Videos that make me happy, part one

What with one thing and another, it's been kind of a rough day here at Chateau Steelypips, and so I found myself watching happy-making videos on my iPod. One of them reminded me that I've been meaning to recommend a bunch of vids—fan-made music videos that set some movie, TV show, etc., to music—for well over a year now, and I might as well give up on writing a big thinky post and just toss out the links.

Besides, my big thinky post was going to be about how I enjoyed these vids both for themselves and for the way they commented on and transformed their sources, and thus it would probably just repeat most of what Micole said in the context of the Supernatural vid "Women's Work", so go read that instead.

Links here are all to pages where you can choose to download or stream the videos.

• "People Get Ready", Heroes, music by the Frames (Amazon, iTunes), vid by heresluck. This is the one that I started watching tonight, reminded by the discussion of the start of season three (which apparently sucks). "People Get Ready" is what season one (I said this was old) should have been: about connecting, choosing, growing up, making a difference. Its technical details are also, as far as I can tell, impeccable and impressive; I really love the way it uses motion and builds tension even through the slow portions of the song. Watch it even (especially) if you haven't been satisfied with the show.

  For more, see this detailed review by 12_12_12 and commentary by heresluck.

• "The Mountain", The Lord of the Rings, music by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer (Amazon, iTunes), vid by astolat and melinafandom. A highly-accessible vid that sets Frodo and Aragorn's parallel journeys to a beautiful and remarkably appropriate song. It doesn't strike me as technically flashy as "People Get Ready," but it's probably easier to grasp on the first viewing for that reason, and I really appreciate the way it brings out the sadness that the movie downplays.
• "Vogue", 300, music by Madonna (Amazon, iTunes), vid by sockkpuppett. Not only is the concept absolutely brilliant—talk about subverting the source!—but it's technically amazing, with comic-book-like triple panels, motion sped up and slowed down to fit the beat, and even more things that I don't have the vocabulary to describe.
• A three-fer:
  • "Jesus Walks", Angel, music by Kanye West (Amazon, iTunes), vid by mimesere;
  • "Origin Stories", Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, to the song "Coffee" by Aesop Rock (featuring John Darnielle) (Amazon, iTunes), storyboard and editing by giandujakiss, concept by untrue_accounts;
  • "Women's Work", Supernatural, to the song "Violet" by Hole (Amazon, iTunes), vid by sockkpuppett and sisabet.

  This is the "vids critiquing race and gender in shows I don't actually watch, but am just familiar enough with that I can appreciate the vids" set. "Jesus Walks" reexamines the character of Gunn, a black man who I believe fans generally feel was ill-treated by the show. "Origin Stories" is a blistering critique of Buffy and Angel's (and Buffy and Angel's) prioritizing of the white vampire Spike over characters of color and women, using the image of Spike's trademark coat, which he stripped from the body a black Slayer he killed (see additional commentary by untrue_accounts and giandujakiss). "Women's Work" forces recognition of the way Supernatural sexualizes, and is driven by, the suffering of women-as-objects.

  The last two in particular I found difficult to watch, but worth it.

• "Hold me now", Princess Tutu, to the song "Håll Om Mig" by Nanne Grönvall (iTunes), vid by Marisa Panaccio. Okay, this isn't very transformative, but it's just awesome: the whole series in three minutes, with absolutely perfect timing to a great driving song.

I don't watch a lot of movies or TV, and so most vids go right by me; but feel free to rec others that you think I might like.