Beyond DVDs

I may have mentioned it once or twice, but I like movies and really appreciate DVDs. I like the big movie experience, but revel in the Special Features on a DVDs. I also like to rewind... and look at a nice ass again.

I recently saw Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, something I wanted to see in the big movie and missed by a day. I'm glad I finally caught up with it, a very entertaining movie. I mentioned in the past that I am a Val fan, but this flick was done before Troy, I am assuming, because he lacks the Dunlaps Disease. Robert D*wney, Jr., eh? Fine, he was in it, too.

I must admit the DVD was life altering in my tastes because of the commentary. I figured Val would be charming and Robert would be bright, but scattered. Instead, mostly, Val was obnoxious. He has the reputation of being difficult on the set and I understand that now. It is mostly in the detail and in the mouthiness, a thoroughness I understand, but would never be so pompous as to voice repeatedly.

At the outset of the commentary, Val said to count how many times he proceeded to name drop and he would post the number on his personal website, the winner getting some sort of pseudo prize. Robert acted as if he were counting and Val would remind him to count. Val would get on a string and just BS to list actors he'd starred with, ancient writers, modern artists, you name it just for the name dropping game, which was actually Val's desire to be considered along side greatness, yet make it pseudo funny. It wasn't. I could not watch/listen to the whole commentary. He had to dominate everything. It made me sick. It made me glad Val has a script when I usually see him.

But it made me very happy to have the two main stars in a smaller budget/paycheck movie come together to do the commentary. A for effort.

I've also recently watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith. First, to get these details out of the way, why didn't I realize that the premise is that Brad and Angie are in marriage counseling? The irony!Also, why the fuck did I not know what fucking Vince Vaughn was Brad Pitt's partner in crime? The irony! The intent?

Further, I was astonished at how Angie and P's daughter, L, are so much alike in their body language. Watching Angie, I had flickers of memories which developed into full out reminders, me surprised that Angie stirred these flashes and images. Angie's eye roll matches L's, as does her shrug, her head nod, her face set, her eye squint. It was eerie and completely unanticipated. Angie does a good teenager as she is trying to play an assassin. Go figure.

This DVD sucked concerning the commentaries, excepting the sheer number of them. This single DVD contained four versions of the flick. Four! One commentary with director/photography guy, one with some producers, one with editors/special effects people. Where were Brad and Angie? Jetting around as philanthropists, not to be bothered with the loose ends of a movie? That's why I like commentaries, to decipher the real personalities, and I don't like when the commentaries or interviews are lacking. Honestly, I don't really care about the real personality of the editor.