DVD commentary tracks

[razazteca 0]

I enjoy the commentary tracks on DVDs especially the ones that add back story to the movie. On the Dunken Master dvd it had commentary by Ric Meyers who has written books and in magazines in depth about Martial Arts. His insight into the character of Won Fei Hung, helped me understand and enjoy the movie more. Such as commenting that the Drunken Master was like a who's who of Won Fei Hung films which date back to the days of black & white. Or the fact that Simon Yuen who played the role of the old master died a few years after the movie was made but still was featured in several spinoff movies about his character even though they were not true sequels the studios still advertised it as such, i.e. 36 Crazy Fists and Manificient Butcher among others.

 

I like the documentary style of commentary over the getting the cast together to talk about nothing tracks.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Commentaries were my primary motivation for moving to DVD (would've done the Laser thing, but they were too expensive and even moreso in England if you wanted the good stuff).

 

I'm to the point now where I'll listen to commentaries while I do my writing or play video games - fuck, I recorded a few that I hadn't heard onto MiniDisc and listened to them on the train when I had to take a trip.

 

I like both "styles" of commentary, but the best are those that get a good measure of both - Kevin Smith & co's tracks and Bey Logan's HKL tracks are obviously high on my list. I'd probably favour getting the drunk cast together to reminisce over a dryass info-fest - I'll take the Jackass commentary over Tim Burton any day (even ridley Scott, legend that he is, gets fucking broing after a while).

[Slayer 0]

Depends on what kind of commentary track it is. If it's the actors recalling experiences while filming or the director/producer expanding on the movie itself, I'll listen.

 

For most anyone else though, I probably won't

[razazteca 0]

Kevin Smith making fun of Jason Mewes does work but the humor can run thin after awhile.

[PsychoDriver 0]

I really dig them, but it really depends on the movie and how interested I am in that movie.

 

As for the style... I don't really care if it's a Funny cast commentary, MST3K style commentary, Bland director's serious tech. commentary or a film historian reading off facts/stories if it gives me more insight into something I already enjoy.. it's cool with me.

[MrRant 0]

I listen to all the commentary tracks. So far the best ones I have heard are any of the Mel Brooks commentaries and also Mike Newell's from Donnie Brasco.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I've watched a few

 

Mallrats

 

Oz episodes

 

Clerks epidoes

 

South Park episodes

 

Buffy episodes

 

Beyond The Mat...The director and Terry Funk...Funk just about put me to sleep.

 

Jason X...wanted to know what they hell they were thinking. And the writing thinks that his "comedy" in the movie is just great.

 

I have a bunch I've been meaning to get to

[ArkhamGlobe 0]

I try to listen to them when I have the time. Personally I prefer when it's either the director discussing the making of the film and why he/she made the choices they did, or some film historian who can provide interesting facts about the making of the film.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

The best commentary ever is for Cannibal! The Musical. Why? Well, there's a reason it's titled "Liquored Up Cannibals" on the DVD menu...

[syxx2001 0]

I prefer the director going over the making of the movie. The commentary for Paid In Full provides a whole new side of the movie that makes it even more sadder.

[DARRYLXWF 0]

My favourite commentary is off The Goonies DVD. Every cast member (that is, every goonie) is present, and they all have cool stories to tell. Plus, their good natured humour really makes it an enjoyable watch the whole way through.

 

EDIT: Another highlight is the fact that Corey Feldman just DOESN'T shut up. Half the time, nobody is even listening to him.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

My favorite commentaries tend to be Sam Raimi's and Bruce Campbell's for the Evil Dead series. Very informative while still being goofy as all hell.

 

The Simpson commentaries are all magnificent as well.

[Mole 0]

Buffy and Angel.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

I listen to all the commentary tracks. So far the best ones I have heard are any of the Mel Brooks commentaries and also Mike Newell's from Donnie Brasco.

I love the Spaceballs commentary from Mel Brooks.

 

 

Back onto the topic, if the characters are "in character", like King of the Hill season 1, I don't listen to it. I listened to all the Simpsons ones, and they are generally funny or good to listen too.

 

Usually the most important SPECIAL FEATURE to me on a DVD is audio commentaries. As long as it's entertaining or informative, I'll listen to it. I didn't like the Terminator 3 ones, because they were recorded sperate and meshed together, like they were actually in the same room.

[starvenger 0]

For no real reason, I watched PCU with Jeremy Piven on commentary. He and the director recorded separate tracks, and I can see why - Piven pretty much rips the director every chance he gets for not letting the cast improvise scenes and going wild with the movie. Actually one of the better commentaries that I've listened to.

[the pinjockey 0]

I enjoyed the Mallrats DVD, where they just busted on it the whole time.

