As i am fairly new to the medium of DVD i have only heard few witch was for Boogie Nights, American Beauty, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Dancer in the Dark. The first three were very good but the von Trier one had a bit of that annoing inside stuff, which is not to be understood.
I'm just curious about witch ones are really great, and which ones are to be avoided.
sex lies, limey, in the company of men, maniac... just to name a few
i like the CHASING AMY, BOOGIE NIGHTS and TAPE commentary tracks. also any kevin smith commentary tracks cuz he's just too funny.
*rudie*
Cameron Crowe and his mom on the "Almost Famous: Bootleg Edition" and Crowe, Ione Skye and John Cusack on "Say Anything..." (commentary starts 30 min. before they start the movie)
Roger Ebert on "Citizen Kane" and "Dark City"
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn on "Swingers" and "Made"
Any of the "Fight Club" tracks
Soderberg and Scott Frank on "Out Of Sight"
Tarantino on "True Romance"
Atom Egoyan and Russell Banks on "Sweet Hereafter"
Coppola and Walter Murch on "The Conversation" and Coppola on all three "Godfather" films
Cast and crew on any of the "Evil Dead" films
Spinal Tap (in character) on "This Is Spinal Tap"
The Wachowski Bros. and sex consultant Susie Bright on "Bound"
Avoid: "The Matrix" - boring FX talk and Carrie Anne Moss stays silent for most of the film
"Jerry Maguire" - Only interesting when Crowe talks
Any Rob Reiner tracks - looooong pauses
I enjoyed the Superman Commentary.
It's like listening to your sweet old grandpa tell stories about his favorite job.
I've heard two different ones for Clerks. It teaches you a lot about filmmaking on a budget. The one with the whole cast and crew is funny too. Before I heard it I hadn't known that yes, Jason Mewes is just like his character(he passes out and wakes up every half an hour to make some slurred remarks).
Quote from: MacGuffin
Spinal Tap (in character) on "This Is Spinal Tap"
Is this only on the Criterion or is it on the one MGM put out as well?
I really enjoyed Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko commentary.
It was full of great things of interest to wannabe filmmakers regarding how he set up certain shots and techniques he used. More importantly, it explained the movie in greater detail. After the commentary, the movie becomes much, much clearer.
most soderburgh ones are good.
Quote from: bonanzatazQuote from: MacGuffin
Spinal Tap (in character) on "This Is Spinal Tap"
Is this only on the Criterion or is it on the one MGM put out as well?
The MGM release only has this commentary track; made for this release specifically.
Great Commentaries
American Beauty with Sam Mendes and Alan Ball
Boogie Nights with Paul Thomas Anderson
Dark City with Roger Ebert (incredible!)
The Godfather Trilogy with Francis Ford Coppola
Hard Eight with Paul Thomas Anderson
Wall Street with Oliver Stone
Hilarious Commentaries
Blood Simple with Kenneth Loring
Out of Sight with Steven Soderbergh and Scott Frank
Disappointing Commentaries
Best in Show with Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
Blow with Ted Demme and George Jung
Contact with Jodie Foster and the one with Robert Zemeckis and Steve Starkey
Jerry Maguire with the Cast and Cameron Crowe
Quote from: life_boyContact with Jodie Foster
there was this one genius moment in the contact commentary where jodie foster starts talking about ghostbusters. really, it's worth renting the movie just to see that part of the commentary.
In the disappointing category I'd like to add all of Tim Burton's. You watch them and he'll go for about twenty minutes without saying anything so you get into watching the movie without it and suddenly he'll say "he has a silent movie quality" and ruin a moment you're really into. I guess he's just shy.
Quote from: rudieobi like the TAPE commentary
did TAPE have a commentary?!
didn't know that... guess I'm gonna buy it then..!
The Goonies carries a video commenary of richard donner and the kids watching the movie as they talk. It's pretty hilarious, Corey Feldman is at his self-centric best, and Sean Astin mysteriously leaves halfway through the movie. Probably due to Corey Feldman.
I love PTA's Boogie Nights one as cliche as it sounds. It's the best commentary I've ever heard by one person alone. I love hearing all the influences and references and funny stories. Those are what commentaries are all about, that's the way they should all be.
Kevin Smith's are all great. I could listen to him and Affleck all day. They are perfect together, so damn funny.
Cameron Crowe and his mom's Almost Famous Untitled one is pretty great. It's always great to hear a commentary of such a personal film.
David Gordon Green and Paul Schneider's George Washington commentary is one of the best ones of recent. They seem like two really cool guys, definitely talented too.
There aren't too many others that I can really think of. Wes Anderson's Tenenbaums one is cool. I need to listen to more. I've been checking out your guy's picks.
Quote from: XixaxI really enjoyed Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko commentary.
It was full of great things of interest to wannabe filmmakers regarding how he set up certain shots and techniques he used. More importantly, it explained the movie in greater detail. After the commentary, the movie becomes much, much clearer.
