what's the worst "luvvy luvvy" "extra feature" on a dvd

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My dear wife bought "the talented mr ripley" on dvd, which was ok i suppose, but not great. We watched the "making of" bit. Holy fukc it was piss. All these actors preening and banging on about what a privelige it was to work w/each other, and ~~bigging up~~ shotting this film, like it was teh great cinema, and not some 2nd rate literary adaptation. It was NAUSEATING. Nevertheless, I'm sure much, much worse is out there. What have you seen in this genre that made you feel ill in a similar vein?

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

The problem with a lot of extra stuff is that it's essentially EPK/promo material, at least in the case for many recent films, and therefore not much of a bonus.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

the one for "galaxy quest" otoh, was actually quite funny in places, esp the bit where the man who plays the bad guy appears in costume (you never see him au naturel) and he says s th like "I see my character as being like attila the crab" It losses points for not having missi pyle in it tho'.(=rowr rowr)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

what are some decent commentary tracks?
I've only watched two and they were dull. "Oh look, there I am running up a hill."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never actually listened to a commentary track. apparently there is one where the actor is pissed up and raving about stuff, which sounds like it could be teh funney. I'm kind of trying to imagine what a q tarantino commentary track would sound like, but some things are too awful to contemplate har har.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 20 May 2004 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

The Lord of the Rings commentaries are good. Oh, and the Spaced commentaries are fantastic, especially the 1st season one.

― Johnney B, Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

'Airplane' commentary is great.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

LotR seconded. I liked the commentary on Slam a lot, I hadn't realized that most of the actors in the film were people they found around the neighborhood, actual prisoners, etc.

The all-time classic good/bad commentary is Conan the Barbarian. The director and Arnold clearly don't have a thing to say about the movie and can hardly remember doing it. "Yah...look, I really killed those guys."

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

for anyone who enjoyed the humour in fubar, the commentary track is funny at times. It's just the two main guys still in character walking you through the movie and getting drunk.
I think that's the only commentary track I've ever sat through.

The extras on the double disc Christmas Story DVD were kinda painful. Just a bunch of interviews and games, and nothing informative. And Zack Ward (who played Scot Farkus) appears to be in character when giving answers, which is just embarassing.

― Jonathan (Jonathan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Have the guys from Fubar left character since that movie came out?

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Fewer and fewer of the commentaries for recent movies are any good, because the gap between film production and DVD release is so short that they've taken to recording the commentaries either separately (i.e. a "cast commentary" might be six different recordings spliced together from six different actors answering questions from an unheard interviewer) or during production/press, when you can be sure of getting the cast together in the same room. Sometimes that's interesting -- it might be the first time some of them have seen the final cut, so you get some "oh wow, that's where that scene goes?" -- but usually it's just a snapshot of their chemistry, or a rehash of the soundbites they give on the press junket.

The best commentaries tend to be the ones on older-but-not-old movies that are seeing their first DVD release now, or that had a laserdisc release. The Ghostbusters commentary is done by Reitman and Ramis, and since it's them watching/reminiscing about the movie fifteen years later, there's a lot of, "Boy, you know, someone asked me about this scene just the other day, it's wild how well people remember the movie." Perspective that you just can't get on more recent movies.

The Muppet commentary tracks are done in-character, which is nice, and it's basically the Muppeteers goofing off (in Muppets From Space, the commentary has an ongoing joke about the cameo appearances: "Oh yeah, that's Ray Liotta. Isn't it weird that he just happened to be working as a security guard when this happened? You'd think he'd make enough money as an actor...")

Commentary tracks by film historians and other experts are a good idea, but rarely seem to work out well: documentaries are better, because the flow of what a historian has to say about something is not going to naturally match the flow of the movie, after all, so that you either have a stilted, prepared speech (Camille Paglia does a track on Basic Instinct and is obviously reading from something she's typed up, and doing so with all the poise and speaking ability of a seventh grader delivering an oral presentation on A Separate Peace) which attempts to address what's on screen, or a rambling narrative that has nothing to do with what you're watching.

