The Runaways

One image stuck in my head after watching The Runaways: Dakota Fanning singing Lady Grinning Soul in hot pants. I'm not going to lie, I felt kind of dirty but that was the point wasn't it. Kristen Stewart was pretty dead on as Joan Jett, she got the mannerisms down and I feel like i can think of her as something other than a replacement Jenna Malone or a tween bore. The sex, the drugs and some of the rock and roll were all there but the girls needed a little more bite. It seemed like the girls were their managers puppets a little too much to buy into the girlpower selling point of the film. I did like how nonchalant the Joan/Cherie hook-up was. It was an all around enjoyable experience. The Runaways is a fun 2 hrs, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm With Streisand: Oscar Commentary

I'm not going to lie, ever since the very first time I laid eyes the Oscars telecast i wondered where all the women were, specifically in the best directors category. By my teens i played with the idea of doing it myself, but after last night's Oscars, history was made. I was routing for Kathryn Bigelow, and when she won I was no less than ecstatic. I identified with Barbara Streisand's teary eyes when she announced that winner and I could not wait to hear what K Bigs had to say. After the speech was done I realized she thanked mostly men and one girl and made no mention of being the first woman. Perhaps I have thought about this moment too long that I had certain expectations. As she left the stage I wondered where feminist film sat. Is it dead now that the Oscars finally awarded a woman? She didn't have to thank women and focus her speech on her gender, many would argue not calling to her gender is more productive. This is a big and exiting win, but I am plagued with the question, to what end?

Also, this years Oscars were so anti-climactic otherwise. The best speech was the woman who won best costume designer. Also, the stars of Twilight seemed so useless at the oscars, their acting is far far from Oscar par and everyone knows it. Don't think we didn't notice the brief twilight clip haphazardly thrown into the Horror montage. We know it's no Horror movie and they threw it in there to pretend you have a use other than drawing a more youthful Oscar following. We weren't fooled. Why did you get to speak but somehow no one gave Lauren Bacall a mic. How embarrassing. Why didn't anyone clap for Eric Rohmer in the In Memorium section? There were lots of why's in this years Oscars. I want the glam back!