Monday, March 01, 2004
Astonishing Weekends of the Most Magnanimous Majesty: Music Videos Can Be Okay
I have never encountered a Tivo. That might be the final tops, but right now, as far as my personal experience has carried me, I would declare that the finest and most convenient way in which recent technological developments have impacted my televisual infotainment is through the bounteous beauty and beauteous bounty of the august Netflix. Never again must we walk across the street to the Videosmith and endure their lackluster service and ever-malfunctioning products. Never again must our most fervent hopes be dashed upon the cold hard rock of reality when our preferred titles have already been checked out. With Netflix, we sit. And wait. And the movies come to us. And OH! what movies they be!
Among our most recent rentals was a certain DVD containing the work of music-video director Spike Jonze. Mr. Jonze has cultivated a stature of no little repute through his clever, inventive, and often extraordinary short films. Many of his greatest hits are present; “Buddy Holly”, “It’s Oh So Quiet”, “Praise You”, and, of course, “Sabotage” can all be found on this collection, alongside lesser known pieces made for the Chemical Brothers, Fatlip, and others.
Okay, I’m gonna drop the forced old professor voice now, and just give it to you straight, like my man O’Reilly. Let me just say that, as good as most of these videos are, this DVD is just as notable for the number of videos that are omitted. Where’s the video for Ween’s “Spirit of ‘76”, or Elastica’s “Car Song”? Hell, I know Tenacious D and Pavement have their own DVD’s out, but you’d think the folks who put this set together would have been able to get “Wonderboy” and “Shady Lane” included. The fact that over half of Jonze’s videos are missing from this collection, including some rather famous and impressive bits of work, downgrades the overall quality of this DVD.
It is interesting to hear the artists speak on the commentary tracks, but it would have been nice to get some thoughts from Jonze, as well. And finally, the short films on the b-side are generally pretty good. The film about the young rodeo hopefuls, Amarillo by Morning, was particularly great. Overall, though, they could have done a better job with this here thing. Yessirree.
I have never encountered a Tivo. That might be the final tops, but right now, as far as my personal experience has carried me, I would declare that the finest and most convenient way in which recent technological developments have impacted my televisual infotainment is through the bounteous beauty and beauteous bounty of the august Netflix. Never again must we walk across the street to the Videosmith and endure their lackluster service and ever-malfunctioning products. Never again must our most fervent hopes be dashed upon the cold hard rock of reality when our preferred titles have already been checked out. With Netflix, we sit. And wait. And the movies come to us. And OH! what movies they be!
Among our most recent rentals was a certain DVD containing the work of music-video director Spike Jonze. Mr. Jonze has cultivated a stature of no little repute through his clever, inventive, and often extraordinary short films. Many of his greatest hits are present; “Buddy Holly”, “It’s Oh So Quiet”, “Praise You”, and, of course, “Sabotage” can all be found on this collection, alongside lesser known pieces made for the Chemical Brothers, Fatlip, and others.
Okay, I’m gonna drop the forced old professor voice now, and just give it to you straight, like my man O’Reilly. Let me just say that, as good as most of these videos are, this DVD is just as notable for the number of videos that are omitted. Where’s the video for Ween’s “Spirit of ‘76”, or Elastica’s “Car Song”? Hell, I know Tenacious D and Pavement have their own DVD’s out, but you’d think the folks who put this set together would have been able to get “Wonderboy” and “Shady Lane” included. The fact that over half of Jonze’s videos are missing from this collection, including some rather famous and impressive bits of work, downgrades the overall quality of this DVD.
It is interesting to hear the artists speak on the commentary tracks, but it would have been nice to get some thoughts from Jonze, as well. And finally, the short films on the b-side are generally pretty good. The film about the young rodeo hopefuls, Amarillo by Morning, was particularly great. Overall, though, they could have done a better job with this here thing. Yessirree.