Although I respect your opinion, I have to disagree. I hated the Donnie Darko commentary and it ended up making me hate the movie. Richard Kelly was o.k. but Jake Gyllenhaal ruined the whole thing with his stupid inmature comments. I had some respect for the guy as an actor after the movie was over, but after actually hearing him speak, I think he is a moron.
maybe it's just me.
Quote from: THC
maybe it's just me.
maybe. i thought jake was really funny and that the commentary was great. oh well, to each his own.
No, THC. Totally agreed.
And isn't it spelled "favorite?"
Stupid Europeans.
Quote from: bonanzatazStupid Europeans.
:cry:
Quote from: bonanzatazNo, THC. Totally agreed.
And isn't it spelled "favorite?"
Stupid Europeans.
canadians spell it that way too. be careful who you call stupid, stupid
:yabbse-thumbup: favourite
:yabbse-thumbup: neighbour
:yabbse-thumbup: colour
Quote from: bonanzatazStupid Europeans.
Don't say that :(
Canadians are cool. Europeans are cool but only because they want to spell the same way as the canadians wich are cool. That's not so hard to see is it?
Quote from: Phil MarloweEuropeans are cool
not the french
:wink:
Will i get banned if i say Saddam is cool?? I'm not saying he is....btw PTA should make a erotic film about "the sensitive lover Saddam Hussein" starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Saddam and Bush as his bitch!
Quote from: Duck Sauce
not the french
:wink:
only the parasiens (sp?) are snobby.
Quote from: cecil b. demented
only the parasiens (sp?) are snobby.
The french are in general fuc%£¤ing arrogant. Look at Mr. Chirac but lets not get into politics :) ....Do we have any french people on this messageboard??....I mean we have 2 users from Denmark (respectively the Smokin' Guy and I)
Mallrats has a hilarious commentary track.
I also enjoy the Trivia Tracks for Pulp Fiction & Jackie Brown, if that counts.
Quote from: sphinx
:yabbse-thumbup: favourite
:yabbse-thumbup: neighbour
:yabbse-thumbup: colour
"whilst" ?
i say whilst.
Quote from: Sigur Róserotic film about "the sensitive lover Saddam Hussein"
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.11bravo.homestead.com%2Ffiles%2FSatan_Saddam.jpg&hash=03ecc08a6ab46231b5e3e91ba72d44d230f7a67a)
Hey Newtron.....better make that big red guy look like Mr. Bush
Jake Gyllenhall was Bubble Boy before he became Mr. Great Actor, so you just may be right.
I must agree that i hated the Donnie Darko commentary, but I hated it for Richard Kelly's part. It was one of the few times that hearing the directors take on a movie ruined it for me.
The MR. SHOW commentary is fantastic, at least on the second disc. i dont even watch the episodes alone anymore, just the commentaries.
also (I'm sure it's on other dvds) but Road to Perdition has a audio track for blind people that describes everything everyone is doing. it gets real annoying real quick, but Damn can that Bitch talk FAST!![/b]
i was watching the simpsons last night and before the show there was a little message that said 'NARRATIVE TELEVISION' or something and it told me to turn my audio mode to SAP to be able to listen to it, so i did. It was hysterical. Imagine a narrator quickly trying to explain an elaborate simpsons visual gag inbetween dialogue and you'll pretty much get the idea of what it sounds like.
anyhting by pta or terry gilliam, and im also partial to the kevin smith tracks. Soderburghs usually good too. Has anyone seen Cannibal! The Musical? Trey Parker and co. get drunk as fuck on scotch and ramble for 90 mins, its great.
Quote from: Lesteranyhting by pta or terry gilliam, and im also partial to the kevin smith tracks. Soderburghs usually good too. Has anyone seen Cannibal! The Musical? Trey Parker and co. get drunk as fuck on scotch and ramble for 90 mins, its great.
I saw parts of the cannibal commentary and was laughing, but i had just watched the movie and couldn't go through the whole thing again. I'll just have to wait for a rainy day.
Sodeberheg and Gagan on Traffic (Criterion) is really good. Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's commentaries always dissapoint me, BADLY. PTA's commentaries are really good, of course. And Fight Club's commentaries are all really fresh.
Quote from: LesterHas anyone seen Cannibal! The Musical? Trey Parker and co. get drunk as fuck on scotch and ramble for 90 mins, its great.
The best part of that commentary is when they accidently turn off the audio so they're talking, but it's not recorded, so all of a sudden the commentary stops and like four minutes later it comes back on and they're like "shit... whoops"
Quote from: BonBon85In the disappointing category I'd like to add all of Tim Burton's. You watch them and he'll go for about twenty minutes without saying anything so you get into watching the movie without it and suddenly he'll say "he has a silent movie quality" and ruin a moment you're really into. I guess he's just shy.
Aww, I thought Pee Wee's Big Adventure was really nice. The talking between Paul Ruebens and Tim is really nice and comfortable. Two old friends reunited after a long time, I like it.
