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Extra! Extra!
Sep. 8th, 2006 11:09 amSo apparently Netflilx does send out completely movie-or-TV-show-free discs when you queue up something. I almost cancelled the last disc of series seven Red Dwarf because I looked up online and found that discs one and two had covered all the actual episodes. Just in case this was not so, I let it arrive at my apartment (also, by the time I realized this, it was already on its way). I discovered it was just a bonus features disc, and nearly chucked it right back in the mail.
I ended up watching it and rather enjoying the retrospective on the entire series seven--the drama! The departures! The something else that begins with a D! They went episode by episode after the initial warm-up, which worked well because you got to see progression, problems with individual episodes dealt with, et al. It's amazing just how much of what is great about a show is completely do to mistakes, cock-ups in management, and the limitations of both budget and material. A lot of really great art comes about by mistake or by response to limitation--a great example (non-Red Dwarf!) would be the limitation on Batman: the Animated Series where they weren't allowed to show the pivotal scene of Bruce Wayne's parents being shot, so instead they just have them walking down a dark alley that transforms into the muzzle of a gun. It's really classy.
What I really loved about the Dwarf extras? British people's non-honesty. Not dishonesty, just honesty by another name that makes it seem like lying but isn't. So the writers had a falling out before series seven, and watching the writer who stayed with the show try to call his ex-partner a git without actually calling him names is both funny and painful. Ditto when people talked about Chris Barrie leaving--the writer was very kind, but instead of saying the actor was tired from working two shows at once, he said something like "Chris got used to the way the other show was shot--just show up, do your lines, go home--and that's not how we did it because we had all the visual effects."
So, basically: "The stupid git was being a lazy bastard about putting up with blue screening, but I can't say that and still look at the man again if we ever bring the show back."
See? Non-honesty. Concession to the other person for having a point while maintaining an air that you think they were being stupid throughout. I loved it!
I guess this is a round-about way of asking this: Do people watch extras on DVDs often? Commentaries, making-ofs, goofs, et al? I rarely do. I make the exception for something that is good or extensive (hello, Lord of the Rings), or inclusive (all-cast commentaries are usually great), but otherwise, not so much. What say the rest of ye?
I ended up watching it and rather enjoying the retrospective on the entire series seven--the drama! The departures! The something else that begins with a D! They went episode by episode after the initial warm-up, which worked well because you got to see progression, problems with individual episodes dealt with, et al. It's amazing just how much of what is great about a show is completely do to mistakes, cock-ups in management, and the limitations of both budget and material. A lot of really great art comes about by mistake or by response to limitation--a great example (non-Red Dwarf!) would be the limitation on Batman: the Animated Series where they weren't allowed to show the pivotal scene of Bruce Wayne's parents being shot, so instead they just have them walking down a dark alley that transforms into the muzzle of a gun. It's really classy.
What I really loved about the Dwarf extras? British people's non-honesty. Not dishonesty, just honesty by another name that makes it seem like lying but isn't. So the writers had a falling out before series seven, and watching the writer who stayed with the show try to call his ex-partner a git without actually calling him names is both funny and painful. Ditto when people talked about Chris Barrie leaving--the writer was very kind, but instead of saying the actor was tired from working two shows at once, he said something like "Chris got used to the way the other show was shot--just show up, do your lines, go home--and that's not how we did it because we had all the visual effects."
So, basically: "The stupid git was being a lazy bastard about putting up with blue screening, but I can't say that and still look at the man again if we ever bring the show back."
See? Non-honesty. Concession to the other person for having a point while maintaining an air that you think they were being stupid throughout. I loved it!
I guess this is a round-about way of asking this: Do people watch extras on DVDs often? Commentaries, making-ofs, goofs, et al? I rarely do. I make the exception for something that is good or extensive (hello, Lord of the Rings), or inclusive (all-cast commentaries are usually great), but otherwise, not so much. What say the rest of ye?
