For sheer entertainment value Paul Verhoeven cannot be beaten. Kevin Smith commentaries are usually a real hoot too.
I also like the group commentaries on Bill Lustig’s Maniac and Vigilante discs.
Truth be told, I’ve not listened to a complete commentary in years, unless I've had to review the disc in question. I don’t have the time to watch all the films I’ve bought, let alone check out every extra on each disc. Something’s got to give and it’s always the extras in my case. There was a time that no rock would be left unturned when it came to extras, but there were fewer releases with extras back then, especially when I was buying LaserDiscs. A special edition was exactly what it said on the tin, and the extras were meaningful. These days many of the extras that appear on the discs from the big studios are nothing more than filler. The filmmaker commentaries and interviews are done out of contractual obligation, rather than out of love for sharing stories and anecdotes. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of releases that feature decent, intelligent extras, but there are a lot of DVDs that are literally padded-out to give the consumer the impression that they’re getting great value for money. Almost everyone that I know who is into collecting films doesn’t bother with the extras on newly released films.
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