After listening to the fantastic film-maker's commentary of the Lord of the Rings DVDs, I've rediscovered my hankering for DVD commentaries. The problem is, I think I've listened to every one I own. Anybody got any recommendations? I don't mind what kind of commentary they are, be it funny or informative.
For starters, I'll recommend Roger Ebert's commentary on the Dark City DVD. It's pretty cool.
Ebert's Casablanca, of course. Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn on Rocky Horror, Anything David Skal. The commentary Rick Baker was part of for The Mummy. The one for Kentucky Fried Movie - Zucker, Abrams, Zucker, Landis and the producer - was funny stuff.
I'm sure that there's more that I'm forgetting.
Well, I've listened to the commentary on every Simpsons episode so far. All twelve seasons worth. (twitch) But other than those, let me recommend:
This Is Spinal Tap - A commentary by the band, done entirely in character.
Armageddon (Criterion version) - There's actually several of these on the disc, ranging from the technical advisers (who comment "Well, this could never have happened in reality" a lot) to the more interesting cast/director commentary with Affleck, Willis, Bruckheimer and Bay. They all were in different rooms and recorded them at different times, but they still pack a lot of interesting info into them, both from the production standpoint and from Affleck, back in his "I'm a cocky young guy" phase. For that matter:
Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob- Ah, back when Kevin Smith made watchable films. These are both interesting from a "how we made this" point of view and also from the other tracks, which are basically the cast members ripping on each other, especially on Phantom's Ben Affleck.
Big Trouble in Little China - Less a commentary track and more "Carpenter and Russell sit and chat for 90 minutes." Still very interesting to listen to though.
Robot Chicken Star Wars Special - For the first special they did, Robot Chicken put out a DVD with about a dozen commentaries on it, ranging from cast commentaries to technical ones to dragging Lucas' teenaged kids into the studio to talk to them about Star Wars.
Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog- Two tracks, one full of technical detail about the series and the other - Commentary! The Musical!
Cannibal the Musical - Trey Parker and Matt Stone's first film about famed Colorado cannibal Alferd Pakerd, which includes a commentary track where the participants are getting progressively more drunk as the track rolls along. (Side note: I think Trey & Matt may have been subtly inspired to do this by a pair of cartoonists for the Colorado Daily who did a handful of comics the same way while the pair attended CU. Or not. I may be the only person who noticed that both groups did it.)
I've listened to Ridley Scott's commentaries on The Duellists and Gladiator and I can note two main things:
1) He is NOT the kind of director whose comments are few and far between. You'll be lucky if you hear three lines of actual dialog.
2) It is essentially a lecture in filmmaking. He's constantly pointing out to "any young directors out there" ways to save money by cutting scenes, faking up locations, redressing sets, etc. I would say he leans more to "here's what I/we did" as opposed to "why".
Anyway, to me, a guy who likes movies and finds their innards fascinating, he doesn't come across as pedantic or droning or anything. Maybe to someone in film school it's boring, but not to me.
I really like the Star Wars commentaries. Again, two main things:
1) Hearing Lucas explain his thought process, even though it's diluted through 30+ years from the "beginning" gives some real insight into what his vision is and what it isn't. That helped me like the prequels a lot, and chill the Eff out about the fact that SW ended up being about what George liked more than what I liked. :)
2) Hearing Lucas and Burtt and some of the other guys talk about the production side of things helped show how really disconnected they always have been from the fan reaction to the franchise. Again, helps ease the pain of what was compared to what could have been.
On a hint from here I watched the Spinal Tap one last night - it is indeed quite funny.
Nothing compares to the LOTR ones though - wow. Just, wow.
-dale
My favorite commentary track that I have listened to several times is the one for Evil Dead 2. It has Bruce, Sam Raimi, Greg Nicotero, Rob Tapert, Scott Speigal. It is hilarious.
I love commentary's there my favorite special feature that being said here are some of my favorites in no particular order
The Director/Actor on AVP
The Director /Actor on Gremlins
The Goonies
The Evil Dead 1 and 2
One crazy summer
Zoolander
Tropic Thunder
This is spinal tap
Seven
Escape from new York
The Thing
Big trouble in little china
Any thing by Kevin Smith or Mel Brooks
The Karate kid
Super Troopers, Club Dread, beer fest
You know I think it's quite unusual that there aren't more unusual dvd commentaries out there. Sometimes they can make the movie more entertaining than the movie itself. We don't need more actors commentaries, we need more of stuff like the commentary for films like Spinal Tap, Blood Simple, and especially for Monty Python's the meaning of life, there's multiple commentaries on that one and it's really funny. It's just supposed to be some slob watching the movie. Weird stuff, but very funny.
I don't know if you ever got into Home Movies, but I think those are great commentaries. Brendon Small and H. Jon Benjamin are hilarious together on the season one commentaries, and there are plenty of other folks that get in the mix. Season four includes also includes some fan commentaries from The Onion staff and Modest Mouse. There's a bonus feature on the season three set that's the audio from a radio interview with Loren Bouchard and Jon Benjamin that I've listened to many times. Always makes me laugh.
Quote from: D.B. Barnes on March 10, 2010, 10:16:19 PM
I don't know if you ever got into Home Movies, but I think those are great commentaries. Brendon Small and H. Jon Benjamin are hilarious together on the season one commentaries, and there are plenty of other folks that get in the mix. Season four includes also includes some fan commentaries from The Onion staff and Modest Mouse. There's a bonus feature on the season three set that's the audio from a radio interview with Loren Bouchard and Jon Benjamin that I've listened to many times. Always makes me laugh.
The problem I'd have with listening to commentaries for that show is that the show's dialogue already sounds kinda commentary-ish, thanks to all the improv (if that makes sense at all). Man I love that show...
