Summary: Based on the true story of the 1970s all-girl rock band, The Runaways. A typical rock biopic padded with sex, drugs, music, fame and downfalls.

Review: It’s hard to tell if “The Runways” is a lackluster rock flick because the all-girl band was more of a gimmick than credible rock ‘n roll, or if the film lacked the grit and depth necessary for a solid biopic. You know the story before walking into the theater: everyday kids have dreams of massive fame, luck is on their side, they meet the right person and soon they are international stars. There is always one bad apple in the group with drug addiction and guilt for being famous, tempers flare, the group disbands, but one person has solo success. “The Runaways” is a little “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” with a dash of “Sid and Nancy” and a splash of “Dreamgirls” (substitute the wigs for lesbian kisses!).

The best way to describe the sketchiness of “The Runaways” is similar to “American Idol” judges saying a performance is “pitchy.” It’s off-key for the majority of the time.  But, when it periodically hits the right notes, it’s an enjoyable film.

“The Runways” has the aesthetic of an excellent music video (even though I sometimes felt like I was watching long commercials for Rock Band), which makes sense since the director, Floria Sigismondi, was behind music videos for Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson and David Bowie. But, the story stumbles along like a made for VH1 rock biopic. Conflicts are poorly developed and scenarios are inexcusably cliché. Usually every music biopic has a touch of original thought; “The Runaways” has none.

There is one strong force in the film, which is Joan Jett, and the story might’ve been stronger if this was a movie solely about her, and The Runaways secondarily. Kristen Stewart plays Joan Jett, and she surprisingly transcends the teen melodrama of “Twilight” and manages to push out a strong, risky performance. Joan Jett is an executive producer, so I doubt she would allow Bella to ruin her on screen; you can tell Stewart studied Jett and had a goal to make her proud. Any Joan Jett fan would give two thumbs up to Stewart. On the other hand, there is no “wow moment” in any of Stewart’s scenes. She has a mild breakdown in a recording studio, but Stewart needed a strong monologue or at least something to show growth in the role. The character of Jett is the same person in the first frame as she was in the last frame. However, she is likable. Who doesn’t dig a ballsy chick that does it as good as the boys?

Dakota Fanning plays Cherie Currie, the Diana Ross of the group in terms of popularity; but unlike Ross, her career crumbles due to drugs. Fanning is an incredible actress, but Currie’s addictions felt too lofty for a teen dream like Fanning. For the first time in her career, Dakota struggled to make a connection with what could’ve been a complex character regardless of how generic Currie’s story is. This could be the fault of the director, the script, or perhaps of Fanning not doing the research, which she would clearly need to do — Fanning is squeaky clean Hollywood royalty. Drew Barrymore would’ve nailed this role at Dakota’s age!

On a side note, one other big star came out of The Runaways: ‘80s rock goddess, Lita Ford. Her character is botched down to a few lines. Ford told Rolling Stone that Jett’s manager offered to buy the rights of her story for $1,000. “I thought that was pretty disgusting — we never even replied,” Ford said. This is disturbing to hear. It would be similar to doing a biopic on Destiny’s Child and cutting Kelly Rowland’s story to a few sentences.

“The Runaways” isn’t a rotten movie, but it could’ve been so much better.  If it was the first music biopic ever made, it would be brilliant; but since it’s a story that’s obviously been recycled a billion times over, the film falls flat. That said, it’s hard to hate a movie about one of the first all-girl punk rock groups of all time.

“The Runaways” opens in limited theaters today.

Summary: The pale folks of Forks, Washington are back. This time around, Bella’s teenage romance with Edward (the vegetarian vampire) ends because his life is too dangerous for the melancholy teen. Bella falls into a deep music video-like depression and her heart eventually connects with a werewolf. However, Bella must save the day when Edward’s life is at risk on the other side of the globe — thankfully Virgin Airlines is available in Twilight land!

Review: Let’s be clear, New Moon is for a very specific audience. If you are out of high school, a person of color, don’t have teen daughters, a feminist, or a heterosexual male, New Moon will probably disappoint. But, does the film perfectly appeal to its audience? Yes! Is it a good movie? No!

Twilight is a media phenomenon.  No amount of bad reviews will taint the tons of success this movie will achieve at the box office.  On the other hand, I am sure when most of the Twilight fans grow out of adolescence, they will say, “Oh my God — this movie was terrible!”

The first Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke but this time around we have Chris Weitz, who is known for movies like The Golden Compass. While the original is no work of genius, Hardwicke did manage to inject some John Hughes-like realism in a teenage vampire flick. Weitz, who I am sure had the best intentions, seemed more concerned with Hollywood polish and shirtless boys than a solid film that might even appeal to those who weren’t Twilight fanatics.

Filled with plot holes and bad script patch-up jobs, the plot of New Moon isn’t the most troublesome. What gives the flick a stake through the heart is the tacky melodrama with lines like, “You give me everything just by breathing.” Or this gem: “You’re just warm. You’re like your own sun.” Even the teen girls next to me giggled at that one. Consistently cheap dialogue dumb the movie down to something that would be brilliant for a 14-year-old’s diary entry, but not a full script.

Even worse are the one-note performances form the leads, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Their version of acting consists of squinted eyes, long stares and monotone monologues. According to the tabloids, these two are a couple, but they must have saved the chemistry for offscreen.  The Moviefone guy has more personality than these yawners.

There are some comical and needed performances from their teen friends, who lighten a film that takes itself too seriously. Then there is Taylor Lautner, who is half-naked most of the time and might be a good actor, but the focus is more on his abs than his character. Oh, there is a cameo from the always sensational Dakota Fanning, but she is gone right when you start to enjoy her.

At an unnecessary two hours and ten minutes, there is too much to find wrong with New Moon. Some necessary trimming and a little less sap might have resulted in a fun movie. But, what do I know – this is the same audience who appeals to Miley Cyrus.

New Moon is in theaters today.