Before climbing to Oscar-nominated fame with films like ADAPTATION and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, Spike Jonze had carved out a name for himself as one of the hottest music video directors around. Practically reinventing the wheel, Jonze created stunning, innovative works for bands like The Beastie Boys, Weezer, Bjork, Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, The Pharcyde, and many others. This collection has over four hours of Jonze's seminal, visionary work, including all his music videos, an array of documentaries, behind the scenes material, audio commentaries, interviews, and a whole lot more. Amid the long list of diverting videos are Wax's "California" with its fiery antics doubling as the collection's cover art, Bjork's Busby tinged "It's Oh So Quiet," Christopher Walken's highflying acrobatics on Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice," and another runaway hit by the same artist, "Praise You," which, with some help from the Torrance Community Dance Group, was voted the best video of all time by MTV viewers. Also appearing are, Weezer's "Buddy Holly" with its whimsical Happy Days conceit, the Chemical Brothers' "Elektrobank" starring the bright, brilliant director Sophia Coppola as a gymnast and The Pharcyde's "Drop" an other worldy production filmed in reverse. Last but not least, at the pinnacle of parody pomp, comes the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," an uproarious spoof on the typical 70s cop show. Mr. Jonze is also a gifted documentarian, as this collection will testify. "What's Up Fatlip?" is a fascinating look at the ex-Pharcyde rapper and "Amarillo By Morning," delights with a bunch of budding suburban cowboys who simply refuse to hang up the saddle. "Torrance Rises," also inspires with its touching account of a dance company bracing itself for the MTV spotlight. This thoroughly comprehenisve collection showcases Spike Jonze at his best, an eccentric artist with a wonderful sense of fun. Mr. Jonze has an incredibly agile imagination and an impressive facility with the moving image, things that shine through here as brightly as they do in his feature length work.
