The Runaways (2010)

THE RUNAWAYS (2010).
Directed by Floria Sigismondi. Written by Floria Sigismondi. Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Tatum O'Neal, Riley Keough, Stella Maeve, Alia Shawcat, Johnny Lewis, and Brett Cullen.

Plot: Manufactured all-girl teen rock band The Runaways' rise to fame and fall from grace through the eyes of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, barely acknowledging Lita Ford's existence.

But maybe that's the way it was, and Ford only became big on her own, in the hair-metal '80s.

In any event, this is a pretty standard biopic with an interesting subject matter; it's not as 'artistic' as Control, but it's more faithful to the accepted storyline than JFK. It's written and told in a pretty straightforward manner, but when you're familiar with the characters being played, you can't help but tip your hat to the quality of the acting in the movie, particularly Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Stewart nominated for an Oscar and walking away with a Golden Globe; she has Jett down to a T.

Dakota Fanning does a commendable job as drug-addled lead singer Cherie Currie, but Stewart and Shannon upstage her every chance they get - and that's pretty often.

It's too bad the film was based solely on Currie's autobiography and was produced by Jett - it skims through the other characters' roles in the making of this band too quickly, perhaps leading to the audience missing out on key elements that needed to be told. As such, it's close to being the female equivalent of Oliver Stone's The Doors, which focused a little too much on Jim Morrison's antics.

3.5/5

Robin Hood (2010)

ROBIN HOOD (2010).
Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Brian Helgeland. Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Max Von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Mark Strong, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Léa Seydoux, Kevin Durand, Matthew Macfayden, and Mark Addy.

Plot: Before Robin Hood was an outlaw, he was... an outlaw. But before that, he was a star archer on the King's Crusade.

And that's pretty much the essence of it. Ridley Scott claimed he was doing a prequel to the oft-told story of Robin Hood (here played by Russell Crowe), with a twist; his twist seems to have been that both King Richard The Lionheart and his heir Prince John had, in a short time span, and without one another's knowledge, made him an outlaw, Richard even pretty much given him the death penalty.

And the movie is less a re-telling than a Gladiator-version of an explanation on how Robin took Marion Loxley's heart (a terrific Cate Blanchett), rounded up his misfit gang of Merry Men, and played on the nerves of both the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfayden) and Prince John (a marvelous if cliché'd performance by Oscar Isaac).

Expect thousands of extras fighting in epic battle scenes shot on location with surreal environments and buildings made just for this movie. But don't expect anyone to upstage either Crowe or Blanchett - whether it's their sheer raw talent or an editor's work, there is no scene-stealer among the supporting cast, despite Mark Addy giving it a decent go as Friar Tuck. Even William Hurt and Max Von Sydow are just filler for a back-story that didn't really need to be told.

3.5/5

The Trotsky (2010)

THE TROTSKY (2010).
Directed by Jacob Tierney. Written by Jacob Tierney. Starring Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Geneviève Bujold, Colm Feore, Saul Rubinek, Michael Murphy, Liane Balaban, Taylor Baruchel, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Tommie-Amber Pirie,and Jessica Paré.

Plot: Leon Bronstein is a high school student who thinks he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. Thus he attempts to unionize his father's packing plant, and then his high school student association, all while pursuing an older gal named Alexandra.

So, in essence, it's a teen comedy with a background in romantic comedy. Fine. But it's also much more than that.

Contrary to most teen comedies, it has substance - not just the direct allusions to The Battleship Potemkin (which many will actually think references Rosemary's Baby) but also the life story of one of History's most inspiring people, all the while not spelling them out completely to the audience. Such lines as ''Are you my Stalin, Dwight?'' go unexplained, so those not familiar with the Bolchevik Revolution of 1917 and Soviet history until the 1950s might need to research a little to get it. Which, by all means, is refreshing.

And contrary to most romantic comedies, this one asks, mid-way, if the main character actually knows if the feeling he has inside is actually ''love'', which bears some kind of reflection since he really does look more like a stalker at that point.

And that's precisely where this film is successful - the ''he'': sure, the actors are well-directed and the screenplay is witty, funny and smart, but Jay Baruchel carries it with an aplomb that is usually lacking in both those kinds of films. As such, it's much closer, in spirit, to terrific indie ensemble pieces like Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways or The Hangover. And he's supported by a cast who understands this and helps bring him up - Colm Feore is the perfect enemy in an asshole principal, Saul Rubinek as the tough father, Anne-Marie Cadieux as the too-good stepmom, Tommie-Amber Pirie as the sister who'll follow him anywhere, Michael Murphy as the reluctant advisor, and of course Emily Hampshire as the love interest.

Another thing that differentiates this film from any other in their respective genres is its ''now'' factor. While most romantic comedies follow a pattern of ''oh no / oh maybe / oh yes / OH YES!'' and teen comedies have the good girl, the bad girl, the recluse who wants the girl, the token black guy and other clichés from the 50s that would make you believe West Side Story and Grease were actually any good and/or true, this film deals with modern-day North America, families - and just about everybody - who speak two languages (or more), Idealism Vs Realism, token Arab guys replacing token black guys, and every character worth naming in the film having an actual story that isn't an arc but a constant - an evolution without deviation. The wanna-be-cool friend doesn't get the girl - he's gay; the fat recluse isn't less shy as the movie ends; the principal doesn't actually learn his lesson - he's just one-upped - but he doesn't go to jail, either.

And, best of all, it's set in one of the 3 actual places where all these things do happen, but not the two we see all the time  - L.A. and New York. No, this time, it's set in Montréal, who proves it can be more than just a haven for terrorists in films.

4/5