‘Runaway’ a music-video triumph

Back from the dead again to review...

RUNAWAY (2010)

Dir. Kanye West

When I first heard Kanye West was directing a short film, I was equal parts intrigued, equal parts skeptical. I was intrigued because it was Kanye’s first foray into filmmaking; skeptical because, well, it was Kanye’s first foray into filmmaking.

After catching “Runaway” on MTV Saturday night, I can safely say that West’s directorial debut is nothing short of masterful – a music video so articulately crafted that it might just be the best thing to happen to the medium since “Thriller.”

Above all, “Runaway” should be praised for its ambition. Let’s not even take into account that long-form music videos are essentially a relic. Let’s just focus on the status quo of today’s music videos:

The “Jersey Shore” version of “I Like It.” Enough said.

But “Runaway” isn’t successful because it’s 35 minutes long and not utterly stupid. “Runaway” is successful because it’s different; because it’s thoughtful; because it’s art.

How many music videos these days do you see and immediately think of Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”? “Runaway” is dazzling visually, with set decoration and cinematography noticeably influenced by Kubrick.

While thematically, “Runaway” isn’t quite as layered as a Kubrick film, it’s still head-and-shoulders above the competition. West’s choice to spin the tale of the Phoenix to mirror his struggle to recover from last year’s gaffe at the VMAs is apt, though somewhat obvious.

Still, at the sum of “Runaway’s” parts is a daring end product that sets itself apart from today’s music videos.

And let’s not forget about the music! “Runaway” treats us to nine tracks from West’s upcoming album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” due for release Nov. 22. Nearly every song sampled in the film is nothing short of awesome, ranging from the glitzy “All of the Lights,” to the marquee “Runaway,” and rounding out with “Lost in the World.” (I’d mention the rest, but frankly, I don’t know which songs are which yet.)

Kanye is a controversial figure, and I’m sure “Runaway” will prove to be just as controversial. He’s a love-him-or-hate-him kinda guy. But regardless of his detractors, West’s venture into filmmaking has done nothing but prove his versatility as an artist, both on screen and in the recording studio.

Oh, and if I may assume based on what we hear in the film, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” will be Kanye’s best album, or just behind “The College Dropout” at worst. Almost immediately after “Runaway” aired, the album soared to the No. 11 best-selling album on iTunes, almost a month before its release. I don’t want to get too hyperbolic, but it seems as if we’re in for a fine album.

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Watch “Runaway” here:

Agree? Disagree? Holla back in the comments.

Back from the dead to review "Toy Story 3"

I have temporarily resurrected the Scope from the dead to bring you a review of...

"Toy Story 3" (2010)

I don't know how Pixar does it.

How do you follow-up two of the most heralded movies of the last two decades? "Toy Story" is arguably one of the most influential films of all-time -- one that served as the catalyst for the rise of 3-D animated films. And then there's "Toy Story 2" which is quite possibly one of the greatest sequels ever crafted.

So with lofty expectations for "Toy Story 3" -- coming 11 years after the latest chapter in the franchise -- Pixar faced a heavy burden to deliver.

And boy, did they do so, without a laugh or tear to spare.

"Toy Story 3" picks up with Andy (John Morris), the toys' owner, packing up and moving off to college. Andy must decide what to do with his toys, and after a catastrophic mix-up, Woody and the gang end up at Sunnyside Day Care.

The toys of Sunnyside -- including a metrosexual Ken doll (Michael Keaton) -- are under the rule of Lotso Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty), a seemingly friendly, huggable doll that smells of strawberries. When the toys discover that they'd rather return to Andy than stay and be terrorized by the children at the day care, they plan to escape, only to be halted by Lotso and his gang.

For your sake, I'll stop with a detailed plot synopsis there, but a "prison break" sequence leads up to a surprisingly dark and intense piece at a landfill before wrapping up with quite possibly the saddest 10 minutes of cinema you'll see this summer.

