Let's NOT and say we DID.

Easy A directed by Will Gluck

Emma Stone attends the LA premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2010.

Another teen movie about an unpopular girl who's life is rocked by a scandalous rumour about losing her virginity. Throw in a love interest in the form of a long-time crush who just sees you as a friend, the token gay guy, a jealous ex-best friend, a cool but concerned teacher, a cheating wife, an affair with a student, quirky parents, an adopted black brother, oh and a bitchy Christian teacher's pet who wants to ruin your life, of course. You can get most of this info from the trailer and, on paper, it sounds like a recycled, sexed up and probably unfunny high school flick. That's on paper. In reality it's so much more than that, and truthfully it mostly comes down to the genius casting of Emma Stone (Superbad, The House Bunny, Zombieland). Upon seeing her in the trailer, it feels like a nice cool breeze has just hit your face; Stone is just so watchable. Thereafter, the movie changes shape and suddenly doesn't seem so vomit-inducing. LA magazine CWG featured an article with the headline "Why Easy A and Emma Stone Might Blow You Away." Here's why: Stone's character, Olive Penderghast is relatable, as most leading characters in teenage-targeted movies attempt yet often fail to be. Kind of against my will, I'm reminded of Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. You just couldn't help taking Lohan's side, even as she wreaked havoc on the entire school with her plots and schemes to take down the school bully. In fact, whilst walking past a poster for Mean Girls back in the day, I vividly remember saying to a friend "Mean Girls? Wow, that sounds like Oscar-winning material." But since then it's become one of my go-to movies for a good laugh, and a lot of that comes from Lohan's terrific comedic performance. Stone embodies that same quality; she has the ability to insert herself into a drab, been-there-done-that atmosphere and create magic. 

Emma Stone & Penn Badgley at the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2010.

That's not to say that the other cast members don't make their respective contributions to Easy A. The first one that comes to mind is probably Dan Byrd (Cougar Town) as Olive's new found gay friend who pretty much sets this whole story in motion. Brandon is introduced as the high school punching bag thanks to his sexual orientation, and Olive suggests that to stop the torture, he should simply pretend to be straight with a girlfriend. Planting this idea in Brandon's head turns out to be a life-altering action for Olive once he begs her to be the lucky girl. At first hesitant, Olive is soon agreeing to his terms after a heartfelt plea by Brandon; Byrd is so adorable during this scene, I challenge any girl to say no to him. I mentioned in my previous post that I'm a sucker for crying dudes...Byrd definitely had some tears welling here, hence my appreciation for his part in this movie. Also, he's involved in one of the funniest scenes, the fake sex scene that he and Olive set up and play out at a rowdy house party, a large portion of which is revealed in the trailer. However, it still gets a huge laugh and Brandon's gratitude afterward is just so preciously sincere. 

(From left) Director Will Gluck, Patricia Clarkson, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Aly Michalka, and writer Bert V. Royal at the LA premiere on September 13, 2010.

All the while you have Olive's dream guy Todd aka Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) aka the school mascot who mostly gets around in a too-cute woodchuck costume, popping up every now and then and making Olive question his true feelings for her. Then there's the enemy; from the get-go Olive despises Jesus-freak Marianne (Amanda Bynes - She's The Man) and her boyfriend Micah (Cam Gigandet - Twilight). She's rude, preachy and just plain annoying with her perfectly curled hair extensions and utterly pristine outfits. But hey, if anyone can do it, it's Bynes. Gigandet is actually fairly hilarious as the 22 year old dumbass who's still attending school; cue Bynes's glorious line: "He's still here because it's his choice...no silly *points up* His. His, with a capital H. If the Good Lord had wanted Micah to graduate, he would have given him the right answers." Then there's the background characters that create the perfect ensemble; Olive's parents (LOL) Dill & Rosemary (Stanley Tucci  - The Lovely Bones & Patricia Clarkson - Shutter Island), her cool, hip teacher Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church - Smart People), his cheating wife (Lisa Kudrow - P.S. I Love You) and the angry best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka - Bandslam).

Lisa Kudrow at the LA premiere, September 13, 2010.