I very rarely listen to Commentaries, but I'm hoping to start doing it soon. I listened to the one for World's Greatest Dad recently, and it was very good. Bobcat's a funny guy, and he was a little out of it on pain pills in this one. He also doesn't like teenagers, which made it funnier for me.
I believe that some of the best commentaries are the ones for Futurama, God are they funny. Seriously, you've got Billy West, John Dimaggio, Maurice Lamarche, all the writers and Matt Groening bouncing off each other. I actually prefer listening to some episodes with the commentary on than the sactual episode, plus, you learn and hear all these hilarious little stories. Gay guy and the ghost anyone?
All the Kevin Smith ones. I own Jersey Girl because the commentary's so good.
Orgazmo and Cannibal! The Musical
Say Anything
Kids in the Hall: Same Guys, New Dresses
Quote from: Russell on March 10, 2010, 10:02:58 PM
You know I think it's quite unusual that there aren't more unusual dvd commentaries out there.....
Probably because people charge to be on the commentary track....and some people probably charge more to do more than just show up and comment moment-to-moment on what they see in front of them.
I've heard some where people are doing the track like they're seeing the film for the first time....
Quote from: Russell on March 10, 2010, 10:02:58 PM
You know I think it's quite unusual that there aren't more unusual dvd commentaries out there.
Check out the alternate language track for Galaxy Quest. The whole movie was dubbed into the near-unlistenable language of the aliens (and I mean
whole movie). So that's kind of an unusual sort of dvd commentary.
Quote from: stansimpson on March 11, 2010, 04:58:56 PM
Quote from: Russell on March 10, 2010, 10:02:58 PM
You know I think it's quite unusual that there aren't more unusual dvd commentaries out there.
Check out the alternate language track for Galaxy Quest. The whole movie was dubbed into the near-unlistenable language of the aliens (and I mean whole movie). So that's kind of an unusual sort of dvd commentary.
And a complete waste of time. Such a missed opportunity.
Quote from: Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck on March 11, 2010, 07:58:31 PM
Check out the alternate language track for Galaxy Quest. The whole movie was dubbed into the near-unlistenable language of the aliens (and I mean whole movie). So that's kind of an unusual sort of dvd commentary.
I gotta admit, that is unique but perhaps a tad misguided.
Any Robert Rodriguez, Simpsons, Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith, John Carpenter, Bendico Del Toro, John Carpenter, Futurama or John McTiernan commentary is a safe bet imo.
Eurotrip and Orgazmo have GREAT drunken commentaries.
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 10, 2010, 08:58:23 PM
For starters, I'll recommend Roger Ebert's commentary on the Dark City DVD. It's pretty cool.
I've tried to listen to that about 5 times, the fact it's Ebert puts me off in the first 10 minutes every time.
Ebert's Citizen Kane commentary is really good. I love all Pixar commentary, and all commentaries by Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck, etc). One commentary that is more entertaining than the movie is Garry Marshall's commentary on the Princess Diaries. Seriously. He is so funny.
Simpsons and Futurama. Fan-friggin-tastic
Quote from: D.B. Barnes on March 10, 2010, 10:16:19 PM
I don't know if you ever got into Home Movies, but I think those are great commentaries. Brendon Small and H. Jon Benjamin are hilarious together on the season one commentaries, and there are plenty of other folks that get in the mix. Season four includes also includes some fan commentaries from The Onion staff and Modest Mouse. There's a bonus feature on the season three set that's the audio from a radio interview with Loren Bouchard and Jon Benjamin that I've listened to many times. Always makes me laugh.
Home Movies, The Onion, and Modest Mouse are three of my favorite things. Don't know why I haven't listened to those commentaries yet.
And I'll third/fourth/whatever we're on for the Futurama ones, if you're a fan. I love how there always this slight battle between David X Cohen and the voice actors, with Cohen trying to explain all the nerdy references/jokes, and the voice actors doing their voices.
Quote from: Rattrap007 on March 12, 2010, 07:32:32 PM
Simpsons and Futurama. Fan-friggin-tastic
Here, here on The Simpsons. As an outspoken fan, of course they're great, but they really take their time and effort to make good commentaries. They try to get everyone to watch the episode the day before so that they're more comfortable during the recording (and not just watching). There's even a hidden Conan O'Brien commentary on one ep! But really, I would consider them required listening to any fan of animation. They're surprisingly candid, detailed, informative and often hilarious. I can't recommend them highly enough.
Which reminds me... why haven't I started on the Futurama commentaries yet? ....whoops.... I, uh, need to get on that... [/nervous laughter]
Quote from: CrowTeeRobot on March 11, 2010, 07:51:58 AM
I believe that some of the best commentaries are the ones for Futurama, God are they funny. Seriously, you've got Billy West, John Dimaggio, Maurice Lamarche, all the writers and Matt Groening bouncing off each other. I actually prefer listening to some episodes with the commentary on than the sactual episode, plus, you learn and hear all these hilarious little stories. Gay guy and the ghost anyone?
Gay Guy & The Ghost! "You can come sleep in here if you're scared."
Quote from: stansimpson on March 12, 2010, 10:04:59 PM
Here, here on The Simpsons. As an outspoken fan, of course they're great, but they really take their time and effort to make good commentaries. They try to get everyone to watch the episode the day before so that they're more comfortable during the recording (and not just watching). There's even a hidden Conan O'Brien commentary on one ep! But really, I would consider them required listening to any fan of animation. They're surprisingly candid, detailed, informative and often hilarious. I can't recommend them highly enough.
Really? I tried listening to the first couple seasons, and they were dreadful. They clearly hadn't seen the episodes in over a decade and had no recollection of making them. I assume they get better, but I completely lost interest.
QuoteWhich reminds me... why haven't I started on the Futurama commentaries yet? ....whoops.... I, uh, need to get on that... [/nervous laughter]
You really do. They're the perfect balance of informative and hilarious.
