The DVD commentaries thread

[Famous Mortimer]

Someone on this page (looks like phantom_power) has an avatar which triggers my malware shield. Damn.

[Famous Mortimer]

Thanks for the tip! I bought a Something Weird DVD the other day too. I've been wanting to delve into their library for a while, not sure where to start though?

And, everyone who watches their films should also watch the documentary on Hershell Gordon Lewis, which is brilliant.

[phantom_power]

I haven't got an avatar

[Famous Mortimer]

I haven't got an avatar

In that case, sorry (the link said "avatar" in it, and yours was the only one I couldn't see).

[phantom_power]

Yeah I can't see it either. I have seleted 'No Avatar' in my profile so I think it is a default one. Maybe Neil knows what is going on

[Chriddof]

Some other recent thread on this site has someone saying that his malware software freaked out over Jemble Fred's avatar. And Jemble Fred's on the previous page...

[Jemble Fred]

I changed the avatar a couple of days ago.

[Famous Mortimer]

I watched "Severance" with the commentary last night, cos I'm a huge fan of director Christoper Smith, and...it was pretty funny. Even Danny Dyer, apart from a few inevitable lapses into laddish sexism, is good value. Tim McInnerny and Andy Nyman are both great and there's plenty of insight into filming in Eastern Europe and the Isle of Man. The running joke where Nyman keeps producing letters written by co-star Laura Harris (who's not there) is fun too. Thumbs up, I say.

[Dark Sky]

That being said, the Mulholland Drive DVD didn't even have scene selection (at Mr Lynch's request).

I believe the more recent reissue of it does have scene selection, with the blessing of Lynch.  He probably knows what DVDs are now.

I watched "Severance" with the commentary last night, cos I'm a huge fan of director Christoper Smith, and...it was pretty funny. Even Danny Dyer, apart from a few inevitable lapses into laddish sexism, is good value. Tim McInnerny and Andy Nyman are both great and there's plenty of insight into filming in Eastern Europe and the Isle of Man. The running joke where Nyman keeps producing letters written by co-star Laura Harris (who's not there) is fun too. Thumbs up, I say.

I remember enjoying that!  It also marks the time I learnt how to pronounce "McInerny".  (And I love Chris Smith, too...especially Creep - amazing film!)

[Epic Bisto]

Since I've got some time off work, I've been listening to the commentaries for The Old Grey Whistle Test DVDs (#2/#3) again. I don't like David Hepworth or Andy Kershaw, but by God these tracks are so bloody funny, I almost forgive them.

"Dear Fluff: Great Show! Play more Heep, Quo, Zep, Elp, Tramp"

[Famous Mortimer]

I just did "Creep" (Chris Smith's first film) with the director's commentary, and it was fascinating. The ideal commentary - informative, interesting, a little bit funny and doesn't talk any more than he needs to.

[danyulx]

I must have heard one of the most disappointing, lacklustre audio commentaries of my life, the other night. Dennis Hopper's for his (great) film 'Out of the Blue'.

Dennis Hopper doing an audio commentary - a mad man, ain't he? - what have you got to lose? Quite a lot as it happens. Five minutes of silence, before he's finally prodded by the producer into muttering something like "I think that was shot in Montreal...... It was raining that day, I think..." Ad infinitum, for two hours.

John Waters and Werner Herzog do the best commentaries on the block. Terry Gilliam is great at them too. Commentaries are usually best when they couldn't give a toss about what's going on on screen and they just spend the running time ranting and raving about whatever they like instead.

I heard Matt and Trey's commentary for the 'South Park' film not so long ago. That was excellent.

I usually rip audio commentaries as MP3s and play them on my ipod as I'm gong to bed. Most of them help me sleep. I don't recall ever ever being sat in front of my TV watching a film with the audio commentary track on - it'd do my head in. In the same way anyone talking over any film does my head in. I don't care who they are or what they have to say. I thoroughly understand David Lynch's and Steven Spielberg's anti-Audio Commentary stance, by the same token I'm glad they - audio commentaries - exist, though. I'm conflicted.

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

I've fallen asleep many times whilst listening to one of Guillermo Del Toro's commentaries. I don't think I've ever made it to the end of the one for Hellboy 2. It's not that he's boring or anything, quite the opposite, but there's something in his voice that just soothes me.

It's a real boon for the insomniac film geek. Recommended.

[Dark Sky]

I heard Matt and Trey's commentary for the 'South Park' film not so long ago. That was excellent.

Whut?!  How does this exist?!

[danyulx]

I think it's only included on the 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray release. That's how.

Trey Parker is one the funniest men alive. I could listen to him doing any audio commentary for fifteen hours straight.

[El Unicornio, mang]

The Evil Dead commentaries are a hoot. As is the Fight Club one. Might have already mentioned it, but the Goodfellas commentary by the real-life Henry Hill and the bloke who arrested him is fascinating, quite sad to hear him almost break into tears when the scene featuring one of his best friends ('Morrie') being murdered comes up.

