As you might expect, I claim to be a movie geek. Perhaps a buff, even. A buff! (How many things can you say that you’re a buff in?) I’m not the biggest movie geek out there – I don’t have 4,000 DVDs or a garage full of action figures from the past three decades’ worth of comic book movies, but I put in my time, subscribe to entertainment magazines and Netflix, have two DVRs worth of movies to be watched, and once upon a time, I even started some directory of movie blogs (now over 1,000 members!). In other words, I’m pretty sure I have the credentials.
But you know what? I could not care less about some things that quote-unquote certified movie buffs seem to go apeshit for. Case(s) in point: DVD special features and The Criterion Collection.
When I purchase a DVD, it’s because I want to own and have the ability to watch the movie at any given time. Sure, there are some beautifully and intelligently put-together menus and features out there (Memento springs to mind), but on the whole, the only features I care about are the “Play” button and perhaps the Audio setup, in case I need to turn subtitling on (you’d think my wife and I were deaf, we use them so much). I find that my time is generally altgoether wasted by the so-called special features. Deleted scenes are almost unilaterally accurately placed on the cutting room floor. “Making of” featurettes are garishly produced PR puff pieces and/or commericals for a film you’ve just seen, often re-produced on the DVD after they’d aired prior to the film’s release on channels like HBO or Showtime. Actor bios? I’ll stick to IMDb and Wikipedia, thanks. Frankly, I’d rather spend that time watching another movie.
Commentary tracks are no different; there might be loads and loads of interesting bon mots and hilarious tales of on-set debauchery, but I’d never know ’cause I don’t care to listen to them. I can probably count on one hand the number of them that I’ve endured (i.e. watched the whole film with), and the only one that even comes to mind is Fight Club. I enjoyed it, but I’d rather just, you know, watch the film as it was intended than have a couple of disinterested parties trying to crack jokes over the film.
Criterion is a whole ‘nother animal. There are entire blogs devoted to the “Collection,” and undoubtedly hundreds more which devote posts to new Criterion releases or reviewing the latest releases. This baffles me. Now, before your head explodes, I do understand the importance of someone out there doing many of the things that Criterion does. I’m thankful to them for playing an important role in film restoration and in ” the correct aspect ratio letterboxing presentation of movies” (says Wikipedia). That said, the love given to them is nigh fetishistic, the love displaced from the films they’re releasing to the company producing them. Who gives a shit?
Certainly not this faux movie geek.
Most of the special features that are on DVDs nowadays can be watched on YouTube, so that definitely devalues them, especially if you have to pay extra for the DVD.
One of the few exceptions to this rule are the special features on the extended versions of Lord of the Rings. The special features alone take up two discs, and contain over 6 hours of material for each film. And this isn’t simply promotional material, but behind the scenes footage that makes the viewing experience that much better. Despite the length, I’ve watch the features on these films several times now.
And from what I’ve read, The Hobbit will even be more in depth. Jackson had well over 30 hours of special features material before they even started production.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:38 pm
You make a valid point. I alluded to it with Memento, but yes, there are absolutely some special features out there that are truly special, that really go behind the scenes and show you some cool ass shit that you might not be able to find elsewhere. The only problem is that they’re the needles in the haystacks, as so much is uninteresting drivel.
But c’mon, man – I can’t bear the thought of watching even the 8-hour versions of the LOTR flicks, much less watching 27 more hours of behind-the-scenes stuff on it. Ok, I’m mostly kidding – I’ve actually watched some of the features (on a regular LOTR disc)…but I still don’t care that much about the series to get the extended versions.
Oh man, two hours worth of some of the funniest stories can be seen on the extended discs of LotR. You should give em a try dude, not the whole thing, just the two hours of the cast talking about their experiences.
Nothing better than spending 12 hours on a Saturday once a year watching the extended edition of LotR.
Dude, I totally agree. When I go to the store to get a movie that just came out, often they have the “Two disc special edition” version! One whole disc devoted to stuff CUT OUT of the movie. That doesn’t make any fucking sense to me. So I stick with what most people call “bare bones” not only cause it’s cheaper, but I just want to watch the fuckin’ movie too.
There are SOME commentaries that I’d love to listen to. Like I heard Uwe Boll’s commentaries are hilarious. Mainly cause he use to take himself so seroiusly. Now he acts like he’s in on the joke.
Anyway, here’s a somewhat scary thought: All the movies that are coming out now might be Criterion in like 20 years. Think about that shit!
-Jason
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:40 pm
And to think – I know there are people out there (our own Steve Johnston being one of them) that will buy the bare bones edition if that comes out first, then buy the loaded edition later because they NEED the features (pretty sure he talked about this on The Film Cynics radio show back in the day about Avatar, though he might not have actually paid for either edition).
If I were independently wealthy and/or unemployed, I might be more akin to watching/listening to commentaries, but unless it’s one of my all-time favorites, no way (and I haven’t even done it for 99% of those).
I like getting the DVDs/Blu-Rays with the most special features, but it’s because I love behind-the-scenes and making-of type things. That stuff fascinates me, for the most part.