There's a nice tone to this film...it's fun and silly like any teen movie should be (and yes, there is a random song number in there - don't ask), but there's also a good lesson hidden beneath that flawless comedic timing of Stone's. And the great part is, there's no way you can miss it because the entire thing is narrated and explained by Olive herself using YouTube. Once things start getting a bit out of control for Olive, (in other words, once the other losers in school start offering her money to pretend to sleep with them) I found myself feeling a little uneasy...then I realised it was because I really cared about this character and wanted her to get out of this situation and have a happy ending. That, my friends, is a testament to her acting skills...and let's not forget that this girl burst onto the Hollywood scene from nowhere only 3 years ago, and this is her first lead role. Three words: natural born star.

 

Emma Stone & friend Taylor Swift at the LA premiere, September 13, 2010.

So there you have it. If you're in the mood for a light-hearted laugh-fest with a fresh take on the politics of high school scandals and a phylosophical message at the end, go no further than Easy A. Hell, even if you're not in the mood for that, go just to see Emma Stone in her element. A is for awesome.

NOW HEAR THIS: Pretty sweet soundtrack...download "Go On" by Rooney, "Good Life" by OneRepublic, "Big Jet Plane" by Angus & Julia Stone, "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie and the always classic "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds. Oh, and "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls is always fun :)

Life is for living.

Charlie St. Cloud directed by Burr Steers

Zac Efron promotes the film at the Mall of America, Minnesota on July 19, 2010.

Oh, the Zefron. You either love him or hate him don't you? I have to say, back in his High School Musical days, I wasn't really a fan. The whole thing just seemed uber-lame to me...I couldn't seem to get over the whole we're-on-the-basketball-team-and-we're-against-singing-and-dancing-so-to-prove-how-badass-we-are-we're-gonna-break-into-a-choreographed-routine thing. It wasn't until the 3rd and last installment Senior Year rolled around that I began to see the potential under that perfectly side-swept hair (why is it called Bieber-hair? Zac clearly did it first. I'm just saying). At that stage, re-visiting the first two was much more fun, even though Vanessa Hudgens gets on my nerves. I started thinking mmmk I think I see what all the fuss is about here. Then came 17 Again. This was about the time that my full-fledged conversion took place. I have the DVD to prove it. Seriously, I saw it twice. If the version of myself from three years before could see me now, she'd punch me in the face. But in my defence, it's not physical. Okay, yes it is but it's also the fact that he was actually really good in that movie. Being a 21 year old actor playing a 37 year old dad who's been turned in to a teenager again can't be easy. But in my opinion, he totally pulled it off. I was completely convinced the entire time that he was actually Matthew Perry in a younger, much hotter body. Plus I'm a sucker for cute actors who cry in movies. So you can imagine I quite enjoyed Charlie St. Cloud.

Amanda Crew attends the LA premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on July 20, 2010.

Okay, so you have the lovely Zac Efron playing the part of Charlie St. Cloud, a young sailing champion from Washington State. Charlie lives at home with his single mother Claire (Kim Basinger) and kid brother Sam (Charlie Tahan), but not for long because he's scored a sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Sam's devastated that Charlie's leaving him alone, so Charlie makes the promise to practice baseball together every day before he leaves for college. One night, Charlie is (supposed to be) babysitting Sam, but decides to sneak out and unfortunately Sam catches him, demanding that he take him with him. The brothers have a heart-to-heart in the car, with Charlie assuring Sam that he's not ditching him, and that he'll visit all the time. Things seem better until a semi-trailer runs a red light and shatters the St. Clouds's world. In the ambulance, Charlie appears dead, but one determined paramedic (Ray Liotta) revives him and dubs it a miracle. Tragically, Sam isn't as lucky and the next scene shows the town attending his funeral. Charlie is asked to drop the baseball glove on the casket, but refuses and runs away into the woods. Here, Charlie encounters the spirit of Sam, who informs him that he's late for practice; that he thought they had a deal. "We do have a deal," says Charlie between sobs, and from that day onward the boys meet everyday at sunset. Five years pass and Charlie, having turned down the scholarship and quit sailing, is now the caretaker at the cemetary where his brother is buried. He's closed off, anti-social and obsessed with the upkeep of the graveyard. Basically, you could say he doesn't get out much, so forget having a girlfriend. His life revolves around the daily practice sessions with Sam the Ghost, and because of his strange behaviour, most of the town think he's "totally certifiable." That is, except for a fellow classmate from high school, Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew). Tess is also a sailor, and is preparing for a solo trip around the world. A few chance meetings around town, and the pair are infatuated with each other, although Tess doesn't want to start something before her 6 month-long trip. Pretty soon, Sam wisens up to the fact that Charlie's attention is being stolen and accuses Charlie of starting to forget him. From here, it's Charlie's choice whether to live in the past and keep Sam alive through his memories, or let go and move forward: "The more I'm in your world, the less I can be in his." A big decision has to be made when Tess's boat goes missing and he must take one of two paths: attempt to find and rescue her or stay behind to honour the promise he made to his dead brother.

