As legend has it -- or Wikipedia -- Spike Jonze was originally approached to direct the video for the Smashing Pumpkins hit "1979," but he couldn't because of other obligations at the time. The honor ended up going to future Little Miss Sunshine helmers Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, and the pair created a Billy Corgan-approved portrait of teen ennui in the suburbs. 14 years later, it looks like Jonze finally got to direct his own version of "1979" -- the kind with roving military squads and the wailing vocals of Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler.
It's been quite a pop culture week for the Canadian hipster gods -- see Saturday Night Live -- and here, with Jonze behind the camera, they bring the premiere for their video for "The Suburbs." Or maybe it's the short film Butler said the band was making with Jonze earlier this year. Regardless! It's Spike Jonze directing something with Arcade Fire, with echoes of "1979," Children of Men and Red Dawn! It's all perfectly unsettling -- it certainly got my pre-coffee soaked heart beating faster and faster -- and seems like the kind of film Richard Kelly could have made out of Southland Tales, if he had any self-control. "1979" isn't embeddable, but you can watch it here. Check out "The Suburbs" video below, and then immediately re-add Where the Wild Things Are to your Netflix queue.
[via Arcade Fire