The Runaways

3 Guys Reviewed The Runaways and here are the results:

Klash:

Scotty:
 

Griff:
 

Average:
 

3 guys say The Runaways is just Ok.

The Runaways

The Runaways

Stars: Kirsten Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon

Writer: Floria Sigismondi

Director: Floria Sigismondi

Review by: Klash

 A biopic about the creation and demise of the band known as The Runaways.  The film centers on Joan Jett (Kirsten Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) while blending in their disturbed manager Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon). 

The film begins with the natural progression i.e. the forming of the band with the assistance of their manager, their rise to fame followed by the inevitable conflicts involving family, band members and manager all this ultimately ending in the band disbanding and everyone going their separate ways.  As known some of the members went on to continue in the music industry while others followed various other paths.     

There isn’t anything new in this film that hasn’t been seen in similar films of this genre.  I found it very difficult to view in one sitting due to how boring and at points unwatchable it was.  Not having been a fan of the band although familiar with the story I can only image how disappointed I would have been if I had been a fan.  It seemed as though the film only touched the surface in many areas and missed anything of interest or substance instead it meandered on and thankfully ended.  I would venture so far to say that the movie This is Spinal Tap which followed a mock band on a world tour put The Runaways to shame.

Having seen Kirsten Stewart in other films (no not the Twilight series) I can’t say I am a fan of hers.  On the other hand Dakota Fanning seemed to do an alright job although there were some scenes which just seemed as though she was completely out of place for this kind of role.  Michael Shannon who I though at times stood out more so than Stewart and Fanning did a good job portraying the off centered often demanding manager who coached the band and helped them rise to stardom only to watch them crumble and fall apart without so much as a slight care.  Over all a film I wouldn’t have minded missing.

Rating: One Guy

The Runaways

The Runaways
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Writers: Floria Sigismondi, Cherie Currie
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon

Review by Griff

Once again I had pretty low expectations going into this movie. However this week I was pleasantly surprised. The Runaways tells the mostly true story of the 70’s rock band the Runaways. It deals with how the original band started, the eventual break up, and the beginning of the Joan Jett’s solo career.

Ordinarily, Kristen Stewart makes me want to punch kittens but I really enjoyed her in this film. She is really good as Joan Jett. I was truly impressed. The rest of the cast…well, read on. This film was Dakota Fanning’s breakout performance and an “adult“ actress. Did she pull it off? Not really. She did an admirable job but I feel like she was a little bit out of her league here. I also didn’t buy Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley. Shannon delights in unusual roles but he seems a little bit over the top for me here. My only other negative is that the editing style made me feel a little bit too much like I was watching an old music video from the 80’s.

With all of that said, I enjoyed the film. The story was interesting and moved along at a good pace. Kristen Stewart is scary good as Joan Jett and it’s worth checking out for that alone. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I give it 2 guys.

The Runaways

“The Runaways”

Director: Floria Sigismondi

Writers: Floria Sigismondi(screenplay), Cherie Currie (book)

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon

Review by Scotty

This movie has the same story line as many rock band movies do.  Unknown to famous to band break up.  If you were looking for something different than go elsewhere.

This film is an artsy portrayal of the rise and fall of the all girls 70’s band call “The Runaways” who consisted of Joan Jett(Kristen Stewart )Lita Ford(Scout Taylor-Compton), and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning).  It starts out as bad girl Joan Jett approaches Kim Fowley(Michael Shannon), a record producer known for his eccentricities, and says I play guitar. Kim then calls over a drummer he knows and sets up some practice times.  Something is missing and Kim Fowley fills the void with Cherie Currie, a Bowie fan who accepts the invitation from Fowley to be in the band.

The band was Fowley’s concept of selling young girl sexuality and Cherie Currie did not take much arm twisting to become the sex symbol for “the Runaways” and success seemed easy.  But with success comes resentment and as the film winds down the band breaks up as Cherie leaves the band for good.

The movie explores very little history about the members of the band, although you get a little of Cherie’s tumultuous family life but it lacks in character development.  The funny thing is, is that was what I wanted the most.  The music itself cannot carry this movie and therefore I thought it was lacking in what we as an audience wants, either lots of sex, drugs and rock n roll or a story with depth and development.

Kristen Stewart made me forget that she was the girl in “Twilight” about 25 minutes into and that was a good thing, Dakota Fanning made me feel a little creepy like I was not supposed to even think of her as I did in this movie, and Michael Shannon was great as an eccentric Hollywood type and I personally think he was a stand out here, he was just smarmy and played his role perfectly.

I give it 1 ½ guys

Stream it on Netflix – Foreign Edition

Stream it on Netflix – Foreign Edition

Ok, here are a couple of quick hits from the foreign language queue…

The Secret in Their Eyes
Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Starring: Ricardo Darin, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago

This is a smart, tight little thriller. (The kind of movie that we used to make here before Michael Bay, or BMB if you like.) It’s about a retired attorney who decides to write a novel about the one case that still haunts him. It has a murder mystery, and a love story, something for everyone! An academy award winner in 2009, it’s definitely worth a watch.