The commentary to Say Anything (Crowe, Cusack, Skye) is great for largely the same reason as Ghostbusters: perspective, and the fact that these guys haven't seen each other in awhile. There's actually twenty minutes of commentary before the movie even starts, as everyone talks about pre-production, and how they became involved in the movie, and Cusack's reluctance to take a teen role, etc.

I'm trying to think of other good ones ... oh, Fight Club, the track with Pitt & Norton & Fincher (and HBC, iirc, recorded separately), is very nice -- they all get along great, and it's interesting to listen to their slightly-different but still compatible approaches to filmmaking and views of the script, as well as the friction with the studio and critics.

For Donnie Darko, hit the Gyllenhaal-and-director track and fast forward to the scene in the movie theater to hear Jake Gyllenhaal do his impression of Christopher Walken Playing Frank The Bunny. It's brief, but brilliant.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, for some reason, TV show commentary tracks have a much, much better batting average than movie tracks do. I think this is in part because the writers are often involved, and TV writers have more interesting things to say about TV episodes than screenwriters-who-aren't-directors have to say about movies (their involvement in the process is so different and they're often producers/directors as well as writers, and they work directly with the cast).

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the commentary on Comedian. Some of it's much funnier than anything in the movie, and there's a lot of Jerry Seinfield making fun of Colin Quinn, which is right and proper.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Is it because CQ is eating IN EVERY SHOT HE'S IN???

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Best extra feature: the "Family Friendly" cut on Cabin Fever (a horror movie), that cuts out all the offensive material. It's 45 seconds of the characters driving in silence.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

that movie has one of the ickiest sex scenes in recent memory

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I actually prefer Spaced w/ commentary, it's fantastic, can't wait for 'Shaun'.

Adaptation of Pinter's 'The Caretaker' commentary is very very lovey-ish (Alang Bates and others) but not *that* bad. Full of totally irrelevant anecdotes about Noel Coward and so on. Not really a commentary, I doubt they were wathing the film.

The best source for all this is The Onion's 'Commentary of the Damned' feature.

― Enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

that movie has one of the ickiest sex scenes in recent memory

Are there zombies involved?

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

... kind of.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

That reminds me, I still need to listen to the commentary on most of the Buffy DVDs.

― martin m. (mushrush), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, now I just want to see this so-called "Cabin Fever."

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Worse than zombies.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The cast commentaries on the Firefly DVDs were all fun, but when Whedon gets involved they're pretty dull.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

And Zack Ward (who played Scot Farkus)

It's SCUT Farkus.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.lisagaye.com/troma/troimage/femtoxie.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

ickier

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

It did stay with me for awhile, but I love that movie.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Cabin Fever? U R nsayne!

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

It's great! All the appeal of a slasher or monster movie with none of the slasher or monster.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.zug.com/error/vigoda.gif

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, it might've been better with Abe Vigoda in it, I'll give you that.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Cabin Fever is terrific - a gd old-fashioned gutbucket goregest

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Citizen Kane has a superb two-hour doc about the making of attached, really wonderful stuff, plus good shot-by-shot commentary from Roger Ebert.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Cannibal! The Musical's track is great, since the cast & crew essentially just get drunk together as the film goes along. Near the end of the flick, a coupla the guys begin passing out, and one of them goes into the kitchen to call a cab to take them to the titty bar. You can hear most of the phone conversation.

― Kingfish Disraeli (Kingfish), Thursday, 20 May 2004 22:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Matos OTM on the Kane commentary. Bogdanovich's is more rambling, not always to good effect.

The best commentaries tend to be the ones on older-but-not-old movies that are seeing their first DVD release now, or that had a laserdisc release.

I think I'd have to agree, though it isn't one to one. The Repo Man commentary is pretty great, good mix of directors and actors and more, but the Near Dark one is stolid and lifeless, Bigelow doesn't add much.

A stellar example of a set of commentaries on a recent film -- besides LOTR, which I heartily agree with is pretty damned great -- would actually be Frailty. Separate commentary tracks for Paxton as director, the screenwriter, and then the producers as well as the film composer, an interesting but very effective blend. Paxton's is good enough but the other ones are the real winners, and each provides fine differing perspectives on the film and story.

