American Ultra (6/10): Jason Bourne on drugs.

“I think I'm that tree. And I think you're the car and I think I'm stopping you.”

American Ultra is what you get when you combine any classic stoner comedy with The Bourne Identity. It is a hybrid of both genres which results in a fast paced action comedy. It is almost cartoonish at times despite trying to remain serious. There are scenes in this movie that reminded me of Pineapple Express because the action scenes are extremely violent at times, although the comedy is much more toned down here. The film never ceased to entertain me throughout its entire runtime, but at the same time I felt like the characters lacked a bit of personality and the story didn’t offer much. The cast is extremely talented, but the fast paced action scenes don’t give us time to center on the characters. I wouldn’t rewatch this film, but I still enjoyed it. American Ultra is Nima Nourizadeh’s follow up to his directorial debut, Project X. The main reason I wanted to catch up with this film however, was because it was reuniting Kristen Stewart with Jesse Eisenberg after their wonderful collaboration together in Adventureland. I loved the two together and I was looking forward to seeing them play love interests once again. Perhaps I ended up enjoying this movie more than others because I like the two leads, but I wasn’t even close to hating this. It does have several flaws, especially the decision to cast Topher Grace as the main villain because he is completely one dimensional. This isn’t a film for everyone, especially if you’re expecting a full blown out comedy because it is more of an action film that feels like a graphic novel adaptation at times. 

The plot revolves around a stoner, Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg), who doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in life. He is waiting for the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart) who is the only person he cares for in the world. Mike isn’t the brightest kid, but he has a good heart. It doesn’t take long for us to realize that Mike has a special ability that he doesn’t even know about. He has been part of a CIA experiment that has trained him to become an assassin. Now the people that made him want him dead. Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) orders his agents to terminate Mike after their experimentation with the Ultra program has been abandoned. His former trainee, Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), decides to activate Mike so he can defend himself against the onslaught of agents that are coming after him. Now Mike inadvertently discovers his new set of found skills and uses them to protect himself and Phoebe from the people that want him gone. Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, and Tony Hale have small roles in this film, but are always a delight to see. Neither of them stand out, but they each deliver in the few scenes they are given. 

Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg both play characters we’ve seen in the past and that we know they can play in their sleep so there isn’t really anything new they bring to this film. If you’re not a fan of these actors then skip this film, but if like me you enjoy them, then you won’t be disappointed despite them not doing anything unique. Eisenberg has proved in the past that he can deliver stronger material (The Social Network) as well as Stewart (Clouds of Sil Maria), but here they seem to be in more comfortable territory and therefor don’t bring anything unique. American Ultra benefits from an interesting story even though it doesn’t live up to the initial setup. It starts off pretty strong, but ends up lacking a stronger finale.  

Clouds of Sils Maria (8/10): A female version of Birdman.

“In the play you all know, Maloya Snake, he gave me everything I need to build a career on, my career.”

Olivier Assayas and Juliette Binoche reunite after their previous collaboration (Summer Hours) in this wonderful meta film that has some slight similarities to Birdman. This could be the female version of that movie although not as entertaining and without all the technical achievements. It is also a little more subtle in its approach. The story begins on a train as reknown actress, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is heading to Zurich with her personal assistant, Valentine (Kristen Stewart) to receive an award on behalf of a dear friend, Wilhelm Melchior, who is the reason why she is now a famous actress. Twenty years ago, he offered her the role to play the lead character in the stage and later on in the film adaptation of that play. On their way to Zurich they receive the terrible news of his passing which deeply saddens her. After the ceremony Valentine arranged a meeting with Klaus (Lars Eidinger) who wants Maria to play the older character in his adaptation of Wilhelm’s novel. She continues to identify with the strong younger character and doesn’t feel its correct for her to play the weaker role of Helen, but ultimately she agrees to do it. The lead character will be played by the promising young actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) who has had her share of scandals with paparazzi’s recently. In order to prepare for the role, Maria and Valentine travel to Wilhelm’s former home in Sils Maria surrounded by the gorgeous Alps. Here, Maria is forced to reflect on her career and come to terms with the fact that she’s an aging actress. 