Charlie Tahan & Zac Efron share a moment at the LA premiere, July 20, 2010.

I know what you're all thinking. Sap, sap, sappy. And you'd be right. I can't even begin to tally the amount of tears that fall from Zac's translucent eyes (sigh) throughout this movie. It's a tearjerker for sure so if you hate that romantic, Notebook-esque tragic-but-beautiful type of storyline, you won't be impressed. But if you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Charlie St. Cloud and by Efron. Critics are calling his performance a breakthrough into the big leagues of the acting arena. USA Today writer Claudia Puig ... says "based on his performance...and his heartfelt efforts here, Efron seems poised to mature into a substantive actor." Mick LaSalle from the San Fransisco Chronicle states, "Efron gets that much credit just standing there, and then, lo and behold, he can act...simply in his screen essence, he embodies the right qualities of humanity, gravity and aspiration." As for the other cast members, Tahan is ridiculously adorable as Sam, and with an emotionally heavy role like this one, he doesn't crumble under the weight. The brotherly chemistry between Efron and Tahan is genuine, reeling you in from the beginning to make Sam's death and Charlie's sense of loss that much more heartbreaking. Crew is perfectly cast as Charlie's love interest. She's one of those actresses that make you say "What is she from?!" (by the way, it's Sex Drive). Stunningly beautiful with an air of independence and intelligence, Crew gives Tess just the right amount of spice to catch Charlie's interest whilst retaining a certain loneliness similar to his.

Zac Efron & High School Musical girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens pose for photos at the LA premiere, July 20, 2010.

All in all, Charlie St. Cloud is an emotional rollercoaster so you may want to bring the tissues. However, there is some nice comedy slotted in here and there to lighten up the audience when it all seems a bit dark and gloomy. This comes in the form of Charlie's talkative buddy Alistair Wooley (Augustus Prew), although Zac has his own share of one-liners. If you enjoyed seeing Efron shed his Disney-boy status and stretching his grown-up acting muscles in 17 Again and Me and Orsen Welles, you'll love watching this film. I foresee great things in this guy's career...but I guess you can never really count on that (ahem, Lindsay Lohan). One thing you won't foresee, though, is the huge twist about two thirds into this movie...your biggest mistake would be to write it off as a predictable melodrama. Trust me, it's so worth it.

NOW HEAR THIS:  Whilst the official soundtrack is just a collection of scores, there's a great track that plays over the credits, "Pull My Heart Away" by Jack Penate. But the best songs are actually from the trailer: "So Far Around The Bend" by The National and the saddest and greatest song ever, "Run" by Snow Patrol.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED?

Tomorrow, When The War Began directed by Stuart Beattie

The cast arrive at the Melbourne premiere on August 11, 2010. (From left, Caitlin Stasey, Lincoln Lewis, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Chris Pang, Andy Ryan, Deniz Akdeniz, Ashleigh Cummings & Phoebe Tonkin).

 As a young Australian who's very into movies, it's sometimes hard to watch home grown Aussie films and television because, well, they're just crap. Okay...that's generalising. There are some good ones out there, but they're rare. Most of the time, witnessing these atrocities seems to physically hurt me. At the core of it, it's just sheer embarrassment that varies in its level of humiliation from a slight cringe to full blown hysteria. For example, when subjected to a few uncomfortable minutes of Cops L.A.C., you'd see me with eyebrows raised, a subtle mocking smile and probably a slight head shaking motion as if to say "I cannot believe people have paid actual dollars to produce this hideous excuse for entertainment." Or something along those lines. On the other hand, there was the shocking Australia's Next Top Model incident just two nights ago which had me on my knees on the living room floor, pulling at my hair with both hands and shouting words like "disaster," "catastophe" and "suicide." When a bad Australian example of filmmaking is released into the world, I feel personally ashamed. But when a good one comes around, my heart swells with glowing pride that may even match that of a patriot-crazed American.


