John August, Ryan Reynolds Record Some “In Theater” Commentary

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 3, 2007

You’ve heard of DVD Commentary, right? It is that secondary audio track to which 90% of people generally never pay any attention. Often overlooked, a commentary track has the potential of lifting a film experience even higher, or in the case of Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor director’s commentary, it can help explain what the hell went wrong. And no matter the purpose of the commentary, it is always generally interesting.

But you may be thinking, “Boy, I wish that they would have commentary for theatrical releases as well.” Alright, we both know that you are not thinking that, but it was worth a shot. Apparently though, there are a few rebel filmmakers in Hollywood who have decided that a theatrical commentary might not be a bad idea. And thanks to the wonders of the interwebs, they are now able to deliver: podcast style.

The first filmmaker to test this theory was FSR favorite Kevin Smith, but his supposed in-theater commentary for Clerks II was never released to the public. Now, writer/director John August (Big Fish) has delivered an advanced “in-theater” audio commentary for his upcoming film, The Nines. The commentary includes August and the film’s star Ryan Reynolds talking about the film as it happens, as they would for a DVD release (in fact, as August states on his personal website, this same commentary will probably end up on the DVD as well). The entire commentary can be downloaded from August’s site, johnaugust.com.

The idea is a novel one, but as Mr. August himself points out, it is not best suited for an initial viewing. Basically, if you are either immensely confused or overwhelmingly entertained by the flick (or both), then you should go back and see it again, iPod in hand. As for the film, I have not yet had the chance to screen it so it is difficult to predict how well this little publicity fueler will work. One thing I can say is that as far as Ryan Reynolds star vehicles go, this one seems pretty interesting. John August is a solid scribe who is testing the directorial waters for the first time, so we’ll see how it goes. And if all goes well, I will be hauling my video iPod in with me. If all else fails, at least I can watch 300 if I get bored.

On the Side: The September 25, 2000 draft of the screenplay for Jurassic Park III credits revisions to John August. He is not credited in the final film. Personally, I would be glad about that fact if I were him…

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