North Face
Director: Philipp Stolzl
Starring: Benno Furmann, Florian Lukas, Johanna Wokalk

The true story of 2 German climbers who attempt to climb the north face of the Eiger. Set in 1936 this movie is gripping from start to finish. You can almost feel the cold while you are watching it. It’s got great acting, and amazing cinematography. It will have you on the edge of your seat.

Honorable mention:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Let the Right One In

Stream it on Netflix

 

Looking for something to watch? I am going to be doing some quick reviews of some movies you can stream on Netflix for free. First category is going to be Documentary.

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Directed by: Banksy
Starring: Banksy(?)

This is a Documentary about a Documentary. It follows a crazy French filmmaker who has a penchant for Graffiti art and starts following the artists around while they are creating their art on the streets. Eventually he tries to turn all this footage into a documentary. It hits on a bunch of prominent artists but the real showcase is here is Banksy, probably the most famous graffiti artist in the world. You never actually get to see Banksy. He guards his anonymity carefully. His face is blurred throughout the film and his speech has been modified.  Since very few people even know who he is no one is ever quite sure if the artwork is his or not. In fact it’s been mentioned that the documentary itself might be a hoax. Regardless, it’s an interesting look into the world of graffiti art and an engrossing film.
This movie is actually up for an Oscar and rumor has it Banksy is going to show up in disguise. His artwork has been popping up in the LA area so who knows. It Might make the Oscars worth watching anyway. That is in between the academy falling all over the Kings Speech that no one saw.

Restrepo
Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger

Restrepo follows a platoon of soldier during their one year deployment in the deadliest section of Afghanistan. It’s a powerful movie about war, camaraderie, and loss. The person(s) who filmed this is either incredibly brave, incredibly stupid or a combination of the two. Bullets are literally whizzing by while he films. Absolutely a must see.
This one is also up for an Oscar but I think they are both going to lose to Inside Job which was also excellent but not streaming for free on Netflix so that review will have to wait.

Honorable mention…

Man on Wire – last year’s Oscar winner about the man who did a tight rope walk across the twin towers is a must see!

The Runaways

This weeks movie is going to be The Runaways. Starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. Check back on Sunday for the 3 guys review.

Unstoppable

3 Guys Reviewed Unstoppable and here are the results:

Klash:

Scotty:

Griff:

Consensus:

3 guys agree. This movie is terrible!

Unstoppable

Unstoppable

Stars:  Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson

Writer: Mark Bomback

Director:  Tony Scott

Review by:  Klash

Based loosely on a real life incident that began in Walbridge, Ohio in 2001, Unstoppable is set in Pennsylvania and begins when two inept yard workers accidentally allow train 777 to depart without anyone at the controls.  Rapidly gaining speed the train cruises towards a heavily populated area where it’s told that 777 will derail and plow into a fuel containment center once it tries to cross an elevated curved section of track.  To make matters worse there are several cars in tow that contain a hazardous chemical named molten phenol.

Unaware of this incident while conducting a normal day of work are veteran railroad engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and rookie conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) who eventually take it upon themselves to attempt to stop the runaway train before it derails and disaster ensues.  Also taking part in the effort is yard master Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson) who combines efforts with Frank and Will once all standard protocols have seemingly failed.  Aided by a forgettable supporting cast the action film continues to speed down the tracks heading for disaster regardless of the film’s actual outcome. 

This film is another predictable Hollywood attempt to embellish a real life incident that was resolved without nearly as much drama or danger in the process.  Previous to viewing this I had checked out the films ratings which seemed decent, upon completion I wonder how it received its ratings.  The acting in this movie was flat and seemed as though it was trudged through without any effort to make it anything more than that.  The film shot in typical Tony Scott fashion which I generally like unfortunately didn’t seem to do more than occasionally raise an eyebrow in disbelief.  

Going into this open minded and taking into consideration what the film was about  I had hoped against all odds that Tony Scott and Denzel Washington could work their magic and make something happen.  Unfortunately all the magic in the world didn’t save the film from derailing. 

Here’s to hoping the next collaboration between Scott and Washington puts them back on the right track ..       

Rating: One Guy   

Unstoppable

“Unstoppable”

Director:

Tony Scott

Writer:

Mark Bomback

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson

Review by Scotty

There is an unmanned train ripping through suburban Pennsylvania heading for Scranton and Frank(Denzel Washington) and Will(Chris Pine) are in harm’s way traveling down the same track.  This is loosely based on true events and has been embellished to a point to where it is unrecognizable as a true event.

Will is a new recruit right out of training who is having issues at home and Frank is a veteran with 2 daughters that work at Hooters to pay for college.  At the beginning Frank and Will are at odds and there is obvious tension between the two of them but as the events unfold Will and Frank begin a friendship that lasts the movie and beyond.

There are a couple of ways to stop the train that are obviously going to fail and Frank comes up with a plan to save the day against the wishes of the train company’s top brass.  There are several curves in the track before completing this process but all is typical and unoriginal.

I did like Connie(Rosario Dawson) as the liaison between train and corporate but the role was not a stretch for anyone.  All actors and actresses are cast well but anyone could have played these parts and the movie itself lacked any substance and therefore lacked opportunity for a shining moment or a breakout performance.

I did not want to see this movie in the theater and I am upset that I spent my xbox points on renting it.  The best thing I can say about this movie is that it was very short.  I give it 1 guy.