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The Work of Director Chris Cunningham/Michel
Gondry/Spike JonzeDir: Chris Cunningham/Michel Gondry/Spike Jonze Rating: E 200 mins/300 mins/400 mins Kaleidoscope/Shock If anyone is unfamiliar with the work of Chris Cunningham, I suggest you watch the music video for Aphex Twin's Windowlicker. While you may never feel clean again following this nightmarish vision of Aphex Twin bikini babes on the beach, you will have at least experienced one of the most unique realisations of a song for the purpose of a music video. While this entire DVD is an assault on the senses, the amazing skill of Cunningham has been captured through this bizarre and at times frightening collection of work. Obviously, his clips for Aphex Twin, which also include Come to Daddy, and Autechre's Second Bad Vilbel, are as complex and challenging as the music they accompany. However, his work takes on a more beautiful approach during Portishead's Only You, and Bjork's All Is Full Of Love, featuring a robot recreation of the performer. Shattering your preconceptions of the medium, Cunningham's short film to accompany Squarepusher's Come On My Selector is exceptional, examining the confines of a mental institution with equally frightening and hilarious results. Also featured on the disc are commercials, video installations with Aphex Twin soundtracks, and a behind the scenes making-of for All Is Full Of Love. French director Michel Gondry has recently received great acclaim for his astounding 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind,' but he has spent the majority of his career concentrating on music videos. His numerous collaborations with Bjork are included here, including Hyperballad, in which a book writes itself in front of our eyes. Gondry combines cheesy '80's effects with Busby Berkeley dance routines for The Chemical Brothers' Let Forever Be, and multiple Kylie Minogues appear before your very eyes to her Come Into My World. Lucas' Lucas With the Lid Off, Massive Attack's Protection, and Foo Fighters' Everlong will leave you questioning how on earth they were achieved. However, the true highlights of this collection are the split-screen palindrome video for Cibo Matto's Sugar Water, and his third collaboration with The White Stripes, for their song The Hardest Button To Button, where Jack and Meg White lead a pack of drumkits and amplifiers in time with the beat. Also included on this dual-sided DVD, is the fascinating two part documentary 'I've Been Twelve Forever' which follows Gondry throughout his career and includes interviews with many of the artists he has worked with. There are also some commercials and short films, including 'One Day,' a hilariously sick tale featuring the director with comedian David Cross. Whether it's his work with Fatboy Slim or the Beastie Boys, Spike Jonze is always at the forefront of music videos, including his trademark sense of humour throughout. Some of his finest moments include the '70's cop show intro for the Beastie Boys' Sabotage, Bjork's musical of epic proportions in It's Oh So Quiet, a New York golfing adventure for Dinosaur Jr's Feel The Pain, the reverse antics of The Pharcyde for Drop, and the touching story of a dog named Charles in Daft Punk's Da Funk. I'd not previously seen the amazing one-take shot for Wax's California video, in which a man on fire runs down a street to a bus, passing the band members along the way. Also included is his highly regarded and well-known work for Fatboy Slim (Praise You and Weapon Of Choice), and Weezer (Undone: The Sweater Song and Buddy Holly). Other features on this dual-sided disc are commentaries on most of the tracks from artists, including an extended conversation with the Beastie Boys, and the major highlight, a Christopher Walken commentary on Weapon Of Choice. There are also some short films, documentaries, including the fascinating 'Amarillo by Morning', and some rare unseen footage. Although slightly annoyed at the omission of certain clips from these collections (including Cunningham's multiple efforts for The Auteurs and my favourite Jonze video, Ween's Freedom Of '76) I wait in anticipation for further collections from these and other directors. Until then, these three astounding collections are the most important thing available on DVD at present.  |
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