Quote from: Sharktopus on March 13, 2010, 01:04:42 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 12, 2010, 10:04:59 PM
Here, here on The Simpsons. As an outspoken fan, of course they're great, but they really take their time and effort to make good commentaries. They try to get everyone to watch the episode the day before so that they're more comfortable during the recording (and not just watching). There's even a hidden Conan O'Brien commentary on one ep! But really, I would consider them required listening to any fan of animation. They're surprisingly candid, detailed, informative and often hilarious. I can't recommend them highly enough.
Really? I tried listening to the first couple seasons, and they were dreadful. They clearly hadn't seen the episodes in over a decade and had no recollection of making them. I assume they get better, but I completely lost interest.
Well, consider the large amount of time between the early seasons and the DVD release dates. It probably had been over a decade for them for a few, and it was back when they weren't used to doing commentaries a lot. With DVDs being released more frequently now and lots of recording practice, they've got it down now.
Of course, I still need to listen to them myself. I do listen to Futurama from time to time, though.
For TV shows, I love all the Family Guy commentaries, especially from the first few seasons (before the revival). There's some great, funny stuff on there, as well as some explanation of the more obscure/weird jokes, which is always nice.
I really enjoyed Ben Burtt's contributions to the Star Wars audio commentaries. Everybody else, not so much.
Quote from: Sharktopus on March 13, 2010, 01:04:42 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 12, 2010, 10:04:59 PM
Here, here on The Simpsons. As an outspoken fan, of course they're great, but they really take their time and effort to make good commentaries. They try to get everyone to watch the episode the day before so that they're more comfortable during the recording (and not just watching). There's even a hidden Conan O'Brien commentary on one ep! But really, I would consider them required listening to any fan of animation. They're surprisingly candid, detailed, informative and often hilarious. I can't recommend them highly enough.
Really? I tried listening to the first couple seasons, and they were dreadful. They clearly hadn't seen the episodes in over a decade and had no recollection of making them. I assume they get better, but I completely lost interest.
Hm, yeah, I forgot about the first few seasons. I think it's when they started releasing them on a regular basis that they seemed to get used to it (I don't know if you remember, but when they released Season 1, they had no idea if TV on DVD would be a good business venture). I think anything past Season 5 is a solid bet. You can tell by the way the menus change too. They fool around with different menus, layouts and features for the first few seasons until it's like "Forget it! This is the way it's gonna be and every season after because we're in this for the long haul." That's when the box sets and their features are at their best. I just don't remember when that happens exactly.
Yeah, I'm sure the Simpsons commentaries must get better, but I stopped buying them after season 3. I realized "Why am I paying money for episodes I've already seen twenty times? Screw this."
Although the look at the original animation of the planned first episode was fascinating. (And cringe-worthy.)
Quote from: Sharktopus on March 13, 2010, 02:10:29 AM
Why am I paying money for episodes I've already seen twenty times?
I hear the 21st time is the best.
I can't remember any movies that had memorable commentaries, but there are some TV shows.
Freaks and Geeks, besides being a terrific show, went nuts with their commentaries. 18 episodes, 29 commentaries. Some include a commentary made by the fans, an all girl cast member commentary, a commentary with Coach Fredricks, Mr. Kowcheski, and Mr. Rosso all commenting in character.
The Simpsons and Futurama have some pretty entertaining and informative commentaries. One of the commentary tracks for the Futurama episode "Roswell That Ends Well" was done after some kind of party, so most of the guys are drunk. They're still coherent, but their speech is erratic and slurred. You sure wouldn't want them driving.
Home Movies had some interesting commentaries too, as mentioned upthread.
ANY Futurama commentary is awesome. I don't think I've watched all but two episodes twice without the commentaries since I got the DVD sets.
The commentaries on the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions are great - especially the cast commentaries. The guys who play Merry and Pippin are hilarious, and Christopher Lee pipes in every once in a while to drop some detailed info on the story that helps you understand it a lot more. My favourite parts of the cast commentaries (I can't remember which movies these parts are on, forgive me): The story about the "tig" game and the recollection of Christopher Lee having trouble getting around in costume ("I can't get up these GODDAMN STAIRS, Pete!")
The commentaries for Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated Edition) (which is actually an enjoyable leave-your-brain-at-home movie compared to its utterly crap theatrical cut) are great...
The commentaries for Pirates of the Caribbean 1& 2 are pretty good, too - athough the writers' commentary for the 2nd one is definitely the funnier one. Kinda disappointed they didn't do a commentary for the 3rd movie...
And the commentaries for both live-action Hellboy films AND both Hellboy: Animated films are pretty cool, as well.
The Tropic thunder commentary is awesome. RDJr spends the entire commentary in the character his character is playing (ie the black guy). Then at the end he drops to the actor in the film (the actor who is playing the black guy) and finally himself. it is awesome and hilarious.
Quote from: Rattrap007 on March 14, 2010, 06:23:18 AM
The Tropic thunder commentary is awesome. RDJr spends the entire commentary in the character his character is playing (ie the black guy). Then at the end he drops to the actor in the film (the actor who is playing the black guy) and finally himself. it is awesome and hilarious.
Yeah, I loved that one. Although it didn't seem planned out very well, as some of the other people at the beginning didn't seem to know how to deal with him doing that.
Some commentaries that should be avoided are Tim Burton's on Edward Scissorhands, John Carpenter and the Lighting guy on The Mouth of Madness.
Spaced had some great commentaries, too.
I second the recommendation of the Joe Dante Gremlins commentaries. both with him and the producer and effects guy, and him with the actors. Just great. Dante does great commentaries for his other movies like Innerspace, as well.
Quote from: TTYT on March 14, 2010, 03:48:03 AMThe commentaries for Pirates of the Caribbean 1& 2 are pretty good, too - athough the writers' commentary for the 2nd one is definitely the funnier one. Kinda disappointed they didn't do a commentary for the 3rd movie...
