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22 December 2023
I’m the luckiest boy in the whole world!
“Why?” you ask. “Did you get to paint an elephant?”
Nope.
“Were you allowed to jump into a swimming pool of Guinness?”
Nuh-uh. Cooler than that.
“Were you fortunate enough to be at Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s 18th birthday party?”
No. And it’s definitely not as cool as that, so thanks for ruining it for me, asshole.
The reason I am so happy is that shortly after I reviewed the first disc released by the newly-launched Directors Label (The Work of Director Spike Jonze), I received the remaining two DVDs in the series. Yay!
Here are the breakdowns for each disc:
The Work of Director Michel Gondry - Just like his contemporary, Spike Jonze, Gondry is responsible for some of the most visually stimulating video work to date. This two-sided DVD catalogs his music video work from 1987 thru 2003, all the way up until his most recent video, The White Stripes’ “Hardest Button To Button”. To be honest, there are simply too many good videos to name them all, but some of the best of the best are: “Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground” by The White Stripes; “Let Forever Be” by Chemical Brothers; “Deadweight” by Beck; “Sugar Water” by Cibo Matto; “Human Behavior” by Bjork; and “Like A Rolling Stone” by The Rolling Stones. In addition to 27 music videos, you get a 75-minute documentary about Gondry, titled “I’ve Been 12 Forever”. In all honesty, this is where the most amazing stuff on this disc is. Filled with early drawings, art projects, and films by Gondry, it is a wonderful look into his mind. And it’s full of hilarious stories and anecdotes about his life-- like one about an ex-girlfriend of his who hated when he would fart. Genius. And then there are more than a dozen shorts, commercials, and extra materials for you to look at. Throw in a 52-page book of Michel’s stories, drawings, photos, and interviews, and you have the best DVD of this three-disc series. This is a perfect product, and it is exactly what a DVD should be.
The Work of Director Chris Cunningham - Director Chris Cunningham rounds out the third DVD in the series. Cunningham is quite possibly the polar opposite of Spike Jonze. Jonze’s work-- especially his earlier pieces-- come across as much more grass roots, but with Cunningham, big-budgeted projects and digital manipulation are key. His work transcends, dipping out of the realm of what most people think a music video is. Each piece becomes a meticulously choreographed film. Much darker and more moody than either Jonze's or Gondry’s work, Cunningham is responsible for some of the most visually disturbing videos ever. Mind fuck? Oh yes. John Holmes-style. First and foremost, the two videos he has done for Aphex Twin (“Come To Daddy”, “Windowlicker”) are enough to give a serial killer nightmares. Leftfield’s “Afrika Shox” is equally as shocking, featuring a homeless man walking around a city as his limbs break off one by one. Then you’ve got “Only You” from Portishead, “Second Bad Vilbel” from Autechre, and “Come On My Selector” from Squarepusher. It’s a nice group of videos, in all. But coming in at only eight music videos leaves me wanting more, especially since the other two directors’ discs had so many of them. Ending the disc is Bjork’s “All Is Full Of Love”, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of film work I’ve ever come across. Staff Member #716 made the comment that Cunningham was able to visually pull off in this one music video what so many Hollywood studios can’t pull off in their big budgeted films: good, believable effects. The fact that this disc has that one video on it makes it worth it, especially since it also features a making of the video, too. It features some commercial work Cunningham did for Sony, Nissan, and Levis, as well as a few video installation projects.
The whole Directors Label series has been a solid collection thus far. And with plans to release another round of directors' work in early 2004, I’m fired up and ready for more.
Visit directorslabel.com to see work from each of these amazing directors, and then ask for these puppies for Christmas.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
“Why?” you ask. “Did you get to paint an elephant?”
Nope.
“Were you allowed to jump into a swimming pool of Guinness?”
Nuh-uh. Cooler than that.
“Were you fortunate enough to be at Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s 18th birthday party?”
No. And it’s definitely not as cool as that, so thanks for ruining it for me, asshole.
The reason I am so happy is that shortly after I reviewed the first disc released by the newly-launched Directors Label (The Work of Director Spike Jonze), I received the remaining two DVDs in the series. Yay!
Here are the breakdowns for each disc:
The Work of Director Michel Gondry - Just like his contemporary, Spike Jonze, Gondry is responsible for some of the most visually stimulating video work to date. This two-sided DVD catalogs his music video work from 1987 thru 2003, all the way up until his most recent video, The White Stripes’ “Hardest Button To Button”. To be honest, there are simply too many good videos to name them all, but some of the best of the best are: “Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground” by The White Stripes; “Let Forever Be” by Chemical Brothers; “Deadweight” by Beck; “Sugar Water” by Cibo Matto; “Human Behavior” by Bjork; and “Like A Rolling Stone” by The Rolling Stones. In addition to 27 music videos, you get a 75-minute documentary about Gondry, titled “I’ve Been 12 Forever”. In all honesty, this is where the most amazing stuff on this disc is. Filled with early drawings, art projects, and films by Gondry, it is a wonderful look into his mind. And it’s full of hilarious stories and anecdotes about his life-- like one about an ex-girlfriend of his who hated when he would fart. Genius. And then there are more than a dozen shorts, commercials, and extra materials for you to look at. Throw in a 52-page book of Michel’s stories, drawings, photos, and interviews, and you have the best DVD of this three-disc series. This is a perfect product, and it is exactly what a DVD should be.
The Work of Director Chris Cunningham - Director Chris Cunningham rounds out the third DVD in the series. Cunningham is quite possibly the polar opposite of Spike Jonze. Jonze’s work-- especially his earlier pieces-- come across as much more grass roots, but with Cunningham, big-budgeted projects and digital manipulation are key. His work transcends, dipping out of the realm of what most people think a music video is. Each piece becomes a meticulously choreographed film. Much darker and more moody than either Jonze's or Gondry’s work, Cunningham is responsible for some of the most visually disturbing videos ever. Mind fuck? Oh yes. John Holmes-style. First and foremost, the two videos he has done for Aphex Twin (“Come To Daddy”, “Windowlicker”) are enough to give a serial killer nightmares. Leftfield’s “Afrika Shox” is equally as shocking, featuring a homeless man walking around a city as his limbs break off one by one. Then you’ve got “Only You” from Portishead, “Second Bad Vilbel” from Autechre, and “Come On My Selector” from Squarepusher. It’s a nice group of videos, in all. But coming in at only eight music videos leaves me wanting more, especially since the other two directors’ discs had so many of them. Ending the disc is Bjork’s “All Is Full Of Love”, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of film work I’ve ever come across. Staff Member #716 made the comment that Cunningham was able to visually pull off in this one music video what so many Hollywood studios can’t pull off in their big budgeted films: good, believable effects. The fact that this disc has that one video on it makes it worth it, especially since it also features a making of the video, too. It features some commercial work Cunningham did for Sony, Nissan, and Levis, as well as a few video installation projects.
The whole Directors Label series has been a solid collection thus far. And with plans to release another round of directors' work in early 2004, I’m fired up and ready for more.
Visit directorslabel.com to see work from each of these amazing directors, and then ask for these puppies for Christmas.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
1826
Old Image
6_4_directorslabel.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 04 (dec 2003)
section
entertainmental