The first 75 percent of "Toy Story 3" suffices. "Toy Story 3" doesn't go into daring territory early -- the beautiful and melancholy first 30 minutes of "WALL-E" and the haunting montage 10 minutes in to "Up" aren't found here -- but once the film begins to wrap up, Pixar hits its strides and (likely) concludes the final chapters of the "Toy Story" franchise with a tearful and satisfying resolution.

Technically speaking, Lee Unkrich's direction is a little speedy, but in the end, it's all forgiven. Randy Newman delivers a score that's a tad forgettable, though franchise favorites "You've Got a Friend In Me" return, as well as some other memorable motifs from the franchise's other two entries.

And the animation. Oh, the animation. Never before has a 3-D animated film looked so brilliant. Not only do the colors pop (even in 3-D), but everything looks and feels exponentially more real than it did 15 years ago. Seeing "Toy Story 3" in 3-D certainly helps boost the immersion factor, but I suspect that even in 2-D, "Toy Story 3" will still dazzle your eyes.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and crew all see reprised voicework from the previous two films, though new characters, like Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) round out an impressive new cast, though Michael Keaton's Ken really steals the show.

While "Toy Story 3" might not be as revolutionary as its Pixar predecessors, it's certainly a fantastic cinematic experience sure to test your emotional range. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll find yourself as in love with these characters as you were when you were introduced to them in 1995.

A-

Final 2009 Top 10

I think I've seen all of the films of 2009 that I want to, so here's my final Top 10 list for the year.

10. "Inglourious Basterds"
9. "A Serious Man"
8. "Avatar"
7. "Watchmen"
6. "(500) Days of Summer"
5. "The Hurt Locker"
4. "Up in the Air"
3. "Moon"
2. "Up"
1. "District 9"

Hooray for arbitrary lists.

2010 Oscar Predictions!

I want to inflate my ego by seeing how many Oscar winners I actually get right. I tend to do horribly predicting things, though I do think that I predicted the Super FoosBowl match-ups correctly for a few years in a row once, but frankly, you can file that under "who gives a shit."

I think I suck at these because I hold out hope that the Academy will reward the best in category, not the most politically correct in category, but alas. The biggest question that I have for this year's Oscars is whether or not the Academy will jerk James Cameron off similarly to 1998 when "Titanic" won everything. Truth be told, I'm not so sure it will.

Cameron "O-facing" after the infamous Academy circle-jerk of '98.

Anyway, here it goes:

Best Picture: "The Hurt Locker"
Based on the way that the awards season is wrapping up, "The Hurt Locker" seems to be riding the biggest wave of momentum. If it's not "The Hurt Locker," look for "Avatar," "Up in the Air," or "Inglourious Basterds" for the upset.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
Lots of press around this one because it's between Bigelow's tense lensing of "The Hurt Locker" and her ex-husband James Cameron's "Avatar." I expect the Best Picture winner to win this one (and vice versa).

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
No contest here.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
No contest here, either.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
Can't for the life of me understand the love for "The Blind Side," but everything so far points to Bullock winning this.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, "Precious"
"Precious" has to win something big. I'm guessing this will be it.

Best Animated Feature: "Up"
This category is loaded. I think you have to give the Pixar film the benefit of the doubt accordingly, though "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Coraline" could be spoilers.

Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino, "Up"
Without a doubt the most beautiful score in the category. I could see James Horner's "Avatar" score running off with this one if this year's Oscars is anything like the 1998 Cameron orgy.

Best Visual Effects: "Avatar"
No way "Avatar" doesn't win this.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"
I lurve the "Up in the Air" script. I hope it wins this one (sorry, nothing particularly insightful here).

Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
Tarantino's script for "Inglorious Basterds" is sharp. With that much dialogue - and fine dialogue at that - I imagine it has to be the favorite.

As for the rest of the categories, I can't say I'm too qualified to offer an opinion. Best Makeup? What the fuck?

At any rate, check back after the Academy Awards to see just how right I was.

