Rate that commentary is a website devoted to commentary tracks on DVDs. Most likely, if you own any DVDs, 8 out of 10 have a director's commentary or various other commentaries. Are they any good though? Most of the one's I've seen are very informative and entertaining, but as I was listening to a podcast from the hollywood saloon entitled "art of commentary", it truly takes talent to do a commentary track. Sometimes a director is best on his own, sometimes a director is best with his writer or fellow actor. The podcast talked about great ones and suck ones. The best one that I've heard is the Philosopher's track on Matrix Reloaded. I also enjoy any David Fincher track (Fight Club, Panic Room).
According to rate that commentary, here are the top ten (voted by site users):
1. Zodiac -- Commentary track: Actors Jake Gyllenhall and Robert Downey Jr, producer Brad Fischer, screenwriter James Vanderbilt and writer James Ellroy. Rating: 9.0
2. Zodiac -- Commentary track: Director David Fincher. Rating: 8.6
3. Superbad -- Commentary track: Director Greg Mottola, screenwriter Evan Goldberg, actors Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, producer Judd Apatow, and Apatow's nine-year-old daughter Maude. Rating: 8.6
4. Halloween -- Commentary track: Writer/Director John Carpenter, actor Jamie Lee Curtis and writer/producer Debra Hill. Rating: 8.6
5. The Exorcist -- Commentary track: Director William Friedkin. Rating: 8.5
6. The Godfather -- Commentary track: Director Francis Ford Coppola. Rating: 8.5
7. Escape From New York -- Commentary track: Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell. Rating: 8.5
8. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- Commentary track: Director Peter Jackson, and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Rating: 8.5
9. Brazil -- Commentary track: Director Terry Gilliam (on disc 1, the director's cut of the film). Rating: 8.5
10. Evil Dead II -- Commentary track: Director/co-writer Sam Raimi, actor Bruce Campbell, co-writer Scott Spiegel, and special effects make-up artist Greg Nicotero. Rating: 8.5
(Disclaimer - Superbad, to me, is a giant piece of shit. We watched the first 15 minutes of it and I wanted to throw a giant cinder block through my television. Anyone who loves this movie should run their head into the wall . . .but you know, it's just my opinion)
Here are the ten worst:
1. 2019: After the Fall of New York -- Commentary track: Actor Michael Sopkiw and "Post-nuke film historians" David Zuzelo and Dolph Chiarino. Rating: 0.0 Good Luck Chuck cover
2. Good Luck Chuck -- Commentary track: Actor Dane Cook, director Mark Helfrich, producer Mike Karz and writer Josh Stolberg. Rating: 0.0
3. The Story of O -- Commentary track: Director Just Jaeckin. Rating: 0.8
4. Rollerball -- Commentary track: Actors Chris Klein, LL Cool J, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Rating: 0.8
5. The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) -- Commentary track: Director William Friedkin. Rating: 0.9
6. Ren and Stimpy: The Complete First and Second Seasons -- Commentary track: "Man's Best Friend". Rating: 1.5
7. Taboo -- Commentary track: Actor Kay Parker. Rating: 1.5
8. Ultraviolet -- Commentary track: Actor Milla Jovovich. Rating: 1.5
9. Bowling for Columbine -- Commentary track: Receptionists, production assistants, and interns. Rating: 1.6
10. Spaceballs -- Commentary track: Director Mel Brooks. Rating: 1.8
Do you have any favories?
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6 comments:
Yeah my favorites are the ones where the directors shut the frickin crap up and let me watch the movie! They just don't do anything for me, I don't like them droning on over the movie telling me why they did blah blah. Maybe if I really really liked a movie I might care but I could make a list of 247,974 things I'd rather do than listen to a director talk about why they did what they did on Zodiac (which by the way, i was pretty disappointed with). Oh and on the list of things I'd rather do is help my wife put makeup on...so you can tell just how boring I think they are! :-)
First of all, any of the Evil Dead commentaries are great. Better yet...anything with Bruce Campbell is great! I love the Mallrats commentary. All they do is bag on the main actor, who isn't there to defend himself. But enough on commentaries...they bore me. I only listen to those if I am obsessed with the movie. On to better things...Like you, Phil! You da bomb, yo! Thanks for the B-day present. Now I have no excuse not to catch up on LOST.
Cheers,
Ben
I tend to agree with the previous two postings. I usually only watch the commentary if its a film that I really enjoy watching repeatedly and most of the time not even then. I think that because movies are an escape for me, I don't like to watch any of the bonus material because it makes it less real for me. When I watch a film I'm there in the movie living it with the characters and any behind the scenes stuff spoils that for me. However, I really enjoy watching the commentaries with the directors and actors on season dvds like The Office and Arrested Development. Those are actually hilarious. Last week, we watched an episode of AD and then turned around and watched the whole thing again with the commentary. Also tv episodes are shorter so it's less of a time commitment. That being said, Phil your disclaimer about Superbad is quite possibly the funniest thing you've ever posted on your blog. I was laughing so hard at work yesterday.
Trevor - I respect that you don't like commentary tracks. They are an extra option if you want to indulge in it. To me though, watching a football game on television is pretty much the same thing and although you can't shut off the VO, America is accustomed to it. So, I was suprised to hear you hate on it, I just thought you'd be indifferent. Also, I would rather watch a football game on the NFL network from 1984 than put my wife's makeup on. . .
Ben - Bruce Campbell is awesome. I may actually have to netflix mallrats to hear that commentary.
Dayton - You and Steven Spielberg feel the same way. No one of his movies has a commentary track on it because he feels the film speaks for itself. I think that's cool.
I haven't listened to the Superbad commentary track but I am pretty sure that it would be greatness like the movie itself
You are wrong and should be condemned to watch only Richard Linkliter films.
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