The Screen Addict Recommends – Spike Jonze

I’ve been doing a bit of a Spike Jonze re-appreciation lately.

Pondering the wonderful weirdness of 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗵 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟵), marveling at Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman’s alter egos in 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟮), and cursing at myself for not revisiting 𝗛𝗲𝗿 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯) sooner.

Aside from being a truly unique and gifted filmmaker – he is on par with Tarantino in terms of originality, in my opinion – Jonze’s early career proves that he is a master of the small screen as well.

Back when physical media were still an integral part of the viewing experience, indie label Palm Pictures paid homage to the world’s greatest music-video creators with the 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 DVD collection.

The series holds seven volumes, featuring the work of Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer, Mark Romanek, Anton Corbijn, Stéphane Sednaoui and of course Jonze.

Who could forget the incredible videos Jonze shot for the likes of Daft Punk (“Da Funk”), Fatboy Slim (“Weapon of Choice”, featuring the inimitable Christopher Walken) and Beastie Boys (“Sabotage” and many others).

The Boys from Brooklyn and Jonze formed a creative bond in New York during the early Nineties – a lifelong connection that culminated in the wonderful documentary/stage-performance hybrid 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬) for Apple TV+. A must see if you are a culture junkie like me.

Jonze is perhaps most (in)famous for being the key producer on 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝘀𝘀 since the early days of video – he actually co-created the show with Jeff Tremaine, with whom he went to the same high school. I wish the home videos I used to make with my buddies had turned into a cultural phenomenon…

To focus on 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝘀𝘀 alone would be exceedingly unfair though, because Jonze’s entire body of work is massive. His IMDb profile lists nearly 400 titles he was involved with in some capacity.

I urge everyone who reads this to seek out the work of this singular filmmaker and Spike your cinematic fix.

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