Robert Rodriguez's commentaries are great, particularly for El Mariachi. He talks almost nonstop. I only got to hear half of the From Dusk Till Dawn commentary with Tarantino, but the part I heard was good.
Ive really enjoyed Cameron Crowe's commentaries on both Almost Famous (with his mom, mentioned above) and Vanilla Sky, I just find that usually what he has to say interests me, he comes off as completely LOVING every aspect of filmmaking he is involved with, and even gives off the feeling (in the case of vanilla sky) that even doing a remake, he poured his heart & soul into the movie as if it was his baby from the start. Now I have to say that the Jerry Maguire commentary (featuring Cruise, Cuba , Renee and Crowe) was dissapointing, it was mostly the cast socializing in a "reunion" type feel, and too little talk about the movie... (it was fun that they were on camera though) Ive also enjoyed the comentary for Ferris Bueller's day off a LOT, its cool to hear John Hughes deconstruct a movie that is such a part of pop culture, at least for me.
Avoid : The only commentary ive been seriously dissapointed with was the comentary for Snatch... it seemed like Guy Ritche didnt even want to do it, and was pressured by the studio, and it shows.
Cliche, but the boogie nights commentary really is so so good, and the documentary on the making of Magnolia is awesome.
"Paul actually ground the lenses for this feature too."
-William H. Macy
Quote from: subversiveproductions"Paul actually ground the lenses for this feature too."
-William H. Macy
Macy's such a funny dude. I love when PSH does his Paul impression. That one gets me.
Gonzalez-Innaratu's commentary from Amores Perros.
Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (Bootleg)
Coppola for the trilogy.
Sorry to bring that since you've all started talking about the topic again but there IS a french guy among you. I really don't get what gave us that snobbish and rude reputation but it's not that deserved (sometimes is, I agree.)
This being said, I really recommend you The criterion edition of RUSHMORE with a great commentary by Wes Anderson...
P.T.A is great and Tim Burton can be very boring, I agree (but if you can get a copy of Ed Wood on region 2, it gets a little better (altough in this particular case his commentary was edited and mixed with the screenwriter's one...)
I'm suprised nobody mentionned Peter Jackson and his multiple Fellowship commentaries... John Carpenter can be pretty cool too (especially with his Buddy Kurt...). You can add in a little Ridley Scott (who can even make Hannibal look like an interesting movie during his commentary track), Scorsese on Last Tempation of Christ and Last Waltz (where are the others ? I know he did some for Criterion laserdicsc...) every Oliver Stone you can lay your hands on and Darren Aronofsky on his two feature films.
Now for the bad part... Wes Craven is boring as hell on all three Scream movies and on both Nightmare... I was quite disapointed by Cronenberg on Existenz and Naked Lunch(region 2) but I couldn't hear the one he did for Dead Ringers. And, Im's sorry if I hurt his fans' feelings but I would add friedkin to that list for his lousy "director"s cut" version of the Exorcist (he sounds like Ozzy Osbourne on this one - not talking about the O.K. 25th anniversary version... I know, I know, i should get a life...)
And I'd like to finish by saying that Joss Whedon can be quite interesting in his own way (meaning that I'm a huge Buffy/angel fan... A great WAYYYY underrated show...)
Hope I didn't bore you too much with what meant to be a SHORT post...
welcome vivian.
I haven't listened to any of the Peter Jackson commentaries yet but am really looking forward to doing so. I just haven't had the time. I'm glad to hear good things about them, no one really talked about them before. One of my friends here has a copy of the two towers on VHS so I've been soaking that up for the past couple of days.
I just listened to the Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino commentary on From Dusk till Dawn. One of the funniest I've heard for ages. Great DVD too, the Full Tilt Boogie Documentary taking up all of disc 2, definately rivals That Moment.
Quote from: Vivian DarkbloomAnd I'd like to finish by saying that Joss Whedon can be quite interesting in his own way (meaning that I'm a huge Buffy/angel fan... A great WAYYYY underrated show...)
Whedon's commentary track in the Second Season Buffy box set for the "Innocence" episode is better that most feature length commentaries.
Quote from: Vivian DarkbloomI was quite disapointed by Cronenberg on Existenz and Naked Lunch(region 2) but I couldn't hear the one he did for Dead Ringers. And, Im's sorry if I hurt his fans' feelings
sokay.... i can take it.... :yabbse-cry:
For Cecil B. Demented : I really like Cronenberg films, don't get me wrong, I just wanted to say that he's much more interesting during interviews (and on that great book he did with Serge Grunberg, I don't know if it wxwas translated in english...) that he is while sitting in a chair and talking about the philosophical concepts behind eXistenZ and seems to take a nap during the entire last half-hour of Naked Lunch...
im probably just sad about naked lunch on dvd in region 2. lucky bastards. that and lost highway in widescreen. sigh.
My favorite commentaries talk about the production of the movie, how things were done, what things used to be and good stories. I get bored of the ones that discuss the meaning of the film or the emotions of the characters.