Chris Pang & Caitlin Stasey.

Tomorrow, When The War Began is one such example. The first chapter of John Marsden's much-loved Tomorrow series has been adapted for the screen in the most genius way. I have to admit right here and now that I have not read the series. I have read the first book, and am currently reading the second, The Dead of Night. Of course, I disciplined myself into reading the book before seeing the movie, but it was a close thing. The trailer was amazing and I almost buckled under the allure. It made the film look like serious blockbuster material; the fact that it's Australian just increased the attraction. It was like it was saying to the world "Here, come and observe this fine Aussie film, and see that we really know our shit." I had a similar feeling upon seeing Baz Luhrmann's masterpiece Australia, but this was on another scale. In part, it's because it's a movie made from a book series...but mostly it's the fact that the 7 (later becomes 8) lead roles belong to teenagers. Australian teenagers. I'm an Australian teenager. How much more relatable can it get? And better yet, these guys are depicted kicking ass! They've got guns, they wear camouflage...and they're placed in a situation that young people only ever live out in video game format. Sure, the plot's horrible, it's a terrifying notion and if it ever really happened I'd be the first one to burst into tears and hide under my bed BUT when it's in a movie, it's a whole other ball game. You can pretend all you like, but the idea of no parents, no rules and a bunch of bad guys lurking around that you not only have unspoken permission to kill, but the patriotic person within is encouraging you to do so is undeniably exciting. It's not so much the concept of killing, taking life. It's more about defending your land, your home, your loved ones. Doing all you can to survive and hurt whoever's trying to destroy your way of life as much as you can. Becoming a hero, which every single person fantasises about in some shape or form. That's what the Tomorrow series is about; stepping up and fighting against a gargantuan force against all odds, making a difference and working towards freedom. 

Lincoln Lewis & Rachel Hurd-Wood.

Okay, so here's the basic rundown: Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey) is a rural Aussie teen, and loves her simple farm life (I know, I don't get it either). She and her best friend Corrie Mackenzie (Rachel Hurd-Wood) are keen to do something really mature with boys and everything (ooooo) so they organise a camping trip with 5 other mates from the country into pretty dangerous and uncharted territory: Hell. Hell's actually just a bush area with a creek at the bottom of some rough terrain (Satan's Steps). Soon, the whole gang head down there and have a great time exploring, camping out, flirting...you know, all the usual stuff. During this time Ellie and the others hear a bunch of planes overhead, but think nothing of it. A week later, they regrettably emerge from their hide-away campsite to head back to reality. It's not long before they realise something's terribly wrong. All their pets are dead, their parents gone, their houses empty and void of electricity or dial tones. Pretty soon the group come to the conclusion that the country they love has been invaded by an unknown enemy and for some reason their small town of Wirrawee has been targeted. The whereabouts of their families is the first concern, and so they travel to the Showground to find out more. Upon their arrival, they see that all of the prisoners are being held captive at the grounds, heavily guarded by armed soldiers. From here on in, it's a rush of bullets, explosions, car chases and careful sneaking missions on foot for the group of 7, who become 8 when they discover fellow classmate Chris Lang (Andy Ryan) hiding out on his property. These 8 teens band together to take on what seems like an unstoppable force, and it's absolutely brilliant viewing.

Phoebe Tonkin & Deniz Akdeniz.

