. Naturally I was eager to give him a second chance, so I quickly agreed to re-review the film. But did he succeed in fixing all the problems that existed in the original version? The answer is a resounding yes.

Ramiro Hernandez has done simply an amazing job of fixing pretty much everything that was wrong with his original cut of the film. What we have now is a tight, well edited short with a story that's far easier to understand and a great ending that wraps things up nicely. Gone are the out of place comedy, the sloppy music editing, the unnecessary scenes, and the confusing storyline that plagued the first cut of the film. I was amazed at how different this new version was, while at the same time realizing that my initial assessment of Mr. Hernandez's talent as a filmmaker was not misplaced. He does have a great talent, and his willingness to accept criticism and use it to make his films better rather than becoming overly defensive and insistent in a belief that the critics are always wrong will take him a very long way as a filmmaker.

Everything about this film now is just great, and I'm happy to finally be able to re-tract my original review. Congratulations to Mr. Hernandez on a job well done.

If you'd like to find out more about this film, or the filmmaker, you can check out his website at http://www.fandangopictures.com.