Best Commentary Track (DVD or LD)

Mine are:

Criterion HALLOWEEN
both Evil Dead tracks(funny as hell)
The Wall(didn't know Waters had a sense of humor
Brazil/Time Bandits/12 Monkeys(the man is nuts you know?)
Spinal Tap (both are funny & intresting)


I have a lot more but I'm being called away....

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-Dougpirana
"all right you primitive screw heads Listen up! "

Jodie Foster on "Contact" was one of the most enjoyable. It feels like she's in the room talking to you. Hope Hinkley never hears this one, it'll push him over the edge again...
AB

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Oh Dear God! It's Growing BIGGER!!!

[reeltime]

Up until this week, my favorite commentary track was Bound (on LD, but I believe the DVD is the same).

But now my favorite is Cannibal: The Musical. Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Jason McHugh, Ian Hardin, and Dian Bachar are all totally ripped, but they spill all of the dirty secrets about the film and where some of the ideas for South Park bits came from.

Totally fun, interesting, and useful! And if you drink with them, it makes it even more entertaining! (I'll be spilling the truth about "Leann" and other interesting tidbits next week on my own site, after the Oscars. Frightening to think that Trey Parker is now a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences!)

BTW, the worst commentary track ever had to be Barry Levinson on the Rain Main LD. I love him as a director, but he's sit there silent for minutes on end so we could "listen to the movie"! Hello, what do you think we did BEFORE we switched the commentary on?


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Best,

Dave Kramer
http://fromscript2screen.com

I'd say one of my most painful tracks to listen to is the new commentary track on the Easy Rider dvd by Dennis dead-air Hopper.....My GOD Man! SAY SOMETHING.........ANYTHING!!!
I just remember the better track(if a little self-congratulating) on the LD from a few years ago with Hopper(on the phone)/Fonda & the producer.Great Docu on the dvd though.


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-Dougpirana
"all right you primitive screw heads Listen up! "

[indiephantom]

Best I've heard:

BRAZIL-real insight, and very engaging delivery by Gilliam
EL MARIACHI/DESPERADO (LD'S)-Rodriguez is generously informative, especially for low-budget filmmakers.
CRASH (LD)Cronenberg commentaries are always enlightening, and I've heard them all. This is the best.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE-very funny
AMERICAN PIE So much more fun than the movie. Especially when one of the producers keeps commenting on the "hotties" in the cast.
KINGPIN-Not really informative, but these guys are fun to hear.
ALIEN- Ridley Scott sounds so cool.
TENEBRAE-Argento's english is hilarious, and he really attacks his distributors on censorship!

The Worst:
ZERO EFFECT-Condescending, irritating Jake Kasdan
PLEASANTVILLE-Where is this guy going with this?
FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (LD) When it comes to commentaries, Meyer is a real BOOB.
BATS-did this film really warrant a commentary?

[This message has been edited by indiephantom (edited 03-22-2000).]

[Wesly Moore]

In addition to some of the others mentioned here, I really enjoyed Coppola's commentary on Criterion's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" LD. From a technical standpoint, this film cried out for explanation and analysis, and the commentary more than delivered.

Another good one is Roger Ebert's commentary for "Dark City." I am not aware of any other commentary done by a film critic, and it's clear that, whether you agree with Ebert's reviews or not, the man knows his stuff.

One of the worst commentaries I've ever sat through is the one for Criterion's "Armageddon" featuring Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis. In general, I haven't been terribly impressed with commentary by actors (Jodie Foster's "Contact" commentary is the big exception), but this one really blows. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to listen to Ben Affleck being an obnoxious little kid and Bruce Willis saying...nothing much.

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Wesly Moore
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weslymoore@aol.com


[This message has been edited by Wesly Moore (edited 03-22-2000).]

[reeltime]

A number of the early Criterion Collection LDs (The Graduate, Magnificent Ambersons, and High Noon spring to mind) have film critics or historians doing the commentary. The trend now is to get the director, but for older films that's not always possible or optimal (like with Levinson or Hopper!).

The downside with getting a critic/historian, is they often give you their interpretation of what the writer and/or director intended (vis a vis symbolic touches, like metaphors and use of color, light, and setting in this regard), and it's usually better to get this kind of thing straight from the source. It usually depends on how well researched they are, something that's usually not very easy to tell.



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Best,

Dave Kramer
http://fromscript2screen.com

[Rejemy]

My favorites include Mallrats, The Usual Suspects, Ghostbusters, Evil Dead, Army of Darkness (Anchor Bay), and Apollo 13, though I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

[Dehrian]

Citerion's Silence of the Lambs and Ebert's Dark City are the best I've heard yet.

"Maniac". Indeed, the commentary is far better than the film.

