DVD

Amazon.com
In adapting Cherie Currie's memoir, Neon Angel, Floria Sigismondi focuses on three figures. Sensing imminent stardom, Sunset Strip impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) brings together blond Bowie fanatic Cherie (Dakota Fanning) with raven-haired rocker Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart). Manufactured bands weren't a novel phenomenon in the 1970s, but the Runaways wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, paving the way for the all-girl outfits to come. With a mother (Tatum O'Neal) in Singapore and a perpetually drunk father, Cherie and her sister, Marie (Riley Keough), must fend for themselves. When the group heads out on tour, there's no adult supervision, leading to drinking and drugging from California to Japan, where the crowds go wild, but just as they're taking off in public, they're falling apart in private. Cherie tires of Fowley's tough-love tactics, while her bandmates resent the focus on their sexpot singer. The best thing about Sigismondi's film is that her risky casting choices pay off: Fanning leaves her little-girl roles behind just as easily as Stewart breaks free from her Twilight shackles, so it's too bad Jett has no back story and that the other players, particularly Sandy West (Stella Maeve) and Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton), don't register more as distinct personalities. Shannon's Fowley, on the other hand, steals the show with his profane performance. For a film dedicated to female empowerment, that may not have been the director's intention, but as Fowley says, "This isn't about women's lib; this is about women's libido." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
“I love Rock n Roll and I love this Movie!” --Jan Wahl, KCBS AM/FM and KRON-TV, San Francisco

“Rock ‘n' roll fans of every gender and generation will identify with this.” --A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Stewart and Fanning have never been stronger.” --Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Special Features

• Commentary with Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning
• Plugged In: Making The Film

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034G4P6W/?tag=imwan-20

---

Blu-ray

Amazon.com
In adapting Cherie Currie's memoir, Neon Angel, Floria Sigismondi focuses on three figures. Sensing imminent stardom, Sunset Strip impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) brings together blond Bowie fanatic Cherie (Dakota Fanning) with raven-haired rocker Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart). Manufactured bands weren't a novel phenomenon in the 1970s, but the Runaways wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, paving the way for the all-girl outfits to come. With a mother (Tatum O'Neal) in Singapore and a perpetually drunk father, Cherie and her sister, Marie (Riley Keough), must fend for themselves. When the group heads out on tour, there's no adult supervision, leading to drinking and drugging from California to Japan, where the crowds go wild, but just as they're taking off in public, they're falling apart in private. Cherie tires of Fowley's tough-love tactics, while her bandmates resent the focus on their sexpot singer. The best thing about Sigismondi's film is that her risky casting choices pay off: Fanning leaves her little-girl roles behind just as easily as Stewart breaks free from her Twilight shackles, so it's too bad Jett has no back story and that the other players, particularly Sandy West (Stella Maeve) and Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton), don't register more as distinct personalities. Shannon's Fowley, on the other hand, steals the show with his profane performance. For a film dedicated to female empowerment, that may not have been the director's intention, but as Fowley says, "This isn't about women's lib; this is about women's libido." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
“I love Rock n Roll and I love this Movie!” --Jan Wahl, KCBS AM/FM and KRON-TV, San Francisco

“Rock ‘n' roll fans of every gender and generation will identify with this.” --A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Stewart and Fanning have never been stronger.” --Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Special Features

• movieIQ™+sync featuring "The Runaways" playlist
• Commentary with Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning
• Plugged In: Making The Film

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034G4P76/?tag=imwan-20

From Variety.com

River Road Entertainment has stepped in to finance "The Runaways," the rock 'n' roll biopic about the '70s all-female rock band featuring Joan Jett, Cherie Curie and the late Sandy West.

Film will be written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, best known for helming musicvids for David Bowie, the White Stripes and Marilyn Manson. Art and John Linson are producing alongside Bill Pohlad. Jett will exec produce the film.

"The Runaways" is casting and is slated to go into production in late fall.

"It's great to be in business with River Road again," said Art Linson. "Bill and his team were fantastic partners on 'Into the Wild,' and we were looking for an opportunity to work with them again."

Film follows the rock band from its early days on the Sunset Strip through the girls' meteoric rise to their dissolution and disillusionment.

River Road's credits include "Brokeback Mountain," "Lust, Caution" and "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus." The indie production and finance company is in production on the Terrence Malick-helmed drama "The Tree of Life," starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

There was already a documentary about the Runaways, Edgeplay, released in 2004.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061QJ58/?tag=imwan-20

The Runaways may have taken on semi-legendary status over the years, but "meteoric rise" is overstating the case. Their first two albums barely scraped into the Top 200. The record-buying public didn't take notice until the solo successes of Joan Jett and Lita Ford in the 80s.

Edgeplay was good, but I wish Joan would have participated in the movie. Not only was her voice missing from the story, I understand she is the one who withheld the rights of the music so there was very little Runaways music in Edgeplay.

And I know the mistake is on Variety's end, but Cherie's last name is spelled Currie.

I wouldn't be surprised if Joan is already calling her lawyers. Don't expect any of her music to be in the movie, if she remains true to form.