I don't know how accurate this is, but I HEARD they were pissed about some scenes that made the plot more coherent being deleted, so it's possible The Powers That Be didn't want their negative attitude shared with the world through official channels.
criterion collection consistently provides interesting informative commentaries.
Michael Bay/Bruckheimer on the Rock and armageddon are very good commentaries.
steven soderbergh interviewing himself on schizopolis is a fun one.
i like scholarly commentaries they do as well but im a film nerd so not for everyone to be sure.
other than criterion i will second Ridley Scott commentaries as being good ones. George Romero has some good ones too.
Quote from: gojikranz on March 14, 2010, 02:40:51 PM
i like scholarly commentaries they do as well but im a film nerd so not for everyone to be sure.
As a fellow film nerd, my absolute favorite commentaries are the ones by film historians. Even Abbott & Costello Meet Frankentsein's film historian commentary is astoundingly rich with detail (script revisions, moments of improv, giving jokes better context). I don't know what you look for in a commentary but for me, film historians provide it in spades. Never a dull moment.
Did you know that the very first audio commentary (as we understand them today) was recorded by a film historian for Criterion's laserdisc of King Kong?
And with that bit of info, the Terrible Trivium has now lapsed himself!
I forgot - the Mr. Show commentaries are amazing. I can't remember the last time I actually watched those DVDs without the tracks on.
Quote from: Courtney on March 14, 2010, 05:43:25 PM
I forgot - the Mr. Show commentaries are amazing. I can't remember the last time I actually watched those DVDs without the tracks on.
Seconded, thirded, and fourthededth.
Quote from: D.B. Barnes on March 14, 2010, 05:49:05 PM
Quote from: Courtney on March 14, 2010, 05:43:25 PM
I forgot - the Mr. Show commentaries are amazing. I can't remember the last time I actually watched those DVDs without the tracks on.
Seconded, thirded, and fourthededth.
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'd
Oh, I forgot about Spaced! Fried gold.
And the worst audio commentary ever? The composer of the score for The Matrix. (No, I didn't listen to the whole thing.)
I never listen to the composer commentaries as the music is the least interesting part of the movie making to me. Although the Nightmare Before Christmas commentary with Danny Elfman was great.
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 14, 2010, 07:15:21 PM
I never listen to the composer commentaries as the music is the least interesting part of the movie making to me. Although the Nightmare Before Christmas commentary with Danny Elfman was great.
It was morbid curiosity. Suffice to say, I didn't make it very far.
Sadly, I've found Joss Whedon's commentaries horribly dull, too. (When he's by himself, anyway.) WE DON'T CARE WHAT LENS YOU USED!
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 14, 2010, 07:15:21 PM
I never listen to the composer commentaries as the music is the least interesting part of the movie making to me. Although the Nightmare Before Christmas commentary with Danny Elfman was great.
His Peewee's Big Adventure is my favorite composer track. And the accompanying isolated score is delightful.
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 07:10:45 PM
And the worst audio commentary ever? The composer of the score for The Matrix. (No, I didn't listen to the whole thing.)
Pssh... not even
close to the worst. I could think of at least a handful more off the top of my head (maybe a dozen if I thought longer about it).
Like Bowling For Columbine's interns' commentary. Michael Moore wanted to give "the little people" some say. Good concept since someone looking in can sometimes have better perspective than someone "too close" to the material. Unfortunately, it's a bunch of college navel-gazers who have absolutely nothing of value to say. Simply put, their apathy is infectious. It's surprising they didn't leave it off altogether.
Then there was this one with a BBC series producer but I can't remember which show (I wanna say it was something like Fawlty Towers but I don't think that was it). Anyway, the guy sounds like he's at least 90 years old, and he breathes loudly through the whole dang thing. What makes it worse is that they didn't add any of the show's audio, so it really is a guy breathing and occasionally coughing up something completely pointless... and then... more breathing... with long, phlegm-filled breaths. It's actually pretty funny how bad it is. Kinda feel sorry for the dude.
But maybe the worst (and probably most infamous) one is Rosemary Clooney's for White Christmas. Check out any review of the dvd. They will all tell you it is the worst ever:
Quote
She lets big gaps go by without saying anything, and when she does mention something its often "Oh, here they are" or "Ha ha ha, ohhhh, ha ha."
Now imagine that...
for 2 straight hours.
Quote from: stansimpson on March 14, 2010, 08:09:08 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 14, 2010, 07:15:21 PM
I never listen to the composer commentaries as the music is the least interesting part of the movie making to me. Although the Nightmare Before Christmas commentary with Danny Elfman was great.
His Peewee's Big Adventure is my favorite composer track. And the accompanying isolated score is delightful.
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 07:10:45 PM
And the worst audio commentary ever? The composer of the score for The Matrix. (No, I didn't listen to the whole thing.)
Pssh... not even close to the worst. I could think of at least a handful more off the top of my head (maybe a dozen if I thought longer about it).
Like Bowling For Columbine's interns' commentary. Michael Moore wanted to give "the little people" some say. Good concept since someone looking in can sometimes have better perspective than someone "too close" to the material. Unfortunately, it's a bunch of college navel-gazers who have absolutely nothing of value to say. Simply put, their apathy is infectious. It's surprising they didn't leave it off altogether.
Then there was this one with a BBC series producer but I can't remember which show (I wanna say it was something like Fawlty Towers but I don't think that was it). Anyway, the guy sounds like he's at least 90 years old, and he breathes loudly through the whole dang thing. What makes it worse is that they didn't add any of the show's audio, so it really is a guy breathing and occasionally coughing up something completely pointless... and then... more breathing... with long, phlegm-filled breaths. It's actually pretty funny how bad it is. Kinda feel sorry for the dude.
But maybe the worst (and probably most infamous) one is Rosemary Clooney's for White Christmas. Check out any review of the dvd. They will all tell you it is the worst ever:
Quote
She lets big gaps go by without saying anything, and when she does mention something its often "Oh, here they are" or "Ha ha ha, ohhhh, ha ha."
