John Flansburgh
44
DVD
19 offers from $7.89

Product Description

Track Listing:

1. Doctor Worm

2. Snail Shell

3. The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

4. The Statue Got Me High

5. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

6. Birdhouse In Your Soul

7. They'll Need A Crane

8. Purple Toupee

9. Ana Ng

10. (She Was A) Hotel Detective

11. Don't Let's Start

12. Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head

Amazon.com

The wit and whimsy of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as They Might Be Giants, is on display in this thoroughly entertaining video compilation. Twelve of the group's videos (dating from the mid-'80s to 1998) are here, filled with all manner of craziness and looking and sounding great. But the real prize may be the two clips from Tiny Toon Adventures, marrying TMBG's silly but also smart and clever music with the cartoon series' riotous animation; the twin Giants actually didn't write "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," a "Puttin' On the Ritz" soundalike that's also one of the 12 main videos (with different animation), but it fits their style to a T. All of this quirkiness and freneticism can get a bit wearying after a while, but in small doses it's lots of fun. DVD extras include Linnell and Flansburgh's straightforward, informative audio commentary; there are also bonus audio tracks, a live video, and more. --Sam Graham

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.4 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Bernstein, Adam, Beyer, Nico, Flansburgh, John, Pryzluska, Lidia, Seibold, J. Otto
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, DVD, NTSC, Full Screen
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 18, 2003
Actors ‏ : ‎ Flansburgh, John, Linnell, John
Language ‏ : ‎ English (PCM Stereo)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Restless Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00008AOT0
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #191,202 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #3,146 in Performing Arts (Movies & TV)
- #5,016 in Indie Rock
- #6,400 in Music Videos & Concerts (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 29 ratings

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4.8 out of 5

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Ken I. Mataya

the best from the best!

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2009

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if you like TMBG, you'll love this (except for the 2 warner brothers videos at the end...)

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D. Floyd

Their hits? DVD review NOT the music.

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2021

OK this has their hits (well most of their early ones) the video is decent. Stereo OK sound only (boooo hiss) kind of short - it is that it is. Essential TMBG. Really I mainly picked it up for Istanbul Not Constantinople (who doesn't?) but The Statue Got Me High, Birdhouse in your Soul and Ana Nag are nice too get it while it's cheap! Be Safe! & good luck!

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Felix the Black Cat

Oh, how paltry MTV looks now!

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2004

Jonathan, you might want to check your DVD player, because I had none of the problems you had -- "Play All" DOES play all, and all of the videos have commentary. A few of the older videos are grainy, but I suspect that's more due to the source material, and I doubt they'd go to the trouble of professionally touching up and restoring them.
I don't know why they bothered to put the Quicktime "home movies" on the disc. I thought it was odd that they didn't make them available as regular DVD "special features" videos, but then I found out -- they're VERY low quality, and they're only about a minute each -- just snippets of the songs. There could have been much more in the way of extras, but, fortunately, there's a treasure trove of extras available on the _Gigantic_ DVD, and the ones that are included here -- the "Tiny Toons" clips, the "fiery" live performance, and the audio tracks -- are not on the _Gigantic_ disc. Plus, the "commentary" for the "Snail Shell" video is actually another song! Overall, this is a great video collection for TMBG fans. (By the way, I'm sure that the reason "Boss of Me" is not included is that it's owned by Fox, so perhaps they couldn't get the rights to it, or didn't think it was worth it, or maybe they're saving it for the next collection...)

15 people found this helpful

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Gena Chereck

Well, whaddya know ... these guys are kinda cute!

