Okay, as everyone who reads this blog knows, I recently brought a child into my home. And by child, I mean this.

I'm working my way through most of the special features, and I can say without hesitation that one of the most interesting ones is the commentary track on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Robert Wise actually talks for a good 90 minutes of this three hour mess. I'm amazed that the 80-something director could actually stay awake for the Motionless Picture, but more amazing still is how lucid he comes across. Wise's got that raspy, old-man voice, but he seems to remember the name of every obscure actor and SFX guy who worked on the film. Best of all, each time he talks about something big in the movie -- like the V'GER slit-screen sequence -- Wise sounds like he's reading off of prepared notes. And I'm pretty sure he is. There's something endearing about all this. I like the idea of Robert Wise staying up the night before his recording section and scrawling out notes on a legal pad so us young'uns can hear his wisdom.

Still, all that said, ST:TMP really is a boring movie, and you need to be a true fan to even get through the Wise commentary.

(And in case you're wondering Asa...Yes, the Nicholas Meyer commentary on VI is great. So too is the Shatner/Nimoy joint session for IV.)