Director Commentary

Director Commentary is at the top of my list of favorite movies this year. It takes the director, cast and crew commentaries normally found on the alternate tracks on DVD releases and makes it the basis of this very funny and original film. The hilarious commentaries and anecdotes by first time director James W. Turner and the cast, including star Michael Greene is all written for the movie. The actual "movie" in Director Commentary is a semi-parody of serial killer films set in Prague on a movie set from hell. Starring Greene and lovely newcomer Heather Martinez with director Turner cast as -surprise- the director, the movie-within-the movie isn't that bad compared to some of the "real" movies this year. When director Turner stops in mid-commentary on the gorgeous lighting in a bedroom scene and blurts out an audible "Oh my..." during Martinez' nude scene it is both funny and disturbingly genuine. His supposedly pretend lust for his beautiful star comes across in most of his voice overs. In some of his best work since Blue Night is Michael Greene's not too subtle obsession with his film self, particularly with certain parts of his anatomy. The rest of their running commentaries range from pointing out their relatives as extras, bizarre minutiae and some great moments where they all seem to have forgotten any real facts about a scene and are obviously making them up.

Not everyone's cup of tea but very imaginitive work and well worth seeing. One wonders whether the inevitable DVD release will have commentary over the commentary.

-Ted Larson, the HB Sentinel Film Focus