Some of my favorite commentaries-
Parker and Stone et al. in Cannibal: the Muscial
David F. Friedman (exploitation film maker) in a lot of Something Weird Video movies including: Sinderella and the three Bares
Spacer Thing
The Defilers
Kiss Me Quick by producer Harry Novak
Dwain Espers Maniac & Narcotic by Bret Ward author of Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film
Roger Corman in Battle Beyond the Stars Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS while a rather unpleasant movie watch, the commentary is very interesting and enjoyable.
Some I do not care for are: Star Wars Episode 1… because all they talked about were the special effects. Though some was interesting it got tiresome fast. Flesh Gordon while a fun movie and some interesting tidbits, it sounded like he just read the commentary and the movie wasn’t even there. It was a bit distracting.
I’ve recommended the commentary for The Stunt Man several times. A nice mix of recollections by the director and most of the surviving cast members. Besides, they point out where to look to see a stuntman break his ankle during a scene that stayed in the picture.
A new one I really enjoyed was the commentary for Winter Kills, the Jeff Bridges/John Huston conspiracy thriller/black comedy from 1979. Director William Richert has some great stories about the cast and the troubled making of the film. Anthony Perkins getting hit with a real blackjack during a scene and remaining in character, some disturbing tales about John Huston and his red bikini underwear, and how they worked to keep the film going during the numerous shutdown as funding ran out (the film was financed with drug money). If you watch the extras including a 38-minute documentary that comes with the movie, he repeats some of the stories, but it’s still interesting and funny to hear how Richard Boone was one of the only people connected with the film who got paid.
Some of the other interesting commentaries I’ve heard have involved low-budget horror and other genre films. You rarely miss anything plotwise and these guys seem much more willing to point out the failings and limitations of their movies. They could be good sources of information and inspiration for budding filmmakers about pitfalls of the business and how to improvise when money, time, and resources are tight.
My absolute favourite commentary is Cameron Crowe and his mother for Almost Famous. It’s funny and gives a lot of insight into the film.
Another one I liked, for an admittedly terrible movie, was Stigmata. The director kept saying things like, ‘and this is a scene that some people had problems with.’ Interesting.
The most disappointing commentary ever has to be The Exorcist. William Friedkin basically just gave a voice-over about what was happening on the screen. There is no insight into the film at all. Bleah! I couldn’t even watch the whole thing. One of my all-time favourite movies as well.
Another vote for Ebert’s commentary for Dark City, but I’m in disagreement with those above that approved of his Citizen Kane commentary. It was very dry and repetitious (“And here, notice the fade-out fade-in. And here notice the fade-out fade-in”).
I also think that the commentary for The Limey by Steven Soderbergh and (screenwriter) Lem Dobbs is very good. They’re obviously friends, but they also disagree strongly about certain decisions and don’t shy away from it.
One unusual one was the commentary on Get Carter (the 1971 original not the remake). Michael Caine is listed as one of the commentators, but I thought it was a misprint. For some reason, Caine doesn’t say anything for about the first ten minutes of the movie.
Two bad commentaries; Lost in Space and The Sweetest Thing. Both were very annoying.
I particularly liked the commentary on Usual Suspects, but we had friends over and were drinking, so that may have affected my judgement. “Did the dog get out OK?” was my favorite.
The director + writers commentary on LotR–FotR was mostly OK, but I did get tired of “we had to cut [something] for pacing reasons” which was said every 5 seconds or so. I found the actor’s commentary innane and the special effect guys were too geeky for words (but that might be a good thing if you’re a special effects geek).
Several of my faves (Spinal Tap, Monty Python) have been mentioned, but another standout is Ron Shelton’s director commentary for Bull Durham. In essence, it’s a Filmmaking 101 guide, since this was his first movie as director and he explains all the things he learned on the shoot. Because it’s a visually simple movie, it’s easy to think that there wouldn’t be much to it, but he brings up lots of good details and subtleties that are essential to making a movie appear seamless & effortless. Excellent. In the Special Edition, there’s a 2nd commentary with Kevin Costner & Tim Robbins, and that’s fun, too. (On the bathtub scene, Tim says “This is my least favorite part of the film.” )
Another one I just remembered: U.H.F., the movie by “Weird Al” Yankovic. The commentary itself is okay, but there are some audio gags that AFAIK nobody hgas ever done before – at one point, guest-star Emo Philips “walks into” the screening, does a few comments for his bit, and leaves. Near the end of the movie, Al calls up(!) co-star Victoria Jackson and gets some comments from her. Hilarious all around.
For my part, the commentaries on Moulin Rouge!–particularly the one by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce–turned a movie I liked into one I love. Their explanation of the story behind the story (the myth of Orpheus) and how it shaped their presentation of their tale made their accomplishment that much more admirable to me. Without that knowledge, the movie is fun; with it, it becomes a work of art.
I really, really, really enjoyed the commentary track on Braveheart. It’s like Mel Gibson is sitting next to you, sipping on a beer, and watching the film with you – the commentary has a nice, conversational tone, and Gibson’s enthusiasm for the project really pops out. You get the sense Gibson enjoyed making the track, and isn’t just doing it out of contractual obligations. Plus it’s got a nice mix of technical observations and casting/filming anecdotes.
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