The Work of Spike Jonze DVD

Bjork, breaking into song in the middle of a street. Some poor soul in flames running down the street in slow motion. Weezer performing in the middle of Arnold's from Happy Days. Iconographic images, the lot of them, and all of them sprung from the head of Spike Jonze, associate of the Jackass boys, husband to Sofia Coppola, director of Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, and prankish id of music video. Fortunately, the good folks at Palm Pictures have partnered with Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry and created The Directors Label, a means by which to collect and distribute the music videos, short films, advertising campaigns, and miscellanea of some of the great contemporary video directors.

Jonze's disc is a double-sided wonder, stuffed with just about all of his videos, including his epic collaboration with the Beastie Boys, "Sabotage," and his one-two punch of brilliance with Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook "Praise You" and "Weapon of Choice." There are so many classics on this disc, in fact, that the viewer almost feels spoiled by it.

Jonze's short films are a delicious bonus, especially "Torrance Rising," a thirty-minute-plus look at the behind-the-scenes creation of the "Praise You" video and its dance troupe, and the commentaries are great as well.

Add a 52-page booklet stuffed to capacity with drawings, notes, and anecdotes a-plenty, and you have an essential item for fans of innovative music video and contemporary filmmaking. The fact that the other two initial offerings are Gondry and Cunningham make this new line from Palm Pictures one of the finest things to happen to the art of music video since MTV started giving director credits in its chyron. Even better about The Directors Label are the countless possibilities for other directors to spotlight. Imagine a packed DVD focusing on video pioneers like Steve Barron, David Fincher, or Zbigniew Rybczynski… I tremble with anticipation.