StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

bmeister The Runaways 2010 movie is somewhat entertaining, but it is just that, a Hollywood movie. It takes tons of liberties with the truth, focuses on the lives of Cherie and Joan, creates aggregate characters, and leaves out some pertinent components of the Runaways history. It is a movie based on the Runaways, it is not the story of the Runaways.The documentary Edgeplay, by latter day Runaways bassist Vicki Blue, is essential viewing, but be forewarned, this is not some bloated rock star bragging about how many chicks he laid and how many drugs he took. Today's youth likes to talk about "being real", this is as real and raw as it gets, and it is mind-bending.The most riveting segment is the interview with Sandy West. West is driven upon release from a prison term by Fox to a location where she is interviewed by Blue. She's not fully stable, perhaps even a bit disoriented she asks for permission to smoke a cigarette, becomes emotional in discussing the demise of the Runaways and her own life after the band, and discloses elements of a harrowing criminal life, till she finally breaks down saying "I just wanted to be a drummer in a rock band." The emotional intensity is off the charts. The camera zooms in and the deep lines in her face reflect the harshness of the life she has lived.At times, the participants ask for the camera to stop rolling, but it appears the camera continues to roll a bit. Currie, Williams (West's mom), and West all had remorse about some of what they disclosed during the taping of the movie and tried to appeal to Blue to not include certain content, so much so that West showed up at Blue's house one night high out of her mind with a gun and a thug accomplice in an attempt to get the tape back from Blue, the LAPD with police helicopters removed West, Blue didn't press charges against West, Blue fled L.A. in lived out in the desert out of fear.The only Runaway interviewed that does not appear to have not suffered emotional damage is Ford. However, in the past couple years (after this movie was made), Ford's life has taken a bizarre twist and a whole movie could be made just about that.I cannot overstate how compelling (and disturbing) I found this movie. I've watched it several times, it is so brutal and honest, people disclosing sins and discussing things one would expect them to take to the grave. I can understand why some, such as Joan Jett, refused to participate in the movie due to it's Springer-like qualities at times. However, on Springer, the participants are instructed to act up for the cameras, none of the participants in Edgeplay were encouraged to ham it up for the camera, which is why it is so scary. The circumstances surrounding the making of this movie and the years it took for the film to come to light is a story unto itself. I generally disdain rock band reunions, find them almost pathetic, but I think the Runaways situation is an exception, and it would be in their best interest to reunite, although Sandy is unfortunately no longer alive. With the renewed interest in the Runaways in the aftermath of Edgeplay, the Runaways movie, and Currie's Neon Angel book, history pertaining to how they were received in 70s is being altered a bit, as if the Runaways were a huge commercial success with critical acclaim heaped upon them. But the Runaways were laughed at and treated derisively in more circles than they were admired in during their time. When I revisit their albums today, they are astounding, particularly when considering they were recorded by 16 & 17 year old musicians on limited budgets, and provide a bridge and glimpse into what was approaching on the music scene. Their first two studio albums and Live in Japan were released before the Sex Pistols "Never Mind the Bullocks". A reunion (if done correctly) would allow them to stake their claim in rock history they so richly deserve that they were denied in the 70s. Also, the Runaways did not make a lot of money during their initial career, a reunion could bring them a windfall of money, that in all fairness, they deserve. (Although I think they're all multimillionaires now anyway). If it is to happen, it would have to be soon, as the clock is ticking.Sorry for going a bit off track, back to Edgeplay. If you are looking for the traditional trite schlock rockumentary with clips of hit songs and musicians falling all over each gushing with praise, you're not going to find it Edgeplay. There isn't even any Runaways music in it because the rights were withheld (by Jett I believe). I can't think of anything like it I've ever seen for comparison. It is stunning beyond description. I strongly recommend.

JoeKarlosi A satisfying documentary about the all-girl rock group, The Runaways, made by former Runaway Vicki Blue. Where the recent movie THE RUNAWAYS (2010) felt like something of a white-wash of the story, this is the more informative work in comparison and is certainly recommended viewing for fans. Much of the dirty details are presented here, and we have former band members Cherie Currie, Sandy West, Lita Ford, and Jackie Fox all separately interviewed. So is former manager Kim Fowley. It's unfortunate that Joan Jett declined to participate, but strangely the film still works as a treasure trove of information even without her input. Due to rights issues we only get to see The Runaways performing two cover songs, and most of the soundtrack is courtesy of Lita Ford's solo music and Suzi Quatro tunes. But it's no matter, as the real meat of the production is in the juicy stories the girls relate to us. There are short snippets of some late Runaways footage which is not usually seen that leaves you aching to see more. Filmed in 2004, the parting thoughts are quite unsettling in retrospect when we witness drummer Sandy West pouring out her guts about her fondness for her old band and the regret she feels that they never reunited; tragically, West contracted lung cancer in 2005 and died in 2006. *** out of ****

dragonflypurple The Runaways are my favorite band. So I was very excited when I found that there was a documentary about them. However, I thought that the documentary was disappointing. While the information and people were very interesting, I thought it was badly made. It wasn't unified at all- it was just a random collection of interviews. Also, many of the interviews went on for far too long and really should have been edited. To top it off, there was all this weird slo-mo footage interspersed with the interviews of Sandy West running, or of some random girl being tied up, that seemed way too melodramatic, and just made me want to laugh. Despite all this, I still enjoyed this movie to some extent. The story of the band is fascinating, and it was interesting to hear about it directly from the mouths of the original members (except for Joan Jett, who wasn't in the movie at all). I've heard some people complain about this movie because of the people involved- "Lita Ford's 'tell it like it is' attitude is so lame and boring... Sandy West is so bitter and pathetic, I mean come on! suck it up" What these people forget is that Sandy and Lita and all of them are real people. They aren't characters. They can't help acting the way they are. They aren't unbiased storytellers, they are still products of what happened to them when they were in the runaways and later. That is the most interesting part of the movie. I almost cried when Sandy started talking about how she wished the band would just get back together. Sure it was a bit pathetic. But it was completely honest, and just showed how horrible her life has been.

lazarillo Although I'm not a big fan of the Runaways, I'm very interested in this era of the Los Angeles music scene (being too young and stuck in Wyoming at the time). Like the big screen doc. "End of the Century" about the Ramones, this gives a good background of the scene and era and like other reviewers have said is miles ahead of VH1 canned nostalgia crap.It was interesting to see the band members now. I always thought of Cherie Currie as a drugged-out, bleach-blonde piece of pedophile bait (who reminds me more of that uber-sleazy 70's hit "Hot Child in the City" than any song she ever personally sang). Well in middle age she looks healthy, VERY attractive, and surprisingly intelligent and well-spoken. Lita Ford is the same as she's always been, and Joan Jett was conspicuous in her absence. They interviewed pretty all the other, more obscure band members, but I would have liked them to talk more about some of the other figures in the nexus of the Hollywood music and low-budget movie scene--i.e. Cheryl "Rainbeax" Smith, a famous groupie and drive-in movie actress who sometimes played drums for Joan Jett (and died recently), and Sondra Currie, another actress and the older sister of Cherie and Marie.The documentary was not all nostalgia though. It danced around some lurid claims of verbal and possibly sexual abuse involving the bands scummy manager. In addition, to showing how sleazy the music business can be, the documentary also shows how irresponsible parents can be in turning their children over to somebody who's supposedly going to make them famous (a moral lesson perhaps?). Mostly though this gives a good sense of the era and will probably please fans of the band. Not as good as "End of the Century" perhaps but better than anything you'll see on VH-1.