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2003

The first thing that strikes me about They Might Be Giants' video collection Direct From Brooklyn (originally released on VHS in 1999, now available on DVD) is that John Linnell and John Flansburgh are rather easy on the eyes. (Okay, so beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this beholder likes what she sees.) Linnell, who sings lead in most of these clips, has loads of energy and charisma, as well as a modesty about him that makes him all the more attractive (you won't see him in skintight leather pants or buttless spandex, cavorting with groupies); plus, he manages to make the accordian seem sexy and cool -- it's no wonder that he has more than his fair share of lady admirers. Flansburgh, the glasses-wearing, left-handed guitar player who sings lead on "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head," "Hotel Detective," and "The Guitar" (and shares lead vocals with Linnell on "Istanbul"), has a boyish sweetness about him; like Marshall Crenshaw, he seems not like a conventional rock star at all, but rather like an exceptionally talented fan. In most of these clips, though, he often offsets this sweet persona with a stone-faced, Elvis Costello-like intensity. To paraphrase the movie Swingers (1996), John and John are so "money," they don't know how "money" they are.
A clip-by-clip guide (in full color, unless specified otherwise):
1) "Dr. Worm" (1998): Fast-paced black & white clip with goofy cartoon sequences.
2) "Snail Shell" (1994): Cool clip, shot in Germany at what looks like an old-timey TV studio.
3) "The Guitar" (1992): Shifts between classy b&w and vibrant color; Flansy shares the spotlight with Linnell (who wrangles with a bass guitar) and guest vocalist Laura Cantrell.
4) "The Statue Got Me High" ('92): TMBG's first big-budget; the space motif cleverly builds on Apollo 18's CD packaging.
5) "Istanbul" (1990): Alternates between 2-D and 3-D animation; utterly bizarre.
6) "Birdhouse in Your Soul" ('90): Dreamlike; watch out for the "Stop rock video" signs!
7) "They'll Need a Crane" (1988): Shot in NY's Central Park; shifts between the Johns and some elderly gentlemen performing the song (color) and boating on a lake (b&w); classy, and as conventional as They get.
8) "Purple Toupee" ('88): Alternates between the Johns rocking out (b&w/tinted) and Coney Island carnival footage (color).
9) "Ana Ng" ('88): Shifts between the Johns in misery at their desks (b&w) and the Johns goofing off outside (color); features no lip-synch (!).
10) "Hotel Detective" (1986): Alternates between the Johns rocking out (Linnell on the sax, Flansy on a Bo Diddley guitar) and super-cute animated sequences.
11) "Don't Let's Start" ('86): Frenetic b&w clip filmed at the site of the '64 World's Fair in NY.
12) "Puppet Head" ('86): TMBG's exuberant, no-budget debut (colorful, but with some grainy b&w shots); and have I mentioned the boyish good looks of the Johns?
13) "Particle Man" (from the "Tiny Toon Adventures" cartoon series): A hilariously literal interpretation of the lyrics, set in a wrestling ring.
14) "Istanbul" (from "TTA"): Not as well-crafted as the Johns' own visual representation of the song, but actually funnier.
Generally, the imaginative, surreal clips are about using video as a creative outlet rather than as a mere marketing tool; hence, no selling of sex, and no straight "performance" clips. The various directors (including Flansburgh himself on "Dr. Worm" and "The Guitar"!) load these videos with witty visual surprises; the Johns supply utterly unique choreography, unbridled enthusiasm, charm, intelligence, and a refreshing lack of vanity. Among the DVD extras: The Johns' audio commentary is not especially insightful, but nonetheless amusing and filled with fun trivia; the 2002 live clip of "Why Does the Sun Shine" is notable only for the presence of Their fire-breathing tour manager; and the three audio tracks ("McGyver," "Your Mom's Alright," a 2002 remix of "Man It's So Loud in Here") are just okay. I recommend this disc to anyone who hasn't seen these fine videos yet, and anyone who has worn out their VHS copy. I suppose the coolest thing about this disc is that it gives you the option of watching the videos straight through (see the "watch all" option on the main menu), or of watching one clip at a time (see the "watch one" menu) in whatever order you want and however many times you want.

