Video Roundup: Common’s Got Me Wanting More..

November 5th, 2007

Videos, videos and more videos! What more can a girl ask for?

So it’s not Monday, more like the day after BUT here I am writing to you about the latest in music videos. Let’s get to it!

Best Use Of A Green Screen/Studio Environment:
Mary J. Blige – Just Fine

Mary J. is back with a foxy new video and the diva is looking more THAN just fine… Chris Applebaum steps behind the lens for this copycat gem. The director takes a few cues from Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’, Madonna’s ‘Hung Up’ and basically every other pop video when he slapped together this video. He may be running low on ideas but he sure does a good job of making Ms. Blige look fabulous in every frame. I’ll give him props for making all of his videos look like they came straight from the pages of Vogue. So for that, I applaud him… Plus, I think it’s safe to say that Mary J. is looking the best she’s ever looked! But fashion clearly comes at a price, as the whole entire video was shot in a studio or behind a green screen…. Ha!

Grade: B – She looks great, so you can’t really compete with that?

Narrative Videos Usually Drive Me Mad…
Common – I Want You

As the title suggests, narrative videos drive me up the wall because they ALWAYS come across cheesy and melodramatic… BUT after watching Common’s latest, I’m a changed woman… This video pulled it off – beautifully shot, solid acting and good song.

What differentiates this video from the likes of other narrative driven videos (see Simple Plan/Justin Timberlake/Kelly Clarkson/Ashlee Simpson and the list could go on and on) is the fact that the acting in this video is subtle .. Sure Kerry Washington sheds a few tears but unlike ScarJo’s screaming/ugly cry fest, her droplets of sadness were just enough to tug at the right heart strings… And you have to admit that the love triangle is absolutely sexy!

Grade: A for acting that is worthwhile.

Wannabe Tank Girl Award Goes To…
Skye Sweetnam – Human

This video would’ve been A LOT cooler if it starred a different artist. Because it’s Skye Sweetnam, I have no choice but to hate on her and this video… Remember that awful/awesome movie Tank Girl in the 90s? Yeah, dontcha think this video is pretty much a rip off of it? Or perhaps, it’s Skye’s intolerable song and acting abilities that make me just want to gouge my eyes out… I’ll be straight with you, my opinion on this star is so negative that whatever comes out of my mouth will be biased and skewed.

But really, what do you guys think?

Grade: C – I don’t like her so I shouldn’t be so hard on an otherwise decent video.

Video of the Week:

Foo Fighters – Long Road to Ruin

Rashida Jones + 70s soap opera mock = Already LOVE it. I’m sick of the whole ‘I’m a cool rock band with a cool rock video’ bullshit that the Foo Fighters pulled in their last video ‘The Pretender’. Thank god, the band is back to their wily ways. Give me some ‘Learn To Fly’. Give me some ‘Everlong’. What did I get? They gave me another reason to love the band. Who doesn’t love it when Taylor Hawkins sports a Farah cut? I’ll stop my yammering if you watch the video! Get to it!

Posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 2:17 pm by Leah and is filed under Music & Videos.