When do you watch supplements?

[manigrasso]

I finally broke down and piced up a portable DVD player on ebay. Three reasons: My commute, as I've complained before, is brutal (2 hours door to door oneway); I thought it would also be a good second DVD player for my bedroom and/or computer room; and finally, I never get a chance to watch extras.

I mean, I'm an admitted couch tater, and between the commute and the few TV programs I really like to watch, and the time spent in my computer room (oh, yeah, and that whole trying to have a social life thing), I barely have time just to watch a DVD, let alone watch it again right after for the commentary, or a documentary, etc. So I figured I'll watch the "big movies" at home, and use the portable for the extras and DVDs that I don't necessarily need to see on a big screen (Twilight Zone & South Park eps come to mind, and maybe the Spanish Dracula).

But back to my question: How many of you just plow through everything a DVD has to offer right away? Or do you watch a movie, then revisit a few months later? Do you watch a trailer right before or right after the movie itself? Are there any particular documentaries/commentaries you feel warrant the purchase of the disc (Exoricst & Army of Darkness SEs come to my mind, right off the bat), more than the movie itself? Just curious, and I promise I won't sell this information to Circuit City...

Manigrasso

[Damian]

Great question

For me it depends on the movie itself and the time we're watching it. If it's a weekend I'll usually go through the suppliments after I'm done watching the movie. (I say after because if there are any deleted scenes I don't want to risk there being an spoilers if it's a movie I haven't seen yet)
I very rarely listen to the audio commentary. I'm just not that interested in it but then again, that depends on the movie itself.

If it's a week night, then I'll just go straight to the movie and go back to the suppliments at a later time.




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-Damian

[Dominik Pfleghaar]

I usually watch a movie at night, and after that it's either too late or I'm too tired for the additional contents, let alone a commentary track.
So I often end up putting the disc back onto the "I-will-watch-that-additional-stuff-another-time - shelve".
I have a zillion discs on that shelve by now.
But let me asure you, I will watch that stuff as soon as I have the time

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Unca Dom, DDS-088
dvdfile.com administrator
dominikpfleghaar@netscape.net

I'll watch the trailers before I watch the movie, and I might get to the 'featurette' after I watch the film. This is due to time of day/ length of segment.

I'll switch to the commentary track at particularly interesting scene, and If it's engrossing, I never go back. (I always have Closed Captions on anyway.) I try not to do this on my first viewing of the title, but some people are highly entertaining (Gary Marshall, Mike Myers/ Jay Roach)

Disc that don't do "on the fly" switching usually don't get their commentary tracks listened to. BOO!!! It's one thing to switch over to hear the director's/ actor's thoughts, it's another thing to commit to listening to Jim and Marilyn Lovell for 2+ hours....

[reeltime]

First off, I almost never buy a DVD of a movie I haven't seen, though I do sometimes rent them. If it is a movie I haven't seen, I'll invariably watch it before I do anything (though I might view the trailer first).

But most DVDs I buy outright, and it's because I've seen and really liked the movie. In that case, I will often go straight to the extras. First I browse the menus to see what extras exist. I might pop over the the scene access menu to see how it looks, since each disk has its own way of presenting this. Some are pretty cool (I love the one for Dead Alive!)

While I often skip right to the deleted scenes and other supplements (I loved watching the "Rules and Hints" section on The Sixth Sense before rewatching the movie), I will almost always sit through the movie again before turning on any commentary tracks.

That's my M.O. I love supplements, and they're often a deciding factor when I buy a disc. So it's natural, I think, to want to check them out first!


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Best,

Dave Kramer
http://fromscript2screen.com

since, according to my co-workers, my dvd addiction is kinda like drugs or alcohol, but legal, well, more accepted at least in the case of alcohol addiction, i buy alot of movies i haven't seen yet, so i don't watch the supplements before, trailers or otherwise. i'm kinda like dom, i'll watch the movie, then put it up on a shelf with intentions to check out that commentary track some other time. i will check out music vids tho if i like the song, and the dr. evil story on the spy who shagged me disc is not to be missed. so, i guess it depends on the movie and the what the extras are.

~erik

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my dvdtracker page
thebeerdawg@yahoo.com

[This message has been edited by fisher (edited 03-30-2000).]

Oooooooh - how can you watch the trailer before you see the film?! I can't think of anything worse - most trailers destroy the film as they contain all the interesting bits anyway - seen the trailer? Well, seen the film then! This thread just goes to show - see my thread on obsession with extras.

[indiephantom]

I sort of agree with Justin on watching trailers first. Particularly now, as trailers are worse than ever and reveal everything! Seldom is watching a trailer first a good idea.

