DVD Audio Commentaries - Do You Listen?

[Hedji]

Do you listen to your audio commentaries?

Man, I have a large movie collection. And while audio commentaries are always a selling point, I can't say I always listen to them all from start to finish. I'm sure I have tons of them I've never heard.

Anyone have any memorable favorites out there they recommend? What makes a good audio commentary? Information? Or just the cast/director having a good time.

I recall the John Carpenter/Kurt Russell Big Trouble in Little China being fun. Same with the Schwarzenegger Conan one. Lots of laughs to be had there. Also enjoyed the West/Ward Batman 1966.

What are your favorites?

[jwyblejr]

The earlier Simpsons episodes ones are fun. Especially the ones with Brad Bird and Conan O'Brian.

[apes3978]

When I listen to the commentaries, I usually watch the movie (or TV episode) in the standard way first... After watching it in the "regular" way, then I'll watch it with the commentary running...

I can't think of any movie commentaries that stand out, but the ones for the TV series "The Monkees" and "Land of the Lost" were pretty good...

[palitoy]

Anything Sam Sherman does commentary for, I buy.

[Mawni]

When we first got our DVD player this was a major selling point for me. I used to listen to them all the time (not usually more than once). Now I never do.

[Hedji]

I remember in the VHS agreeing absolutely fascinated with the concept (as they were on laserdiscs).

[Brazoo]

I used to love commentary tracks, but now that I end up watching most movies online it's sadly been a long time.

The ones that stood out most to me were ones that dealt with the construction of movies. Good commentary can be like a mini-film class. so here are some of my favourites like that, off the top of my head:

- Any Kurosawa movie with his biographer Donald Richie
- the Fight Club dvd commentary with the books author and screenwriter talking about how they wrote their work, and comparing notes about the changes for screen
- the Ebert's commentary on Citizen Kane. I've read about 3 books on Kane, and he still managed to find interesting facts and observations I didn't hear before.

I also loved the commentary on Goodfellas with the real Henry Hill and the D.A. who brought him in. Also, Raging Bull is one of my favourite movies, so hearing Jake LaMotta watch it with his nephew is interesting.

[MIB41]

Being that I'm an avid fan of the process involved in how my favorite movies or television shows are created, I'm a big fan of commentaries. So many commentaries can lend insight and offer fun trivia bits or personal perspectives into the creative process that are not often part of a video documentary. Like anything, some are better than others and some are incredibly entertaining, depending on who is offering an accounting. The most pleasant surprise I ever got was Tom Weaver's commentary on the 1941 Wolfman film with Lon Chaney Jr. ANYONE who is a fan of that film should make it REQUIRED viewing with the commentary running. Fascinating insight into the relationships between actors; hilarious perspectives on the casting choices; and even an interesting oversight no other film of it's kind has. Quite honestly it was as hilarious as it was informative and gives the movie that much more charm.

Here's the funny part... The worst the movie is hated by others, (and is one of my closet favorites), the more fascinating those commentaries tend to be. Because if you're lucky enough to get the director to talk, then you either get a good explanation for their chosen vision or, in cases like Batman & Robin, you get a lengthy apology that evolves into a defiant about-face at the end, which suggests Schumacher was inadvertently offering a subconscious rationale that plays almost on a therapeutic level. If you chose to dive in, watch it with the commentary on. The movie actually becomes pretty interesting with Schumacher trying to explain it all. It's a great head screw for 95 minutes.

[palitoy]

Tom Weaver is pretty good at that sort of thing, I've listened to his commentary on stuff before.

[Mikey]

One thing that always bugs me about commentaries is they always go way off track especially when I want to hear what they have to say about a particular scene.

It's like I want to know what they think about this scene and instead they're talking about something that happened 20 years before the movie was even made ---

To me listening to many commentaries is like being the new guy and everybody is talking about things I have no idea about.

[thunderbolt]

not really, the only one that comes to mind that I enjoyed was the one for Spinal Tap, they stayed in character for it.

[Red Hulk]

I watch with and without commentaries the ones on the James Bond ones are some of my favorites

[Bruce Banner]

Always listen to the commentary tracks. I just like the insights they provide into the making of the film and the anecdotes from the cast and crew.

[Earth 2 Chris]

It varies movie to movie. I have to care about the subject quite a bit. The quality of them varies on how engaged the people are as well.

Chris

[Hedji]

I have to say, the DVD format has been very good for my opinion of Ridley Scott. I don't always agree with him, but it's always engaging to listen to him. He's a pretty smart dude with an artist's eye.