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GHcool 
"Forever a curious character."
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 Posted - 07/02/2007 : 21:00:40
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
quote:
Originally posted by Se�n
Never watched a movie with commentary. I'm one of those people who seldom watches a movie again, unless it's brilliant in which case 2-3 times in 10 years might be what it gets. (There is the occasional exception such as MOTP.)
So the idea of watching a movie while listening to someone talk about it doesn't appeal. I'd rather watch a movie I haven't seen before than re-watch a movie with commentary.
Perhaps one day when I run out of good movies to watch I'll re-watch some with commentary. 
(Interestingly enough, some of the best outtakes I've ever seen were on Pixar films!)
That's because they aren't really outtakes.  |
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 07/03/2007 : 07:06:04
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quote:
Originally posted by GHcool
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
(Interestingly enough, some of the best outtakes I've ever seen were on Pixar films!)
That's because they aren't really outtakes.
That was exactly my point! |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 07/03/2007 : 08:21:48
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| I really like Rodriguez's commentary on Desperado - he tells all th etricks he used to make a $7 million budget look like $70 million. He also pointed out all of the little errors like booms in the shots, shadows of mic's etc. Also they used very few extras and he showed how many times different guys died as various thugs. I really enjoyed this movie and thought the commentary was a great addition to my appreciation for his film making. |
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Shiv 
"What a Wonderful World"
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Posted - 07/03/2007 : 14:44:56
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quote:
Originally posted by turrell
I really like Rodriguez's commentary on Desperado - he tells all th etricks he used to make a $7 million budget look like $70 million. He also pointed out all of the little errors like booms in the shots, shadows of mic's etc. Also they used very few extras and he showed how many times different guys died as various thugs. I really enjoyed this movie and thought the commentary was a great addition to my appreciation for his film making.
I also like these kind of commentaries on films - where the tricks are exposed.
I just watched Hollow Man 2, and watched the 'making of' (no commentary on that one). The film was pretty darn average - but I was fascinated by the 'low tech' special effects approach - such as using poles to move people around when they were fighting with the invisible man and then editing that out afterwards. The explanation of how they used 'green men' to perform the actions of the invisible man and then layered the special effects was impressive.
On a different topic, Christian Slater was mostly just a voice in the film - but what a voice! |
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GHcool
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 07/04/2007 : 01:07:03
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quote:
Originally posted by turrell
I really like Rodriguez's commentary on Desperado - he tells all th etricks he used to make a $7 million budget look like $70 million. He also pointed out all of the little errors like booms in the shots, shadows of mic's etc. Also they used very few extras and he showed how many times different guys died as various thugs. I really enjoyed this movie and thought the commentary was a great addition to my appreciation for his film making.
I haven't seen the Desperado commentary yet, but the El Mariachi commentary is similar to what you're describing. I should have listed the El Mariachi one as one of my favorites as well. |
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Airbolt
"teil mann, teil maschine"
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Posted - 07/04/2007 : 23:29:46
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Recently watched the DVD of the Dirty Dozen SE.
Worth it for several reasons , one of which is the " swinging " Documenary which consists of Lee Marvin , Donald Sutherland et al parading up the Kings Road in appaling 1960's fashions . The voice-over is straight from parody central , a rugged " after-shave " type telling us again and again that these are " men of action " as they look sheepishly at shop windows.
However the clincher is the commentary over the main film. The star for me was the appropriately named Captain Dye . A well known advisor to films ( actually seen on screen as Colonel Sink in " band of Brothers " ) he doesnt do the whole commentary . Which is probably just as well , as he appears to be ticked off with the lack of authenticity in the film.
Now , as my family will remind me , i used to sit as a teenager ruining war films with my comments of " That's not a World War 2 tank " or " He's using the wrong gun ". ( actually i sort of do this now - just not aloud! )
Anyway , Captain Dye's contribution is pretty much such comments all the way through! Fantastic! Highlights include
* A dismantling of the Trini Lopez rope sequence - "ah well you see the M3A1 couldn't hit the horizon , let alone a rope at an upward angle- prob'ly would have killed everyone on the platform "
* Frustration that all the Dirty Dozen had M3A1 Guns - however their magazine pouches were for Carbines
* More frustration that they could shoot the snipers with the M3A1 . It's all Bravo Sierra - as he would say!
With my slightly OCD knowledge of WW2 it was a multi-level treat!
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Edited by - Airbolt on 07/04/2007 23:32:15 |
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Shiv
"What a Wonderful World"
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Posted - 07/05/2007 : 01:41:41
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quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Recently watched the DVD of the Dirty Dozen SE.