One person found this helpful

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Frank Lynch

Joy, joy, joy, joy, JOY!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2003

I'm not that fond of DVDs which collect band videos, because they seem disjointed. However, this DVD works for TMBG because each video (and the songs) are -already- disjointed. And of course the songs are wonderful (you already know...). I'd never seen most of these videos (I'm a little pre-MTV I guess), and it was so much fun to watch these, alone and with the Kid Unit (who is turning into quite the TMBG fan). It seems a little incomplete, though. For the sake of the Kid Unit I was hoping for the cartoon version of Dr. Worm, and mildly disappointed. Also, some information on the total time of the DVD would have been nice on the outside of the package (it runs about 40-45 minutes), and a booklet listing more about the details of the videos would have been nice to see as I watched (directors, locations, etc) rather than having to wait to learn while listening to the 2 John voiceovers. But these are quibbles: more of a recommendation for future DVDs than a genuine complaint about this one. Don't wait to go get it, because you're older than you've ever been, and now you're even older. (Uh, "Older" is not on it, don't mean to mislead you.)

2 people found this helpful

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Jonathan Monaco

One fun collection

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2003

You could say a lot about these videos by They Might Be Giants. One word that keeps coming up in my mind is "Fun!"
Every video on this collection is fun in it's own way. Videos like Puppet Head, Don't Lets Start, and Ana Ng prove you don't have a Big Budget, or any budget at all, to produce great videos.
Songs like Birdhouse in Your Soul, Istanbul, Statue Got Me High, and Purple Toupee are some of the most amazing examples of song writing.
Each video has commentary from both of the band's leader, John Linnel and John Flansburgh, which prove to both insightful and entertaining. In fact the commentary track for the "Snail Shell" video is actually a new improvised song.
Their are a few dissapointments however. The music sounds good, but it's just in stereo. No fancy 5.1 remixing here. Also the video for Boss of Me is missing, no doubt due to the fact that it's owned by FOX. Also the extras are lacking, the few here good, but given the span of this band history their could of been a lot more.

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えねま

可笑しな二人

Reviewed in Japan on February 6, 2006

Verified Purchase

　ジョン・フランズバーグとジョン・リンネルの二人を中心としたバンド（初期はこの二人組でした），ゼイ・マイト・ビー・ジャイアンツのヴィデオ・クリップ１２曲を収録したＤＶＤ。

　彼等の創り出すサウンドはとてもPOPなんだけれどちょっぴり変なものが多いのだけれど，ヴィデオ・クリップもまた彼等のサウンドをそのまま映像にしたようなPOPでおバカなものばかりです。しかし、おバカなんだけれど凝っているというのもまた彼等のサウンドそのものと言えるかもしれません。

　基本的には二人のジョンが自ら出演するものが多いのだけれど，この二人が実に良いキャラで，なかなかの役者ぶりを見せてくれます。

　また，『Tiny Toons』のキャラが登場するクリップも２本収録されているのですが，これもまた彼等のサウンドに雰囲気ピッタリなんですよね。

　なお，オマケにLive映像とAudio Trackも収録されているのですが，彼等はLiveもかなり変なんですねぇ....いやぁ，あれは見てみたいです。

2 people found this helpful

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Higa M.

思わぬボーナス

Reviewed in Japan on March 5, 2005

Verified Purchase

ビデオと内容が一緒だと思っていたら
「WHY DOES THE SUN SHINE」のライブが入ってたり、
ボーナス・オーディオ・トラックが入ってたりとかなりオトクでした！

4 people found this helpful

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They Might Be Giants: Direct from Brooklyn - Video Compilation [DVD]

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Format	Color, DVD, NTSC, Full Screen
Contributor	Pryzluska, Lidia, Flansburgh, John, Linnell, John, Seibold, J. Otto, Silverman, Helene, Takahashi, Drew, Beyer, Nico, Bernstein, Adam See more
Language	English
Number Of Discs	1
Publication Date	February 18, 2003