... or the ones that just narrate whats going on. or dont talk for long stretches of time.
jonathan demme - silence of the lambs CRITERION
scorsese - last temptation of christ CRITERION
gilliam - Brazil CRITERION
Billy Bob Thorton and the Coens on "The Man Who Wasn't There": "Ed's sportin' wood."
Mr. Show commentary: They redub a whole sketch.
This Is Spinal Tap: In-character commentary is hilarious
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Not on DVD but one episode of this great show was just an old episode with the creator's moms commenting on it called "Mommentary." It's just a bunch of old women saying "I love my son, but this show...I just don't get it." Hilarious. The creators then did two other commentaries over that commentary. I love that show.
The fake Blood Simple commentary is hilarious, too.
I forgot about Hunter S. Thompson's commentary on Fear and Loathing. Drug-induced hilarity. :(
I just watched "Jackass: the movie" on DVD and listening to the whole gang reflect on their 'jackassness' is quite funny.
Boogie Nights - Paul Thomas Anderson
JFK - Oliver Stone
Spinal Tap - Cast
Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky
Citizen Kane - Roger Ebert
Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe
Swingers & Made - Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn
Fight Club - all of them
Far From Heaven - Todd Haynes
Evil Dead II - Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell
Quote from: caraxworst: charlton heston
hey! anyone messing with charlton is messing with me.
michael moore is outa kneecaps
Quote from: caraxworst: charlton heston
Seriously, dude! That's not funny! Charlton is the best actor of our time.........and gunman!
like charlton might put it; this new generation has no respect nor apreciation for its elders.
The easter egg drunken commentary from "A Better Place."
My favourite is definitely Cameron Crowe on Vanilla Sky.
I can't find a copy of the extended Almost Famous, though :(
Where are you from? Where I live you can find "Untitled" in every Borders or Suncoast around...
Quote from: ProgWRXWhere are you from? Where I live you can find "Untitled" in every Borders or Suncoast around...
In Ireland - not exactly a haven for enormous DVD selections...
well hmm i could tell you to check their respective online stores, but im guessing the region code would be all wrong :(
Quote from: mogwaiThe only good thing about Charlton Heston is by his acting.
Never really understood that comment Mogwai?
Quote from: ProgWRXwell hmm i could tell you to check their respective online stores, but im guessing the region code would be all wrong :(
No, i need Region 2 over here. Thanks anyway.
I have to admit, the commentary on Tron was pretty good. There's another entry for movies I'm ashamed for having seen...
Quote from: RaviI have to admit, the commentary on Tron was pretty good. There's another entry for movies I'm ashamed for having seen...
tron gave me a very funny feeling in my guliver.
dazza -
//www.hmv.co.uk offers it. same as the US version, except without the stillwater cd.
Quote from: Camel Lightsdazza -
www.hmv.co.uk offers it. same as the US version, except without the stillwater cd.
I ordered it from them on Monday! :-D
There are several really great commentaries I could listen to over and over again. But many of them blend into one after the other. Some of them are fun but disappointing. For example, the commentary for "Jerry Maguire" was fun but wasn't a commentary at all. Almost nothing was said of importance or insight into the movie. Or the commentary for "Y Tu Mama Tambien" was disappointing because all of it was in another language. And a really awful commentary was Carrot Top for "Rules of Attraction", which was crude, not funny and the least insightful or interesting commentary track I've ever heard. But here are some very interesting and insightful commentaries...
Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Baker Hall - "Hard Eight"
Roger Ebert - "Citizen Kane"
Paul Thomas Anderson - "Boogie Nights"
Ed Harris - "Pollock"
Cameron Crowe - "Vanilla Sky"
Sam Mendes - "American Beauty"
Adrien Lyne - "Jacob's Ladder"
Jill Sprecher - "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing"
Greg Kinner and William Dafoe, Paul Schrader - "Auto Focus"
Spike Lee - "25th Hour"
Steven Shainberg - "Secretary"
Dylan Kidd - "Roger Dodger"
Dustin Hoffman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Brad Silbering - "Moonlight Mile"
Mark Romanek and Robin Williams - "One Hour Photo"
Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon & Ben Affleck - "Good Will Hunting"
Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman - "Rushmore"
David Fincher, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman - "Seven"
David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton & Helena Bonham Carter - "Fight Club"
David Fincher, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt- Se7en
Paul Thomas Anderson-Boogie Nights
" "-Hard Eight
Sam Mendes-American Beauty
a ton more, just can't think right now. Too burnt and too early. Blech! :evil:
....aronofsky in pi and requiem..
sean gui?l?iet??(actor)...in pi
everyone's favorite.....schumacher in tigerland
lonergan in you can count on me.
mike newell on Donnie ..Brasco
Informative Commentaries
John Hughes on Ferris Bueller#s Day Off - A very interesting discussion of filmmaking. If only Hughes would do commentaries for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone and Weird Science. Drool...