Her not being interviewed for Edgeplay or not allowing her music to be used was bad enough, but a fictionalization without her songs? Why bother?

I liked Edgeplay, but I consider The Runaways more important as a a cultural phenomenon then as a band.

As solo artists, Lita Ford had 1 or 2 songs that mattered, & Joan Jett had 5 or 6; but the concept of the Runaways was much cooler then the execution.........

From Rollingstone.com

Twilight actress Kristen Stewart is set to make the jump from emo vampires to punk rockers after being cast as Joan Jett in the upcoming Runaways biopic. The film, called simply The Runaways, will be written and directed by music video vet Floria Sigismondi (Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People,” the White Stripes’ “Blue Orchid”). The biopic will focus on the band’s “meteoric rise as teenagers to their dissolution and disillusionment.” Additional casting for the roles of keyboardist Cherie Currie and guitarist Lita Ford has not been announced yet. The Runaways are generally regarded as the first all-girl rock band and stayed together for roughly four years. Jett went on to have an even more successful solo career. Though the casting of Stewart as Jett bothers us a lot less than having Kirsten Dunst play Debbie Harry, is she T-U-F-F enough to fill Jett’s leather boots?

Can't wait to see who they cast as Kim Fowley and Rodney Bingenheimer

I never saw The Runaways live, but I did see Joan Jett live, so I am happy:

from http://www.nme.com/news/joan-jett/45422

'Twilight' actress Kristen Stewart meets Joan Jett for biopic
Stewart has hung out with Jett to perfect her transformation

Jun 17, 2009

'Twilight' actress Kristen Stewart has been spending time with rock icon Joan Jett since being cast as her in 'The Runaways', a film about the 1970s all-girl rock band of the same name.

Originally meeting before Christmas last year, before Stewart was cast, the pair spent June 15 together at Sunset Sound Studio in Los Angeles working on Stewart's guitar and vocal technique.

Stewart has also had her hair into the classic jet black mullet which Jett sported in the '70s, reports the Daily Mail.

"She sounded great and played well (on the guitar). She has the passion for it, which you can't really be taught," Jett said.

"I'm just listening to her music all the time. I'm trying to just make myself aware of the time period and what she was going through," said Stewart. "It's one of the most immense responsibilities to play a real person. Her story's important. It's an incredibly triumphant feminist story really."

Dakota Fanning is also to star in the movie, playing Cherie Currie, the band's frontwoman.

The Runaways will be the first feature film from Floria Sigismondi, who has directed music videos for The White Stripes, Interpol and Muse.

Here's the trailer for the new movie:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTpdXKocacQ[/youtube]

I didn't even recognize Dakota Fanning! At least a sixteen year old (Cherie Currie) is being played by an actual teenager. If this movie was made 30 years ago, a 30 year old would be doing it.

You're right, I wouldn't have been able to pick out Fanning, either. And Kristen Stewart does manage to capture Jett's look through most of the trailer... we'll see.

They certainly look the parts. I'm sure we'll end up seeing this when it hits theaters.

I'll wait for Net Flix (& may be waiting longer then i used to!), but I plan to see it also. The Runaways doc from a few years ago was kinda entertaining.

Cherry Bomb!

This looks like a very cool movie, looking forward to this.

Rick A.

I'll probably end up seeing it on DVD at some point. I rarely get to the movies these days unless its for something big ( like Avatar).

Rollingstone.com said (BIG surprise....):

The Runaways are generally regarded as the first all-girl rock band and stayed together for roughly four years.



I think that the surviving members of Fanny might take issue with that perception. I certainly do.

There were lots of all-girl garage bands in the 60's.

Goldie & The Gingerbreads (Genya Ravan a founding member)
The Liverbirds
She
The Luv'd Ones
The Shaggs (even if they were incompetent musicians )
........to name a few.

The Liverbirds lasted roughly 4 years.

Very true, but i was referring to Fanny as being comparable to the Runaways in that they had five relatively successful LP's before completely disbanding. Not the "first" all girl rock group, but certainly the first all girl rock group to get a major label signing and release 5 albums. That was my point, not well presented intially.

Wasn't paying attention to the forum this was in and opened it up thinking this was going to be about a movie based on the Marvel comic. Joan and Lita do rock however. I'll be moving along now.

And Zappa's favs. The GTOs.

Just watched this on DVD. I don't know if really buy Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. She seems like a nice girl trying to be bad. And it might as well have been called Joan and Cherie, because it pretty much focuses on the dynamic between the two characters throughout the movie.

The guy who played Kim Fowley nailed him. I've seen interviews with Fowley and when I watched the movie, I didn't feel like I was watching an actor.

The Lita Ford character has maybe two or three lines of dialogue in the movie. Perhaps they could make a sequel and have it focus on Lita. Even the Sandy West character has more to do than Lita's.

Kristen Stewart wasn't bad as Joan Jett, but she seemed like a subdued Joan Jett.

And it wouldn't be a Runaways movie without someone refusing to play ball: Bassist Jackie Fox wouldn't sign off apparently so the bass player is named "Robin Robins."

Not a bad film, but it glosses over some stuff. But it's docu-drama, not a documentary, right?