Clouds of Sils Maria is another film that reminds us that life imitates art because we are always finding ways to express ourselves and the means to do so is through art. Maria is forced to come to terms with her reality through the acceptance of this character she’s not thrilled about playing because she doesn’t seem to understand her. There are several scenes in which she is rehearsing the lines with Valentine that kind of blur the line between fantasy and reality. There were moments in which i didn’t know if they were actually arguing or if they were simply reading the lines of the play. Those scenes were memorable and unique and I believe are at the center of this film. There are also some great conversations between the two about art and blockbuster Hollywood movies portraying the opposing two point of views. The film is rich with strong female characters exploring art and life in a rather authentic way. Clouds of Sils Maria may not be for everyone because it is slow paced and some scenes can become tedious if you aren’t a patient viewer, but I found it a rewarding experience and a solid exploration of the passage of time and coming to terms with it. The classical music score (Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major) also gives the film a touch of class. The scenery is also beautiful and it makes each conversation all the more profound.

Juliette Binoche has always been a wonderful actress so it comes as no surprise that she deliver yet another solid and touching performance. The real question everyone had was wether or not Kristen Stewart could hold her own next to this talented actress. The two share a lot of screen time together and at no point did I feel that Binoche was eating up the screen. Stewart gives in my opinion the best performance of her career (and I did really like her in Camp X-Ray and Still Alice) and she truly shines here. She won the Cesar (France’s version of the Oscars) for best supporting screenplay and she proves that with the right material she can deliver solid roles. Chloe Grace Moretz also delivers a strong performance despite not having much screen time. She’s hilarious in the scenes where Maria looks up her name on the internet and we get clips of the scandals she’s been involved in. All in all, this is a solid film exploring some interesting subjects with solid performances and a beautiful landscape.  

Camp X-Ray (7/10): Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi form a unique prisoner-guard bond

“I never agreed to follow your rules. If I follow your rules it means that I’m agreeing that you have the rights to give me rules, but you don’t.”

Peter Sattler has just made a name for himself after this pretty impressive debut as a writer-director. His screenplay never feels manipulative and he simply tells a minimalist story without being political about it. The film hit home for me because there has been a lot of political discussion in Uruguay as to wether or not the President should’ve accepted the transfer of six Guantanamo Bay prisoners to our country. These prisoners had been discharged in 2010, but no country was willing to receive them. After watching this film, I think we made the right humanitarian decision. Sattler never intends to portray these detainees as either guilty or innocent. We aren’t informed about the detainees’ past, but it rather focuses on a unique relationship between one of the prisoners and a guard. It would have been easier to turn this into a political film, but not everything is black and white and Sattler intelligently turns this into a humanitarian story about two people with different backgrounds who find a connection while at the prison camp. There are several parallel scenes where we see the detainee locked in his cell and the guard in her small room kind of like reflecting the fact that they are both prisoners and victims of their circumstance. This isn’t a political film nor a military bashing one as some people claim; it is an authentic character driven drama that will make you question certain issues. 

In order for a film like this to succeed you need to have engaging performances from your cast, and this was the case for Camp X-Ray. I’ve never doubted Kristen Stewart’s ability as an actress. She’s given solid performances throughout her career, but unfortunately when given a poor script there is nothing she can do to improve it. She proved she has more than one facial expression in this year’s Still Alice, and here she gets more screen time to prove her talent. She is convincing as the guard, and her chemistry with the prisoner is the most engaging element of this film. The film also has a subplot revolving on how she is abused by some of the men in power, but the documentary The Invisible War handles this issue in a much better way. Having seen the documentary, I identified with how poorly she was treated, but for audiences who haven’t been exposed to the documentary they may not make much sense out of this subplot. But it is clearly an important issue with women in the military and how many times their complaints are met with hatred and often ignored. Kristen Stewart’s performance was solid, but the film entirely belongs to Peyman Moaadi who delivers a great performance as the detainee Ali. I knew his face was familiar, but only when I looked him up in the IMDB did I realize he was the actor from A Separation. He is outstanding in this film and his character is the most engaging of the film. It works thanks to the fantastic chemistry the two have together because the rest of the characters are completely ignored. We don’t get much depth from the rest of detainees nor the other military officials, with the exception of Lane Garrison who is solid as one of the officials who often abuses his position of power. Overall, this is a solid film that centers on a unique relationship between two people who aren’t as different as one would expect. 

Still Alice (7/10): Moore's powerful portrayal of a woman suffering from mental illness elevates this film

“So live in the moment I tell myself, it really is all I can do, live in the moment.”

