DVD commentary 'queens':Share the pain.

[vince]

The other day I asked a friend if he had heard the commentary yet of a DVD he had bought, and he looked at me as if I was from another planet. I really thought he and I had the same shared enjoyment of things, and I told him of all the great commentaries there were, and how, sometimes, they made the film BETTER. He just shrugged, and said he didn't have time to sit and listen to people babble over movies. Anybody else felt the alienation of sharing the joys of 'the commentary track'?
Also, has anyone here heard the John Waters commentary over "Mommy Dearest"? Would love to know if it's any good.

[Chip Z]

I've never listened to a single commentary track. I'm probably not the only one.

[93curr]

I've listened to every single commentary track I own. No disc gets filed on the shelf until every single bonus feature has been studied, and all easter eggs been searched for. If they're informative or entertaining, it's all good, but I do have a very low tolerance for the occasionally astonishing amount of sycophancy one must endure.


Favorite commentary track of all time is the one for 'The Limey.'

The Kevin Smith tracks are sometimes almost as much fun as the movie.

[johnnyyen]

I also feel the commentary is required listening. I don't think I've heard a bad one yet; there's always some interesting piece of info or trivia to be had. For instance I never knew Alan Ladd has an uncredited appearance in Citizen Kane, he appears at the end of the film in shadow. I always make a point of listening to the commentary and I'm disappointed when DVDs don't have them.

[evenreven]

I have never listened to any commentary except the first season set of Twin Peaks - and that was when I was writing an article about the show and needed the info in there. I don't ever feel the urge to sit down and watch a movie with a commentary. It's too... I don't know. Educational? It feels a little like being to school. I like behind-the-scenes documentaries a lot, though.

I will probably make an exception for some of the Robert Altman films one day. I want to hear what he has to say. And maybe I will watch the commentary to Un chien andalou and L'age d'or when I buy that super-expensive BFI DVD. That film is fun to discuss.

Maybe I will understand this phenomenon one day... :)

[ChrisM]

I pretty well listen to the commentary on all DVDs that have one. I too am disappointed by DVDs that don't include them.

The worst commentary that I've heard is on The Matrix. The participants all sound totally bored. I stopped listening after 20 minutes.

Cheers,
Chris

[vince]

Worst comm. for me was, "Dick".

[Eli]

I have listened to the commentary tracks on many of my DVDs, but not all of them. Whether or not I listen to the commentary is a measure of my level of interest in the film. I might like a film enough to buy a used copy for $3 at a pawn shop, but not enough to delve into all the background and making-of stuff. Also, I have heard some worthless commentary tracks.

[93curr]

I will probably make an exception for some of the Robert Altman films one day. I want to hear what he has to say.

'The Company' and '3 Women' both have great commentaries. I'd recommend starting there.

And maybe I will watch the commentary to Un chien andalou and L'age d'or when I buy that super-expensive BFI DVD.

If they're the same ones ported over from the Kino editions, don't bother. They're retty underwhelming.

[ec461]

The other day I asked a friend if he had heard the commentary yet of a DVD he had bought, and he looked at me as if I was from another planet. I really thought he and I had the same shared enjoyment of things, and I told him of all the great commentaries there were, and how, sometimes, they made the film BETTER. He just shrugged, and said he didn't have time to sit and listen to people babble over movies. Anybody else felt the alienation of sharing the joys of 'the commentary track'?
Also, has anyone here heard the John Waters commentary over "Mommy Dearest"? Would love to know if it's any good.Put me in your friend's camp. No time!

[Jay F]

I've watched a few DVD commentaries and extras, and I've yet to see one that enhanced my enjoyment of the movie/show.

It bugs me when a reviewer downgrades a DVD because he didn't like the extra material.

[Matt Wittman]

Hoop Dreams was nice- Arthur and William have a commentary track and so do the filmakers.
The Monkees movie that was released in 2000 or so had Micky, Peter, and Davy do seperate commentaries, Micky's was awesome.

[zobalob]

..... And maybe I will watch the commentary to Un chien andalou and L'age d'or when I buy that super-expensive BFI DVD. That film is fun to discuss.