Kevin Smith, Vincent Pereira & Scott Mosier on Dogma - They talk at length about the different styles and techniques they used and inject it with a good dose of humour too.
Lloyd Kaufman on The Toxic Avenger - Surprisingly interesting and Kaufman obviously has quite a bit of film knowledge.
Richard Kelly & Jake Gyllenhall on Donnie Darko - One of the best commentaries I've heard in a while.
Malcolm Ingram & Matt Gissing on Drawing Flies - One of the best commentaries around as they talk about making a low budget bigfoot movie in Canada.
PTA on Boogie Nights - The guy is like a less irritating Quentin Tarantino (Not badmouthing QT but his commentaries give me a headache if I'm not in the right mood). He's very interesting and has a real love for his craft.
Fun Commentaries
Any Kevin Smith Commentary - The man is just funny. I can't tell you how many people I know hate his movies but buy them for the commentary.
Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Carmen Lee, Renee Humphrey, Malcolm Ingram, Matt Gissing on Drawing Flies - Granted, a KS commentary but not on one of his movies. It's a real fun commentary.
Any John Waters Commentary - I love this man!
Evil Dead 2 - Bruce Campbell. That is all.
I like the commentaries on the Universal horror classics. Especially David Skal's commentary on "Dracula" and the commentary on "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein"
Quote from: Find Your MagaliI like the commentaries on the Universal horror classics. Especially David Skal's commentary on "Dracula" and the commentary on "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein"
Rudy Behlmer did a good commentary for Frankenstein.
Just like to ad the commentary to Moonlight Mile, with Brad Sibeling, Jake Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman. Extrememly entertaining and informative. Plus its a commentary that I'd listen to again.
I liked the "Snatch"-commentary by Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn. Ritchie is nearly all the time treating Vaughn and they're most of the time arguing about something.
I also liked the "Se7en"-commentary by David Fincher, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, although I didn't understand everything (I'm German and the commentary hasn't German subtitles). My favourite line from Fincher: "I did about 27 takes of that and by the end of the day everyone was looking at me like I was fucking nuts."
The commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens on the Extended Cut of "Fellowship of the Ring" was good, too. They are telling lots of interesting informations and details. I would kill for a PJ-commentary on "Braindead".
Adam Rifkin did a great commentary on "Detroit Rock City". It's very funny, packed with informations and nice little details.
Although I don't like that guy very much I have to say, that Brett Ratner does great jobs in doing audio commentarys. I thought that both, "Rush Hour 2" and "Red Dragon" were great.
I still haven't heard Paul Thomas Andersons commentary on "Boogie Nights", because they haven't released the Special Editon DVD in Germany yet and I haven't got a credit card (so I can't import it).
Could somebody please tell me, what PTA is talking during the Rahad Jackson-scene in "Boogie Nights"?
It's one of my favourite scenes ever and I would really like to hear what PTA said at that point.
i watched all my Kevin Smith commentaries this weekend and i must say he has the most entertaing ones by far. I can listen to them over and over. I like the Clerks cartoon commentary a lot too.
Quote from: Spike
Could somebody please tell me, what PTA is talking during the Rahad Jackson-scene in "Boogie Nights"?
It's one of my favourite scenes ever and I would really like to hear what PTA said at that point.
wait till ur turn comes.
John Waters for Hairspray. It is one of the funniest, most honest and just plain entertaining commentaries I have ever heard.
Blue Velvet has some great insight to what Lynch had in mind for this film from it's inception. Lynch and most of the characters offer a great bit of detail about the making of this movie. This movie is in my all time top 5 easily.
Training Day
the breathless dvd is pretty empty but the commentary on the movie is good
Cronenberg's commentary on the 'Crash' criterion laserdisc is great. Informative on story and filmmaking. One helpful tidbit for budding filmmakers:
The French Reverse. To make a small space (preferably a hallway) seem longer than it really is, shoot your actor's singles at opposite ends, so you can see the full distance/space behind them.
Diagram: < = camera, actors = A,B
((----------------------------HALLWAY-------------------------------))
< A,B......................................................................A,B >
When shooting B, you see the whole space behind him, move to the opposite eye for A's shot, you see the whole length again. A simple set dressing switcharoo hides the trick.
Both the Roger Dodger commentaries are great.
The Director/Cinematographer one is very informative and interesting. The Cast one is hilarious. Scott is one funny guy. Damn it's great.
I just got The Rundown. the commentaries were better than the movie, it was one of the funniest commentaries I'd heard actually.
BOTH commentary tracks on HARD EIGHT/SYDNEY - i love listening to PHILIP BAKER HALL speak while i make breakfast. especially at christmas time.
--ccb
the irvine welsh commentary on 'the acid house' by paul mcguigan is approximately 2 hours of complete silence.