 There are moments when even the characters can't seem to hide their excitement when something goes their way, so the audience certainly can't either. Aside from the awful nature of it, this movie is a fun thrill ride of epic proportions with astounding stunts and awesome explosions. But even without that, it's a great film. I'll say that whilst some individual actors have missed the mark, as an ensemble, the cast were fantastic at portraying their teen angst in extraordinary circumstances, whilst still dishing out some stellar comic relief. The stand outs are Stasey, with her willowy looks and a face made for serious contemplation. This girl was the perfect Ellie; just enough innocence to make her seem average but with a ferocity and determination that all young women aspire to. Next in line is the remarkable Deniz Akdeniz who plays Homer Yannos, the Greek bad-boy who becomes a sort of leader through the devastation. I mentioned comic relief before; go no further than this dude right here. He did an ace job...I cannot think of a better Homer, real or imaginary. Hurd-Wood was quite good as Corrie, as was Home and Away's Lincoln Lewis as her boyfriend Kevin Holmes and Phoebe Tonkin was perfection as the prissy but powerful Fiona Maxwell. Now onto the people I had a problem with. One of the most important characters in the book, Ellie's love interest Lee Takkam was demolished by Chris Pang. Perhaps that's a bit harsh...he had moments that were acceptable but in my book, that's not really good enough. Lee was supossed to be mysterious, intriguing...vastly intelligent and basically your definition of Deep Thought. But watching Pang on screen, I felt none of this. In fact, I felt kind of awkward. His delivery of Lee's emotional and meaningful lines fell flat and in some cases were just laughable. Then there was Ryan's confused interpretation of Chris. I can't really explain what happened there. Let's just say that in scenes where he wasn't speaking, he was great. The phrase "over the top" just doesn't quite cut it with Ryan's acting skills. Last but not least, you have little Ashleigh Cummings as bible-hugging Robyn Mathers. I know "little" is a bit rich since she's actually 17, but in this movie she looks about 12. At times I found myself wondering why one of the gang invited their little sister to tag along on the trip; she simply didn't belong. Fortunately, her acting wasn't too bad. All in all, the cast were fine, with frequent streaks of brilliance from the former mentioned members.

Author John Marsden.

In short, Tomorrow is a wonderful addition to Australia's growing winners in film, and I was mighty proud to walk out of that theatre as an Aussie teen, just like them.

NOW HEAR THIS: The soundtrack is actually pretty good, with offerings from some great Australian acts like Powderfinger, Sarah Blasko and Wolfmother. Download Black Hearts (On Fire) by Jet, and the best track from the film, Fader by The Temper Trap, which in my opinion is basically the musical score to easy-going, good-time Australian attitude.

AN EPIC OF EPIC EPICNESS...

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World directed by Edgar Wright

Michael Cera attends the LA premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on July 27, 2010.

I saw this movie on August 12th, the day it came out. So you can naturally assume that I was excited to see it, and with good reason. One of my favourite things to do (however lame this may seem to whomever may read this), is browse IMDb and check out what upcoming projects some of my favourite actors are involved in. Sometimes even actors I don't like. Pretty much anyone. For some strange reason, I find it interesting, and I'll often waste a considerable amount of time clicking link after link until I can't remember why I went on there in the first place. I even have the app on my iPhone, and to say it's almost as frequently used as Facebook would be an accurate statement. About a year ago, during one of my routine extensive searches, I came across Michael Cera's page. I see a link to a project called 'Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World' that says pre-production. I follow it and approximately 30 seconds later, I'm dying to see it. 

(From left) Jason Schwartzman, Michael Cera, Edgar Wright and Mary Elizabeth Winstead attend the European premiere at the Empire Leicester Square, London on August 18, 2010.

Fast forward 12 odd months and I'm sitting in a small cinema and this trailer starts up. And it's bright and loud and makes me do one of those stupid involuntary grins which you're always glad people can't see because it's so dark in there, and you know you look like a weirdo. Next thing, LCD Soundsystem's "Big Ideas" fills the theatre and Michael Cera's face pops up and I do one of the top five most annoying things anyone can do in a movie: I turn in my seat to face my friend and exclaim "OMG IT'S SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOVIE FOR AGES!" Honestly, in that moment I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, floating on the ceiling watching myself, shaking my head and thinking "what a moron." As far as trailers go, this one really got a reaction from me. It was like a hit-and-run on repeat. I was practically bouncing on my seat and then something happened. It got even better. The first song fades out, and in it's place starts The Prodigy's "Invaders Must Die." I wanted to see this movie for so many other reasons...one of which being that Edgar Wright is a brilliant director (think Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), but when it comes down to it, when pondering whether to spend the money on seeing a movie, for me it all depends hugely on the trailer so obviously, I was sold. 

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead at the LA premiere on July 27, 2010.