As for Criterion collection… I’ve never understood the major deal behind those.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:41 pm
Oh, I don’t have Blu-Ray, either. And I hate Director’s Cuts…but that’s an Editorial I have in draft for another day…
I’m with you on this one 100%. I don’t give a damn about these extras, as I rarely have time to watch the movie I bought anyway. So to me all these “special features” are extra fluff that serve as a vehicle to suck even more money out of my pocket. No thanks. I’ll catch the bare bones copy in the $5 bin at Walmart in a year.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:41 pm
You don’t even have time to watch the flicks in real time!
Yup – they’re money drains. And go to Big Lots (if you have that there) – $3 bins!
Twitter: ptsnob
August 16, 2011 10:01 am
Uh oh, Dylan. Get ready for some fun comments.
I fall somewhere in the middle between the “film geek” and your approach. I do enjoy the extra features for movies I’m interested in, and that does entice me to buy some DVDs or Blu-rays. However, I’ve grown less patient with commentaries over the years. On the other hand, I’m with you on not owning a crazy amount of movies or memorabilia. I do enjoy The Criterion Collection because they have some cool releases, but I’ve seen some awful movies from them too. I’m glad they exist but agree they’re placed on a crazy pedestal.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:43 pm
Not too bad yet, as most seem to be on my side. But perhaps that’s just because the Criterion Goon Squad has yet to be informed of my insolence.
I think we’re generally in the same boat. I really, really am glad for Criterion for the service they provide for the industry, but any Criterion discs I own are completely accidental – I’ve not once sought out and/or bought a Criterion disc in favor of a non-Criterion version of a disc on purpose.
Twitter: smallmind
August 16, 2011 10:05 am
Nice editorial, I can honest say that the last time that I watched a special feature was when the The Dark Knight DVD came out. I cannot even remember the last time before that. My lack of interest stems from both the features not being that “special” and the lack of time. Nowadays I just want to experience the movie the way it was in theatres, or the way the director envisioned it, I do not need to see extended sequences of a scene that did not make the cut.
I will say that would love to invest in The Criterion Collection, not for the extras but for the obscure titles, yet they are often well out of my price range. Most of the Criterion films I see are on Netflix and even then there is only a small amount available.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:44 pm
Amen to all of this, CS. We got babies, man – we don’t have time for a 30-minute making of for Drive Angry!
Twitter: BeatsAvatar
August 16, 2011 12:57 pm
I used to watch the Special Features religiously. Everytime I watched a movie, I went to the bonus material immediately afterwards.
But then I stopped being a teenager and stopped having all of that free time to waste on things that were related to but weren’t the movie.
I used to get mad when I rented or bought a DVD that didn’t have anything extra on it, but now? I could care less.
Now, after I watch a movie, I IMDB and Wikipedia it and get all the extra info from there. Someone else can do all the legwork and watch all the extras for me.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 16, 2011 1:50 pm
Thanks, Gooch. (God, I love that name.) Yup – IMDb Trivia page (love the trivia pages!) and/or Wikipedia usually cover all of the bases that I need covered.
BTW – I’ve been pretty terrible (backed up) with my blog reading/commenting lately, but I wanted to let you know that I dig your site. And don’t get me wrong…I dig the film in the same way that I dig Joe Dirt, but Pootie Tang as your all-time number three? That’s crazy talk, man.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, “Wapitah to the Bammies!”
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:18 pm
Sine your pitty on the runny kine.
Twitter: fandangogroover
August 16, 2011 2:13 pm
I’m with you on this one Dylan. This is what I said on the subject last year: http://wp.me/prVbF-Ri
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:19 pm
Vanilla and proud, Andy!
I agree somewhat, deleted scenes, alternate endings and commentary tracks I can do without, but sometimes there are interesting interviews, documentaries, and short films included that are not otherwise available.
As for the Criterion Collection, the titles may not interest you personally, but for others, that is often the only way to ever see those films with English subtitles. Especially if you don’t live in a city like New York.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:21 pm
I’m a bit confused here: just about every (region 1) DVD out there has subtitles, in English, Spanish and French (at the least). Are you saying that the Criterion ones you’re referring to have non-Criterion discs out there that don’t have Eng. subtitles, or are just otherwise not released anywhere?
Yeah, I mean that sometimes the titles that Criterion releases might previously have been available regionally from European or Asian distributors but lack English subtitles. French releases in particular often don’t even include a transcription for the hearing impaired.
I agree for the most part Dylan. I like to watch the extra material and even the director’s commentary on some of the movies I really like but only if they come in with the regular price DVD.
Now, I don’t even buy DVDs anymore so this doesn’t even happen anymore. Needless to say, I could care less about the fancy Criterion or special editions.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:24 pm
Haha, yeah, I pretty much don’t buy any DVDs any more, either, so the points are kind of all moot for me. I’m still waiting for the SuperNetflix – a streaming source where you can watch (almost) any flick at any time, searchable by actors, directors, writers, studios, ratings, years, etc. This would 100% kill the DVD market (for anyone subscribed). Sadly, Netflix ain’t there yet.