Still Alice is a film that touches delicate subject matters, which sometimes don’t make for a compelling watch. It’s hard to sit down and watch someone suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and witness their slow deterioration as they gradually lose their mind. Somehow, Julianne Moore gives such a powerful performance that makes this delicate theme worth your while. She carries this film, and elevates it from your standard mental illness movie. Julianne Moore is on the top of her game and following her strong performance in Maps to the Stars, she delivers an authentic portrayal of a woman trying to come to grips with her terrible diagnosis. The film intelligently centers on her in a very authentic way instead of focusing on the rest of her family, like so many films tend to do when the character has hit rock bottom with their mental disease. As the title suggests, the focus is on Alice and her character is fully developed even when she is at her lowest. As an audience we sometimes tend to look away or find ways to ignore people with mental illness, and many films do so by focusing on the reaction of the rest of the family or on the loved ones as if the main character has lost his or her personality. But we are reminded in this film that Alice is still Alice, and Julianne Moore makes sure we come to grips with this. Julianne Moore will probably be nominated for her lead performance here and it wouldn’t surprise me if she wins her first Oscar after her fifth nomination. She is long overdue.

It’s no surprise that this film was delivered in such an authentic way when you take into consideration that the co-director, Richard Glatzer, suffers from ASL and can’t speak himself. If a film wants to deliver a powerful and empathetic film about mental illness, then there is no better way to do so than having someone who is experiencing this first hand. Glatzer, who has co-directed his previous films with Wash Westmoreland, reunites with him once again co-writing the adapted screenplay from Lisa Genova’s novel. I know the issue has been explored many times before and one could assume it enters familiar territory, but Moore’s portrayal of the character makes this film stand out from others. For people who have gone through similar issues with a family member or close friend, Still Alice hits home, but it does so in a compassionate way. It reminds us how fragile our minds and life can be. Having Moore play a highly intelligent linguistic professor makes this all the more shocking as we see how she struggles with the disease. The most emotional moment of the film comes when Moore’s character is giving a touching speech about how she is dealing with the disease. It was a powerful moment in the movie and Moore deserves all the recognition she’s been getting for her performance. Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart both give strong supporting performances as well. The entire film rings true in its exploration of mental illness, and the performances never go over the top. Everything about this film rings true despite the delicate themes that are touched. The subject matter might not be appealing for most audiences and they may find the film tedious, but for me it hits home and I found it to be a compelling drama.

My Review: Twilight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part II (8/10)

¨Lot of red eyes around here... ¨

After five films The Twilight Saga finally reaches its epic conclusion. What started for me as a pretty interesting franchise with the first film went downhill with the next sequels until the first part of Breaking Dawn which I thought was terrible. I still had to see how the franchise was going to end so I went ahead and watched the second part which to my surprise was really quite entertaining and up to par with the first film. The climatic ending was really worth the slow opening. I absolutely loved the final half hour of this film with the epic battle which in my opinion was one o the most entertaining battle sequences I´ve seen in a long time. There were a lot of things that this film got right: first of all the love triangle soap opera was put to an end finally, then you had Kristen Stewart finally playing a stronger character once she was turned into a vampire, Taylor Lautner wasn’t annoying like in the other films, and the werewolves finally stopped talking amongst themselves. These were all good enough reasons for me to like this film better than all the other sequels. Another thing I enjoyed quite a bit was the addition of all the new vampire characters, but the best thing about Breaking Dawn was that epic battle scene which made the movie for me. It was a worthy ending to the franchise although I doubt it will convert any anti Twilight fans.

The film picks up right where the first part left us, with Bella (Kristen Stewart) being converted into a vampire after giving birth to Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) by Edward (Robert Pattinson). Bella begins to adapt quickly to her new life as a vampire and her newfound strength. Edward teaches her a few things about hunting and feeding before letting her see the baby. Once she is ready to see Renesmee she finds out that Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has imprinted himself on her. At first she is furious as we see her strength unleash itself on his pack, but later comes to her senses. The rest of the Cullen family are all home welcoming and congratulating Bella, but peace doesn’t last for very long when the Volturi hear rumors that Renesmee is an immortal child that could threaten their very existence with her powers. Alice (Ashley Greene) has a vision of the future and warns her family that the Volturi will come to kill Renesmee. The Cullen`s decide to gather their vampire friends around the world so they can act as witnesses and stand up to the Volturi claiming that Renesmee is actually human. However they are ready to fight the Volturi alongside with their allies if they try to harm the girl. Everything seems set for the final epic battle between both sides.

