Five Movie Commentaries To Listen To In January
WhileDamien Chazelle’sLa La Landwears its fondness for old school Hollywood productions proudly on its sleeve, his portrayal of present-day Los Angeles is hardly unflattering. It’s a movie so appealing to the eye it’s almost impossible to see nothing except beauty inLa La Land, but it captures a genuinely lovely part of the city: it’s a placea lotof driven and passionate people move to every day.
After seeing the film a second time, it made me want to revisit a few movies set in Los Angeles, includingBoogie Nights,The Graduate,Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and a few others, which all feature some commentary tracks worth listening to.
Below, check out this January’s movie commentary recommendations.
Boogie Nights (featuring writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson )
Why Listen: “I think karate and porno is… how I wanna live my life.”
I would write this is “sadly” one of the only two audio commentariesPaul Thomas Andersonhas ever done, but it’s impossible to complain after hearing his one forBoogie Nights. This commentary features a blunt, confident, sincere, and deeply passionate young Anderson discussing his epic sophomore effort. It’s obvious he’s enjoying reminiscing about the ensemble and days from the shoot. Anderson’s love for movies, moviemaking, and the experience ofBoogie Nightsis always palpable. It’s two and a half hours of listening to a brilliant and hilarious storyteller opening about his influences, sharing great stories about his dad, talking about growing up in the Valley and the porn industry, and much, much more.
What’s Said: With the camerawork, Anderson wasn’t afraid of getting a little flashy. “This is a good story for a lot of show-off moments, and hopefully I took advantage of every single one of them,” he says.A Day on the Job: The shot of Dirk Diggler checking out during the “Jessie’s Girl” sequence was an unplanned shot and altered the scene, which was originally half as long. “That [shot] was something that just happened,” the director says.
Trivia: Paul Thomas Anderson’s favorite scene is where Rollergirl asks Amber, “Are you my mom?”
The Graduate (featuring director Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh)
Why Listen:Steven Soderberghasks all the right questions.Mike Nicholstells so many funny, honest, and wonderful stories with the (now-out-of-retirement) director. This a rare commentary where it feels like you’re eavesdropping in on a conversation. It’s a wide-ranging discussion covering the extensive rehearsals, whyDustin Hoffmanis a greatmovieactor, and even Nichols' problems as a young, less patient filmmaker. You get to learn a tiny bit about the Nichols that madeThe Graduateand the Nichols that sat down with Soderbergh for this lovely conversation, which has aperfectending.The Graduatedirector even knows exactly when to end a commentary on a high note.What’s Said: When Soderbergh asks Nichols for his thoughts on expectations, and how they play a role in Benjamin and Diane’s lives, he responds with:
I don’t know anybody of any significant talent that goes into something saying, ‘This is going to be great. I just know it.’ That’s already not an artist talking. The artist fears the worst, and for good reason. Every time the worst doesn’t happen it’s a miracle one more time, which I still believe. I mean, I love my life, and I’ve had the most amazing luck. I can never, ever get used to it. When I go home, I love my home and when I see my wife, who I love, every time I see her, every day I think — it sounds idiotic — why did I get so lucky? What did I ever do to deserve this happiness? It’s very, very hard, as you know, to have a high opinion of yourself, sometimes for moments about something you think that you did that’s okay, sometimes having to do with your kids that you didn’t mess it up completely. I mean, to have great expectations? I think even Dickens was speaking ironically.
A Day on the Job: Nichols credits his unconscious for the film’s final scene. The day he shot the scene, he acted poorly, which helped provoke the unforgettable expressions of horror on Benjamin and Diane’s faces.
Trivia: Mike Nichols wasn’t a fan of the first songPaul Simonwrote for the film, so the director asked if he had another one he could use. Simon went away withArt Garfunkeland returned with “Mrs. Robinson,” a song originally called “Mrs. Roosevelt.”