The first thing you need to know about Scott Pilgrim is that it's based on a series of 6 graphic novels of the same name. Straight away, you should know if you're interested in seeing it or not. Then, you take that assumption and throw it out the window. Because the fact is, this particular comic isn't your standard super-hero narrative. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life is the first volume by Canadian cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley, published in August 2004. It's unlike any comic you've ever seen. Scott's no Spider-Man. He's just a regular 23-year-old guy with self-esteem issues. Except that they're not the issues you're thinking of. Scott's the bassist in a band called Sex Bob-omb with his two best mates Stephen and Kim, and to quote Kim in the film, "Scott, if you're life had a face, I'd slap it." The thing with Scott is, his opinion of himself is rather high, and, considering he's just a part time musician in Toronto and lives in a shoebox apartment with his gay roommate Wallace, it's clear why Kim finds this tiresome. It's soon established that Scott doesn't exactly have a hard time finding a girl, and his latest conquest is 17-year-old Knives Chau, the schoolgirl who is so pathetically infatuated with him, it's cringe-worthy. Still, Scott attempts to push through the constant ridicule from his friends to continue seeing Knives. That is until he has a haunting dream about a complete stranger, and his "precious little life" is turned upside down. He dreams of a rollerblading mystery girl with hot pink hair he's never seen before, but is soon obsessing over her after running into the real-life version at the library. Soon enough Scott plucks up the courage to talk to Rollerblade Girl (aka Ramona V. Flowers, according to the token dude-who-knows-everyone) and things seem to be going smoothly for suave Scott. Unfortunately, Scott's fantasy is interrupted by the sudden appearance of one of Ramona's ex's, who informs Scott that they will be fighting to the death for this girl. As if that weren't bad enough, Ramona soon after gives Scott the real 411: she has 6 more evil ex-boyfriends waiting in the wings, and that if he intends to date her, he must defeat all of them. From here on in it's a fast-paced series of battles for poor Scott, who's determined to succeed and win the heart of the girl of his dreams, literally. But it's no picnic, and there are plenty of surprises in store to keep Scott on his toes. All in all, it's a heartwarming tale of an ordinary, if slightly egotistical guy who'll stop at nothing to get the girl, and ultimately, some respect.

(From left) Actors Kieran Culkin and Jason Schwartzman at the LA premiere, July 27, 2010.

If you like comic books, video games, cartoons, special effects and Manga-style art, then you'll find yourself in cinematic-heaven within 5 minutes. I know I did. This movie is all about the visual, and from start to finish it's a candy-coated adrenalised thrill ride, complete with sound effects that make you feel like you should be holding an Xbox 360 controller. At times it may seem unrealistic bordering on ridiculous, but that's kind of the point. It's totally surreal, and even though it's set in a real city you can't help but feel as if you've been transported to a different world. The fight scenes portray Scott in such a way that depends on your ability to suspend your disbelief. True, Scott is supposedly a normal guy who's way out of his league against Ramona's evil ex's, but if normal guys really know how to throw down like him, then self-defence lessons are no longer necessary. He weaves his way through each fight with definite skill whilst still managing to look like he has no idea what he's doing.

Academy Award Nominated (Up In The Air) actress Anna Kendrick attends the LA premiere, July 27, 2010.

Which brings us to the actors. Michael Cera is pure genius as Scott Pilgrim. He embodies everything about his character with ease, and whilst Scott isn't that far a cry from Cera's previous work as far as awkwardness and sarcasm go, being a bit of a jerk and a self-proclaimed rock star are. Whilst Scott's annoying qualities are most certainly there, Cera succeeds in redeeming him every time. He's full of himself, but it's endearing, which is harder than it looks to pull off. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Ramona, and gives the hair-colour-chameleon a real edge. All of Scott's efforts could easily appear unnecassary if it weren't for the fact that Ramona really is worth it. Winstead offers much more than just a pretty face and an ice-cool exterior...she gives Ramona wit and a straightforwardness that no boy could resist. Anna Kendrick is an undeniable classic as Scott's disapproving sister Stacey. Cue one of the funniest scenes where Scott calls Stacey at work from a pay phone:
"It's Scott."
"Yeah? What's he done this time?"
"No, I mean...it's me, Scott."
Then there's the comic relief which comes in the form of Kieran Culkin who nails his performance as Scott's gay roommate. Every line that comes from this character's mouth is loaded with hilarity. Alison Pill, Mark Webber and Johnny Simmons are flawless as Scott's best buddies, and Ellen Wong is hysterically good as clingy Knives. Not to mention the ex's...the standouts include Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, Fantastic Four's Chris Evans and of course, the biggest and baddest of them all, Jason Schwartzman as the impertinent Gideon Graves.