I tend to value 'chattiness' in a commentary, in the sense of a conversation you'll listening in on rather than a recital you're getting. So on that level and based on what DVDs I have around:

Best chatty solo commentary ever is Larry Cohen on Black Caesar, rambling in a good way, informative, anecdotal, the works. You almost get the feeling that, were he alive, Ed Wood would have been the same way on a Plan 9 release.

Best chatty two-person commentary -- John Carpenter and Kurt Russell in pretty much ANYTHING.

Best chatty group commentaries off the top of my head: first, the five actors who were the kids in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Only the second or third time they had all met together after the film, very bubbling and enthusiastic and good-spirited. Second, the group commentary on the second disc of the UK 24 Hour Party People featuring Peter Hook, Miranda Sawyer, Bruce Russell and others watching the film, with a video camera set up on them most of the time and the film relegated to a frame in the corner.

Best commentary as performance: This is Spinal Tap (the MGM release, not the Criteirion).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 May 2004 22:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah, Cannibal! is great. It's actually really informative about everything that happened during the filming as well, esp. from a making-your-first-film perspective.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 May 2004 23:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned's right about chattiness, too -- there's an art to a good commentary track, and that's a large part of the key and probably why the commentary to Idle Hands (director, Seth Green, and the other buddy, I don't know his name) is better than the one to Planet of the Apes (Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter).

One of the best "guest appearances" in a commentary track: Susie Bright, on Bound.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 20 May 2004 23:41 (twenty-two years ago)

the fight club one is pretty good. When they get to the part where they club the Nu-Beetle Fincher is like: "yeah we decided to include this because both Brad and I loath this car and how ubiquitous it has become" and then Pitt (tongue obviously in cheek) goes: "Oh no actually I've changed my mind since then, I think it's a stylish and affordable alternative" (or something), and Fincher just sort of chuckles incredulously.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 20 May 2004 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

The extras on the "Friday" DVD are TERRIBLE!! It almost made me hate the movie and everybody in it they were so bad!!!! It was weird, everybody - even Chris Tucker - ESPECIALLY Chris Tucker seemed like he had only the faintest idea what he was doing and who he was supposed to be... everyone had these little capsule interps of their characters that were so formulaic and awful compared with what you image is actually going on in their heads during the actual movie.. What could make me hate that movie, in the end. Nothing. But still I have to forget about that stuff or it almost gets ruined. The father's the only one who comes out of it ok at all. I guess actors don't actually know what they're doing half the time, that's the whole thing of it, huh. But Jesus. "Oh you know this guy I play.. he's just a dude, you know. Just likes to hang out."

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 21 May 2004 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Aint seen it, but supposedly during the American Splendour commentary Harvey Pekars mobile rings and he takes the call!

― The Velvet Overlord (The Velvet Overlord), Friday, 21 May 2004 00:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm told that the Conan the Barbarian commentary, by the governor of California, is pretty ace, since apparently he doesn't understand the concept at all and keeps saying things like "I KNOW. WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS? DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?" but I haven't seen it myself so I might be wrong!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 21 May 2004 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

It's him, Milius and Stone talking, isn't it? You'll never get THOSE three in a room together again!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 21 May 2004 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I wish I could remember which movie it was -- it was a rental, not a purchase, or I could figure it out -- but one of the commentaries I watched when I first got my DVD player went on normally for about five-six minutes, chit chat and intros etc., and then one of the actresses shushed one of her costars: "Shh, the movie's starting!"

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 21 May 2004 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, most ones I was going to add have been mentioned..

