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    No Kid's Flick

    Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning dish with us on The Runaways

    Joe Leydon
    Apr 9, 2010 | 11:29 am
    • Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie in "TheRunaways"
    • "The Runaways" movie poster

    Are you ready for a scorchin’ slice of grrrl power?

    Then you’re part of the target audience for the R-rated rambunctiousness of The Runaways, writer-director Floria Sigismondi’s careening and compelling biopic about the mid-1970s all-girl band that smashed through the glass ceiling designed to dissuade young ladies from rocking like the bad boys.

    It’s not exactly a complete picture, since Sigismondi, for various reasons, focuses almost entirely on two members of the original Runaways ensemble. Joan Jett — the swaggeringly ambisexual singer-guitarist who continues to perform as an indefatigable hard-rocker — and Cherie Currie — the group’s lead singer who left the music industry years ago, and has more recently made her mark as (no kidding) a chainsaw sculptor — are the featured players.

    But even if it’s not the whole story, The Runaways — based in part on a memoir by Currie, and executive produced by Jett — commands attention and stokes emotions. For that, much of the credit must go to its above-the-title lead performers: Twilight star Kristen Stewart, who makes all the right moves as Joan, and all-grown-up Dakota Fanning, who rocks the house and breaks your heart as Cherie.

    While promoting The Runaways — which opens today — Stewart and Fanning slowed down long enough to answer a few questions about indie moviemaking and rock ’n’ roll role-playing.

    CM: This is a movie about female empowerment, about how, in the 1970s, these girls proved they could rock just like the boys. As actresses, have you ever felt you’ve had to prove yourselves in a similar fashion?

    Dakota Fanning: Actually, I’ve grown up always thinking I could do whatever I want, and be whatever I want. I don’t think I’ve ever gone through any struggle compared to what [Cherie Currie and Joan Jett] did. I mean, when I started acting, sure, I didn’t get a lot of things that I wanted. Like, people said I didn’t have enough hair, or I was too blond, or I didn’t have enough experience, so they didn’t want me in their movie. So I experienced things like that. But nothing like they did.

    Kristen Stewart: Yeah. Joan always says that nothing has changed whenever she’s asked what’s different in music today. But that’s because she doesn’t see girls literally playing the kind of music that she does. And I don’t think that’s necessarily because things haven’t changed — I think it’s because she’s so unique. And I don’t know if girls necessarily have that drive.

    Yeah, we’re definitely put in boxes nowadays. They’re just different boxes. But I think it’s definitely gotten better, because I’ve grown up thinking I could be anything I wanted as well. Joan didn’t. At the same time, though, I think it’s still easier for a guy to have a little bit more personality, or individuality. It’s easier for them to be different, and not have people comment on it as much.

    CM: Gee, are you saying that a guy can get away with saying something totally outrageous, but a gal saying the same thing might be considered…. unladylike?

    Kristen: Yeah. To a certain degree, definitely.

    CM: Were you at all intimidated by the challenge of actually doing your own singing and playing your own instruments?

    Dakota: I don’t think it ever occurred to me to not do it myself. I just thought it would be so non-authentic — like, the easy way out — and I really didn’t want to do that. So I always wanted to sing. Of course, it’s a funny thing: Sometimes you jump into something without fully realizing what you’re getting yourself into. We had, like, two weeks to get ready. We had to sort of just do it without thinking, because we really liked it. We’re really not performers in that way. And they have such a distinct, awesome sound.

    Kristen: I never, ever got fully comfortable playing the songs while Joan actually was around. Ever. I just had to forget that she was there until they yelled, “Cut!” I mean, she always seemed really happy. And I ‘m sure that even if we were doing really badly, she would have said we were doing well — just to help us do better. But still ...

    CM: How did you prepare?

    Dakota: Well, I had some voice lessons, and I worked with Cherie on the songs. The performance of “Cherry Bomb” was what I worked on the most, probably. And that was filmed on the second to last day, so I had a lot of practice with that. But Cherie’s personality now is very different than what it was then. And off-stage, she was kind of quiet. I did some research, and I found this interview where she sounds so soft (whispering) like this. And that was so different from her on-stage persona. So I had to work on trying to capture that vulnerability she had, as well as the other stuff.

