netty wrote:But on the plus side, secretly, we all enjoy watching toy commercials don't we?Escapay wrote: 6. The entire thing pretty much is a two-hour toy commercial held together by the thinnest of storylines and laughable performances.
It depends on the toy for me, netty. Batman & Robin is best taken in small doses than as a whole, at least for me. Divide it into like, five 25-minute episodes and it comes off more like the 1960s series, minus the "WHAM!" and "POW!" words.
Anyway, some of my favourite commentaries:
How Green Was My Valley (1940) audio commentary with actor Anna Lee (Bronwyn) and film historian Joseph McBride - one would think that Anna Lee would not have much to say, but she does contribute some good parts to this mainly-McBride commentary. I'm glad she was able to record a commentary in 2002 for this film, especially since she passed away a couple years later.
Laura (1944) audio commentary with Rudy Behlmer - a great example of nonstop talking that never becomes a "here's what's happening on the screen" narrative. Rudy is probably my favourite film historian when it comes to commentary tracks, and his track for this film, Casablanca, and Gone with the Wind rank among my favourites. There's another commentary on the DVD, featuring the film's composer David Raksin and film historian Jeanine Basinger, but I could never sit through it. Stick with Rudy's if you ever plan on picking up Laura.
Casablanca (1942) audio commentaries with Rudy Behlmer and Roger Ebert - both tracks are excellent and cover a lot of ground. One would think there's repetition of information between the two, but they both have a lot of unique material. Behlmer focuses more on the technical side of things (IIRC, he seems to have a stack of production documents and memos that he reads from) and so it's more informational and historical than the more conversational version of Ebert's, which looks at the film through a more critical and "how does it affect its audience?" perspective, while still giving out some valuable information on the production.
East of Eden (1955) audio commentary with film historian Richard Schickel - I'm not always fond of Schickel's commentaries (his commentary for 1949's Whirlpool put me to sleep) but he surprised me with this one. Well worth a listen, especially as he does not take a "it's an old movie, so it must always be good" approach and he isn't afraid to criticize a scene or two and discuss what's wrong/weak in it. Of course, he's not entirely negative during the entire film (an excellent, if flawed adaptation of Steinbeck's novel), but it's a rarity to come across a commentary track that is this honest and critical.
Sleeping Beauty (1959) audio documentary hosted by Jeff Kurtti, with comments by production designer/background artist Eyvind Earle, voice actor Mary Costa, supervising animator Ollie Johnston (Three Good Fairies), supervising animator Marc Davis (Maleficent), background artist Frank Armitage, Pocahontas director Mike Gabriel, and Pocahontast art designer Michael Giaimo - I get a lot of flak for saying this is an "audio documentary" rather than a commentary. But for me, a commentary is when people are sitting and watching a film live and commenting on what they're seeing (even if they're spliced in together from separate groups, like the Mary Poppins commentary). When it's like this, where a host is discussing the film and introducing audio excerpts, it functions more like a documentary, which is what I will call it. Anyway, regardless of what it is called, this is one of my favourites from Disney, right up there with the Aladdin commentaries and the Peter Pan audio documentary. I actually prefer it to the 2008 commentary, mainly because I felt the Maltin, Lasseter, and Deja track was a bit too praising rather than informative, even if they did use some of the interview excerpts from the 2003 track.
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) audio commentary with director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula - it's not the most engaging of conversations, but one is glad for the information that they present, especially for a film of this calibre.
"Doctor Who" (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present) audio commentaries by various members of cast and crew - the "Doctor Who" commentaries are a unique bunch. It's sometimes hard to listen to them (for me it seems that the older the story, the harder to listen to the commentary) but that's likely to do more with fading memories or just the fact that it was a job, not a way of life, for many participants. It's always fun listening to a Janet Fielding commentary, she's quite an abrasive and talky woman. Her comments aren't always related to the story (she prefers making fun of what she's watching) but it's just a hoot to listen to. If I had to pick my absolute favourite, it'd probably be the Tom Baker/Mary Tamm commentary for "The Ribos Operation", with the Frazer Hines/Deborah Watling commentary for "The Tomb of the Cybermen" a close second. From the new series, I really loved the cast commentary for "Last of the Time Lords" (even though I had to resort to netty sending me an mp3, then getting it again from the website). Loads of fun.
Mommie Dearest (1981) audio commentary with filmmaker and Mommie Dearest fan John Waters - he's not attached at all to the film, but he does make some cool comments throughout the track.
Legend (1985) audio commentary with director Ridley Scott - there's actually a commentary *scene index* that goes to specific topics he discusses. Scott often delivers excellent commentaries on his DVDs, and this one is probably my favourite (then again, Legend is my favourite of his films).
St. Elmo's Fire (1985) audio commentary with director Joel Schumacher - unfortunately, the guy is better known for being the killer of the Batman franchise than for some of his good films (St. Elmo's Fire, The Lost Boys, The Client, and A Time to Kill). His commentary here is not one of the most informative or best I've listened to, but it's still worth a listen. Would be cool if they ever revisit the movie (maybe a 25th Anniversary Edition in 2010) and include a new commentary with him and the cast, as well as a new retrospective documentary. Still, his commentary is pretty good.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989) audio commentary with director Rob Reiner, screenwriter Nora Ephron, and actor Billy Crystal (Harry Burns) - much better than Reiner's previous solo track (which had pauses galore). Stimulating conversations are usually better than a solo track, especially when the solo person doesn't have much to say because he's not being prompted to discuss things.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) audio documentary with director Jonathan Demme, actors Anthony Hopkins (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling), screenwriter Ted Tally, and FBI Agent John Douglas - this was carried over from the Criterion laserdisc, and is one of the reasons I'm still holding onto my Criterion DVD (the MGM DVDs still don't have this audio track). It's a classic track, one done before audio commentaries became group discussion, and really analyzes the film from all points of view. One of the best commentaries ever done.
Shakespeare in Love (1998 ) audio commentary with director John Madden, and audio documentary with producers Donna Gigliotti and David Parfitt, screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, production designer Martin Childs, costume Designer Sandy Powell, cinematographer Richard Greatrex, and actors Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Geoffrey Rush - the former is one of the best audio commentaries I've listened too (Madden's track for Proof is equally excellent as well). The latter is a very crowded track of pre-recorded comments. It's not screen-specific as it's an audio documentary, but is better than the 20-minute featurette that does serve as the film's documentary (where a few comments are repeated from the audio doc).
"Coupling: Jane and the Truth Snake" (2001) audio commentary with series creator Steven Moffat and actor Gina Bellman (Jane Christie) - the episode is one of my favourites of the series, and the commentary is also excellent as well.
Atonement (2007 audio commentary with director Joe Wright - like his Pride and Prejudice track, he's solo here, and he doesn't disappoint.
albert
