DVD Commentary review- Hoodwinked · 5:54am May 6th, 2014
This is... circular. Up front, one of the commentators mentioned that some magazines have been reviewing DVD commentary. Honestly, I really love DVD commentary tracks. I like hearing the story behind the story, things that almost happened, things that happened by accident, things that they still are holding onto in case of a sequel. It's really fascinating stuff. So, rather than just plainly reviewing movies, I'll review DVD commentaries.
So I'm opening with something that's very me: low budget animation that I genuinely enjoy. I watched it in theaters and quite liked it. So of course I had to purchase it. I think this is the movie that really made me love the humble DVD commentary.
So this is a three-person commentary, brothers Cory and Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech, all of them writers and directors on the film. It was a small production, naturally, spearheaded by them. The three fellows sound sort of alike but that's not a big problem, it's very clear different guys are talking, but it's hard to know which is which.
These are not Hollywood people, and that's a good thing. They aren't the slick, polished sorts that have been through the system. The commentary opens with Cory faking a British accent, and they riff off of that. They take the commentary seriously, in a sense but don't take themselves seriously. They make jokes and asides based on the happenings in the movie, including some instances of treating the movie as if it was real, talking about Nicky doing a dozen takes or Red being on a green screen. They even have running gags in their dialog, mostly centering around the phrase "self-congratulatory."
They talk about references and influences and go off on that for a while when there is a lull in the movie, such as talking about Wallace and Grommit when discussing lighting, or Christmas Story when the dynamite scene on the coal cart comes. They drop names, but it feels natural, very organic and proper. It enhances the pedigree of the movie, but doesn't make them look like douches like the rich asses who talk of celebrities they saw at a restaurant once.
This is definately one of the better commentaries I've heard. The commentators are amusing and "approachable" as humans, they stay on target talking about the movie yet they also meander pleasantly though references and jokes, and they seem to really be enjoying themselves.
Pony bonus for the movie itself- Tara Strong has a quick voice spot as Zorra the extreme sports fox.
Furry bonus for the movie- There's a furry in the movie, a guy in a fursuit. And he's a completely normal guy. He works at a coffe counter and is depicted as juts a dude.
On the movie itself- Let's all be honest: Jail Bait Wait for Red and Wolf. It's more blatant in the sequel.
Commentary score: 10/10
There's a sequel?
Hell, I'D forgotten about the sequel!
I remember I spammed the hell out of this song a few years ago.
...I was too amused then the little German kid stuck the schnitzel schtick up his nose in the musical number.
Damn. I like listen to commentaries, too. I like finding out all sorts of behind the scenes stuff about movies. I stopped, though. It takes up a lot if time, and can sometimes feel longer when you're watching the same movie again.
2081874
It was kind of a disappointment but there was some Red/Wolf teasing.
2081894
Not surprising. It was kind of a letdown, other than the Red/Wolf part.
2081917
It's weird but I like commentaries better than the movies sometimes. There's no sharp up and down as the plot goes along. I get all the visuals but the audio tends to be comedic and entertaining. I think my next review will be my favorite movie for commentary, Over the Hedge.