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Beyond all of those things, however, Gondry is primarily a designer of sets, of worlds within frames. Gondry is essentially not a "cinematic" filmmaker. He is a "theatrical" filmmaker, like Baz Lurhman, or that guy who did The Cell. More often than not, Gondry would prefer to carefully design a space filled with meaning into which he can introduce a camera. He likes costumes and props and manipulating perspectives. He is not really one for long steadicam shots or complex editing. His performances tend to be more or less natural, because any sort of exceedingly dramatic acting would take attention away from his darling sets.
Be Kind Rewind sees Gondry embracing all of his usual tools. What is surprising, however, as well as refreshing and heartwarming, is that Gondry takes his decidedly modern, MTV-generation aesthetic and uses it to craft a love letter to pulp fantasy films of the 80s. Many of the films I listed above are re-made by Mike (Mos Def) and Jerry (Jack Black) in an effort to save the neighborhood video store where they work.
The duos no-budget videos are at once a nod to recent film history and a high-five to the YouTube generation that has the technical skill to do practically everything Gondry does in Be Kind Rewind. It is undeniably a movie of the moment, as cinema is currently trapped somewhere between the summer blockbuster and the viral video.
Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind is a fitting release in a year that has already seen the return of Rambo, but can also look forward to the return of Indiana Jones. It is nostalgia as artwork.