Now imagine that... for 2 hours.
the worst audio commentary was the commentary by genesis on the way we walk tour dvd. first the audio was way to low so you heard the songs far louder than you could hear what htey were saying. second they didnt say anything. they just chuckled a few times. and after the drum solo phil said "thats it?" really.
Just for fun, RateThatCommentary's (http://www.ratethatcommentary.com/worst.php) Top 50 lowest rated tracks. ;D
A Few Good Men is on there too (deservedly so). It's one of my favorite movies (I was an Aaron Sorkin fan before he was "Aaron Sorkin"). Imagine my delight when I first got the Special Edition dvd. Reiner waits about every 10-20mins (or whenever the scene changes) to say one sentence... then waits till the next scene change. ::) Pretty bad.
Oh! And Steve Zahn's commentary for Joy Ride is easily one of my favorites! He was on Conan once explaining that he didn't think they would use all of what he was saying so he totally doesn't take any of it seriously (and if I remember correctly, gives a slight nod to MST3k). It's pretty funny and only ruined by the fact that they combined his with a separate recording of Leelee Sobieski most unenthusiastically saying "Look at my nipples." IMO tho, worth the price of the dvd.
Speaking of Conan, commentary tracks and Mr. Show, did anybody see when David Cross and Bob Odenkirk were on Late Night? They showed a sample of their dvds with commentary. Then they showed a sample of their commentary on their own commentary!
Quote29. In the Mouth of Madness -- Commentary track: Director John Carpenter, and director of photography Gary B. Kibbe. Rating: 3.1
They agree with me. That is one of the worst ever. I know lighting is important to a movie (just look at AVP:R to prove that), but good god is it boring to hear him talk. It's too bad because John Carpenter can be fun, if he has somebody fun to talk with, like Kurt Russell on The Thing.
I also totally agree with the inclusion of some of the Seinfeld episode commentaryies with the cast. They have nothing to say and are clearly not interested in commenting on anything.
Quote15. Star Trek: Nemesis -- Commentary track: Director Stuart Baird. Rating: 2.6
I listened to that all the way through, hoping that he'd address the plot a little. Nope. I don't think he'd ever even seen an episode of Star Trek before.
The Venture Bros commentaries are, um, unique. I enjoy them, but your mileage may vary.
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 08:35:28 PM
Quote15. Star Trek: Nemesis -- Commentary track: Director Stuart Baird. Rating: 2.6
I listened to that all the way through, hoping that he'd address the plot a little
What plot?
QuoteNope. I don't think he'd ever even seen an episode of Star Trek before.
Then again, Logan claims to have seen every episode of ST:TNG and he thinks that Troi was the third most popular/important character in the show.
Oh yeah! The Aqua Teen Hunger Force commentaries are beyond hilarious. Half the time they're not even paying attention to the episode, they're just sitting and playing guitar, or talking about all the bizarre short films they made which ended up spliced into the show (like the Rest Home Dracula thing...)
Quote from: Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck on March 14, 2010, 09:06:02 PM
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 08:35:28 PM
Nope. I don't think he'd ever even seen an episode of Star Trek before.
Then again, Logan claims to have seen every episode of ST:TNG and he thinks that Troi was the third most popular/important character in the show.
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Quote from: TTYT on March 14, 2010, 09:16:14 PM
Oh yeah! The Aqua Teen Hunger Force commentaries are beyond hilarious. Half the time they're not even paying attention to the episode, they're just sitting and playing guitar, or talking about all the bizarre short films they made which ended up spliced into the show (like the Rest Home Dracula thing...)
You just reminded me....the commentary by the cast on "MXC - Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" is pretty cool. They're another group who don't necessarily talk about the episode but the making of the series.
There's also a commentary track on this DVD
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During the movie
Marihuana - the Devil's Weed there's an interview with a man who used to work the "roadshow circuit" with these movies, David F. Friedman. He's full of great stories about the business and Dwain Esper - to the point that they're in the middle of a tale of a showing of
Freaks gone wrong at a drive-in in the South when the movie ends and they have to say goodbye.
noce to see the commentary for godzilla on the top of the rate my commentary list. thats a great one and the companion commentary on godzilla king of the monsters. i quote them often in my big godzilla paper for film studies.
oh ya david cronenberg does great commentaries. hes on that list. i actually found the laserdisc commentary for crash taht someone put on the internet when it wasnt ported to dvd.
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 07:17:14 PM
Sadly, I've found Joss Whedon's commentaries horribly dull, too. (When he's by himself, anyway.) WE DON'T CARE WHAT LENS YOU USED!
SECONDED. Love Firefly, love Serenity, love film geek stuff, but come on, shut up about green filters for two gorram seconds, Joss.
AnNother great one I forgot to mention is the one for, I think, Jackie Chan's second Drunken Boxer movie. Although it sounds a bit like the guys are ready to get on their knees and blow Jackie after the movie, it was fun and informative.
-dale
The commentary tracks for Futurama, Invader Zim, Clerks Animated, The Weird Al Show, and UHF are very amusing.
Quote from: Sharky O'Pus on March 14, 2010, 08:35:28 PM
The Venture Bros commentaries are, um, unique. I enjoy them, but your mileage may vary.
I've only heard Season one's, but the conversation between Doc and Jason over which Venture Bros characters would they want to have sex with; first female, then male. One of them (Doc, I think) says that he'd sleep with Dean. "There wouldn't be any real sex, it would just be a lot of holding."
I also recommend the various commentaries from the Brothers Chaps for their Homestar Runner DVDs. Very funny, and they really come across the kind of guys you would just love to shoot the shit with. My favourite commentaries for comedies always point out the ridiculous things within their own work that become funnier the more you think of them. Usually, it's the small weird stuff, which I also found in commentaries for Mr. Show.
