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Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

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Old 10-23-12, 07:13 PM
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Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

I'll vote for Halloween 2 audio commentary track #1-Leo Rossi & Director Rick Rosenthal. Did they know that they were suppose too talk during the movie? Both added nothing that wasn't already said on the documentary. I hope they didn't get paid for that 100 percent non-effort.
Old 10-23-12, 07:15 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

It's on the DVD too but Taylor Hackford's commentary track for The Devil's Advocate is abysmal. He literally narrates the entire movie. Dude, I'm watching the movie, I don't need someone to tell me what is going on.
Old 10-23-12, 07:16 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Maybe not the worst per se, and it did come out on the DVD release, but the Richard Donner commentary on Lethal Weapon was bland as hell. And for a director like him and a movie like that, I wanted so much more.
Old 10-23-12, 08:11 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by trespoochies
Maybe not the worst per se, and it did come out on the DVD release, but the Richard Donner commentary on Lethal Weapon was bland as hell. And for a director like him and a movie like that, I wanted so much more.
Are you referring to his Lethal Weapon 4 commentary? That's the best of all his LW commentaries. He didn't record one for the first LW until the blu-ray release.
Old 10-23-12, 08:19 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Braveheart ... [snore]
Old 10-23-12, 08:24 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by Robert
Are you referring to his Lethal Weapon 4 commentary? That's the best of all his LW commentaries. He didn't record one for the first LW until the blu-ray release.
No, the first one. I thought the commentary was a port. Then this definitely gets my vote as one of the worst blu commentaries.
Old 10-24-12, 02:38 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by Giles
Braveheart ... [snore]
Yep. There's long stretches where Mel just watches the movie and apparently forgets he's supposed to be talking about it.
Old 10-24-12, 05:40 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

The first commentary track I ever listened to was Thomas Crowne Affair and it made me wonder why people even bothered. He blathered on in a monotone about what we were already watching on the screen. For that reason I rarely will watch one in it's entirety

One of the more disappointing ones was on Gettysburg. The facts the historians put out were fascinating but there were huge gaps with nothing going on. Really? A historian can't talk about the Civil War for 4 hours when there are entire college classes devoted to it?
Old 10-24-12, 06:37 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

I have to go with the commentary on Edward Scissorhands. I like Tim Burton's movies up until Sleepy Hollow, and I like his commentary for the first two Batman movies. But good lord, is the man boring. With his voice, I can't handle 2 hours of him talking.
Old 10-24-12, 07:59 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by JimRochester
The first commentary track I ever listened to was Thomas Crowne Affair and it made me wonder why people even bothered. He blathered on in a monotone about what we were already watching on the screen. For that reason I rarely will watch one in it's entirety

One of the more disappointing ones was on Gettysburg. The facts the historians put out were fascinating but there were huge gaps with nothing going on. Really? A historian can't talk about the Civil War for 4 hours when there are entire college classes devoted to it?
Someone should start a thread about what are the BEST audio commentary tracks. Listening to Ridley Scott's, Robert Rodriguez, and some others, it's the reason why I bother sitting through Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, etc. Although I'll listen to those only once. In fact, thinking about it, even the good audio commentaries I'll only listen to once for the most part.

I agree with you that Gettysburg was a hard one, mostly due to the long amounts of dead air. I guess it was a bit hard to talk for 4 constant hours on that. Although I wish they had a historical audio track only with that historian, and perhaps a few others.
Old 10-24-12, 11:11 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by trespoochies
Someone should start a thread about what are the BEST audio commentary tracks. Listening to Ridley Scott's, Robert Rodriguez, and some others, it's the reason why I bother sitting through Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, etc. Although I'll listen to those only once. In fact, thinking about it, even the good audio commentaries I'll only listen to once for the most part.

I agree with you that Gettysburg was a hard one, mostly due to the long amounts of dead air. I guess it was a bit hard to talk for 4 constant hours on that. Although I wish they had a historical audio track only with that historian, and perhaps a few others.
sometimes (give or take) when two or more people talk in tandem or together - it really helps.

I'm a huge Peter Cushing fan, and the psuedo commentary track (on the Horror Express bluray) isn't really about the movie, but a near 90 minute Q&A done in 1973 - it's utterly fascinating.
Old 10-24-12, 11:24 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by trespoochies
Someone should start a thread about what are the BEST audio commentary tracks.

