Huh?
I was going to mention that as a terrible example. Maybe there are different versions, like the ending of Big?
Seriously, while Brooks was funny as hell, he didn’t talk about the movie specifics at all. The commentary might as well have been about any Brooks movie of the era.
Thank you. So it wasn’t like the alternative ending of Big at all. It really did exist.
The only reason I buy a movie on disc is if it has bonus features and the digital version doesn’t or if it does but the price is better. Otherwise I’ll catch it on streaming or if I care enough rent it. And now that Disney includes most if not all the bonus features on Disney+ I don’t know if I’ll ever buy a Marvel movie again.
I like it. Yes, you learn more about Mel than the movie, but that’s ok. I also like the Princess Bride commentary.
Which one? Goldman’s, Reiner’s, or the group commentary on the Criterion edition?
Reiner’s. Haven’t heard Goldman’s–that could be interesting.
I don’t miss them as much as I thought I would, but commentary tracks in particular seem like such a simple value-added feature to include in streaming technology, I can’t see why it’s not a common thing, especially as a drawcard to favour one service over another.
On the first season of the Muppet Show DVD, they included pop-up trivia facts that were such a good idea, I am very disappointed they didn’t follow through on subsequent releases, and then on Disney+ too. It all just seems an inexpensive, easily implemented no-brainer to me.
Yes and no? I like them, and miss them occasionally (although I do buy most of movies on DVD still for storing on my Plex server), BUT I hate that these days there’s a tendency to sell the DVD, and then 6 months or later, to sell a special edition that has even MORE bonus features, commentary, making of, etc.
Sure, it’s not as bad as it has been at other points in the past (2, 3, or 4 versions), but it’s still silly. And that’s leaving out the DVD / Bluray / Digital / 4K version issue especially if you don’t go for an expensive all-in-one.
My first time watching Babylon 5 was via Netflix DVD, and there were a couple of episodes per season where JMS did a commentary track. Those were hugely entertaining and enlightening. There were some other commentary tracks featuring some of the actors that were just a bunch of pointless rambling.
Or to buy a DVD of a movie they already owned on VHS.
And yes, I do miss DVD extras. Not all of them—they certainly varied in quality—but the most interesting of them.
I don’t find the movie as funny as most people do, but I’ll have to check that out!
John Waters did the commentary for “Mommie Dearest.” I’ve GOT to check that out some time! I also bought “Threads” a few years ago and was FINALLY able to bring myself to watch it, and it has some great commentary and interview tracks.
You can also use the library if you don’t want to buy anything.
There were a few low-budget action movies based on video games that had it.
But it was mostly used in porn movies.
The freeze-frame and close-up functions were occasionally interesting. In Lord of the Rings, Orlando Bloom would pantomime removing an arrow from his quiver and drawing his bow, and then the SFX crew wold digitally create an arrow that would fly to the target. It surprised me just how crudely the arrow was drawn. It was just a long black line with an angle bracket on the end.
Like this: ------>
Quite a few concert videos had that multiple-angle function as well.
One of the last Blu-Ray/DVDs I bought was a box set (The Alien Quadrilogy) of the first four Alien films.It contains two versions of each film–the theatrical cut and a special extended edition.
You have to buy DVDs if you want to see most special editions/extended/uncut versions of films because most streaming services will only carry the theatrical cuts.
I loved them, but these days I don’t have nearly as much time as I used to to devote to watching it all. I remember getting the Matrix box set on DVD when it came out and watching the trilogy three times within a couple of weeks: once as movies, then once more each with their two commentary tracks (the first movie may have even had a third commentary track brought over from its first edition).
My fave track might be the one for Rock 'n Roll High School. Cannibal: The Musical is great because everyone participating got progressively drunker as they recorded. Spinal Tap is a bit of a shame, though; the current DVD/BluRay contains Rob Reiner’s track plus the three main cast in character. But the original Criterion disc had the three main actors as themselves, and it’s actually tons funnier than the later edition. That track is lost to time, I guess.
I haven’t heard it, but I’ve been told that Schwarzenneger’s commentary on Conan The Barbarian is hilarious in a dadaistic way…he drops such insightful gems as “I remember shooting this.” and “Here I am getting on a horse.” I need to listen to that for myself one of these days.
I enjoy any commentary with Kurt Russell, especially the track for The Thing with John Carpenter. There’s a great spot during one of the horrific SFX scenes where Kurt busts out laughing. I can’t ever watch the movie again without thinking about him laughing his ass off as the head/spider creature skitters across the floor.
I never really watched the extras. I pretty much just want to watch the movie.
“Weird Al” Yankovic’s commentary on “UHF” is also worth a listen, as one might imagine.
I still use DVDs. Love them.
But the question was: Do you miss (or even watch) the extras?
.
I really miss those deleted scenes and commentaries.
Even back in the rental days, my wife and I would watch a movie, she’d go to bed, and I’d stay up til all hours watching the commentaries. Hey, we had to return it the next day, and I wasn’t going to miss anything!
Deleted and bonus scenes, only a few commentaries. It depends.