Oh, and here's my revised top five list of 2009:
1. "District 9"
2. "Up"
3. "Moon"
4. "Up in the Air"
5. "The Hurt Locker"

EDIT: Saw "The Hurt Locker." Damn, what a tense movie. Fabulous direction. I wouldn't be too upset seeing it win Best Picture.

I'm with Coco

Dear Internet,

Few things have sent me into uncontrollable rage.

Jay Leno taking "The Tonight Show" from Conan O'Brien is one of them.

I started watching Conan on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" when I was a pubescent punk. It appealed to my sensibilities. The Masturbating Bear. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. In the Year 2000/3000. Conan's off-the-wall skits.

It was funny.

All I could manage from Leno was his Monday staple, "Headlines." His show was a bore; his monologue tired. His interviews were completely without effort. His sole appeal was to the nursing home demo.

And now this 12-year-running Lewinsky joke is about to take "The Tonight Show" back from Conan O'Brien. In case you haven't been following this story, here's a run-down of what happened:

1. "The Jay Leno Show" got bad ratings.
2. Since nobody was watching Leno's show, the late local news shows on the NBC affiliates had no lead-in and thus received poor ratings as well.
3. Pressure mounted on NBC executives to make a change, and since Conan's ratings weren't at the same place Leno's were when he signed off, Conan became the scapegoat.
4. NBC offered an ultimatum to Conan: Move his "Tonight Show" to 12:05 to make room for a half hour of Jay at 11:35 or leave the network.
5. Conan refused, stating that "The Tonight Show" belonged at 11:35.
6. Conan was forced out, with terms of the settlement giving him and his crew a pay-out totaling $45 million. The settlement also contained a no-compete clause and non-disparagement clause that are in effect until September 1. In essence, Conan can neither host a show nor talk bad about NBC until that date.
7. Jay Leno will return as host of "The Tonight Show" after the Winter Olympics, two weeks of coverage that will lose NBC $200 million, mind you, on March 1.

Jay Leno seen Indian giving "The Tonight Show" to Conan O'Brien.

So why is this all so unfair for Conan? First off, late night shows take more than seven months to grow and develop an audience. Leno took over "The Tonight Show" in 1992. He lost the ratings war to Letterman until the famous Hugh Grant interview in 1995. When Conan started doing his 12:30 "Late Night" show in 1993, his ratings were so bad that he was essentially on a weekly contract. Eventually he became the king of his time slot.

What's worse is that Conan didn't have the benefit of a good lead-in. His lead-in was Jay Leno's epic flop, "The Jay Leno Show." Jay, meanwhile, benefited from having possibly the greatest primetime line-up in television history, NBC's "Must-See TV," leading-in to his "Tonight Show" in the mid-90's.

Why didn't Conan get the same time to let his show evolve and find an audience? It's highly unfair, but that's how the biz goes, I guess.

So why do I care? Because Conan is funny. His skits are great. Conan was zany, which is probably why the Medicare crowd that Leno appealed to didn't watch. Contrast all of that to the dire bore of a "Tonight Show" that Leno hosted, a show that built its legacy on tired Lewinsky jokes and unoriginal comedy bits.

In short, Leno sucks.

And Jay, why not show some respect to a fellow comedian and let Conan develop his show? You had your run.

I guess it should be no surprise that comedians are now coming out and attacking Jay. Conan is respected. Jay isn't.

Now I can only hope that Conan finds a home in September that gives him free reign. Personally I'd love to see him land on Comedy Central. Could you imagine a line-up that goes "Daily Show"-"Colbert Report"-"Conan O'Brien Show"? It would be the greatest late night block of programming in television history. At this point though, it seems as if Conan is FOX's to lose.

Photographic evidence of Will Ferrell doing something cool for once.

Conan's final episode of "The Tonight Show" last night was not only totally epic, going out with a 7-minute rendition of "Freebird" led by Will Ferrell, Beck, Ben Harper, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, but pure class. Conan is the man. His final statement was touching, and I have to admit, I choked up. This is the man who's had my loyalty for almost a decade. I'll watch him wherever he ends up.

But until Conan is back on the air, all I can say is that I'm with Coco.