He Fought for Our Right to Indie Cinema [Updated]

What can we say that hasn't already been said over the past four days? The untimely passing – really, really untimely; he was only one year older than we are – of Beastie Boy and Oscilloscope Laboratories founder Adam Yauch is a body blow not only for fans of the Beasties' hyperliterate hip hop, but also to indie filmmakers everywhere.

We're not ashamed to say we shed a tear or ten over the weekend, watching and re-watching MCA in the Beastie Boys Criterion Collection Video Anthology (forgot about that one, didn't you?), the brilliant Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That documentary, and a really dodgy VHS copy of the notoriously bad, Rick Rubin-helmed Tougher Than Leather.

Nowhere were Yauch's filmmaking skills more apparent than in the two videos following, the first of which, released only last year, is IMHO, the best music video ever shot, and the second of which riffs on Mario Bava's seminal super-anti-hero epic Danger: Diabolik. Dig in, and remember how much insanely great fun you had growing up listening to MCA, Mike D, and Ad-Rock. Rest in peace, Nathaniel Hornblower …

This just in: the Alamo Drafthouse's South Lamar, Lake Creek, and Slaughter Lane locations will be holding a Beastie Boys rap-a-long this Thurs., May 10, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.