Joseph Kahn

Breaking The Internet with Director Joseph Kahn and Power/Rangers

Not many have the ability to break the internet. Kim Kardashian, of course, but also director Joseph Kahn, who has unleashed the R-Rated fan-film homage to Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers you never knew you wanted, while also opening a potential WW3 in fair use laws...

This latest "bootleg" from producer Adi Shankar, who previously made The Punisher as bad-ass as he always shoulda been, pivots on a perfect premise: What if you viewed the Power Rangers as the story of child soldiers enscripted to fight a horribly awful war, and what happens to those kids when they grow up amidst that insanity. Suddenly, a colorful and ridiculous TV show suddenly seems like downright evil.

Welcome to POWER/RANGERS, which lets Joseph Kahn loose to make the sci-fi gorefest that he should be getting millions upon millions to make for worldwide domination. Instead, you need to content yourself with this short freebie — which looks it cost a pretty penny — and hope you can handle Kahn Unbound. If you're a fan of his Spaghetti Western romp "Knights Of Cydonia" but wished it weren't boxed in by having to be a music video for Muse, this is for you. If you like your sci-fi with a touch of ultra-violence and just the right amount of ADD, this is for you. And, perhaps most importantly, if you're a fan of sticking a middle-finger to the many inconsistencies of copyright law, then this is definitely for you.

One entity apparently not enamored by this revisionist homage is Saban Capial Group, which owns the Power Rangers rights. Based on the flurry of takedown notices — see this explanation of DMCA legalities that foreced Vimeo to remove the video, —  Saban seems to be deadset on getting it removed from the Internet, which of course means that it will just get bigger and bigger.

The real fun will come if and when Saban decides to use the courts to determine whether Power/Rangers is parody or satire, fan film or professional creation, or just another example of how the Internet is making copyright laws increasingly irrelevent and unenforceable.

Pass the popcorn. This could be good.

Colombia Pol Decries New Shakira Video for Lesbianism, Tabacco Use

Shakira may be the pride of Barranquilla, but that doesn't mean she gets a pass from Colombia's unofficial moral police.

Politician Marco Fidel Ramirez is calling on Colombia's National Television Authority to ban the 37-year-old's "Can't Remember To Forget You" clip from being broadcast on any of the nation's channels, saying:

"Our Shakira with her erotic video is promoting tobacco usage and has become the worst example for our youth. Shakira's new video is a shameless case for lesbianism and immorality. It is a danger to children"

Also, because he knows what children like, he made up a hashtag: #PeligroVideoShakira...

Britney Spears "Perfume" (Joseph Kahn, dir.)

Director Joseph Kahn constructs a tale of two loves in this unexpected video from Britney Spears. "Perfume" is Britney unguarded — favoring a soaring, yet barbed ballad that's worlds away from her recent electro facades — with a video that does away with the occasional superhero and dominatrix motifs she's used in the past: This is the pop star at her most vulnerable, but still stronger than ever.

Sisqo "Thong Song" (Joseph Kahn, dir.) [1999]

Maybe because it's summer. Or, because director Joseph Kahn mentioned it on Twitter this week. Or, as my friend suggests, in honor of Sisqo's first new album in 12 years. Maybe it's so we can revisit the hot dog cam.

Here's why: Pop can be shameless. It can be absurd. Even dumb. Consider the song itself — my favorite lyric is, "she's got dumps like a truck" — and think about what kind of video we'd get today for it. Probably something NSFW. Yawn. (Although, it'd be amazing to see Eric Wareheim do something for this song)

NSFW wasn't an option in 1999, so you couldn't take the easy way out. But you also couldn't just ignore the song and make something generic. So, Kahn and crew created something that's impossible not to notice. It's clearly a booty video — proudly a booty video — but that also mocks man's fascination with the backside. It's over the top, but it's also lighthearted, comical and dare I say charming?

Hi Hey Hello - A Musical Short Film by Director Joseph Kahn

Samsung GALAXY S4 presents Hi Hey Hello, a musical short film

Billed as a musical short film, Hi Hey Hello is at its most base level a showcase for the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, but it's much more than that: It's a clever look at how modern romance comes together these days with the equal doses of technology, fantasy and imagination. It's also a showcase for director Joseph Kahn, who strings it all together with a similar blend of skill and smarts.

Mariah Carey f/ Miguel "Beautiful" Premiering This Week (Joseph Kahn, dir.)

MARIAH. MIGUEL. #BEAUTIFUL. 5.06.13

Maybe Mariah hasn't been getting her respect on American Idol, but what better platform could there be to set up her comeback? The Diva will look to put the show to work for her this week, with new video "Beautiful" set for a premiere during Wednesday night's episode.

The video is directed by Joseph Kahn; Miguel is the featured guest. And based on the trailer for it, the video will live up to the song title.