I like to watch trailers after I've seen the film. Anyway, myself like Dom said, I have seen most of the films I buy before but increasingly though there are many DVD's I bought without seeing them, as it's such a great way to experience a film for the time.
Usually I'll only do this if it's a film I'm SURE I'm going to like (as sure as I can be) or it offers something interesting.

As far as extras go, I watch as much as I can and as much that interests me. When I'm home late at night and everyone else is sleeping, I find that a good time for commentaries. Easy on the ears. I rarely make it through the entire film, unless it captivates me totally. (I bought THE LOSS OF SEXUAL INNOCENCE and had never seen it before, watched it, then immediately watched it again with commentary on. This is rare)

For example, I did explore quite a bit of THE ABYSS disc, but the documentaries and trailers interested me way more than the technical stuff about submersivables. But sometimes I find a disc that I just can't stop watching. DEEP BLUE SEA is not a great film, but I love watching it, hearing the commentary, and watching the special effects demos. I think it's a great, and really easy to navigate. It's not a full special edition but the bonus material is much less boring than the stuff on A BUG'S LIFE.

So getting back to the topic. I went through all the extras on Anchor Bay's HALLOWEEN, but I still haven't watch the movie on the disc all the way through (yes, I've seen it many times, but the bonus stuff was what I was aching for first) Same with many films that I've loved for years that arrive on loaded DVD'S. I will watch the extras on THREE KINGS and SLEEPY HOLLOW before I see the movie again. But it's all a bit interactive. I mean watch a scene here, listen to some commentary here, see a trailer, watch some more. That's part of the coolness of DVD navigation, you can mix it up, and experience a film any way you want to.

Hi Indiephantom

You've probably just made the best arguement for extras yet. I was really taken with your final paragraph and the points you made. The interactivity and chopping and changing you mention are really vaild. Got me thinking a bit now...

[LBPound23]

I like to watch the trailer before watching a movie, particularly if it's a DVD rental. The trailer puts you in the mood of the movie, as well as getting you somewhat familiar with the outline of the plot, so that it's not confusing later. I have yet to encounter a trailer that gives away much of the film. As for the rest of the special features, I rarely have time for a commentary on a rental. But I always watch the behind-the-scenes features and cast and crew bios & filmographies. I really do enjoy supplements, they played a strong part in my decision to get a DVD player. You may say I'm obsessed with extras, but on the contrary, I just think I enjoy DVDs to the fullest, and the fullest indicates all those entertaining special features that come on the 5-inch discs.

If I'm renting, extras first.
If I bought it, then it's a tossup. If there's a lot of extras, such as The Abyss, I'll watch the extras first. If there's just trailers, then I watch the movie.

[P7A77]

Well, like most people here, it depends. And I'll usually do movie first if I haven't seen it. Tho' with the Abyss, since it had been a long time, I tried to watch as few extras as possible just so I wouldn't ruin the "magic" of it. Tho' I did watch the time-lapse of the set being made.

Err - not meaning to be rude but how many film plots would you not have understood without seeing the trailer first, LB Pound 23?! Whatever rings your bell...

If I've never seen the film before, I'll watch the supplements afterwards but if it's a film I have seen before, I'll go through most if not all of the sups before even seeing the film. I bought The Exorcist back in February and still haven't seen it but I went through all of the sups. A friend warned me not to see the extras before seeing The Sixth Sense as I had not seen it in the theatre and I'm glad I listened to him because it really would have spoiled it for me.

[This message has been edited by eyebix (edited 04-09-2000).]

[LBPound23]

Well Justin, one instance (not for me) but for someone I was watching The Truman Show with. They sort of were doing something else during the beginning of the movie and didn't really understand the plot. So I showed them the trailer, and it finally made sense.

[P7A77]

Which brings up perhaps a side point, but isn't it annoying when you watch a movie you've seen with friends - especially if you've been trying to get them to watch it - and they talk or make noise or go to get a beer or something during a particularly key or well directed moment? Pay attention to the damn movie.

Well, P7A77, you can always rewind the movie - or re-scan, in the case of DVD - That's not the best way to watch, I realize, but at least that way you don't miss anything, n'est-ce pas?

-- Jough

Originally posted by P7A77:
isn't it annoying when you watch a movie you've seen with friends - especially if you've been trying to get them to watch it - and they talk or make noise or go to get a beer or something during a particularly key or well directed moment? Pay attention to the damn movie.

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-- Jough Dempsey
http://www.jough.com
http://www.joycean.com
dvd@jough.com