Actors Alison Pill and Johnny Simmons pose for a photo at the after party for the LA premiere at Hollywood and Highland, July 27, 2010.

This is a seriously fun film, dripping with quotable lines and eye-popping visuals that appear glossily on the screen just like the pages of O'Malley's original work. Universal's vice president Bill Kispert said "We were hooked on Scott Pilgrim from our first read of the comic and the script...the storyline mirrors the escalating structure of a video game, and it is filled with clever homage to video-game culture." It's been described as encompassing action, romance, irreverant pop-culture references and rock-n-roll. The clearest way I can describe it, though, is to repeat the words of Eddie Argos, who writes a bi-weekly column about comic books for a website called Playback: Scott Pilgrim is "funny, clever, sad, stupid, fantastic, heartbreaking, surreal, confusing and brilliant, just like real life."

Michael Cera had to pulled by his backpack by a security guard at Radio 1 in London, UK where he was promoting the film. The actor attempted to sign autographs despite being engulfed by the massive crowd.

NOW HEAR THIS: The music in the flick is seriously great, with rock legend Beck lending a hand with writing some fictitious Sex Bob-omb songs. Download "Garbage Truck," "Threshold," and "We Are Sex Bob-omb." Then check out "It's Getting Boring By The Sea," by Blood Red Shoes and "Black Sheep," by Metric.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF http://www.picapp.com/

It's 1975, and they're about to EXPLODE.

...The Runaways, directed by Floria Sigismondi

I saw this movie about a week ago and I'm still thinking about it, which usually means something, and I'm not surprised. This movie was incredible. In fact, I almost don't know where to start...so here's a brief description. The Runaways were the first all-girl rock band to make it big. The way it all came about is like something out of a movie, so it's only fitting that this film was made. It was 1975, and Joan Jett was just 17 years old and hanging out at the local disco. What happened there changed her life, and the lives of four other teens. She spotted Kim Fowley, an eccentric record producer who had groundbreaking aspirations of his own. Jett approached the man, telling him her dream of forming a completely female band. Fowley took Jett's number, and just two weeks later, 15 year old drummer Sandy West introduced herself to Fowley outside the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood. After West expressed her frustrations of only ever working with all-male groups, Fowley put her in contact with Jett, and the rest, as they say, is history.


After hustling a few other members for the band, the group began writing songs, and after touring the club curcuit in Los Angeles for about a year, they were signed by Mercury Records and started a tour of the U.S. In 1976, the girls travelled to Japan for a sold out show. The live recording of that concert went gold, the pinnacle of The Runaways' stardom. Eventually, the band went their seperate ways and Jett worked on her solo career as well as a new project with a new group. Jett is easily the girl who gained the most success post-Runaways.

Cast members (from left) Scout Taylor-Compton, Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart, chatting whilst on a break from filming on location in the San Fernando Valley area, LA, July 2009.

Before seeing this film, the above information was all I really knew. Actually, I didn't even know about some of it...all I really knew was that Kristen Stewart (of the Twilight Saga super-duper-fame) was going to be playing Joan Jett, and that Dakota Fanning, also from the vamp series, was going to be playing another member of the band. Silly me. Whilst the assumption that The Runaways is all about Joan Jett isn't a hard one to make - considering the promotion of the film includes posters that clearly credit Stewart before Fanning - it certainly is a wrong one.


Here's the deal: this movie is about the life of a 15 year old girl named Cherie Currie, a twin with an alcoholic father, a self-absorbed mother, and a small-town life that she hated. Currie was an outcast, and one of the film's earliest scenes conveys this with ease; Currie is performing at a talent show, dressed in a head-to-toe David Bowie costume, lip-syncing 'Lady Grinning Soul,' so seriously, you can't help but laugh a little. Half-way through, the crowd begin throwing things at her, and she responds by giving the school hall the double-finger-flip-off. Without the audience even realising it, this scene sets the tone for the entire movie. Currie is different, she's the quiet rebel who's into rock 'n roll. She'll cut all her beautiful blonde hair off to create a shaggy mullet so she can look like her music idol. All of a sudden, the film isn't about Joan Jett anymore.

