SEX! DRUGS! AND RUNAWAYS!

Well, Cinefamilia, I have to say that I recently saw a movie, that really rocks and that movie was, THE RUNAWAYS, written and directed by Toronto's own, FLORIA SIGISMONDI and featuring KRISTEN STEWART as JOAN JETT, of the proto-punk all-female band, THE RUNAWAYS and in a revelatory performance, DAKOTA FANNING as her band mate, CHERIE CURRIE.

I have seen a lot of rock bios, in my time and you wouldn't think there would be too much new under the sun, to show, except the usual rock-movie cliches. However, this movie has a fresh take on things as it charts the rise and fall of THE RUNAWAYS, who are probably remembered mostly for their one-hit wonder, CHERRY BOMB.

SIGISMONDI, obviously has talent to burn and she uses a lot of visual gimmickry to gussy up, her low-budget flick. The camera becomes like the members of the band as it takes us on the drug-addled trip of the group. She shows us the ups and downs of a rock-band very-convincingly and with great attention paid to the rock scene in the 70's. While the film does a very-good job of portraying the friendship of CURRIE and JETT, my one caveat might be that the script, also written by SIGISMONDI, doesn't tell us too much about the other band members, including the future metal queen herself, LITA FORD.

As I previously mentioned, FANNING, acquits herself extremely well as the waifish CHERIE CURRIE. She is by turns vulnerable, sexy, funny, and coltish, sometimes in the same scene. KRISTEN STEWART, who was also very good, in GREG MOTTOLA'S criminally-underrrated ADVENTURELAND, is also very good in the less-flashy roll of JOAN JETT.

Special mention, must also be made of MICHAEL SHANNON, who plays their svengaliesque, manager, KIM FOWLEY. SHANNON, gives a bravura performance, sad, funny, menacing. He doesn't just chew the scenery, he chews it up and spits it out.

The music is also very good and it too like the movie, really rocks.

THE RUNAWAYS, the band maybe a small footnote in music history, but the movie deserves to go to the very top echelon of movie bios.

...UNTIL NEXT TIME...

...KEEP ON ROCKING IN THE FREE WORLD...

T.T.F.N.