Kristen Stewart is a lot better in this film considering she gets to play a much stronger character now and doesn’t have to struggle about deciding between Jacob and Edward. Robert Pattinson isn’t all that great here, but the truth of the matter is that no one came to these films for the performances. I´m really grateful that the werewolves weren`t used as much here as in the other films. The twist at the end is also pretty fulfilling, and I really wasn’t expecting something like that in a Twilight film. Bill Condon is a great director and he made this film much better by changing the final scene from the book. I still think he is way too good of a director for a franchise like this. The screenplay was once again adapted by Melissa Rosenberg from Stephenie Mayer`s famous novel. As I said before, the material really isn’t that great, but the film is really worth watching for that final half hour.  

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My Review: Snow White and the Huntsman (5/10)

¨Lips red as blood. Hair black as night. Bring me your heart my dear, dear Snow White.¨

This is as close of a Tim Burton version of Snow White then you`ll ever see (even if Tim Burton himself directs one). The visual style of the film is pretty dark, but fascinating. It stands out in the film, but what the movie has going for it visually, it lacks story wise. The movie dragged for very long periods of time and moved really slowly. If it weren’t for the great visuals I might have not made it through this original version of the classic story we`ve all seen hundreds of times before. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney`s first feature length movie and one of my favorite classics. I recall the darkness of it involving the evil witch, but I also remember the sweetness of Snow White and the playfulness of the seven dwarfs. Director Rupert Sanders does a very good job at setting the dark mood thanks to the strong performance from Charlize Theron, but he fails to capture the sweetness and innocence that embodies Snow White. As much as I like Kirsten Stewart, she really never convinced me as Snow White and that is my greatest complaint along with a lack of a better or more engaging storyline. This film was written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini (the screenplay writer of my favorite film last year: Drive), but despite being beautifully shot and having great visuals it lacked a bit more heart in the story and a better conclusion. Despite moving so slow during most of the story, it seems to finish rather quickly and abruptly at the end. The movie does have some positive things however, such as Chris Hemsworth`s performance and some of the great actors playing the dwarfs.

We are all familiar with Snow White, although this film does take several liberties and takes us different places (despite having several of the same characters and lines from the original like ¨Mirror, mirror on the wall who is fairest of them all? ¨).  Snow White is played by Kristen Stewart who`s a princess until the day her mother dies and her father remarries Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Once Ravenna becomes Queen she murders Snow White`s father and locks her in the towers. The evil Ravenna begins to rule and the kingdom grows very dark. She`s a witch with eternal beauty thanks to the hundreds of girls she`s killed. Their hearts are the secret to her youth and beauty. She rules along with her brother Finn (Sam Spruell) who is more like her servant. Once Ravenna discovers that Snow White`s beauty is a threat to her powers she sends Finn to bring her in order to kill her, but Snow White manages to escape and hides in the dark forest. That is when Ravenna hires the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to go after her and bring her back, but once the Huntsman meets Snow White he decides to protect her instead. Snow White`s childhood friend, William (Sam Claflin), hears she`s still alive and also begins searching for her in order to protect her and overthrow the evil Queen. Along the way Snow White and the Huntsman run into some dwarfs (played by such great actors as Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, and Johnny Harris) who also decide to protect her from the evil powers of the Queen and so the journey continues.

 I actually enjoyed some of the supporting characters in this film. The actors that played the dwarfs brought a lot of comedy to an otherwise very dark and serious film. Chris Hemsworth was the other actor who brought some comedic relief to the table, and perhaps my favorite character of the film (reminding us as to why Thor was so good despite the ridiculous plot). The film had its entertaining moments, but I just felt it too dark of a picture for my enjoyment and really wished it would have had a better ending. Was it better than I expected it to be? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it was good either. Kristen Stewart is a beautiful actress, but she didn’t fit the role of Snow White, she is not the typical sweet actress, there is some darkness in her as well. This is not a kid’s version of Snow White and is mostly for adults, but I still was left with an empty feeling from the theater as if something were missing. I didn’t have a terrible time with this film; I would give it a 5.8, almost enjoyable.

