The name “Spike Jonze” can immediately evoke a number of connections and, depending on your particular frame of reference, they can vary quite a bit.  “That’s the dude dancing in that Fatboy Slim video, right?“  “Wasn’t he married to Sophia Coppola?“  “He’s a skateboard photographer, isn’t he?“  The answer to all of these questions is “YES” but, these days, Adam Spiegel (as he was born) is probably best known for his film work.  Jonze began with a history in the BMX and skateboarding worlds, even holding positions as a major photographer for both Freestylin’ and Transworld Skateboarding magazines.  These roots aided in Spike‘s smooth transition into the filming of street skate videos, the co-founding of Girl Skateboards, and in producing/co-creating Jackass (both on TV and the films).  He is also an accomplished commercial and video director, having been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for “Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005” and directing such music video classics as Pavement‘s “Shady Lane“, Sonic Youth‘s “100%” (starring himself and Jason Lee),  “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys, “Feel the Pain” – Dinosaur Jr., and Weezer‘s  “Buddy Holly“.  He has produced, written, and even appeared in a few films, but Jonze truly became a household name in 1999 after the breakthrough success of Being John Malkovich.  Having only directed a total of 3 and with a 7 year gap before the release of his most recent, it may seem odd that he would be primarily acknowledged as a feature film director and that it could overshadow his previous efforts.  However, these few films have been incredibly successful.  Being John Malkovich and 2002‘s  Adaption (both written by Charlie Kaufman) were honored with Oscar Nominations and last years Where the Wild Things Are has already already begun to collect numerous award nominations of it’s own.  Fortunately, while the latter film was in the making for nearly a decade, Jonze remained active in other projects and has even reconnected with the art of the short film.  Last Friday (March, 19th) one such short by the name of I’m Here was released for free on the internet. Read the rest of this entry →