I heard a really old one recently (let's face it, they don't date back very far) for Pitch Black, and I love the fact that Vin Diesel says talking over the movie is retarded and that commentaries are probably one of the most asinine things ever invented (he calls it a critique). Despite that, he gives a good commentary along with the director and Cole Hauser and he actually laughs just like Riddick, which is awesome and terrifying. The rest of the DVD kind of sucks though. (Oops, TTYT - seconded.)
I enjoyed the commentary for Rise of the Silver Surfer because the two editors basically tell you how fucked up the production was due to what little they had to work with.
Personally, I really like the commentary for Kung Pow.
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 09:51:48 AM
I heard a really old one recently (let's face it, they don't date back very far) for Pitch Black, and I love the fact that Vin Diesel says talking over the movie is retarded and that commentaries are probably one of the most asinine things ever invented (he calls it a critique). Despite that, he gives a good commentary along with the director and Cole Hauser and he actually laughs just like Riddick, which is awesome and terrifying. The rest of the DVD kind of sucks though. (Oops, TTYT - seconded.)
My favorite part onthat is when the shot of the hot chicks cleavage as she crawls through the tunnel the director says "To all the teenage boys out there: You're welcome."
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 09:51:48 AM
I love the fact that Vin Diesel says talking over the movie is retarded and that commentaries are probably one of the most asinine things ever invented
Sounds like Spielberg.
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 17, 2010, 06:10:33 PM
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
Exactly. It's also why the commentary is an optional feature and can be turned off at any time. What he doesn't seem to understand is that by wanting a commentary we are interested in his thought process (or lack thereof in the case of Crystal Skull) and want to learn more about him and what he does.
I was going to address the ratings on that commentary site, but then I realized each one has maybe seven votes. So it doesn't mean much.
And two movies that have good commentaries if you like the films - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and All About Eve.
All About Eve has more than one commentary track. Celeste Holm is included on one of these and - let me assure you - she makes it to the end of the film. Bless her heart, you're not certain that she will from the sound of her voice.
The film historian who did the commentary for Criterion's 39 Steps redefined the word pedantic for me. Ugh.
The commentary track on As Good As It Gets is one of my favorites.
The one on The Lion The Witch And the Wardrobe is also great.
Both of those are as entertaining as the movies themselves.
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
Also, Ghostbusters has a shadowrama visual commentary too.
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
I loved Muppet Treasure Island. But it isn't as good as Christmas Carol or the first two Movies.
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
I loved Muppet Treasure Island. But it isn't as good as Christmas Carol or the first two Movies.
And on that topic, Muppet Christmas Carol has quite interesting commentary. I wish all the original muppet movies did.
Quote from: THE QUEEN!!! on March 22, 2010, 11:07:30 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
I loved Muppet Treasure Island. But it isn't as good as Christmas Carol or the first two Movies.
And on that topic, Muppet Christmas Carol has quite interesting commentary. I wish all the original muppet movies did.
I love it when they do interviews and stuff with the muppets in character. Like the 'making of' on the Muppets Christmas Carol DVD with Brian Henson talking to Gonzo and Rizzo.
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 23, 2010, 06:18:22 AM
Quote from: THE QUEEN!!! on March 22, 2010, 11:07:30 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
I loved Muppet Treasure Island. But it isn't as good as Christmas Carol or the first two Movies.
And on that topic, Muppet Christmas Carol has quite interesting commentary. I wish all the original muppet movies did.
I love it when they do interviews and stuff with the muppets in character. Like the 'making of' on the Muppets Christmas Carol DVD with Brian Henson talking to Gonzo and Rizzo.
I loved the gag reel on that--it's funny to me that they mess up and such but they still say things through the puppets.
Quote from: THE QUEEN!!! on March 23, 2010, 11:42:38 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 23, 2010, 06:18:22 AM
Quote from: THE QUEEN!!! on March 22, 2010, 11:07:30 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:00:58 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 09:50:05 AM
Quote from: stansimpson on March 22, 2010, 07:41:51 AM
Quote from: Darth Geek on March 22, 2010, 07:37:03 AM
Quote from: Russell on March 21, 2010, 10:43:09 PM
What about on-screen commentaries? Fargo has a great one... but for the life of me that is the only one I can think of right now.
I think Muppets Christmas Carol has a visual "shadowrama" commentary with Brian Henson and Gonzo and Rizzo. It's either that one or Muppets Treasure Island.
It's actually Muppets From Space.
Ah, that would explain why I was unsure, as I hardly watch that one.
I think that puts you in the majority.
Yeah. It's not a good Muppet movie, but compared to crap like Muppets from Oz and the other made for TV movies, it's friggin brilliant!
Sad, but true. I'm hoping Jason Segel's reboot will be better than, let's say, Muppet Treasure Island.
I loved Muppet Treasure Island. But it isn't as good as Christmas Carol or the first two Movies.
And on that topic, Muppet Christmas Carol has quite interesting commentary. I wish all the original muppet movies did.
I love it when they do interviews and stuff with the muppets in character. Like the 'making of' on the Muppets Christmas Carol DVD with Brian Henson talking to Gonzo and Rizzo.
I loved the gag reel on that--it's funny to me that they mess up and such but they still say things through the puppets.
Yeah. I know it's got to be hard work, but it must be fun to be a Henson puppeteer.
"..to have a stick shove right up your-" "Back!"
The commentary for the uncut Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is great. There's a hilarious moment where they talk about Mark Hamill getting worried that he might have to record another "Joker-falling-from-a-really-tall-location" yell (which apparently happened a lot during Batman: The Animated Series) during one of the recording sessions, and someone does a pitch-perfect impersonation of him whining "He's not gonna fall from someplace really high again, is he?"