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My Review: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (4/10)

¨No measure of time with you will be long enough. But we'll start with forever. ¨

The biggest winners of the Twilight Saga are definitely going to be the producers since they managed to stretch the last book of the series into two separate films; which means a lot more money in the box office. The problem is that this first part feels so stretched out that nothing really seems to be happening. The two hour movie could have been only half an hour long, but in order to make more money the producers decided to give us an extended wedding and honeymoon scene. To be honest I really enjoyed the first two Twilight films, I felt the third was a little repetitive, but this latest film is by far the worst in the series. There are some scenes which are just ridiculous and laughable (the mind reading scenes between the wolves for example), although there are a couple that worked really well and were the highlight of the film (the bloody birth scene reminiscent of a famous Pulp Fiction scene). I`ve never read Stephenie Meyer`s novels so I didn`t know what to expect, unlike most of the fans of the franchise who have already read the novels and know what is going to happen. The first two movies surprised me, but then the fantasy wore out and the love triangle got boring. It`s gone downhill for me since, and this latest film directed by Oscar winner Bill Condon is one of the worst films of the year in my opinion. All I can hope for is that the second part will work and end the franchise decently with a little more action or at least a decent plot. A scene after the end credits with the Volturi`s gave me a little hope. Micheal Sheen is the best actor in this series and it`s a shame he barely got any screen time.

As for the plot goes, nothing really seems to be happening that we haven`t seen before. The staring contest continues between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart), and more tension ensues between Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner). The wolves continue to growl and run all over the woods while disputing with the Cullen`s. The Volturi`s are the ones that are left out of the film in this first part (until the credits that is). This fourth part begins with the wedding that is about to take place between Edward and Bella. Bella`s best friend, Alice (Ashley Greene) is doing her makeup and helping her out with the fashion while the guests are arriving to the ceremony. The wedding is beautiful, everyone there looks great, and the toast after the ceremony is perhaps one of the funniest scenes of the film where we have several of the characters give some funny speeches like Bella`s dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), who warns Edward that he knows how to use a gun if any harm is done to his daughter. Then there is also Bella`s mom, Renee (Sarah Clarke), who sings a lullaby she used to sing for her, and Edward`s parents, Dr. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser), who welcome Bella into their family. Edward`s vampire brothers (played by Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, and Jackson Rathbone) are also present at the wedding and everyone is happy. Then it`s time for Edward and Bella to go off on their honeymoon to Rio and finally consume the act. Edward doesn`t want to convert Bella into a vampire until they have sex so he is going to wait after the honeymoon. The problem is that Bella gets pregnant with this vampire baby exceedingly fast and her health is threatened.

The entire film seems as sort of an introduction to the final film, there is little going on really in the movie. I wonder if Twilight fans will sincerely enjoy this movie. To be honest I really liked the Twilight series at first, but it has grown repetitive and old, and the dialogue continues to get worse. The script was never the highlight of the franchise, it was about the characters and the fantasy world which was created, but instead of getting better the script continues to get cheesier and dumber by the minute. There is no reasonable way anyone would actually enjoy this film over the others. I think this was a weak effort and the material was never meant to be split into two films. The problem is that fans of the series are going to go see it anyways and the producers will be the ultimate winners. I expect most girls will enjoy this movie however in a similar way as they enjoyed staying up late to watch Kate and William`s wedding. I don`t think many guys will actually enjoy this film, and many will probably be dragged by their girlfriends.

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My Review: The Twilight Saga Eclipse (7/10)

¨You have a choice. I didn't. None of us did. But you do and, you're choosing wrong.¨

The Twilight saga continues with this third installment of the popular Stephanie Meyer novel, Eclipse, and I don`t think the film will win any new converts by now. You either liked the previous Twilight movies or you hated them and this third film will not change your opinion on them. So if you disliked the first two then stay away from this one, but if you liked them -like I did - then you won`t be disappointed with Eclipse. Yes, the movie continues with its cheesy dialogues such as ¨Isabella Swan I promise to love you every moment of forever, ¨ and awkward pauses such as ¨I kissed Bella (pause). And she broke her hand (pause). Punching my face (pause). It was a complete misunderstanding.¨, but the characters are what make us come back, the soap opera triangle love between Edward, Jacob, and Bella. The scenery and action scenes are also pretty well crafted.  This movie even plays a little with the audience and decides to use some humor. Bella`s difficulty to decide what she wants is getting kind of old and some of the same situations from the second part repeat themselves in this film so it doesn`t feel as fresh, but the film is entertaining nonetheless. Like in the previous two installments the screenplay for Eclipse was adapted by Melissa Rosenberg, but this time it was directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, the last one was a movie I enjoyed quite a bit in 2005) and he does a decent job at satisfying the hard core fans who really just want to see more of Jacob and Edward fighting for Bella.