Twitter: Joelburman
August 21, 2011 11:10 pm
This will never happen since the studios has seen the impact of Netflix. Netflix will have a hard time obtaining titles for the pricing they have had so far but I like the idea of supernetflix.
I like a good blooper reel for a comedy, but that’s about it. Otherwise, it just better have subtitles. Though, when I was in Gabon for the summer, I was eternally grateful when three of the DVDs I’d brought with me even had dubbed in french audio – meant I didn’t have to watch them alone.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:25 pm
Blooper reels are great! Sadly, I rarely see them any more. Sure, we’ll get some deleted scenes, but I feel like we need more bloopers. Hell, even Pixar’s faux-bloopers that they made back in the early days were priceless.
Twitter: tom_clift
August 16, 2011 6:44 pm
I’m only really interested in the special features or directors commentaries for my very favourite films, or if there’s something really significant to discuss. THE MATRIX, LORD OF THE RINGS and AVATAR are good examples of when to explore the “making of featurettes”, because of what huge/ revolutionary productions they were. But aside from that, I’m pretty much with you Dylan.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:26 pm
Indeed. It’s gotta be something pretty damned interesting and/or revolutionary for me to care about the makings-of featurettes.
I think your first point goes hand-in-hand with your second point. What people love so much about Criterion is that they always put in quality time to get all those extra features you don’t seem to care for. That’s the reason I’m always elated to see a favorite of mine make it into their collection.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:28 pm
Yeah, they definitely do.
I’m in the middle of teaching a film class right now (despite the fact that the State of Illinois disapproves of my degree for this class…so it’ll likely be the last time), and special features are a godsend. I mean, I can explain storyboarding or I can pop in the Hellboy disc and have Guillermo del Toro explain storyboarding with examples. No contest.
That said, I don’t watch a lot of special features. I simply don’t have the time. I want the movie, a subtitles option, and the trailer, and I’m pretty good.
As for Criterion…I (based on the necessities of my site) appreciate that they rescue great, obscure films and do so lovingly. I also appreciate library budgets that allow them to pay $35 for an obscure Belorussian film so that I can borrow it and not buy it. I like that they exist, but I don’t feel the need to rub the DVDs on my body.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:30 pm
You lazy bastard! Having del Toro do all the work for you, I see? Maybe he could just come in and lecture, too?
Actually, that’s a really cool usage and application of DVD features.
I could go along with your Criterion thoughts, especially the part about the library budget. LOL. Though I thought all libraries were broke? I guess not when it comes to school libraries…
Twitter: kaiderman
August 17, 2011 8:03 am
“a garage full of action figures “… who’s that directed at?
I agree. Honestly, all I look for on DVD menus is a gag or blooper reel which usually sucks anyway with the occasional gems (40 y/o Virgin/ Spiderman 2).
Some films I’ll watch featurettes on but namely movies I love like the aforementioned Fight Club.
Otherwise, all this crap is pretty useless to me too!
OH! And when the DVD offers Theatrical or Unrated/ Unedited cut, I tend to do Theatrical for the same reason I (and you) don’t watch deleted scenes.
Only time I have ever enjoyed deleted scenes was on Unbreakable DVD where there were a couple very cool scenes and he explains very good reasons for cutting them.
Whenever I have the option, I go for Unrated/Director’s Cut. The only time that ever bit me on the ass was “The Warrior’s Director’s Cut”. That kinda sucked.
-Jason
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 17, 2011 12:32 pm
“who’s that directed at?” – If I could make one of those smilies where he’s looking from side to side, I’d put that in right here.
I’ll address theatrical vs. director’s/unrated cuts soon…
Interesting post,
As I never buy films, this doesn’t really concern me much though, but if I did I’m sure I’d be one to watch the extra’s and special features.
And for the Criterion Collection, I love what they do, but don’t follow their releases regularly. I just think very highly of them.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 21, 2011 8:54 pm
You never buy films? What’s the story there?
Well said, man. Well said. I’m right there with you. Like you said, deleted scenes are deleted for a reason and all the commentary tracks and behind the scenes features just interfere with the movie magic for me. Perhaps it’s idiotic to still believe in movie magic but then I’m an idiotic romantic.
I’m so an audio commentary person ! I once watched all of the Lotr commentaries in 4 days ………. That was a hell of a job.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 21, 2011 8:57 pm
That sounds like a job!
I’d like to listen to commentaries, but I just don’t have the time. After I’ve seen all of the classics and films I’ve missed over the years, THEN I’ll listen to commentaries. Unfortunately…that will never happen.
Twitter: Joelburman
August 21, 2011 1:21 pm
Nice rant I guess… I understand where you are coming from but there are exceptions to Ridley Scott always records great audio commentaries for instance.
Unfortunately I’m to much of a completist that tracks down the best version of a film before I buy etc.
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 21, 2011 8:57 pm
But how often is it that you buy “the best version,” only to have to go back later and buy a new “best version?”
Twitter: Joelburman
August 21, 2011 11:13 pm
Not that often anymore since I do try to get films on bluray instead of DVD. The conclusion is that I only buy really good bluray versions of film and I rent a lot more from my local store.