Review: The Black Eyed Peas - "Just Can't Get Enough"

The Black Eyed Peas and director Ben Mor deliver a passionate video set in the luminous city of Tokyo.

"Just can't get enough" was shot one week before the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. The endless tragedy that came over Japan reflects in this snap-shot of what we now must call status quo: the vivid and shiny city of Tokyo and its people will forever be altered by this catastrophy, and "Can't Get Enough" is one of the last portraits of the cultural and social uniqueness which now tragically seem to have become nothing more than memories of times past.

Ben Mor manages to give a very intimate insight in the emotionality of someone who travels to faraway cities, wandering sleeplessly through a strange jungle of conrete and epileptic accumulations of visual impressions.
One might suspect that the director was inspired by Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation"; he chooses a comparable visual approach and the video has the same subtle sadness to it. But is that a bad thing? Definitely not. It's impressing how the director manages to create the same captivating athmosphere within such a short period of time.

Tokyo is a fantastic location for any cinematographic undertaking. The lights, the faces and the locations are staggering. When you're from the States or Europe it strikes you as completely different world.
My assuption is that they shot the video mostly handheld with DSRL cameras, which in this case is perfectly fine. The technical advantages of these relatively small cameras serve the emotional closure between audience and protagonist. The shots are well composed, the editing is low-key but efficient.

During the last section of the song, when the beat starts to gain tempo, the video reaches its climax with performance scenes set in some crazy light tunnel construction. A very impressive and expensive set one might think. Could be CGI as well. But I am quite sure this is just another location the city of Tokyo has to offer and the director chose to shoot on.
Every high profile director who tends to and/or is obliged to reduce concept in order to reduce costs, should take this video as a prime example of how it should be done when you can't spend gazillions of dollars on spectacular sets and special effects: open your mind, travel to a faraway city, and share your most intimate impressions with the world!

Rating: 4/5