Quote from: TTYT on March 25, 2010, 10:43:46 PM
The commentary for the uncut Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is great. There's a hilarious moment where they talk about Mark Hamill getting worried that he might have to record another "Joker-falling-from-a-really-tall-location" yell (which apparently happened a lot during Batman: The Animated Series) during one of the recording sessions, and someone does a pitch-perfect impersonation of him whining "He's not gonna fall from someplace really high again, is he?"
I forgot all about that! All the Bruce Timm DC Animated commentaries are full of nuggets like that. I remember them mentioning how they put a bunch of weird props on the Joker's operating table in the flashback in an attempt to tone down the horror - I think there's a plunger, among other things - but it just made the scene creepier. That happened a lot with the Joker. Like, they couldn't have him outright kill people, so they had him gas his victims, leaving them laughing uncontrollably with a horrible rictus that's way more disturbing. Good stuff.
The commentary for Pitch Black (Director's Cut) is great, too - David Towhy talking about Keith David getting pissed off at the sled the characters drag across the planet in one of the chase scenes is probably the best part ("MotherFUCKER!")
Oh, and the commentaries by the dub crew and cast for the anime series Read or Die: The TV (R.O.D. The TV) are pretty good, too. My favourite moment is the British guy who dubbed the character "Joker" noting that when he did the dub for Hellsing, a lot of the fan complaints were that the British accents in the dub were fake, and apparently his - real - British accent was singled out as "being the most fake."
The commentaries for Thank You For Smoking are great. There's one by director Jason Reitman, and a second where Reitman is joined by actors David Koechner (the gun lobbyist) and star Aaron Eckhart.
There's a scene toward the end of the movie where the Merchants of Death are in the restaurant, and Koechner orders a slice of apple pie with a slice of cheese. Apparently there's a very critical thread on IMDB where people complain about the inconsistency of the state of the cheese. In the Reitman only track, he angrily berates the critics, basically saying "Get a life. I had a million more important things on my mind than the fucking cheese."
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 17, 2010, 06:10:33 PM
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
I've noticed that most commentary tracks have one of the commenters saying "you should watch the movie / episode of the show before watching this commentary". Oh really? Gee I never realized that. Is anyone really that stupid that they don't realize the commentary completely drowns out the movie's dialogue, and you need to watch the movie first if you're at all interested in following it?
Quote from: Thrifty on April 02, 2010, 06:25:19 AM
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 17, 2010, 06:10:33 PM
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
I've noticed that most commentary tracks have one of the commenters saying "you should watch the movie / episode of the show before watching this commentary". Oh really? Gee I never realized that. Is anyone really that stupid that they don't realize the commentary completely drowns out the movie's dialogue, and you need to watch the movie first if you're at all interested in following it?
That's come up a surprisingly amount of times to me. I'll be listening to the commentary and then the conversation gets brought up, "Oh, in case you haven't seen this yet..." And inevitably, the other guy asks "But then why would they be listening to this?" But it's even weirder when the other guy
doesn't bring that up or
also apologizes for spoilers. I've never heard of
anybody watching a movie they haven't seen and switching to the commentary. Ok, unless maybe they're bored... but if they're
that bored, I think spoilers aren't gonna be a big thing to the guy who's lost interest in the movie. It's uncanny.
The new Toy story Blu Ray has a pretty great track,my only gripe it that an voice comes on and tells you the name of the person speaking every time it changes. First of I am not an idiot I can keep track of who is talking,second it gets in the way of people talking to each other and that is really the best part of the track. Still it's pretty good,I had no idea they used so many cheats just to make the shots work.
Quote from: stansimpson on April 02, 2010, 07:50:23 AM
Quote from: Thrifty on April 02, 2010, 06:25:19 AM
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 17, 2010, 06:10:33 PM
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
I've noticed that most commentary tracks have one of the commenters saying "you should watch the movie / episode of the show before watching this commentary". Oh really? Gee I never realized that. Is anyone really that stupid that they don't realize the commentary completely drowns out the movie's dialogue, and you need to watch the movie first if you're at all interested in following it?
That's come up a surprisingly amount of times to me. I'll be listening to the commentary and then the conversation gets brought up, "Oh, in case you haven't seen this yet..." And inevitably, the other guy asks "But then why would they be listening to this?" But it's even weirder when the other guy doesn't bring that up or also apologizes for spoilers. I've never heard of anybody watching a movie they haven't seen and switching to the commentary. Ok, unless maybe they're bored... but if they're that bored, I think spoilers aren't gonna be a big thing to the guy who's lost interest in the movie. It's uncanny.
I think maybe I'm just going to start renting movies I have no intention of watching, just to watch the commentary tracks. Then I'll write angry letters to the commenters expressing my rage for spoiling the movie for me.
Quote from: Thrifty on April 02, 2010, 02:54:25 PM
Quote from: stansimpson on April 02, 2010, 07:50:23 AM
Quote from: Thrifty on April 02, 2010, 06:25:19 AM
Quote from: mrbasehart on March 17, 2010, 06:10:33 PM
Quote from: bratpop on March 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Yes, I'm pretty sure Spielberg thinks that too. Unless he's still using that "too busy" excuse.
I think his official excuse was that a commentary distracts the viewer from the movie. Which is stupid because who the hell watches a commentary before they've seen the movie (Rifftrax excepted)?
I've noticed that most commentary tracks have one of the commenters saying "you should watch the movie / episode of the show before watching this commentary". Oh really? Gee I never realized that. Is anyone really that stupid that they don't realize the commentary completely drowns out the movie's dialogue, and you need to watch the movie first if you're at all interested in following it?
That's come up a surprisingly amount of times to me. I'll be listening to the commentary and then the conversation gets brought up, "Oh, in case you haven't seen this yet..." And inevitably, the other guy asks "But then why would they be listening to this?" But it's even weirder when the other guy doesn't bring that up or also apologizes for spoilers. I've never heard of anybody watching a movie they haven't seen and switching to the commentary. Ok, unless maybe they're bored... but if they're that bored, I think spoilers aren't gonna be a big thing to the guy who's lost interest in the movie. It's uncanny.
