Idolator’s Tribute-Video Treasury Pairs Vampires With Pets

kater | October 23, 2007 2:45 am
Homeward.jpg

Once again, Idolator intern Kate Richardson scours the video sites, looking for the best fan-made music videos. In this installment, she takes two different subjects–bloodthirsty vampires and adorable animals–and tries to figure out if the two can be compared:

The tribute-video well seems to have run dry this week (send tips! please!), but I’ve got a few miscellaneous oddities haunting my bookmarks, so I figured I’d go unorthodox and set two videos about completely different subjects against each other. The result is something of a Frankenstein’s monster of fandom, modern gothic literature, dogs, cats, and Russian lipstick lesbians. Next week I hope to return to single-subject coherence, but for now the sheer novelty of this combination will have to do.

Song: “All About Us” by t.A.T.u. Concept: Interview with the Vampire as gothic adaptation of Finding t.A.T.u.. What better song for vaguely creepy man-child Vampire love than an industrial pop tune from Russia’s most famous, yet vaguely creepy, fake lesbian duo? Unlike many featured tribute videos, this one kind of makes sense: melodramatic pop goth movie paired with tone-appropriate song. But I’m starting to think that anything involving the disturbingly infectious music of t.A.T.u. is going to seem sort of odd, or even unseemly, simply by virtue of their general weirdness. In any case, the editing is mercifully quick-paced, and the dark cobblestone alleys and candlelit coffin rooms look like the sets for a t.A.T.u. time-travel movie in which the girls pose seductively at different locations all across 19th-century Europe. Basically the look of the movie–overwrought costume design, bad hair, and all–matches the feel of a t.A.T.u. song, making the video a coherent, if somewhat bizarre, experience. Best music-to-image sync-up moment: There isn’t really a standout moment in this one. The opening sequence of cuts between Brad Pitt dramatically walking down a street and Kirsten Dunst twirling set to the song’s percussive intro is pretty dramatic, though. Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: Again, nothing particularly stands out since it’s sort of a disappointingly tasteful video. Pitt’s ugly Fabio hair is pretty silly, though.

Song: “Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne Concept: Homeward Bound as transition from pop-punk image to Kelly Clarkson phase. Homeward Bound: best live-action animal-centric kids movie ever. “Keep Holding On”: Avril’s most painfully generic, yet inexplicably epic single. A good combination? Maybe. In theory this video should be pretty shameful–especially for someone like me, who has seen Homeward Bound upwards of two hundred times (because I was six when it came out, not because I’m a big Sally Field fan). Avril’s offensive foray into string-heavy ballads probably shouldn’t be used in association with anything, especially not a beloved children’s movie, but for some reason it really works here. Maybe it’s the bland “never give up” message of the movie that makes it so apropos for Avril’s equally banal perseverance ballad, or maybe it’s just that putting the song in context of animal friendship/teamwork makes it ten times more appealing than it actually is. Whatever the reason, this video is admirably–and unexpectedly–effective. Best music-to-image sync-up moment: Full disclosure: I’m almost annoyingly fond of cats and dogs, so most of this video seemed awesome to me. To name a few: Shadow jumps in the river to rescue Sassy as Avril sings “So far away, I wish you were here. Before it’s too late, this could all disappear” at 1:05; Shadow, Chance, and Sassy reunite by running towards each other in a large valley during the swelling chorus of the song; Shadow’s tragic accident during the solemn bridge of the song, and subsequent triumph during the chorus, starting at 2:36. Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment : None. 100% heart-warming 100% of the time.

Verdict Both of these wayward tributes are worthy competitors, but the Homeward Bound video more triumphantly employs its bland pop song, making it the winner of this week’s unusual match-up.

Bonus: This Edward Scissorhands/Tupac tribute cannot go without mention:

And don’t forget the contest I announced last week!