10 Greatest Music Videos By Spike Jonze

1. Beastie Boys - Sabotage

"Sabotage" appearing at number one probably isn't a surprise and it shouldn't be. There's a reason why this video is so memorable. This is easily the most popular video from the Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze and it's easy to tell why. Not only is it incredibly fun to watch these guys dress up as cops and take down bad guys, the video is also top notch from a technical level. The cinematography, the editing, the camera movements, the zooms---they're all timed so perfectly here. Seriously, watch this video with the mute button on and the effect is staggering. Like with "Buddy Holly" or "Sky's the Limit," if "Sabotage" didn't look authentic, it would not have worked as well. It takes incredible skill to make a montage like this. It makes you wish Spike Jonze would make an action movie. Because the Beastie Boys are playing the cops, it ultimately comes across as a well-made joke. But, if you ignore that, you can really start to feel the intensity. Naturally, since the song is fast-paced and intense, the music video has to keep up. Jonze does that perfectly here. You also have to give the Beastie Boys credit. They know their '70s cop TV shows. The walkie talkies, the jumping from one roof to another, the running, the endless amount of running. Everyone is running! There's even a moment when Mike D rolls off a police car. Altogether, there are roughly 135 cuts in this three minute video (I counted) which averages out to one cut every .75 seconds. Incredible. This is number one because it once again shows Spike Jonze going above and beyond the initial concept. There's an incredible sense of style, and like the previous videos, it never stops being entertaining. Again, he always has a fun, light-hearted approach to these concepts. There's zero pretentiousness, it's just superb filmmaking. Watching all these videos, you start to realize there are an endless amount of things Jonze could do as a director. Let's just hope he gets around to making more movies at a faster pace. Which is your favourite Spike Jonze video? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
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Ken writes movie reviews on his blog, kenoncinema.blogspot.com. He currently resides in New York City. Twitter: @keng324