The pace of the Twilight movies are so slow that there isn`t really much explaining to do with the plot that is pretty simple. Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are graduating from High School and it is time for the Cullen family to move once again. They are planning on moving to Alaska and Bella is going with them. Meanwhile there are a series of murders taking place in Seattle and the Cullen`s suspect that the killings are being produced by a newborn vampire army. What they don`t know is that Victoria (this time played by Bryce Dallas Howard) is behind this army and is preparing them to attack Bella so that she can get her revenge on Edward for killing her partner.  Edward`s brother, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), knows how to face this breed of vampires so he prepares everyone for the upcoming battle. The Cullen`s and the werewolves make an alliance in order to face the army because they both want to protect Bella. In the meantime Jacob (Taylor Lautner) declares his love for Bella and she has to decide who she wants to stay with, so the soap opera begins.

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner have become overnight sensations with Twilight. Stewart is by far the most talented of the group as an actress and she has proven herself in other movies like Adventureland and The Runaways. She is also a pleasure to see on screen although her character in this film may become a little tiresome with all her indecisions, but that just proves how human she really is. The movie itself has become some sort of soap opera, but by now those of us that are hooked want to see the final outcome of the franchise. There is nothing new in this third installment and some elements can get old, but the action scenes make up for it in the final battle. This time the vampires and the Cullen family had more screen time, although I wasn`t a big fan of all the flashbacks which only served to make more time before we got to the final battle scene. If you come to think about it not much really happens in this movie and most everything could be told in 30 minutes since it serves as a kind of bridge to the next film. From the beginning we are left waiting for the final battle and the entire midsection of the film focuses on the love triangle, but the movie still manages to entertain because by now we are already drawn to the characters and used to the pace of the movie. I recommend this movie only to those who have enjoyed the previous two because it is more of the same, so let me state once again if you didn`t like the other films then save your time and stay away from this one.

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My Review: The Runaways (9/10)

¨I`m the fox you`ve been waiting for. Hello daddy, hello mom, I`m your ch, ch, ch, cherry bomb! Hello world, I`m your wild girl, I`m your ch, ch, ch, cherry bomb! ¨

The Runaways is a biopic about the first all-girl rock band from the 70`s with Cherie Currie as the lead singer and Joan Jett as the second voice and guitarist. The movie is directed by Floria Sigismondi, who is mostly known for directing music videos. Floria also adapted the screenplay for this film from Cherie Currie`s autobiographical book Neon Angel: The Cherrie Currie Story. What makes this an interesting movie is that Joan Jett actually produced this film so we have both views from the main stars of The Runaways that paved the way for other female rock bands in the future. I really enjoyed this biopic and found it one of the most entertaining films of the year so far thanks to a good screenplay and some great performances from the entire cast. The music in the film is also great and Dakota Fanning surprised me with her good vocals. I was not familiar with The Runaways before watching this movie, but I did recognize some of their songs. Cherie Currie might have received all the praise during those early years, but who later rose to fame was Joan Jett, and anyone familiar with the rock industry has heard of her. This is the story of the band she first played for before reaching true fame with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Whether you enjoy rock music or you don`t the movie still is worth your time because it has some great performances and is really well produced, and I guarantee you that by the end of the film you will want to read more about their story.

From a very young age Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) had a dream of one day making history by forming the first all-girl rock band. Rock and roll was her life and it was a way to get away from all her troubles back home (which aren`t developed in this movie). One day she runs into the legendary music producer, Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) who is seduced by her idea and introduces her to drummer Sandy West (Stella Maeve) so that they can start playing together. All the band really needs now according to Kim is a hot lead singer and they find in Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) the perfect one because of her David Bowie and Bridget Bardot look. Or as Fowley puts it: ¨I like your style. A little Bowie, a little Bardot, and a look on your face that says I could kick the shit out of a truck driver.¨ Since the film is based on Currie´s autobiography we do get some background about her family. She basically lives alone with her teenage sister, Marie (Riley Keough) because their mom has left with another man to Indonesia and their dad is an alcoholic. Cherie finds the perfect opportunity to pursue her dreams and joins the band. The movie begins exploring the early years of The Runaways and their rise to fame, along with some of the issues the band faced from arguments to drug addiction. Of course there are a lot of things that are left out in a two hour movie and the film doesn`t delve too much into the character`s past, but it works nonetheless as a biopic about the band.

Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart prove that they can act in more serious and independent roles and don`t have to rely on their star power or act only in blockbuster movies. They give really good performances in this film and are a major reason why this movie was so successful. It would not be fair to ignore Michael Shannon in this film, because his role as Kim Fowley was excellent. It was a supporting role, but he shines in every scene and is also a major reason why this movie worked so well. Yes, the movie does have its flaws because there isn`t enough time to delve in the characters past nor perhaps the real struggles that the band faced, but it is a great movie that will leave you wanting to learn more about their story. The Runaways has a pretty realistic and raw feeling to it and I think Floria Sigismondi did a great job as a first time full length director in this film and with the screenplay as well. I think this is a movie worth seeing whether you are a fan of rock or not. It reminded me a lot of Sam Raimi`s Control (a biopic about the 80`s band Joy Division) which a lot of people haven`t seen either.

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My Review: New Moon (9/10

(9/10) The wait is over for Twilight fans as the second film of the franchise is finally out and just like the first one it`s getting mixed reviews. The saga is based on Stephenie Meyer`s novel of the same name. Just like in the novel, there are going to be four parts and New Moon is the second one of the franchise. I really enjoyed the first Twilight, and thought that the action slash romance was well balanced and worked very well. When I heard Twilight was about vampires I was completely expecting it to be the typical vampire blood sucking movie, but I was suprised to see how different the film was. In New Moon I already knew what to expect, but I found it even better than the first one. I thought it had a lot more action and the addition of the werewolves was a plus because their characters were complex, interesting and it presented a whole new world that hadn`t been introduced to us yet the first time around. The romance also got better as Edward and Bella were seperated and a third character was thrown in the mix, Jacob. The friendship between Bella and Jacob and the mixed feelings of love and friendship that they felt was an interesting addition to the saga. It`s always good when in a film you have mixed feelings for which character you want him or her to end up with and in this case many of the fans were routing for a different guy and that is what explains so many status updates about Team Edward or Team Jacob.

I know this film is targeted towards teenage girls, but it has enough action and good vissual effects to be enjoyed by guys as well. I really thought the special effects were much better than in the first one and after watching 2012 I thought these effects felt cool and they just felt more real and not exagerated. The werewolf transformation scenes were pretty nice, as were the chasing scenes between werewolves and vampires. There is plenty of action for guys to enjoy as well although the first 20 minutes do feel a little cheesy. The dialogue is probably one of the weekest parts of the movie, but the story is just engaging and I guess most guys can identify with the Jacob character. We have all fallen for a girl that sees us as a friend who has always been there for her, but not as boyfriend material. Ouch. I don`t know maybe it`s just the teenage adolescent girl inside of me doing the talking. It feels kind of good of letting that repression out. The love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob was a great addition to the franchise. There were several references to Romeo and Juliet and in a way this film has several similarities to the Shakesperean play (although they could have learned a lesson or two on how to write decent dialogues that didnt feel so cheesy) because of the rivalry between two families, in this case the werewolves and the vampires and somehow Bella is caught in the middle of both worlds.

Another improvement from Twilight were the villains. Micheal Sheen was great as Aro the head vampire of the Volturi (a sort of vampire royalty), and Dakota Fanning was also creepy in her role as Jane a pain inducing illusionist. These villains made you feel like the ones in the first Twilight were a joke. Kristen Stewart is also a delight to watch on screen and she makes the love scenes work despite the bad dialogues. The chemistry between her and Pattinson really works and you can feel the sexual tension between both chracters despite the awkward long pauses and stares. Taylor Lautner plays Jacob, Bella`s best friend who is in love with her and actually is a werewolf who haunts down vampires therefore the plot thickens. The rest of the Cullin family doesnt`t have much screen time as the main focus of the film is in introducing the werewolves and building the relationship between Bella and Jacob. I really enjoyed this movie and it will probably end up in my top ten films of 2009.