Worth it for several reasons , one of which is the " swinging " Documenary which consists of Lee Marvin , Donald Sutherland et al parading up the Kings Road in appaling 1960's fashions . The voice-over is straight from parody central , a rugged " after-shave " type telling us again and again that these are " men of action " as they look sheepishly at shop windows.
quote:
Now , as my family will remind me , i used to sit as a teenager ruining war films with my comments of " That's not a World War 2 tank " or " He's using the wrong gun ". ( actually i sort of do this now - just not aloud! )
I always say I believe everyone is Obsessive Compulsive* about something - as we all demonstrate on this site at one time or another[*the 'disorder' part of OCD is something else and quite serious as anyone with a friend or family member affected will know]
But anyway, my real questions are;
a) because your location is just 'somewhere' I can't tell how easy this would be, but have you travelled and seen WWII locations and
b) does your knowledge ruin your enjoyment of certain films, or do you just revel in knowing better
I relate this to DVD Commentaries - or more broadly the Special Features which also incude docos - because I have a deep fascination with how movies do and don't capture the real facts of stories - whether it be biographies, incidents in history and so on. Contrary to what miight be the case for some, when I see a film that isn't exactly right, I like to analyse how and why the film-maker might have done that. That's why I'm sometimes annoyed by the lack of SF on the DVDs I rent. Or even more annoying is when I have to rent the second disc to see the special features rather than getting it with the movie |
Edited by - Shiv on 07/05/2007 01:46:40 |
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Airbolt
"teil mann, teil maschine"
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Posted - 07/05/2007 : 02:21:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Shiv
quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Recently watched the DVD of the Dirty Dozen SE.
Worth it for several reasons , one of which is the " swinging " Documenary which consists of Lee Marvin , Donald Sutherland et al parading up the Kings Road in appaling 1960's fashions . The voice-over is straight from parody central , a rugged " after-shave " type telling us again and again that these are " men of action " as they look sheepishly at shop windows.
quote:
Now , as my family will remind me , i used to sit as a teenager ruining war films with my comments of " That's not a World War 2 tank " or " He's using the wrong gun ". ( actually i sort of do this now - just not aloud! )
I always say I believe everyone is Obsessive Compulsive* about something - as we all demonstrate on this site at one time or another[*the 'disorder' part of OCD is something else and quite serious as anyone with a friend or family member affected will know]
You're right - i was being as lazy as people are sometimes are with terms like depression.
But anyway, my real questions are;
a) because your location is just 'somewhere' I can't tell how easy this would be, but have you travelled and seen WWII locations and
b) does your knowledge ruin your enjoyment of certain films, or do you just revel in knowing better[/quote]
I was interested in the machines and uniforms as a teenager and having a memory for trivia i can tell the difference between a P38 and a P47. However , later on i was much more interested in the human side of war . So films that even give a glimpse of the terror involved such as the first 20 mins of Private Ryan have helped me to appreciate a fraction of what veterans went through.
So , to answer your questions . I haven't gone to any WW2 locations specifically altho i was in the Netherlands once and took a side trip to Arnhem.
As for the details , most modern pictures really try hard to avoid anomalies so chances to spot errors are few and far between! The days when Clint Eastwood could have 1960's hair during WW2 are long gone.
Re - your comment on Features --
Interestingly there was a doc on the SE version which told of a unit called the " Filthy Thirteen" on which the film was partly inspired .
( tho these were a group of parachutetroops with massive hygiene and discipline issues ! ) |
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ragingfluff
"Currently lost in Canada"
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Posted - 07/05/2007 : 20:05:01
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quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Recently watched the DVD of the Dirty Dozen SE.
Worth it for several reasons , one of which is the " swinging " Documenary which consists of Lee Marvin , Donald Sutherland et al parading up the Kings Road in appaling 1960's fashions . The voice-over is straight from parody central , a rugged " after-shave " type telling us again and again that these are " men of action " as they look sheepishly at shop windows.
I have WHERE EAGLES DARE on DVD, sadly lacking a commentary but it does include a marvellously cheesy contemporary promo piece with a gravelly voiced voiceover guy booming on about the rugged Alpine locations and all the problems the crew faced because of the snow and the cold and the relative isolation of the Austrian villages, and how tough they had to be just to make it to the set every day...."even the women".
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Airbolt
"teil mann, teil maschine"
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Posted - 07/07/2007 : 00:55:23
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quote:
Originally posted by ragingfluff
quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Recently watched the DVD of the Dirty Dozen SE.