I think maybe I'm just going to start renting movies I have no intention of watching, just to watch the commentary tracks. Then I'll write angry letters to the commenters expressing my rage for spoiling the movie for me.
:clap:
That would be so awsome!
I've watched movies with only the Rifftrax, but I was never outraged that they were talking over. Well, okay, a couple of times I wanted to know what the dialogue was, since they don't pay much attention to whether or not what they're talking over has any relevance later in the movie. But in the case of it being too awful to watch unriffed, it can be an issue.
But in regards to spoilers in the commentary... I think they're overthinking the concept of the track.
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 08:55:53 AM
The new Toy story Blu Ray has a pretty great track,my only gripe it that an voice comes on and tells you the name of the person speaking every time it changes. First of I am not an idiot I can keep track of who is talking,second it gets in the way of people talking to each other and that is really the best part of the track. Still it's pretty good,I had no idea they used so many cheats just to make the shots work.
Is it different than the DVD commentaries? Those are great.
Quote from: Darth Geek on April 02, 2010, 07:49:22 PM
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 08:55:53 AM
The new Toy story Blu Ray has a pretty great track,my only gripe it that an voice comes on and tells you the name of the person speaking every time it changes. First of I am not an idiot I can keep track of who is talking,second it gets in the way of people talking to each other and that is really the best part of the track. Still it's pretty good,I had no idea they used so many cheats just to make the shots work.
Is it different than the DVD commentaries? Those are great.
I have never been able to get a copy of the dvd that had the extras because it seems it was only released for 15 minutes so i don't know if it is the same one but it is pretty good.
A must-see for anyone who's listened to a dvd commentary before. It's College Humor's "Commentary: The Movie" (I love the concept here):
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1931871 (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1931871)
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 09:08:40 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on April 02, 2010, 07:49:22 PM
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 08:55:53 AM
The new Toy story Blu Ray has a pretty great track,my only gripe it that an voice comes on and tells you the name of the person speaking every time it changes. First of I am not an idiot I can keep track of who is talking,second it gets in the way of people talking to each other and that is really the best part of the track. Still it's pretty good,I had no idea they used so many cheats just to make the shots work.
Is it different than the DVD commentaries? Those are great.
I have never been able to get a copy of the dvd that had the extras because it seems it was only released for 15 minutes so i don't know if it is the same one but it is pretty good.
I have this DVD release:
(https://forum.rifftrax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.currentfilm.com%2Fimages3%2Fultimatetoyboxcover.jpg&hash=df115d5ba5d2008ecd1a92a14908364c9770fc20)
Never actually listened to the commentaries though. I should do that before Toy Story 3 comes out.
Quote from: Sharktopus on April 09, 2010, 04:41:28 PM
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 09:08:40 PM
Quote from: Darth Geek on April 02, 2010, 07:49:22 PM
Quote from: Doctor Who? on April 02, 2010, 08:55:53 AM
The new Toy story Blu Ray has a pretty great track,my only gripe it that an voice comes on and tells you the name of the person speaking every time it changes. First of I am not an idiot I can keep track of who is talking,second it gets in the way of people talking to each other and that is really the best part of the track. Still it's pretty good,I had no idea they used so many cheats just to make the shots work.
Is it different than the DVD commentaries? Those are great.
I have never been able to get a copy of the dvd that had the extras because it seems it was only released for 15 minutes so i don't know if it is the same one but it is pretty good.
I have this DVD release:
(https://forum.rifftrax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.currentfilm.com%2Fimages3%2Fultimatetoyboxcover.jpg&hash=df115d5ba5d2008ecd1a92a14908364c9770fc20)
Never actually listened to the commentaries though. I should do that before Toy Story 3 comes out.
That's the set I have. The commentaries are great.
Quote from: Darth Geek on April 09, 2010, 05:58:03 PM
That's the set I have. The commentaries are great.
And the box is so shiny! :o
I just recently watched the commentary on Fight Club, with David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Ed Norton and HBC. Fincher and Norton going back and forth about the philosophical undertones of the story is pretty surreal. I find that all the commentators personalities stick out really well... I honestly have newfound respect for Edward Norton, because he did most of the talking on this track and seems like a very educated and insightful person. Pitt mostly stuck to talking about how awesome he is for creating all of Tyler's on-screen mannerisms (and Pitt really, really struck me as Type A; a fun guy but overall a self-involved ass). Fincher chimed in occasionally about production and the fun little secrets the film is hiding, but it left me wanting more (There is a commentary track featuring just Fincher I haven't gotten to yet but plan to listen to eventually). The guys really talked over Helena, but when she did speak she did not have much to say, being she spent the least amount of time on set. Some highlights include how they went about filming the sex scenes, during which I could not stop myself from laughing.
The other Fight Club commentary I watched was with Chuck Palahniuk (who wrote the book) and Jim Uhls (who wrote the screenplay). Uhls was almost useless here, I'm sad to say, but that probably stems from him only being involved in the early stages of the movie's production and not having much to say about the final product, and being stuck next to Chuck Palahniuk, who is one of the coolest human beings to ever live. ;D Palahniuk has mountains to say about his story and how it translated to the screen; like many early novels, Fight Club has many autobiographical elements, from Chuck's battle with insomnia, his participating in support groups for conditions he did not have, and his large cast of oddball friends who provided the inspiration for Tyler Durden. It was very interesting and informative overall.
The commentary for The Brothers Solomon has a bit about halfway through where Will Arnett angrily addresses the harsh criticism the movie got.
The Brothers Solomon was savaged by critics to the point where you'd think it was a Friedberg/Seltzer production. I thought it was a good, funny movie. I can understand why someone might not like it, but for reviews to be that savagely hateful just baffles me.