[misfit13b]

By far, Evil Dead's Bruce Campbell commentary rules all. I can't wait for the SE of Evil Dead 2. (Army of Darkness was also good, but it's really hard to follow the original.)

I also thought the Blair Witch Project's was pretty cool too.

[Wesly Moore]

Originally posted by reeltime:
The downside with getting a critic/historian, is they often give you their interpretation of what the writer and/or director intended...and it's usually better to get this kind of thing straight from the source.

Reeltime makes an excellent point. I can't begin to guess how many times I've heard a writer or director amused or outright amazed by a critic's interpretation of his or her work. "Well, that's very interesting, but I really didn't have that in mind at the time!"



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Wesly Moore
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weslymoore@aol.com

The "that's not what I had in mind" from the film director has a cautionary corollary for the amateur film reviewer.
"If you look for it, you will find it."-that is, films can be inkblots, and will often reflect a reviewer's conscious or sub-conscious frame of mind during the viewing of the film.
AB

"Oops, my freudian slip is showing..."

[P7A77]

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Muppets From Space.

I agree with many listed here ('specially Foster on Contact.. very nice to have a different take than most of the director or ensemble commentaries, and I can't think of a better actor to do it), I remember being impressed with the commentary on Scream. Granted, it was one of my first DVDs, and my first commentary, but I remember it having a bit more energy and with than most I've seen.

[indiephantom]

A few more good ones I remember...

THE USUAL SUSPECTS is a great one. It's best to hear it over a couple of sittings as Singer and McQuarrie have a lot to say.

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (LD:SE) Similar to the above, this time with Rodriguez and Tarantino trading off stories. Then on a seperate disc, Rodriguez redoes commentary on a few scenes sans QT for those of us more interested in the technical

SCREAM (LD) was very good as someone mentioned. Yet again another engaging rapport between writer and director. I prefer listening to it on the laserdisc, because on the DVD you are not actually seeing the uncut version that Craven and Williamson are.

THE LOSS OF SEXUAL INNOCENCE a lot of people don't like this movie, and may find Figgis's commentary a bit stuffy. I loved the film, and loved hearing his insights into this very "open to interpretation" work.

ROBOCOP (LD) Listening to Verhoeven and the gang was one of my first experiences with a gather round the table approach commentary track, and is still a great one.

CLERKS (LD) Another group approach, with a twist of adolescent humor even funnier than the one on AMERICAN PIE, and much more juvenile. Entertaining, I love Jason Mewes on this track.

this list goes on...

A few more..

Escape from New York-John Carpenter & Kurt Russell's track is a lot of fun,interesting(I'm from St. Louis) & shows how they really are good friends.
Assault on precinct 13-again I just find Carpenter fascinating to listen to.
Phantasm-I get a kick out of how self deluded the film makers are on this track sometimes...Oh yeah, sure Star Wars stole the idea of JAWA"S from you......uh huh.Or "we started the whole early 80's horror fad with Phantasm." Uh......ever heard of Halloween guys?

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-Dougpirana
"all right you primitive screw heads Listen up! "

I'd have to say the best is Ghostbusters - which features the video commentary. A very entertaining and informative commentary with lots of funny moments. Definitely one of the best!

[Will Munney]

I thought I'd chime in with a few that haven't been mentioned yet:

The Universal Horror Series: I found all of these to be excellent and very informative except for The Mummy, where the guy spends WAY too much time telling us what's happening on the screen. HELLO, I'm watchihg the movie, aren't I? I know what's happening.

The Devil's Advocate: I've heard several people say they hate this one, but it's one of my favorites simply for the fact that the direct talks NONSTOP. You'd think most people would have plenty to say about their film, but most commentary's have way too many pauses. He also takes the time to point out why Al Pacino is still one of our greatest actors.

Any Werner Herzog Commentary: I've found all 3 of Herzog's commentary's to be highly informative and entertaining and hopefully the upcoming Anchor Bay releases will feature them.

City of Lost Children
It Happened One Night

Worst:
The Mummy (1932)
The Matrix (thanks for telling me everything I just saw in the featurettes)
Kingpin (talk about the movie, not about what part every person you've ever met plays in the movie)

[Sid]

Re-Animator cast commentary
El Mariachi (most informative ever)
Mallrats
Alien (cant wait for Ridley to do one for Blade Runner)

Sometimes I treasure the technical/filmmaking insight provided by commentaries, but there are times I just enjoy a humorous, fun track.


I really enjoy John Waters' commentaries on Pecker and Serial Mom, but I think the most entertaining one I've heard recently is the David Friedman/Herschell Gordon Lewis track on Blood Feast. Their amazement and amusement that the film is still being purchased 30 years later comes through loud and clear, and they share some great laughs about its making.