[Famous Mortimer]

'Dodgeball' has the entertaining fake commentary, with Vince Vaughan audibly eating crisps and drinking and Stiller acting like a prima donna, though it only runs for about half the film, when everybody allegedly walks out and two assistants put on the commentary from 'There's Something About Mary'. It does have a real commentary hidden somewhere on the disc too.

The blu-ray of this has a grand total of no special features whatsoever. I was really looking forward to the same specials the DVD had, but no. BALLS

[danyulx]

..the Goodfellas commentary by the real-life Henry Hill and the bloke who arrested him is fascinating..

That sounds really interesting. I'll be checking that out soon. Cheers.

I've always had the blinding idea that WHEN I get around to making MY FILM - the less said the better, an ongoing nightmare that'll finish me - for the audio commentary for DVD/Blu-Ray release I'm gonna track down the critic who gave the film the best, most glowing and praising review and the critic who gave it the most damning, scathing, disgusted review. And let them do the audio commentary for the film together, hopefully it all ending in physical violence. Or at the very least the good reviewer being slowly turned throughout the film's running time, being slowly and subtlety persuaded by the bad reviewer's very sound and valid arguments against the film. "You know what, mate.. You're right."

[Dark Sky]

I think it's only included on the 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray release. That's how.

Thankee!

[Don_Preston]

Since I've got some time off work, I've been listening to the commentaries for The Old Grey Whistle Test DVDs (#2/#3) again. I don't like David Hepworth or Andy Kershaw, but by God these tracks are so bloody funny, I almost forgive them.

"Dear Fluff: Great Show! Play more Heep, Quo, Zep, Elp, Tramp"

Hilarious are those, especially with Kershaw. Especially when they have nothing to say about Sade and just talk about presenting Live Aid.

Ellen: It's funny that Roger Daltrey said he didn't want a solo career
Kershaw: Neither did we.

[Epic Bisto]

Hilarious are those, especially with Kershaw. Especially when they have nothing to say about Sade and just talk about presenting Live Aid.

Ellen: It's funny that Roger Daltrey said he didn't want a solo career
Kershaw: Neither did we.

"Four Eyes. One Vision. ELVIS COSTELLO!"

[Custard]

Listened to The Wicker Man commentary, with Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee, and Edward Woodward this week.

Some really interesting insights, and was great to hear just how passionate Lee still is about the film, and the butchering of the film on release. Didn't come across half as pompous and annoying as I'd somehow always imagined him being.

All three men got their share of time to talk, and Mark Kermode managed to reign himself in enough also. Was funny how they kept, rightly or wrongly, correcting him on certain things too

Just watched the Arnie commentary clips for Total Recall on YouTubes, and laughed big

Anyway, this thread hasn't been contributed to in a fair while, so are there any recent commentaries that we should all seek out?

[Sam]

Herzog on Dwarfs, Elfman on Scissorhands, Mendes on Perdition.

[Brundle-Fly]

I've just discovered the first audio commentary ever was done by Criterion Films for the original King Kong laser disc in 1984 by film historian, Ronald Haver. I'd love to hear that but it appears not be an extra on any of the KK DVD reissues since. And I'm not buying a Laser disc player.

So, the first words uttered on a commentary were,

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I'm Ronald Haver, and I'm here to do something which we feel is rather unique. I'm going to take you on a lecture tour of King Kong as you watch the film. The laserdisc technology offers us this opportunity and we feel it's rather unique — the ability to switch back and forth between the soundtrack and this lecture track..."

[Replies From View]

Well, I can tell already that he uses the adjective "unique" far too often, so I'm going to presume that he's a cunt and that his entire commentary is a fucking abomination.  I'm glad it's never been included on any release since.

[Brundle-Fly]

Well, I can tell already that he uses the adjective "unique" far too often, so I'm going to presume that he's a cunt and that his entire commentary is a fucking abomination.  I'm glad it's never been included on any release since.

Give the cunt a break! No one had ever attempted this kind of thing before. That unique introduction was positively Shakesperian compared to some of the inarticulate grunting, umming and aahing, backslapping meandering drivel I've had the misfortune to hear on certain DVD commentaries. I would go as far to say, that it should be mandatory that Ronald Haver's unique audio commentary for King Kong should feature on all movie DVDs replacing the actual commentary from now on! Even fitness DVDS.

[El Unicornio, mang]

That Arnie Total Recall commentary is hilarious. "I am going up zee escalator....Now I have a gun...Now I have to pull this out off my nose...now I am fighting zees men!". Someone really should have explained that an audio commentary isn't the same as a commentary for blind people.

[Custard]

Heh, apparently his Conan The Barbarian one is just as funny

[Famous Mortimer]

I'll give a few mild props to the Red Letter Media commentary for Star Wars episode 1 (done in character as Mr. Plinkett, I think). There's not a lot that he can say that wasn't covered in his brilliant review of the film, so he tends to wander off the point and do comedy quite a lot, but it's still pretty funny.

[Custard]

Listened to the Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg track for Shaun Of The Dead last night. Not overly funny, but constant interesting tidbits about the making of the film, the people from comedy they really wanted in the film, how they feel it could've been improved, etc

Good stuff. Might get round to the Hot Fuzz one this weekend

Rock n rollllllllll