....If they're the same ones ported over from the Kino editions, don't bother. They're retty underwhelming.

I'm not sure, but I think only "Chien Andalou" has a commentary on the BFI release, both, however, have introductions by Robert Short, the same person who did the commentary for the Kino "L'Age d'Or", so, I'd need to check at home, but I'd think that it would be the same commentary track, (did Kino publish a version of "Le Chien Andalou" ?), based on this.

Herzogs' commentaries can be pretty amusing.

[Ron Stone]

Out of the hundreds of DVDs I've rented, I've watched maybe a dozen commentaries and I really don't understand why anyone would want to peruse every one of them.

Judging from my sample, the useful information gleaned from re-watching a movie with commentary could summarized on a single side of an index card. The rest of it is bored people telling you what you're already watching: "Oh, here's where I discover the killer may be one of the detectives."

[Rael]

I think I've watched perhaps a couple of commentary tracks but never in one sitting. I mean...I've watched the movie for 2 hours...now I've got to sit and watch it again for 2 more hours while someone spouts out information that could probably be found in a book or on the Internet? No thanks, my rear end needs to get up off the couch at that point. What's worse is some DVDs I own contain 2 or even 3 commentary tracks. Who has time or the patience for that?!

[vince]

Kevin Smith is a big ball of FUNNY.... and he's give sometimes THREE commentaries!

[Raf]

What does the thread title mean?

[vince]

It means....... I'm a commentary queen. I check that stuff out...... I give it a shot, no matter what it is. My friend came over last month with "Dig", "The Mayor ofSunset Strip", and that Anton Cojorn video collection, and, out of the blue, I said, "Oh, look! Commentaries!". Everybody rolled their eyes, but I listened to them ALL! Case closed.

[evenreven]

If they're the same ones ported over from the Kino editions, don't bother. They're retty underwhelming.

I have no idea. It's supposed to be by Robert Short, for both films.
There's a comparison here: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare7/chienandalou.htm

I don't know anything about the Kino edition. But I need the film on DVD anyway, so I might as well get that one because of the good picture quality - regardless of commentary.

Thanks for the Altman tip!

[poidog]

It means....... I'm a commentary queen. .

Billy Ocean's ill-conceived attempt at a comeback.

[Oatsdad]

The worst commentary that I've heard is on The Matrix. The participants all sound totally bored. I stopped listening after 20 minutes.


I assume you mean the original 1999 commentary with Carrie-Anne Moss and some FX guys. The 2004 package includes a couple more commentaries and drops the old one. Not that the new ones are any good either... :(

[Oatsdad]

It bugs me when a reviewer downgrades a DVD because he didn't like the extra material.

What do you mean? When I rate a DVD, I factor quality and quantity into my extras grade. Are you saying I shouldn't do that? Or are you bothered by critics who don't recommend a DVD without any/substantial extras?

[Oatsdad]

Also, has anyone here heard the John Waters commentary over "Mommy Dearest"? Would love to know if it's any good.

It's okay. It's not as funny and bitchy as one might expect; Waters throws out some catty remarks, but he mostly defends the movie. It's mediocre to boring much of the time. Here's my review:

http://www.dvdmg.com/mommiedearest.shtml

[Oatsdad]

I'd guess I've listened to more commentaries than anyone else here, as it comes with the job. It irks me to no end critics who review DVDs but don't watch ALL the extras - my work isn't complete if I skip something.

Anyway, even though I've listened to hundreds - maybe thousands - of commentaries and have encountered MANY bad ones, I still love them. They're my favorite kind of DVD extra, and even the less than stellar ones usually offer some substance. When they're good, they're great! :righton:

[ChrisM]

I assume you mean the original 1999 commentary with Carrie-Anne Moss and some FX guys. The 2004 package includes a couple more commentaries and drops the old one. Not that the new ones are any good either... :(

Yes, I was referring to the original DVD release. I didn't realize that it had been changed in a future edition. I don't see myself running out to grab a new copy just for a different commentary track, though.

Cheers,
Chris