Worth it for several reasons , one of which is the " swinging " Documenary which consists of Lee Marvin , Donald Sutherland et al parading up the Kings Road in appaling 1960's fashions . The voice-over is straight from parody central , a rugged " after-shave " type telling us again and again that these are " men of action " as they look sheepishly at shop windows.
I have WHERE EAGLES DARE on DVD, sadly lacking a commentary but it does include a marvellously cheesy contemporary promo piece with a gravelly voiced voiceover guy booming on about the rugged Alpine locations and all the problems the crew faced because of the snow and the cold and the relative isolation of the Austrian villages, and how tough they had to be just to make it to the set every day...."even the women".
He He - my recollection of " Where Eagles Dare " was that it seemed like the stuntmen were in Austria and the actors were on sets with back projections.
BTW for all Clint fans , i asked on a net site if you can in fact fire two MP40s at the same time ( remember , never try this at home ! ). Yes , came the reply , if you particularly want to shoot the ceiling and break your arms. So " Where Eagles Dare " wasn't cinema verite shocker! However it looked way cool |
Edited by - Airbolt on 07/07/2007 00:58:49 |
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Shiv
"What a Wonderful World"
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Posted - 07/07/2007 : 02:25:25
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quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
BTW for all Clint fans , i asked on a net site if you can in fact fire two MP40s at the same time ( remember , never try this at home ! ). Yes , came the reply , if you particularly want to shoot the ceiling and break your arms. So " Where Eagles Dare " wasn't cinema verite shocker! However it looked way cool
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 07/07/2007 : 23:36:55
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
quote:
Originally posted by Randall
Become a star? Naaah: that requires a talking ass.
Are you dissing Eddie Murphy!!!  
BTW- haven't heard "hipped them to" since my days in the Village circa 1965!
I missed this one among all the gaiety. "I am old, Father William..."
Wish you were here in NYC, Baffy, to see the "Summer of Love" exhibition at the Whitney: it's great and sucks in the same breath!!!! YEAH! |
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Airbolt
"teil mann, teil maschine"
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Posted - 07/09/2007 : 12:00:34
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Kevin Smith's commentaries are usually an experience. Generally the view askew crowd ( Smith, Mosier, Mewes, Affleck et al )take the rise out of each other in a good-natured way . For instance Ben Affleck's star was rising when the Mallrats commentary was made yet Smith joshes him about being " Phantom's Ben Affleck " . Meanwhile Affleck has his turn and talks of " turning his potty mouth into Oscar Gold " - referring to his oscar for Good Will Hunting.
Mind you , theres a lot of in-jokes but i would have thought most people watching View Askew films were on the wavelength.
Natalie Portman and Zach Braff have an easy rapport on the commentary for Garden State .
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Please Kill Me Now 
"Need my dopamine fix!"
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Posted - 08/03/2007 : 08:58:13
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quote:
Originally posted by TitanPa
So does anyone check out the Commentaries on the DVD in the special features? I usually watch the movie firat then I try to check out the commentaries much later. I only play the commentaries if the Stars of the film are commenting. I find that Writers, Directors, etc. are too boring. At least the Stars of the movie can give us interewsting tidbits.
Just the other day I decided to check out 'The Goonies' Commentary. One of the movies that I love from the 80's. WHen I played it, I was surprised and found out something interesting. Something that all commentary pieces should include. During the comentary the movie would pan out and you could see the cast members sitting together watching the movie, laughing and joking and all. I always wondered what the people looked like and where they were while doing commentary. I thought this was so cool. The whole cast (Including Sean Astin......who later had to leave) and Richard Donner (Director) were doing the commentary. MArtha looks so old. Corey looks so stoned and Kerri Green looks hot! Most of the actors arnt doing much anymore (except for Sean Astin) I think the commentary was filmed just a few years ago. I thought it was interesting the banter between the cast. They shared some colorful stories. One last interesting tidbit. Marth Plimpton made a $100 bet with Richard Donner that she could stop biting her fingernails....She asked him about it and he finally paid her. If you like commentaries or even liked 'The Goonies' you should definitly check it out.
TitanPa, you really need to work on that spelling.
My God, your taste in movies stinks! The Goonies ferchissakes! Are you serious, man? I know Ali has a Goonies avatar, but really! |
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damalc
"last watched: Sausage Party"
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Posted - 08/04/2007 : 16:39:40
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i may check out the film with the commentary about once out of 15 films.
and then it's usually only for a specific part of the film. "what do they have to say about this part?"
and often then they're not even talking about the scene about which i was curious. i find commentaries worthless about 90% of the time. |
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DVD Commentaries