Quote from: MacGuffinCameron Crowe and his mom on the "Almost Famous: Bootleg Edition" and Crowe, Ione Skye and John Cusack on "Say Anything..." (commentary starts 30 min. before they start the movie)
Roger Ebert on "Citizen Kane" and "Dark City"
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn on "Swingers" and "Made"
Any of the "Fight Club" tracks
Soderberg and Scott Frank on "Out Of Sight"
Tarantino on "True Romance"
Atom Egoyan and Russell Banks on "Sweet Hereafter"
Coppola and Walter Murch on "The Conversation" and Coppola on all three "Godfather" films
Cast and crew on any of the "Evil Dead" films
Spinal Tap (in character) on "This Is Spinal Tap"
The Wachowski Bros. and sex consultant Susie Bright on "Bound"
Add Frank Darabont on "Shawshank Redemption" to this list. Informative and inspirational. I hope "Green Mile" is reissued with a director's commentary.
Bruce Campbell (as Elvis) for Bubba Ho Tep
The Limey is one of the best. Nothing better than a writer having at a director after he turned a script that could just as easily have become a straight-to-video flick into one of the most underappreciated American films of the 90s.
Quote from: hacksparrowThe Limey is one of the best. Nothing better than a writer having at a director after he turned a script that could just as easily have become a straight-to-video flick into one of the most underappreciated American films of the 90s.
This is so so true.
the director/producer track on "the day after tomorrow". the producer is really funny while the director mostly sounds like arnold schwarzenegger on helium.
- Shawshank Redemption
- Usual Suspects
- Dances with Wolves
- Terminator 2
- Fight Club
- Almost Famous
recently...Heat and Collateral.
At the same time?
of course.
Robert Altman's commentary on 3 Women. I went back and listened to it immediately after finishing the movie for the first time.
Also, it's not really a commentary in the usual sense, but the long "interview" with David Lynch on the Eraserhead DVD is worth the whole price of the disc, IMO. Just an hour and a half of Lynch telling stories about the making of the movie, his early days, and some great little tangents about people who knows or knew. He also gets Catherine Coulson (the Log Lady from "Twin Peaks" and a longtime friend) on a speaker phone at one point and chats with her. It's really great.
2LB
I may have mentioned these before but...
Amores Perros - A commentary with Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga. An informative, exciting and inspiring commentary with two people I admire. I have no problem with subtitles but subtitled commentaries I don't like.
Roger Dodger - Both tracks. The one with Kidd and his DP is informative and inspiring. The one with Kidd, Campbell and Jessie is funny as hell. Kidd has this Rodriguez-anyone-can-do-it attitude towards filmmaking, something I appreciate. Though some part of me want filmmaking to be a mystery, a bit magical.
What makes a commentary bad? Scene-specific!! Not only is it boring as fuck but the over-analyzing of scenes make them bad too. It's disservice to the film. I don't mind interesting discussions over certain scenes but not all of them. And silence...I enjoy Deakins Fargo track but a couple of them he's silent for so long you're pulled into the movie and when he starts talking it's like "who's the fuck is that? oh yeah...I remembers, it's the commentary track..."
Quote from: kotteWhat makes a commentary bad? Scene-specific!!
ie. peter bogdanovich in Citizen Kane. i dont think his commentary has been dissed enuff. it has to be the most disappointhing thing ever! for sumone who has potentially a MILLION things to say about welles, all he says is two variations:
1. "now she's moving to the window." as kane's mother moves to the window.
and worse than that
2. "no one had done this before" "this was revolutionary" "no one had dared tried that before.. that's what made him great"... uh, that's the most obvious thing u could say about citizen kane other than "it's in black and white". sheesh.
Quote from: PubrickQuote from: kotteWhat makes a commentary bad? Scene-specific!!
ie. peter bogdanovich in Citizen Kane. i dont think his commentary has been dissed enuff. it has to be the most disappointhing thing ever! for sumone who has potentially a MILLION things to say about welles, all he says is two variations:
1. "now she's moving to the window." as kane's mother moves to the window.
and worse than that
2. "no one had done this before" "this was revolutionary" "no one had dared tried that before.. that's what made him great"... uh, that's the most obvious thing u could say about citizen kane other than "it's in black and white". sheesh.
yes. those reasons are similar to why i can't tolerate Stephen Prince's commentaries.
Another one: George Romero on The Crazies.
His descriptions of how the film got made in the first place (this was only his 2nd film, after Night Of The Living Dead) are fascinating, and he comes across like a really nice, really humble guy who'd be great to hang out with.
2LB
the new raging bull dvd has a very good scorsese commentary, i am unsure if it was 'borrowed' from the laserdisc version or not, but it is a nice go through...thelma should have talked a bit more about the actual editing though i thought
Quote from: bluejaytwistthe new raging bull dvd has a very good scorsese commentary, i am unsure if it was 'borrowed' from the laserdisc version or not
I'm sure. It was from the Criterion Laserdisc.
Quote from: MacGuffin
Add Frank Darabont on "Shawshank Redemption" to this list. Informative and inspirational. I hope "Green Mile" is reissued with a director's commentary.
