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DVD commentary cliches

Old 02-23-09, 04:45 PM
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DVD commentary cliches

List DVDs with these commentary cliches, or list more commentary cliches

A. Someone(s) get(s) a phone call, and/or he/she/they make(s) a big deal about the phone call
B. Someone(s) eat(s) food, and/or he/she/they make(s) a big deal about the food
C. "Does anybody ever listen to these commentaries?"
Old 02-23-09, 06:16 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

d. Drinking during commentaries
Old 02-23-09, 06:18 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

e. "Hey, there's [actor name]! [He/she] was really great to work with."
Old 02-23-09, 06:32 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

f. "... who, sadly, passed away last year."
Old 02-23-09, 06:46 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

g. "I just love [insert obscure actor's name] in this scene..."
Old 02-23-09, 06:53 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

h. "This was on our first day of shooting."

i. "This was on our last day of shooting."
Old 02-23-09, 06:54 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

j. "Wally, go kill that couple that lives down the street"

It's so overdone that now I even hear it when I'm not listening to a commentary.

Or, for an actual one, especially with older TV shows:

j. "Sorry that we're not saying much, it's been so long since we've seen this that we're just caught up in watching it"

Last edited by WallyOPD; 02-23-09 at 07:05 PM.
Old 02-23-09, 09:19 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Commentary tracks for the blind: when the commentator just describes what's happening onscreen.
Old 02-23-09, 09:37 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by sb5
Commentary tracks for the blind: when the commentator just describes what's happening onscreen.
Paging Richard Schickel....Here's another one: "I'd recommend seeing the film without this commentary first, as it contains many spoilers." Well, obviously.
Old 02-23-09, 10:41 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by sb5
Commentary tracks for the blind: when the commentator just describes what's happening onscreen.
I HATE this! It totally defeats the point of having a commentary...
Old 02-24-09, 12:35 AM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

(late in the commentary) "Do you think anyone's still listening to us?"
Old 02-24-09, 01:08 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Not exactly a cliche, but I hate it when the commentator (usually a film scholar) is obviously just reading an essay he's written previously. Criterion is a particular offender.
Old 02-24-09, 01:19 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by Straker
Not exactly a cliche, but I hate it when the commentator (usually a film scholar) is obviously just reading an essay he's written previously. Criterion is a particular offender.

This has me wondering about the actors too. Aside from maybe Armageddon (Which I still haven't heard), I'm amazed at how every actor-commentary on a Criterion disc always has a lengthy (Paragraph worthy) comment when describing their scenes.
Old 02-24-09, 01:24 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

k. This is one of my favorite scenes...
Old 02-24-09, 01:35 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

'Braveheart' commentary

[Mel Gibson]it was cold that day


...

...

...

...

[/Mel Gibson]

*snore*

actually alot of films that have numerous scenes shot outdoors reflect on the weather, ALOT.
Old 02-24-09, 01:37 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by Straker
Not exactly a cliche, but I hate it when the commentator (usually a film scholar) is obviously just reading an essay he's written previously. Criterion is a particular offender.
I actually enjoy those.

What I really hate is dead silence.
Old 02-24-09, 01:39 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by 12thmonkey
I actually enjoy those.

What I really hate is dead silence.
the cast commentary track on 'The Sound of Music' should have retitled 'The Sound of Silence'
Old 02-24-09, 04:33 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Inside Jokes.
Old 02-24-09, 04:41 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by 12thmonkey
I actually enjoy those.
Me too. You'll never hear me complain that an actor/filmmaker/historian actually prepared beforehand.
Old 02-24-09, 05:20 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by Groucho
e. "Hey, there's [actor name]! [He/she] was really great to work with."
They usually come in clusters. Some people have to suck up to everyone in the picture.

One great exception was the director's commentary for The Cell. Every time someone appears onscreen, Tarsem Singh exclaims how wonderful and talented the person is, including the bit players with one line. Everyone, that is, except for Jennifer Lopez.
Old 02-24-09, 05:27 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by 12thmonkey
k. This is one of my favorite scenes...
No, the better one is the director stating "this is my absolute favorite scene", about a dozen times throughout the movie.
Old 02-24-09, 05:30 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

L. "Don't give away the ending."
Old 02-24-09, 07:46 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by Straker
Not exactly a cliche, but I hate it when the commentator (usually a film scholar) is obviously just reading an essay he's written previously. Criterion is a particular offender.
As long as the essay is informative and well-written, what's the problem? Criterion's commentaries are usually the best in the business.
Old 02-24-09, 07:59 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

It's not necessarily a cliche, but a pet peeve of mine is when there are more than one commentator and they start discussing other projects they've done together. I recently watched Big Trouble in Little China with the commentary track (John Carpenter and Kurt Russell), and they frequently diverted into discussing their four other collaborations. It takes me out of the movie at hand, you know?

I also have a love/hate relationship with bored chit-chat. On one hand, it's annoying. On the other hand, there's a certain absurdist quality to, say, Owen Wilson asking Vince Vaughn during Wedding Crashers if he caught the previous night's game and they spend the next two minutes running down football scores. I was always a fan of Skip Caray as a broadcaster, and after about the fourth inning of a Braves game, he could be counted on to review whatever movie he caught on the hotel TV the night before, so I kind of dig that in a commentary.

I am not, however a fan of "How are the kids?" questions from one commentator to another. Sorry, John and Kurt, but I have no desire to know how your sons's music aptitudes are coming along.
Old 02-24-09, 08:20 PM
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Re: DVD commentary cliches

Originally Posted by MinLShaw
Sorry, John and Kurt, but I have no desire to know how your sons's music aptitudes are coming along.
"My son is showing an incredible gift for repetitive, simplistic synth motifs."

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