    Kristen: I played guitar before. And that was a good thing, because I had like six songs to learn. But it wasn’t so much playing the songs – Joan plays rhythm guitar, so it was, like, power chords. It was more the way she does it. I don’t do that, I don’t have her mannerisms. But she was with me every single day. And we were able to see Cherie and her together, too, which was also really helpful. Because when they’re around each other, they go right back to when they were with The Runaways. They sort of take on that same dynamic, which was very helpful.

    CM: But the emotions are just as important — actually, more important — than the music. You had to make this movie very quickly, on an limited budget. Did that make playing some of the more grueling scenes even more difficult?

    Dakota: Well, yes. You see, in every movie, there’s usually about two scenes that are your two really big moments. But in this movie, every little detail of it, every scene was so important, because it was someone’s life, and it really happened to them. We only had six weeks to do the movie, and it was kind of rushed.

    Kristen: And there were times when we’d really be working hard on something, and we’d think we’re going to do another take, but it was like, “OK. That’s it. We’re done with that now. That’s just going to be in the movie now. ” It’s not that it was arbitrary. It’s just that, well, that’s the nature of making a small movie.

    CM: Do you feel like you could have done some things even better if only you’d had some more time?

    Kristen: Oh, my God! Hell, yeah! We loved watching the movie, but (picking up a pencil) I can’t have objects like this is my hand while I’m watching it, because otherwise (lunging forward) I’ll want to go “Arrrgh!”

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    Movie Review

    Heartfelt movie The Life of Chuck adapts optimistic Stephen King story

    Alex Bentley
    Jun 13, 2025 | 5:30 pm
    Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck
    Photo courtesy of NEON
    Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck.

    Just like actors, once a filmmaker becomes known for a certain genre, it can be difficult to escape that pigeonholing. Writer/director Mike Flanagan has worked for 20 years in both film and television, and literally every project he’s done has been related to horror. He’s finally breaking out with The Life of Chuck, which is ironically based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.



    Told in three chapters in reverse order, the film is almost impossible to describe without giving away its magic. The first section centers on Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher grappling, like everyone around him, with what seems to be the world falling apart. He’s comforted to a degree by reuniting with his ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), but is also baffled by multiple ads touting the retirement of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) after “39 great years.”

    The second section consists of little more than a slightly younger Chuck happening upon Taylor (The Pocket Queen), a drummer busking on a street corner, giving Chuck and a younger woman, Janice (Annalise Basso), the inspiration to start dancing. The final section goes back to the childhood of Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), where he’s raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), discovers dance as an outlet, and wonders about various small mysteries.

    Flanagan finds a way to deliver a lot of story with relatively little effort. Using a wry narrator (Nick Offerman), a limited number of locations, and a series of great small performances, he creates an intriguing premise with few straightforward answers. The structure of the film is designed to confuse the viewer until just the right moment, and the revelation forces you to reexamine everything that came before.

    The biggest accomplishment by Flanagan is making what are essentially three short films and having each of them resonate equally. The film contains elements of science fiction, although the first section may hit a bit too close to home for some of those watching. All three sections, though, have a heartwarming bent to them that sells their central idea without becoming overly saccharine.

    To do so, each of the characters have to connect in a short amount of time. The casting of the film is crucial, and not only does that department succeed with the main roles, but a series of small roles are filled expertly as well. Carl Lumbly as a funeral home owner, David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen as parents of students, Matthew Lillard as Marty’s neighbor, Q’orianka Kilcher as Chuck’s wife, and Jacob Tremblay as a teenage Chuck are just a few of the recognizable actors that do yeoman’s work in their brief time on screen.

    Hiddleston is only prominently featured in the second chapter, but his performance there and in small glimpses throughout makes a big impression. Ejiofor is given the star turn in the first chapter and he absolutely kills, both in moments by himself and in scenes with Gillan, with whom he has great chemistry. Hamill, making a rare non-voiceover appearance outside of the Star Wars universe, and Sara, in her first notable role in 11 years, are also very memorable in the final chapter.

    The Life of Chuck is a film that’s filled with emotion, but the full impact of the story is not felt until the final moments. It has a mysterious journey that is initially frustrating, but the performances keep the film going until it gets to its satisfying payoff.

    ---

    The Life of Chuck is now playing in theaters.

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