UHF - Weird Al Yankovic.
Old 10-24-12, 01:37 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

The Puppet Master I commnetary with CHarles Band and Chris Gore is awful. Aside from the quality of the audio being tinny and bathroomy, Gore asks some of the most boring questions imaginable and Band remembers virtually nothing about the movie.
Old 10-24-12, 03:38 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Anything from John McTiernan. He's awful.
Old 10-24-12, 06:51 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather
I have to go with the commentary on Edward Scissorhands. I like Tim Burton's movies up until Sleepy Hollow, and I like his commentary for the first two Batman movies. But good lord, is the man boring. With his voice, I can't handle 2 hours of him talking.
Well, I think ES was one of the first commentaries he did (released in 2000), so he may have improved as he did more of them. The Batman tracks were first released on the 2005 SE DVDs.

With Burton it's better if he's sitting with someone and contributing rather than carrying the whole track. I liked the Pee Wee's Big Adventure track, which had Paul Reubens doing a lot of the talking.
Old 10-24-12, 09:16 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

I'd probably be able to handle him if he was with somebody else. His commentary for Sleepy Hollow was pretty good. Though, even then with him by himself, it's a chore.
Old 10-25-12, 02:06 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Anything with Michelle Rodriguez
Old 10-25-12, 07:38 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
Anything from John McTiernan. He's awful.
Originally Posted by davidh777
Anything with Michelle Rodriguez
Add Richard Schickel to this list. I admire the man's writing and other career accomplishments and he's very knowledgeable, but I find his voice and style of speaking unbearable. If I have to listen to him preface a comment with "again", again, I may swear off commentaries altogether (especially when he does this the first time that he brings up a topic).
Old 10-25-12, 03:24 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Richard Schickel is unlistenable.

The worst scholarly commentary is on Criterion's M. The two guys just go over the same material over and over again.

Last edited by Mabuse; 10-29-12 at 12:05 PM.
Old 10-25-12, 05:13 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Some may disagree with me, but can we add Peter Bogdanovich to this list? His commentary on Citizen Kane is a self-important snooze (compare it with Ebert's, which is fantastic, and you'll know what I mean).
Old 10-26-12, 05:20 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by Giles
Braveheart ... [snore]
I don't know that the Braveheart commentary is the worst one. Sure, it's slow in parts, but it's alright.
Old 10-26-12, 10:41 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Originally Posted by dvd-4-life
I'll vote for Halloween 2 audio commentary track #1-Leo Rossi & Director Rick Rosenthal. Did they know that they were suppose too talk during the movie? Both added nothing that wasn't already said on the documentary. I hope they didn't get paid for that 100 percent non-effort.
It's funny that you mention that one, because I was coming in to say that it was pretty awful. The Dick Warlock commentary for that disc is pretty awesome though.
Old 10-26-12, 12:08 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

The best audio commentaries out there are all the John Carpenter ones. The even better ones are with John Carpenter that feature Kurt Russell. Although the worst John Carpenter commentary track would have to be for In the Mouth of Madness, because his cinematographer, Gary Kibbe, joined him and JC had to lead him throughout the entire film.
Old 10-29-12, 12:31 AM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

Here is the site that readers of this thread might like to know about:

http://www.ratethatcommentary.com/

It's a review site for DVD and Blu-ray commentaries. Here is the top 10 list at the moment, as voted on by users:

1. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia -- Commentary track: Sam Peckinpah scholars Paul Seydor Garner Simmons and David Weddle, with moderator Nick Redman. Rating: 10.0

2. Starman -- Commentary track: Director John Carpenter and actor Jeff Bridges. Rating: 10.0

3. Stir of Echoes -- Commentary track: Screenwriter/director David Koepp. Rating: 9.8

4. Cry-Baby -- Commentary track: Screenwriter/Director John Waters. Rating: 9.8

5. The Invisible Man -- Commentary track: Film historian Rudy Behlmer. Rating: 9.8

6. King of New York -- Commentary track: Director Abel Ferrara. Rating: 9.5

7. Paper Moon -- Commentary track: Director/producer Peter Bogdanovich. Rating: 9.5

8. Hoop Dreams -- Commentary track: Arthur Agee and William Gates. Rating: 9.5

9. Hoop Dreams -- Commentary track: Director Steve James and filmmakers Peter Gilbert and Frederick Marx. Rating: 9.5

10. Half Nelson -- Commentary track: Director/co-screenwriter Ryan Fleck and co-screenwriter/producer Anna Boden. Rating: 9.5
Old 10-30-12, 02:24 PM
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Re: Worst Blu-ray audio commentary track?

I don't know if it got ported over to the BR, but Kim Newman and Alan Jones (God, I want their jobs) commentary for The Bird With the Crystal Plumage is hilarious.


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