(From left) Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning & Cherie Currie attend the premiere for The Runaways at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City, March 17, 2010.

But now onto the acting...and I could not for the life of me see a single flaw. All members of the band are impeccably cast. Stella Maeve, Scout Taylor-Compton and Alia Shawkat are perfect accompaniments to the two main characters in the band. Michael Shannon is undeniably engrossing as over-the-top manager Fowley, and real-life rock royalty Riley Keough (Elvis Presley's grand daughter) is the film's dark horse as Cherie's twin sister Marie. This is Keough's first acting job and to say she nailed it would be an understatement. But the real props have to go to the movie's two leads, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. Quite apart from their stellar performances, the fact that these two really sang, with Stewart also teaching herself to play all of Jett's songs on the guitar is astonishing. And refreshing. And sublime.

Joan Jett, now 51 years old, (and still rocking), actually said that the first time she heard a tape of Kristen Stewart singing one of her songs, she thought it was herself. Non-Stewart fans may scoff at the idea, or even shudder, but the inescapable truth is that this girl knows her craft. Sure, she's had her run-ins with the paps, and she does often seem to have that look on her face that says "I hate my life!" but all of that disappears the moment she slips on the all-leather outfit Jett was famous for (which, incidentally, is within the first five minutes). In The Runaways we see K-Stew in the role she was born for. The New York Times noted "Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie it's spine and soul." High praise also came from The Metro Times: "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance...Stewart is a genuine rock star here." The attitude, the passion, the talent...Stewart delivers all of the qualities that Joan Jett is admired for. Yes, for the most part this is a movie about the lead singer, but what is really fascinating and relatable is the relationship that instantly sparks between Cherie and Joan. Their chemistry is palpable, as is Stewart's and Fanning's.

Kristen Stewart at Eccles Centre Theatre in Park City, Utah, where the film premiered on January 24 for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Which brings us to the real star of this biopic. Dakota Fanning is sensational. The resemblance between the person and the actor is uncanny. The way Fanning looks, talks, behaves and especially the way she performs shows such a likeness to Currie, you simply sit in awe of her. It's little wonder this child-star is still going strong. This is her most emotionally intense and gripping performance to date. Tremendous praise for Fanning's portayel of Currie have been repeatedly showered over the now 16 year old actress, with the respected New York Times reporting that Fanning "displays heartbreaking vulnerability as well as frightening poise." Other phrases of acclaim for Fanning include, "a knockout," "the standout," "at once impressive, and a little disturbing," "a note-perfect performance," "haunting," and "amazingly raw." Hollywood.com wrote "Fanning plays Cherie with such fearless discovery that it's impossible to take your eyes off her." But the statement that simply sums it up is this one by People magazine: "The gutsiest performance belongs to Fanning, who's sexy, sick, and altogether unsettling, leaving us feeling invigorated." Enough said.

Dakota Fanning posed for photographers at the premiere, held at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, California on March 11, 2010.

At the end of the day, this is a wonderfully enthralling example of cinematic art. Visually, it's surreal and edgy whilst still being raw and true-to-life, always with a powerful hit of engulfing mind trips. In terms of sound, the musical components of this movie were perfection 100% of the time. And then there's the little things. The things that really made you feel like you were taking a journey with these girls. The attention to detail, and the fine art of accuracy. For example, the tattoos the two leads get together were identical to Currie's and Jett's (Currie has a small cherry on the front of her right shoulder; Jett has a fighter jet on her left hip). The acting skill is overwhelming, as is the story at times. But the most obvious quality of this film is that it was exciting. It was fun. It was funny. It made you want to go buy a guitar and start a band of your own. In my eyes, any movie that encourages increased interest in music...well, that just rocks.


NOW HEAR THIS: Download Dakota Fanning's unmissable rendition of 'Cherry Bomb,' as well as her duet with Kristen Stewart on 'Dead End Justice.' On a non-Runaways note, re-visit 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' by The Stooges (it plays during the famous lesbian kiss, and makes it that much sexier).