Tuesday, January 18, 2011

10 THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR BESIDES THE OBVIOUS #9


I can't imagine a more substantial and praise-worthy jump in technology from one generation to the next as there was in the jump from VHS to DVD. Even going from audio cassette to CD pales in comparison to what you got with VHS and then stepping up to DVD. Obviously, there are many reasons for this - but I am going to concentrate on my favorite aspect of buying/owning DVD movies: The EXTRAS! (and even more specifically: commentary tracks!)

As a bit of a movie geek, I love getting even more out of the movies I love than just the movie itself. Sure, many DVD extras are fairly mediocre bells and whistles - 10 minute featurettes and unsatisfying behind-the-scenes stuff. But with most movies that grow a cult following (I suppose you can call these "Guy" movies), the extras can and usually are nice and juicy.

FX breakdowns, "making-of" mini-docs, cut scenes, interviews, etc - I dig all of it. As a freelance artist looking for something interesting to listen to while I toil at the easel, my favorite are the commentaries. I love all the insights from the directors and writers (and actors sometimes) - explanations why/how they filmed certain scenes, chatter about locations, tidbits about how they cut corners - even the REALLY trivial stuff like (for example) Viggo breaking his toe when he kicked an Uruk-hai helmet in Two Towers. I just eat it all up.

So, today I say thank you for: DVD EXTRAS. Countless hours of late-night working have you kept my ears and brain entertained. This post was inspired by the extras on my "Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut" DVD - which are awesome. I didn't know what to draw to represent DVD extras so I just drew a crusader guy to represent one of Ridley's best flicks (which is saying a lot).

Not all commentaries are great. I have heard commentaries where the director stumbles through the movie just saying what is happening on the screen - useless! Predator, sadly, has a fairly lame commentary like that. But here are some DVD commentaries I dig especially:

Alien (Ridley knows a few things....)
Aliens (Cameron is interesting but the cast members (paxton, Henrickson, etc) are hilarious!)
Alien3 (go watch the re-cut version - it's a lot better and the commentaries are really interesting - as well as the extras)

Gladiator (Ridley again - good stuff. Great extras, too)

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (so many commentaries.....all good)

Conan the Barbarian (Milius and Arnold - you get the feeling Arnold had sex with every female on the set)

Seven and FightClub (Fincher, like Ridley, are way smart, very interesting, and enthusiastic - Pitt and Norton are funny)

Big Trouble in Little China and The Thing (Carpenter and Russell are profoundly entertaining to listen to)

Apocalypto (Gibson is an ass in real life - but his movies are awesome and this commentary is great)

Shawshank Redemption (Great stuff from Darabont)

Beastmaster and Equilibrium (both these B-movies have tremendously interesting commentaries about filming on a low budget - Equilibrium especially - check 'em out!)







12 comments:

  1. I concur. I also dig Gibson's Braveheart commentary where he proceeds to point out historical inaccuracies throughout. Easily one of greatest additions to film ever, and one of the best things to happen to long painting days that I know of.

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  2. I'll agree that Commentaries are really sweet for listening while working. Especially movies I've seen more than twice (which I have a habit of doing, though less lately than in the past.)

    Of the commentary tracks mentioned, I agree with the ones I've seen as being good, particularly Alien and Big Trouble in Little China (as well as every other Carpenter/Russell commentary), but... BUT! Conan the Barbarian? That commentary is awful! Occasionally Millius tries to say something interesting and Arnold just cuts him off again and again to explain what you're looking at as though he's talking to a blind person. "Here's where the dogs attack me!" "Here's where I find the sword!" etc. He sounds totally high off his ass, too.

    Off the top of my head, some other good ones to check out: Swingers, Goodfellas, JFK

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  3. oh, but Arnold with Paul Verhoven on Total Recall is amazing

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  4. HA! I will concede that the Conan commentary isn't "interesting" as much as it is entertaining - Milius is an interesting dude and it would have been good to hear more of what he had to say - but I got a kick out of Arnold being a goofball - and I agree, dude was high or drunk or both!

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  5. Oh, thank you for the tips:D the commentary on Elizabeth - The Golden Age is quite good as well, and the extra material shows some cool stuff.

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  6. Awesome drawing!

    Tarantino's commentary on True Romance is really cool, because it's more about his journey as a director/ artist than the movie. I enjoyed that one a lot.

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  7. Reservoir Dogs is one of my favorite flicks - but I haven't yet popped it in and listened to Tarantino's commentary. Maybe that'll be next.....

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  8. Ahh dude- that one is great. I have one of the special edition DVD's so there's commentary by a bunch of the guys. It is really funny - lots of good stories.

    Also...the Usual Suspects special edition DVD had lots of really good stuff on it.

    I gotta check out some of your recommendations above- especially the Alien-related ones.

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  9. I'M RICHARD TAYLOR OF THE WETA WORKSHOP. HERE WE HAVE BOROMIR'S SWORD, IT IS A FIGHTING WEAPON MADE OF SPRINGSTEEL BY OUR EXPERT SWORDSMITHS. NO I'M NOT YELLING THIS IS MY NORMAL VOICE.
    (I love Richard Taylor on the LOTR extras)

    Good post, the Aliens commentary with the actors is awesome. Emily and I have re-watched that one multiple times. The commentary on the Bladerunner DVD is also good. The two writers (Hampton Fancher and David Peoples) are great.

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  10. re: conan commentary:

    arnold: "he's biting me seriously hard!"

    so awesome.

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  11. I freaking am a pig in shit with dvd commentaries... Back to the future trilogy has a great set of commentaries... pixar's Incredibles has a great one because they dubbed it BEFORE the movie was released to mass critical aclaim... they were like "WE LIKE IT... let's hope other people do too!"

    haha

    I loved PITCH BLACK commentary as well... the quote "What could be more asinine than talking about your own movie" was so funny.

    Speaking of pigs in shit, i just ordered your book Mr. Prescott! Look forward to it!

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