Tazwolff

I guess I don’t find them useful. I just want the movie in its OAR with a 5.1 or DTS track, nothing more nothing less. I really don’t care to listen to other people talk about the movie when I’m watching it.

am1001

good website for commentary fans

http://www.ratethatcommentary.com/

KillerQ

This way they can include the commentary on the special addition that you'll buy in 2 months. Also, i have never heard a BAD commentary. If I like the film, I like the commentary -- plain and simple.

Matt

Josh H

I never cared for them. I think I've listened to two in the 6 1/2 years that I've had a DVD player.

I have a hard enough time finding 2 hours to watch a movie, and when I do have the free time I'd rather just watch a film than listen to a commentary. Especially since I'm generally not interested in filmmaking.

Yeti4623

I used to love all commentaries, but the past few years, I've become bored with most commentaries for new movies. I now mostly really enjoy commentaries for old movies, and movies from my childhood.

bboisvert

Well, it's really a matter of taste, but I love commentaries, when done well. But I've heard quite a few terrible ones.

Directors that simply explain what plot is happening on the screen (The Exorcist leaps to mind).
Participants (usually actors) that have really nothing to say and spend the entire track either silent or giggling and saying inane comments.
Participants who are watching the movie for the first time in decades and don't remember a single thing about making it.
Directors who spend the entire track blowing their nose (a special shout out to Fawlty Towers).

When done well, a commentary is a valuable thing. And when they were few and far between in the laserdisc days, I think 99% of them were fantastic. But now that tons of releases put them on as nearly "standard", I'm listening to more than my share of subpar tracks.

fryinpan1

I love commentaries. They add more replay value to the DVD and I always learn something new about the film while listening to them.

ctowner1

I'm of mixed mind on commentaries myself. For the most part, it's hard for me to justify rewatching an entire movie for the commentary when I have so many other movies that I want to see. So I'll tend to just zip over to what I think are important or interesting scenes and just listen to the commentary on those.

But the bulk of the movies out there that have commentaries just seem (to me) to be a waste of time. I mean do you really need a commentary for, say, Dodgeball? or some movie like that? Or look at LOTR, there are something like FOUR commentary tracks on those disks - can people really watch 4 hours of commentary by a set designer (or whatever tech guy they had on those)??

OTOH, I watched The Godfather with Francis Ford Coppola's commentary - a movie I've seen at least a dozen times - and it was a totally kickass experience. But then, that's one of my all time favorite movies.

Also, I really could care less about what most actors think about the movies they star in. I mean who cares? Give me the Director or the Writer - but most others? pfeh.

What I WISH would be more common would be a condensed commentary by the Director. Instead of having to watch the ENTIRE movie, and have the Director feel compelled to make any number of inane comments to fill up the space, why not have him just talk about the movie for a 1/2 hour? I'd LOVE to hear some of my favorite directors just talking about what they thought were the key points of the movie. Saves me the time, save's them the time - would be perfect.

nodeerforamonth

commentaries are my absolute favorite special feature. I certainly hope they haven't become passe!