30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It doesn't have ALL the videos, October 2, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Director's Series, Vol. 1 - The Work of Director Spike Jonze (DVD)
Spike Jonze has directed about 40 videos - only 16 appear on this DVD. His Sonic Youth, R.E.M., and Mike Watt videos are notably absent, not to mention Ween and Pavement...
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic, but leaves you wanting for (so much) more, November 5, 2003
This review is from: Director's Series, Vol. 1 - The Work of Director Spike Jonze (DVD)
It's strange because this compilation is simultaneously my dream dvd and a disappointment. spike jonze is my music video hero, and for years i've been dreaming of getting the chance to watch and re-watch all of his work on dvd especially since the music video channels in my part of the world are pretty lame. i bought the disc the day it came out, and was saddened to find out that not even half of the videos spike made are in the dvd.
which would be ok if it were someone like francis lawrence who makes only the occassional video worth watching, but we're talking spike jonze here! all of his videos are masterpieces! brilliant works like elastica's car song, sean lennon's home, pavement's shady lane, rem's crush with eyeliner and tenacious d's wonderboy (!) are missing, as are spike's earlier works with sonic youth and mike watt. aside from that, videos like the beastie boys' sure shot and the mc 900ft jesus track are just ok and could have easily been replaced by the better works previously mentioned.
alas, this is still spike jonze, and he's still made a lot more music video masterworks compared to most directors, so this dvd is more than worth it to 90's alternative music and music video fans. most of the classics are there, especially bjork's it's oh so quiet, beastie boys' sabotage, wax's california and the two award-winning fatboy slim videos. the extras are just great, and the 52 page booklet is lovely in the sense that it allows you to see what went on in the mind of contemporary cinema's most reclusive genius.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Take a walk on the wild side, May 11, 2004
This review is from: Director's Series, Vol. 1 - The Work of Director Spike Jonze (DVD)
Spike Jonze is best known for directing the surreal "Being John Malkovich." But his talents are by no means confined to that -- "The Work of Director Spike Jonze" displays his music videos, documentaries, and other short work. It lacks a lot of good material, but it's overall a solid collection.
Among the memorable music videos are Wax's "California" in which a man runs down the street, with his back and legs covered in flames, Bjork's acrobatic "It's Oh So Quiet," Christopher Walken's antigravity romp in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice," Weezer's "Buddy Holly" with the Happy Days singing thing, and the Chemical Bros. "Elektrobank" starring hit director Sophia Coppola as a gymnast. And the high point, music-video-wise, is the Beastie Boys' outstandingly funny spoof of 70s cop shows (complete with funny hair).
Alongside this are the documentaries: the former Pharcyde rapper is the focus of "What's Up Fatlip?", which blossoms into more than just a documentary. "Torrance Rises" is the strangely heartwarming tale of a dance company getting ready for MTV, there's a behind-the-scenes look at a Pharcyde music video, and "Amarillo By Morning" related some bully stories. And almost all the musicians provide commentary and interviews -- accompanied by a booklet with a bit more info.
The world of Spike Jonze is one filled with strange and wonderful things. Don't expect anything, because you will only be wrong -- from the sparkling Bjork video, to humor and wit ("Sabotage"'s spoof), to outright surreality (the backwards-filmed "Drop").
Jonze himself has a flair for being funny and charming in his documentaries, such as "Amarillo" or "What's Up..." Even if you don't have an interest in cowboys, dancers, the Pharcyde or Derrick "Fatlip" Stewart, you might be interested in the documentaries. And the "Drop" making-of video is worth checking out if you have any interest in moviemaking.
The main area in which "Work" stumbles is that it excludes some worthy material -- Pavement, Sonic Youth, R.E.M. and Ween among them. However, the material on this is among his best, and it shows his range -- he can do whimsical, humorous, strange and slam-bang brilliance. There's a dreamlike quality to most of the music videos, but his documentaries keep their feet firmly on the ground.
"The Work of Director Spike Jonze" lets fans into the music videos and documentaries helmed by this brilliant young director. Definitely worth checking out as a part of this excellent series.
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