 

Worst commentary ever has to be on American Pie 2. The one with Mena Suvari, Jason Biggs, and ? (maybe Kevin). But the only things they do are makes comments such as "This was neat", "That was fun", "How was that Jason?". Other than that the only thing they did was chuckle, which pissed me off. They had it set up where any noise from one of them killed the soundtrack and took you to them. So you would get noise..:chuckle:......(dead air).......back to movie..:chuckle. Lather Rinse Repeat.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

i hate buying a movie and not finding commentary... it's like "damn...where the fuck is it!"

 

I enjoy commentaries on the following:

 

Donnie Darko

Any Kevin Smith film

Fantasia 2000 (especially for Sorceror's Apprentice)

The Simpsons

[teke184 0]

I've watched a shitload of them and I'd have to say the funniest commentary would have to be the one on Cannibal: The Musical. Trey Parker, Matt Stone (the South Park guys), and other people who made the film get shitfaced, joke around, and accidentally turn off their microphone for a part of it.

 

 

Other commentaries have their highs and lows, although it pisses me off when the people have nothing to say or mentally ill / delusional.

 

The one that best fits that last term would be Jennifer Tilly's last-minute appearance on the Bound commentary, where she puts over herself for little ad-libs like intentionally looking the wrong place for an elevator button to add tension to a scene. The pompous-bitch nature of it is offset by how juvenile the action she's describing appears on-screen. It makes me wonder if the over-acting actress wanna-be role she played in Bullets Over Broadway was intentionally written for her as a rib by Woody Allen.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

I think that ever since getting a DVD player, I watch movies with the commentary on more than just watching the movie.

[Nighthawk 0]

I used to watch them all the time, but as my dvd collection grows, I find myself with less and less time, and now there's a bunch I've been meaning to listen to and haven't.

One of the most interesting I've heard is Hunter S. Thompson on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, cause he's seriously out of his mind. There are other people there to kind of steer him in the right direction, but he's still nuts for real. I don't know if it was drugs or what.

A really great commentary is Chuck Pahlaniuk on Fight Club, along with the writer of the movie, whose name I can't remember. Yeah, that's probably my favorite one.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

My favourite commentary is off The Goonies DVD. Every cast member (that is, every goonie) is present, and they all have cool stories to tell. Plus, their good natured humour really makes it an enjoyable watch the whole way through.

 

I don't like the movie, but I enjoyed the commentary.

 

I also enjoy Kevin Smith commentaries.

 

Stay away from Brendon Frazer on The Mummy...

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Simpsons audio commentary is the best...sometimes.

 

 

I find Julie Kavner to be the dumbest bitch ever.

[Guest DVD Spree]

I think that ever since getting a DVD player, I watch movies with the commentary on more than just watching the movie.

Listen to this man. Commentaries not only make shitty movies worth watching, they can double the life of movies you love and have watched a hundred times. Unless, like my girlfriend, you're TOTALLY into Brandon Lee's hair in The Crow, and then you hear the commentary and find out most of it was extensions.

 

Generally, ensemble commentaries are better than the ones stitched together from seperate sessions/interviews (the new T2 track kicks the shit out of the old one), but sometimes the stitched-together ones are just as good (the Verhoeven/Neumier/Davison commentary on the first RoboCop DVD is just as good as the one on the Special Edition, for example).

[k thx 0]

I find Julie Kavner to be the dumbest bitch ever.

Seconded.

 

Although Futurama is better than The Sipsons. They're more likely to break out laughing and doing impressions.

[Insane Bump Machine 0]

I love the cast commentary on the LOTR Extended Editions. They are funny (the Hobbits and Gollum bickering with each other), informative (tha humans talking about how they had to train with swords etc.) and just plain great (Christopher Lee and John Rhys-Davies especially).

[Guest Razor Roman]

I listen to all the commentary tracks. So far the best ones I have heard are any of the Mel Brooks commentaries and also Mike Newell's from Donnie Brasco.

the Mel Brooks ones on Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs are good; also good are the Pixar ones, they really indicate how much work goes in to crafting a good, choesive story.

[eiker_ir 0]

my avorite commentary on any DVD so far is the one on the Evil Dead 2 DVD, i can listen to it 15 times and it doesn't get boring

 

the one with Bruce Cambell alone in the Book of the Dead edition of ED is pretty good too

[Ravenbomb 0]

I watch:

Kevin Smith movies/episodes

Last House on the Left

Buffy/Angel episodes

Evil Dead movies

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Back onto the topic, if the characters are "in character", like King of the Hill season 1, I don't listen to it. I listened to all the Simpsons ones, and they are generally funny or good to listen too.

 

One exception: Spinal Tap. Hilarious stuff, as the band looks back on their "documentary" 20 years later.

[Art Sandusky 0]

The Jackass commentary track with Bam, Ryan, Steve-O, and four other dudes rules.

 

The How High commentary is great, with Meth telling Red shit like "listen to that fake-ass cough" and the revelation that they had no idea how the movie was going to end even as they were filming it.

 

Kung Pow's audio tracks rule, since there's about four different ones (normal, director commentary, real Chinese dialogue, book on tape version).