I was so excited when Stand by Me came out on DVD because it had the director’s (Rob Reiner’s) commentary.
My GOD was it boring. He didn’t talk much about the scenes or shooting locales or tell funny stories from the set… He talked about how his own childhood was so much like the story.
So disappointing.
Porn movies have costume designers?
Well, this was one of those high-budget ones. After all, it was on DVD.
Mel Brooks has to be one of the most disappointing commentators I’ve heard. I watched Spaceballs which had a commentary he, I assume, made for laserdisk way back in 1994. The vast majority of his comments dealt with explaining jokes and why they were funny. He improved slightly for his commentary on Young Frankenstein but not that much.
Just to let you know they aren’t totally messing up: I like commentaries where they get away from scene-by-scene. I did even at the beginning of DVD.
Now, later, after having listened to dozens of commentaries, I’m getting bored with the “oh, a cute thing happened here” comments. Okay, so what? Somebody’s bra fell down, the director got cold water poured in his shoes, the set designer stenciled a rude remark about their significant other in the background. No, I don’t want to hear the director had to wait three days for the shot, who cares? That happens all the time on sets!
I STRONGLY object to the interview format that seems so common where the commentators are forced to respond real time to a movie they might not have seen for years. Let the poor sods go back and edit what they said! And tell us about other things they forgot.
FisherQueen, I’d agree the Harry Potter special features are a mess. They spent a fortune, when all they really needed was to roll a bunch of outtakes and interviews (a la “Lost in Space Forever”).
There are places on the Internet with the sequence of keys you need to enter to see the deleted scenes. The best scenes are also available on the VHS version. I wasn’t too excited about the deleted scenes, several were about the Dursleys. I thought the movie as released could have trimmed an additional 70% of the Dursley material with no loss.
An example of a great DVD, with exceptional extras, and wonderful commentary is “Das Boot”/“The Boat”. Professionals at work. Just lovely.
Worst commentary I’ve heard: Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. Kevin, I catch most of the references to the other View Askew films, but thanks for explaining them all. But I don’t care who the extras in the scenes are, and how you know them. I don’t care that your wife is one of the jewel thieves, she’s also the plainest looking of the bunch as well as the worst actress (that says a lot since Shannon Elizabeth is in the movie too). Couldn’t you guys sober up Jason Mewes, before it was time to record the commentary?
Best commentary I’ve heard so far: The Stunt Man. Most of the surviving principle cast are there with the director. They balance out Richard Rush’s occasional pretensions with funny stories and interesting observations about making the movie and rewatching it years later.
Most irritating menu screens: From Hell. Hard as Hell to read with the combination of small print, anatomy diagrams, and a cluttered layout. The transitions once you make a selection are stupid and wear out their welcome quickly. Just get to the goodies.