As Good as it Gets: The only Nicholson-commentary I've ever heard, and I believe the only one out there. A blast!

I also like Stone's commentary for Platoon.

[Dick]

I will add to the above the wonderful, very enlightening but occasionally irreverent track that accompanies THE WOLFMAN. There are some truly funny bits in this, so much more entertaining than the very dry and self-important stuff we so often hear. Check it out.

Among my favorites are As Good As It Gets (God bless Jack Nicholson), Lethal Weapon 4 (not necessarily on target with the movie, but at least he's enjoying himself), Contact (Jodie Foster is fantastic and very informative), and Boogie Nights (one of my personal fave flicks, the director is one of a kind, and he shows it).

Garry Marshall on Pretty Woman (both versions, same commentary) and Runaway Bride

Matthew Bright on Freeway (he TALKS to the movie)!

My .02...

I'm a sucker for SE and extra-laden disks (in fact I usually won't purchase disks unless they fit into that category - special exceptions like Dr. Strangelove). My faves have to be P.T. Anderson on Boogie Nights and Ebert on the Dark City disk. I would love to see Ebert do a joint commentary with someone like Scorsese, Spike Lee or Anderson.

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"This is a snake skin jacket... it's a symbol of my individuality... and my belief in personal freedom...

[This message has been edited by sailor ripley (edited 03-25-2000).]

Boogie Nights - a nice treatise on how to get around the MPAA...

Lair Of The White Worm - Ken Russell is almost more entertaining then the movie...

Army of Darkness SE - Campbell and Raimi, nuff said...

Worst - Man in the Iron Mask(rented, not bought) - Could Randall Wallace be any more full of himself?

[reeltime]

Which Boogie Nights commentary? I think I heard that Paul Thomas Anderson recorded two or three different tracks, at least on LD. I have the Criterion LD, which was pretty good, but it didn't set my world on fire or anything.


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Best,

Dave Kramer
http://fromscript2screen.com

The DVD commentary is the one I meant. I haven't heard the commentary on the Criterion LD...

[UCFKevin]

American Pie's is quite good, as is the text version of the Abyss (anyone know who did that?)

1. Natural Born Killers
2. Boogie Nights
3. Out Of Sight
4. Seven Samurai
5. The Limey
6. Clerks
7. Mallrats
8. Apollo 13
9. Evil Dead: SE
10. Army Of Darkness

[This message has been edited by bluesman (edited March 28, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by bluesman (edited March 28, 2000).]

1. MALLRATS SE: I have to say that I pop in the disc about once a month, it's that funny. Probably funnier than the movie.

2. SCREAM: Before they convinced themselves that no one could do it better, Williamson and Craven give a lot of insight into what it took to get this movie made.

3. ALIEN: Scott rules!

4. THE THING: great drinking game, take a shot everytime you hear Carpenter and Russell light a cigerette.

5. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH: Universal does the right thing and let's the director and writer discuss a topic for five minutes AFTER the movie ends.

Plus, both the text commentary on the Ghoastbusters and Abyss discs (note to Anchor Bay, this is what you should have done w/ the Halloween SE).

[Iceman]

I was really impressed by the text commentary on Abyss, which appears like subtitles below the movie frame. Think this is the first time I've seen a "silent" commentary on DVD, but it's kind of a clever idea. Tons of interesting trivia and technical comments on how the scenes were shot, yet it allows you to hear the original soundtrack. Audio commentaries can be distracting if the director is dull. Cameron is fairly engaging, but I think he made a wise choice to do it in text. It works very well.

I also liked the visual commentaries on the Abyss and Ghostbusters discs, and I'm looking forward to Sonnenfeld's commentary on Men in Black with the "light pen" function so he can highlight parts of the picture.
I'm curious as to the next logical step. Perhaps whimsical visual commentaries ala VH1's "Pop-Up Video"? That'd be kinda neat
AB

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Oh Dear God! It's Growing BIGGER!!!

Apollo 13 - who ever had the idea of getting Jim and Marilyn Lovell to do a commentary deserves hearty congratulations
Cruel Intentions - not very informative at all, but a lot of fun. Particularly listening to all the males in the recording getting excited by the central park kissing scene
Can't Hardly Wait - a stupid movie and an appropritately stupid commentary that is tonnes of fun to listen to
Das Boot
Go
Clerks/Mallrats of course
Out of Sight
Army of Darkness
Evil Dead
Mask of Zorro & Goldeneye - Amazingly informative commentaries. Martin Campbell seems to have something to say about everything.
Run Lola Run
City of Lost Children

Okay - I did mean for those to be in alphabetical order but I kept thinking of more worthwhile ones.