I couldn't agree more. absolutely check this out if you haven't already.
Did anyone mention the I Heart Huckabee's commentary? I loved hearing Wahlberg on the Boogie Nights Dvd and I heard O. Russel and Gallagher are a fun bunch to be with. I can never figure Wahlberg out, like if he really still is a gangsta ass tough guy or is just acting it because he still remembers how from when he was a kid. I guess Hollywood gangstas are the type to throw marshmallows at Reilley's fat head. :(
So hows this commentary?
The O. Russel solo track I found a bit dissapointing in comparison to his excellent Three Kings track and because a lot of whats in the actor commentary is repeated. However the director/actor commentary is pretty funny but annoying that its edited. I like it when the commentary runs past the credits.
So was it a record and compile thing? I hate those type of tracks, My favorites are the ones in which the comment in groups like Boogie Nights and The Man Who Wasn't There, that way it feels a bit more, human. I also hate scripted commentaries. Scorcese did a scripted commentary on Last Temptation that was extremely dissapointing.
Rolando Klein, for his film Chac: Dios de la lluvia
Mel Brooks' in Blazing Saddles is excellent. For real.
Quote from: MacGuffinI hope "Green Mile" is reissued with a director's commentary.
a special edition is in the works right now.. :yabbse-thumbup:
Add George Huang's solo commentary track on the "Swimming With Sharks" Special Edition to my list. When they say DVDs are like film schools, this is what they mean; although everything he talks about is stuff they don't teach you in film school. He doesn't shy away from naming names, calling out the antics he witnessed being Joel Silver's assistant, tangles with Spacey and Whaley on the set as a first time director, and the words of encouragement he received from Robert Rodriguez. Huang even shares his phone message from Shelly Winters after she heard about her mention in the film and saw it.
I throughly enjoyed Milo Forman's and Peter Shaffers commentary on the directors cut of Amadeus. the featurette on the 2nd disc, for the films fans and mozart's fans, is a completely interesting and amazing, as far as the whole pre-production, production, and post-production of the film goes. lots of good stories.
The Verdict - Lumet
Gods & Monsters - Condon
Both were very good and I can't wait to listen to Condon's commentary on Kinsey.
any herzog commentary
Be quiet -- the director's talking
Commentary tracks by cast, crew or someone else entirely can add depth to movies. And you might learn a little.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Since the rise of the DVD, audio commentary tracks — directors, actors and others offering their thoughts about the movie as it plays — have increasingly become a part of the package.
It's impossible to know how many people listen to them, and some have a hard time believing anyone does. After watching a two-hour movie, why would you want to watch it all over again, with someone talking over it? Don't we shush people like that in theaters?
But for a small group of film buffs, a good commentary track can mean the difference between a good DVD and a great one.
"I think the good ones absolutely enhance the watching of the movie," says Richard Jewell, a film historian at USC. "The ones that I favor are the ones that really put the film into context and explain the artistic decisions."
Some wonder how much they can really add to a movie. Would our appreciation of "Citizen Kane" have changed any had Orson Welles given us a shot-by-shot analysis of the film or amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes? Probably not, but it would have been entertaining. Welles could expound on just about anything. As it is, the two-disc DVD of "Citizen Kane" comes with insightful commentary tracks from Peter Bogdanovich and Roger Ebert.
Some commentary tracks seem like nothing more than contractual obligations, actors or directors rambling aimlessly about the action on the screen or obligatorily praising their peers. But at their best, commentaries can change the way we watch movies.
Matt Zoller Seitz, a film critic for the New York Press, says commentaries have "democratized" movies by letting audiences in on how they're made. They've led to a savvier audience, one that knows about camera work and how certain effects are made.
"There's no downside to learning as much about production as possible," he says. "I have noticed an incredible sophistication about how movies are made that was not evident a few years ago."
As a critic, he says, that helps. It means he doesn't have to write in simpler terms to accommodate a general audience. "They're not going to have any problem keeping up with you, no matter how geeky you get."
But could knowing too much take away some of the mystery of how a movie is made? Pat Hanson of the American Film Institute says that's not a problem.
"Most people who are really into film love having the commentary because they want to get additional information about the movie," Hanson says.
The website ratethatcommentary.com reviews nothing but the commentary tracks of DVDs and lists the 100 best and 50 worst.
"The Fisher King," with a commentary from director Terry Gilliam, gets the highest ranking. Gilliam also gets the most placements on the list, seven. One reviewer dubs him the Michael Jordan of commentators, "effortlessly laying perfect back story, or why his instincts took the film here and not there, interesting casting anecdotes, and more."
One of the worst? Director William Friedkin's dreary analysis of his "The Exorcist." "He just describes the events we can see for ourselves. Actually, he also spends a lot of time in silence," one reviewer says.
