This Week At IDC — May 20, 2001

Song of the Week: I'm not a huge fan of Fatboy Slim (and not just because of the silliness of the name), but his new song is fun, catchy, and has the coolest video since Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus." Called "Weapon of Choice" it features Christopher Walken, who just might be the coolest guy in his late 50s on the planet, and was directed by Spike Jonze (who directed Being John Malkovich).

Link of the Week: Going with a theme here, here's a link where you can watch the video for "Weapon of Choice." It features Christopher Walken dancing in a hotel lobby. There's nothing else I can really say about it. Go watch it now, if you haven't seen it.

Fun Fact of the Week: Two fun facts, actually, both about the man of the hour, Christopher Walken. First, he was George Lucas' second choice for Han Solo, the role that of course launched Harrison Ford's career. Second, he is the only Oscar winning actor (for his supporting role in The Deer Hunter) to portray the primary villain in a 007 movie (Max Zorin in A View to a Kill).

DVD of the Week: Surprisingly, I'm not going to feature a Christopher Walken movie in this slot. Instead, I'm continuing my theme from another angle, and featuring a movie mentioned above, the Spike Jonze directed film Being John Malkovich. This is certainly one of the weirdest flicks ever to come out of mainstream American Cinema. The premise is simple and absurd at the same time — what if you found a portal that put you inside someone else's head for 15 minutes? Anyone who says there are no original ideas out there hasn't seen this. While the movie is brilliant, it is also quite twisted, and certainly not for all tastes. The DVD has some nifty features, but not the usual stuff like deleted scenes and commentaries. Instead there's Spike Jonze's photo album, a short called "An intimate portrait of the art of background driving" and a page with nothing on it.