The Calm Before...More Ramblings From The Head Of The Anti-PC League

Actually, this will be a light hearted affair.

I have a real addiction to DVD commentaries. I listen to each and every one, whether the movie sucks or not. I really feel like I learn something from them. Even in the case of my fellow Jersey-ite, Kevin Smith, who is so damn funny, but really sheds little into the actual process. So last night, I popped in Equilibrium, a film I thought was a better than average dystopian tale. I wasn't in love with it. But the commentary is very informative. He was a first time director with EQ with a relatively small budget, and he goes into how they shot some action sequences on the cheap, and some in as little as thirty minutes, because they had no time or money left. He is honest about the criticisms of the movie, and is hard on himself much of the time. Is this day and age, when people just fluff each other up on a commentary track because they made a shitty movie, it's nice to hear someone who's humble. I really recommend giving it a listen. Of course, it goes without saying you should watch the movie without it first.

So without further blah blah, here are my top five commentary tracks:
1. Tarantino on True Romance -He is a fast talker who never lets up. He gives you personal thoughts on what he was thinking as he wrote the script, as well as little stories from everything from his friends to the origin of the 'sicilian' scene to how he turned down directing it. A great, informative and funny commentary by someone who truly cares.

2. Any Kevin Smith track- You know what you're getting with this guys commentary tracks. A self depreciating, ball busting funny man who is an honest and genuine person, not too high on himself, and takes just as much abuse from his cohorts as he dishes out. I can honestly recommend any of his movies for their commentary tracks alone. Don't forget the Clerks Cartoons, which are hilarious, and offer even funnier commentary for each of the six episodes.

3. Boogie Nights-Paul Thomas Anderson starts off his BN commentary by stating: Alright, listen up, because I learned everything I know about film from these commentary tracks I used to listen to on Laser Disc. I'm paraphrasing, but what he says is true. I've learned ten times as much from commentary tracks as I did in my six months of Film school. And you know what? This guy pulls no punches, he curses like a sailor, which I love, and he is dead honest about who he thinks he ripped off in certain shots. Frankly, he's one of my favorite directors, and this commentary is chock full of stories and insights into the why's? and how's? of this great film. As an added bonus, check out the other track, with Anderson again, who basically interviews each actor individually for the track. It's an amazing look into the start of filming, to the end of the process as they look back. Plus, he asks each actor "Do you think Luis Guzman is high in this scene?", including Luis himself, I think. And what he does with Mark Wahlberg, and how he keeps him seated for the entire run is absolutely hysterical. It's a must listen.

4. Evil Dead-Bruce Campbell Or Sam Raimi/Tapert tracks- Two great commentary tracks. The track with Bruce Campbell is full of little behind the scenes stories about the production, which took many years. He is a naturally humorous man, and his personality is perfect for this medium. The Sam Raimi track is just as good. And just as many stories, and different takes on the same story. I haven't listened to them in awhile, but they're absolutely a top option.

5. The Godfather-FF Coppola- How could I not put this on the list? He gives great technical explanation and dives into the stories, like how he was pressured to fire Pacino, how he himself was on the verge of being fired, so he fired his AD in a pre-emptive strike, why Clemenza doesn't return for part 2, and about 20 more great little stories. A classic movie, and a classic commentary.

I could go on and on, and list dozens more, but I'll list 3 runners up without going into detail.

1. Goodfellas-Scorsese and a second track with an FBI agent and Henry Hill
2. The Thing-John Carpenter and Kurt Russell
3. Fight Club- Fincher, Fincher and the stars, The novel writer and the screenwriter together
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I just had a Risky Business moment as I rocked out(can you guess my age?) in my living room to 'Alright now" by Free, and 'The Boy's Are Back In Town' by Thin Lizzy. It doesn't take Ingwie Malmsteen fancy shmancy guitar work to fucking rock, people. Just listen to these two songs. Simple riffs, but they just have that raw sound. Awesome!

DIRT. is going as planned, if not a tad slower than normal. I already had thirty one pages in the bank when I started up again. So the progress bar is a little inaccurate. That's my progress after page thirty one. So really, I have about seventy five pages done. The reason I started the progress bar on zero is I thought it would take another hundred pages to finish. And I think that's about right. It certainly is an epic in my mind. And there certainly will be no market for it. But screw it, I'll film it myself if need be. It's not full of special effects, it's a character/period piece. Think the epic scale and arc of Boogie Nights with the humor of Swingers. That's what I'm aiming for anyway.