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (featuring writer-director Shane Black and stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer)
Why Listen: This commentary is almost as entertaining as the movie. The rapport between these three gives a decent idea of why the film works as well as it does.Shane Black,Robert Downey Jr., andVal Kilmerare incredibly quick and always keep things lively. Kilmer might (jokingly) name drop more than he does discussKiss Kiss Bang Bang. Pretty much anything Kilmer says makes you lean in, listen, and more often than not laugh. In addition to the humor, you do gain some insight into how the three participants like to work.What’s Said: “Robert is a very generous actor,” Kilmer says. “He likes acting with actors. And sadly, a lot of actors don’t. A lot of actors don’t. You ever see a little movie Tom Hanks did where he’s acting with a volleyball? That’s pretty much every actor’s favorite role.“A Day on the Job: There’s not a whole lot of discussion about specific days, but Kilmer is honest about filming the Russian roulette sequence. “You’re dying to tell everyone what happened, aren’t you?” he asks Downey with a laugh. “Go on. I’m beyond scrutiny now. you’re able to’t touch me. I’ll admit, I had a little trouble with the exposition, and then you had a couple of little problems with some lines, Shane, which we talked about changing, and we did, and that’s my excuse for asking for cue cards. That’s what Robert’s alluding to. I didn’t end up needing them? Did I, Robert? Did I?“Trivia: Some people actually wanted Black to cut the bullet gag from the script.
Swingers (featuring Doug Liman and editor Stephen Mirrione)
Why Listen:Doug Limanprovides great commentaries for aspiring filmmakers. He offers up so much advice and spends a lot of time covering the technical side of things. Liman’s commentaries forGoandSwingersare especially enlightening. He saysSwingerswas “at the end of the day meant to be a resume film,” which allowed everyone to take chances and break rules. Liman discusses at length trying to do the best with what the footage he got, in addition to reading books on cinematography on set and taking advantage of unfocused shots, jump cuts, and continuity errors.Stephen Mirrioneand Liman frequently mention how limitations led to some of the film’s most beloved scenes.What’s Said:An important lesson Mirrione, an Academy Award winner who’s edited many of Soderbergh’s films, learned fromSwingers: “It’s very easy when you’re doing something low-budget like this, where you don’t really know what you’re doing — you can’t ever give up. There’s always a way to get around something, there’s always a way make something work.“A Day on the Job: You can’t get a permit to shoot along I-15. When Mike and Trent are sitting in the car and about to head home from Vegas, there were five or six police cars on the other side of the camera. Liman explains:
A lot of the scene was shot as they were pretending to pack the equipment.
Trivia: Favreau wrote the last scene in a day after it was decided the film should end with Mike’s friend seeing him happy, not with a phone call.
Training Day (featuring director Antoine Fuqua)
Why Listen:Antoine Fuquais commentating solo, and like most commentaries with one participant, there’s some stop and go. That’s not an issue here, though, as Fuqua speaks with confidence and intelligence, explaining the life of an undercover cop, the challenges of shooting in Los Angeles, and the lengths he went to create a sense of authenticity. Fuqua clearly understands this world and did his research. Hearing the director discuss soldiers coming from home Vietnam and becoming cops, like Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), and how undercover cops manipulate informants is the kind of information that’s as fascinating as all Fuqua’s memories from making the film.What’s Said: Everyone knows Washington is a great actor, but he also has a hell of a memory.
A Day on the Job: One of the most dramatic and intense scenes inTraining Day– Alonzo trying to reason with Jake (Ethan Hawke) after killing Roger (Scott Glenn) – was originally two minutes longer. Washington, showing Alonzo at his most vulnerable, was as powerful to watch on set that day as he is in the finished scene.
Trivia: WhenTerry Crews' character uses the pigeons to warn the neighborhood cops have arrived, it’s called flipping pigeons, and it is a deep subculture. Some of these birds cost “about $8,000 a piece” and can represent power or a sign of respect.