Added Commentaries I have known:
Southlander (Rory Cochrane, Beth Orton, Beck vehicle, ac = directors (one of which also was in the film forget his name))
24 Hour Party People (there are three ac's, all but the Steve Coogan one)
Straight to Hell (Alex Cox : Makes the movie more interesting)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 21 May 2004 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The Spinal Tap in-character-commentary is hysterical. Actually, the whole DVD package is fab, you get practically enough good extra footage to make an entire other film.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Friday, 21 May 2004 08:35 (twenty-two years ago)

You are not wrong.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 21 May 2004 13:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Conan the Barbarian has just shot up 212 places in my queue.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 21 May 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

wet hot american summer has a version of the movie with extra farts

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 21 May 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The Spinal Tap in-character-commentary is hysterical. Actually, the whole DVD package is fab, you get practically enough good extra footage to make
an entire other film.

Yeah, I agree -- I imagine the outtakes as the complete alternate take on the film. The bits like the Joe Franklin interview are grand too.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I am very close to buying the Marx Bros collection.

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

For a while, I would make anyone who comes to my house watch the full versions of "Listen to the Flower People," "Gimme Some Money," and the '60's press conference ("Water is a drug...when you wake up in the morning, you splash some on your face, and it waters you up...") off of the Spinal Tap DVD.

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

Pashmina otm on the first post here, and why i searched this thread out.

I too find all that "and so as soon as we saw her walk into the room, we *knew* she was the perfect part for the role" all luvvy duvvy BS nauseating.

and also destroy : "we were like a family during the filming of that movie, it was completely unique"

aargh

― Ste, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:23 (seventeen years ago)

not that I want to admit this but the commentary track for Star Trek V, which is just Shatner and his daughter (really?) is amazingly dire

― El Tomboto, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:28 (seventeen years ago)

has anyone else listened to the fake film historian commentary track on "Blood Simple"? it's great, and done in complete deadpan.

― BLACK BEYONCE, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:33 (seventeen years ago)

it's been said before, but old ilx was so weird

― n/a, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:41 (seventeen years ago)

like how do you mean

― J0hn D., Monday, 23 June 2008 21:42 (seventeen years ago)

like i can't imagine anyone now posting a 7-paragraph answer to a question, then following it immediately with another paragraph

― n/a, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:46 (seventeen years ago)

also i used to be NA and now i'm n/a, wtf?

― n/a, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:46 (seventeen years ago)

Jordan doesn't sound like Jordan

― n/a, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

just weird

― n/a, Monday, 23 June 2008 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

has anyone else listened to the fake film historian commentary track on "Blood Simple"? it's great, and done in complete deadpan.

Yes, absolutely fantastic and apparently he's back to do the 10th anniversary edition of 'The Big Lebowski' when it's released later this year. Coen Brothers dvd's are usually disappointing when it comes to commentary, though the one on 'The Man Who Wasn't There' is worthwhile if only for pointing out a visual joke that I'd missed when watching the film.

― Billy Dods, Monday, 23 June 2008 22:03 (seventeen years ago)

Any commentary track featuring Kurt Russell and John Carpenter together is gold.

― Sparkle Motion, Monday, 23 June 2008 22:09 (seventeen years ago)

The Man Who Wasn't There also has some great deleted scenes - basically a half dozen or so 'hairstyle demonstrations' that didn't make the final montage in the movie.

Also good: "Everyone Likes Berries" from the Intolerable Cruelty extras.

― Oilyrags, Monday, 23 June 2008 22:24 (seventeen years ago)

-- Billy Dods, Monday, June 23, 2008 11:03 PM (43 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

bastards, in a way, for the 'tenth anniversary' concept: the last 'ultimate edition' was about two years ago. i reviewed the 'blood simple' commentary for a book about dvds.

― banriquit, Monday, 23 June 2008 22:48 (seventeen years ago)

Any commentary track featuring Kurt Russell and John Carpenter together is gold.

-- Sparkle Motion, Monday, June 23, 2008 10:09 PM (43 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

totally

― s1ocki, Monday, 23 June 2008 22:52 (seventeen years ago)

YES. The Thing commentary is legendary.
Kurt keeps bursting into soundtrack-dominating laughter at his own gags.

― g-kit, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 12:21 (seventeen years ago)

haha i must see that

― Ste, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 12:23 (seventeen years ago)

hang on, i have Thing on dvd. wow i forgot lol

― Ste, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 12:24 (seventeen years ago)

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