Most on the list are either actors or directors, but a few film historians make the list. Jewell of USC has done a few commentaries, including for "I Was a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" and "Little Caesar." He doubts that many people listen to commentary tracks, and thinks even fewer do if the commentary is from someone they've never heard of. But he says his own commentaries have helped film students.
Jewell felt a little strange at first sitting in a room by himself and talking for a couple of hours over a movie.
"The first time I didn't quite know what to expect," he says. "I time out the movies, but I don't script it. I know how much time there is in a particular scene in a movie, but I don't want it to feel too canned. I make the notes and go from there."
The AFI's Hanson has just gotten into the commentary business. For a film lover, she says, it's hard to get used to the idea that you're supposed to talk while the movie is playing.
"It's a very odd and uncomfortable feeling," she says. "There's a sense, for me anyway, that you're talking over the movie. It's very difficult."
John Carpenter commentaries are always worth a listen. Especially when with Kurt Russell, you can tell the two are good friends and it makes a great dynamic.
Quote from: Two Lane Blacktop on March 08, 2005, 09:55:22 AM
Robert Altman's commentary on 3 Women. I went back and listened to it immediately after finishing the movie for the first time.
I can really go along with this, and with Pubrick's assessment of Bogdanovich. I LOVE, flat-out adore,
The Last Picture Show and
Paper Moon, and I think he's sincere about loving film and paying homage. But he never fails--in his interviews, commentaries, and writing--to come off as a very self-aggrandizing, name-dropping shill (for himself). It's like, "Guess who thinks Peter Bogdanovich is the funniest, most-inside-of-the-insider 'expert' on film? Peter Bogdanovich!" He's like if you crossed the godlike Martin Scorsese with the rather useless Dominick Dunne.
Some of my fave commentaries:
-Laura Mulvey on the Criterion
Peeping Tom. Very cerebral and film studies-like.
-Todd Haynes, Julianne Moore, and Christine Vachon on
Safe, as well as Haynes on
Far from Heaven (the latter surprisingly much more serious than the former, wherein the gang have some good laughs reminiscing about their difficult low-budget shoot and the film's uniqueness).
-Don Roos on
The Opposite of Sex.
I was just reading about an old laserdisc commentary by James Stewart for Winchester '73. To my disapointment it appeared to have been left off the DVD features however it was just mislabled as an 'interview' and I'm now enjoying listening to the legends memories in that great Jimmy Stewart voice.
Ahnold explains everything that's right in front of our faces in Total Recall (http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DncR2_pnzngM%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded)
Quote from: Reelist on November 24, 2011, 11:40:26 AM
Ahnold explains everything that's right in front of our faces in Total Recall (http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DncR2_pnzngM%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded)
lol. The best ever.
Quote from: Reelist on November 24, 2011, 11:40:26 AM
Ahnold explains everything that's right in front of our faces in Total Recall (http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DncR2_pnzngM%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded)
Is this commentary the one on the DVD from the early 2000's?
Just read through the thread.
2 I've been wanting to hear:
Road House/Kevin Smith
Cable Guy BR/Carrey/Stiller/Apatow
Anyone heard these?
Malcolm Mcdowell & Nick Redman commentary for A Clockwork Orange
A wealth of information and anecdotes regarding Kubrick
Malcolm even mentions how Kubrick shot his own Newsweek Cover photo that Pubrick posted here: http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=12329.0 (http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=12329.0)
a good one is Taylor Hackers talking about California and the making of Against All Odds,
i love Abel Ferrara and his commentaries are gold. James Toback and David Milich also do great stuff both writing wise and commentary wise
Whatever happened to the P.T Anderson CAMP commentary track?
oh and Roger Avary''s commentaries are pretty dope too
Lately I've gotten sick of listening to podcasts with hosts who are so ill informed that all they're really capable of is bickering about current events and their personal lives. It makes me long for the days when commentaries took up that space in my life, with 'hosts' that you idolized and stories that were so educational and inspiring. The only reason I don't listen to them more is they're inconvenient to access. If I like a movie enough, I don't want to sit and watch it with a voiceover tacked on, it feels like a waste of film. Unless it's one of the classics where they're actually doing a mini film history lesson like Ebert's on "Citizen Kane". So, usually I will throw a t shirt over the TV and listen to them when I go to sleep. Even listening to them that way feels very archaic, "You mean I have to stay put in this room to hear a piece of audio like it's a floor model radio?" I've considered dubbing the audio so I can have it on my iphone, but it turned out to be an arduous task.
Anyways, last night I stumbled upon this guy's youtube channel after watching Gremlins 2 and wanting to hear the commentary. He not only had that, but the first one too and it turns out hundreds of others (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCcHygvKQVfS5So921_FZA/videos). And he's found a creative naming system to keep them from being taken down. Thought you'd find it interesting, I know that dozens of hours of my time will be occupied there..
Whoa, great find! And a fantastic idea. I feel the same reluctance about "watching" commentaries. This is perfect. I'll have to rip the ones I'm interested in while this is up.
This is a FANTASTIC find, thank you!