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101 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, March 27, 2005
I don't even know where to start. I've watched Edgeplay three times in the few days since I got it, and still feel as if I am seeing new, dusty corners in a room I grew-up in.
If you are looking for another typical, VH-1 styled look at the fun and excesses of a dysfunctional rock band, this complex film may disappoint you. Edgeplay is not a film intended to excite, gawk, or fawn over it's subjects, and I say subjects rather than "subject" intentionally, as it's a film about people, not about the rock 'n roll lifestyle. There is no whimsy for the joyful free-sex and drugs of the 70's, or any fanboy enthusiasm for The Runaways as a band.
What there is, is an insightful and compassionate look at a tragic and yet stoic group of young women, who made history, without ever recieving any praise, who made great music without ever selling many records, and who paid dearly in many ways for their now legendary status, with a good part of their childhoods.
Edgeplay is a documentary about the all-girl hard-rock band The Runaways, who so much like their tourmates The Ramones, set the next two decades on fire, without getting any of the credit or rewards.
Victory Tischler-Blue, the director, writer and concience of Edgeplay, endured a 6-year trial-by-fire getting this film made and released,(and is a story as compelling as any in her movie), and I think much of the raw honesty and poignance in this film is in some ways a direct result of that struggle.
There is an almost Dickensian cast of characters: A young, Joan Jett-Talented and driven, yet shy and unsure of herself, Cherie Currie-A striking blonde, who never expected to be a singer, and yet, much like Lana Turner sitting at a soda fountain, was chosen to be one, Kim Fowley-A slimy Svengali who unashamedly preyed on very, young girls to make himself rich, and makes no apology, Sandy West-A tomboyish, young drummer who simply loved playing her drums, and wanted no more than to spend her life doing it, Jackie Fox-A doe-eyed bassist who found out earler than the others that stardom could be an empty trophy cup, Lita Ford-Fiesty, tough, and driven, and Vicky Blue-The bassist who walked into this dysfunctional family in the midst of meltdown, and yet stayed on the outside enough, and more importantly, grew-up enough to make this incredible film.
I think Miss Blue, ex-band member and director of Edgeplay, knew something that Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With The Wind knew. Mrs. Mitchell once said about the theme of her novel, " I often wondered why some people could rise above great adversity, while others, just as brave and smart, go under. All I know is that my daddy called that quality "gumption". I wanted to write about people that had gumption, and those who didn't". Well whether intentional or not (though I expect it was), that is exactly what Miss Tischler-blue has done here.
As most will know, Lita Ford and Joan Jett managed to escape the musical ghetto that was The Runaways, to find great success in the music business. The original bassist is now a successful attorney. Cheri Currie, although never achieving the same level of success, managed to find work in Hollywood for many years, and has continued with a low-profile music and art career. Sandy West, however was plagued with misfortune after her band dissolved, falling into desperately hard times, both financially, and otherwise, and much of this is explored unflinchingly in Edgeplay.
This film works on so many levels that I sometimes am awed by it. When you watch it the first time, you see and hear the story of a rock band. When you watch it a second time however, you begin to become absorbed by the enormous differences in these women. All but one of the members, now in middle-age and 25 years away from The Runaways, still carry deep emotional scars from their experiences, that seem to transcend anything that has happened to them since. All but one of them breaks down on camera in a way that's agonizing to watch. Is it really possible to carry resentment from teenaged slights and squabbles into middle age? Once the women start talking to Miss Blue's camera, you find out that you can indeed.
The only one who does not seem affected by her experiences so long ago is Lita Ford, who I found, quite unexpectedly, the most fascinating of all. After 4 decades or so of life, I like to think I know false bravado when I see it, and yet in Lita I saw none. It's amazing to watch her face as she walks back over the same old paths as the others while recounting her experiences, and yet, to her, it was almost like describing a movie she had seen, and enjoyed, but could only partially remember; not because it wasn't exciting, but because, well....it was only a movie. Lita ends-up being Edgeplay's Scarlett O'Hara. The one who had gumption.
Of course Joan Jett became a star as well, but we'll never know her thoughts and feelings on things, as she declined to participate in the film. As I understand it, she was violently opposed to the film, it apparently not focusing enough on her, and did everything in her power to crush the film before it could be released. This is utterly mystifying, as her treatment in the film is not-at-all negative, and if anything, she comes across as rather inoffensive and hard-working. Very strange.
Edgeplay is, in many ways, the "Clockwork Orange" of rock documentaries. From the dark, sadonic tales of excess and loss-of-innocence, to the startlingly effective and moody camerawork, (which usually annoys me, but here served a real dramatic purpose for a change), this is a film that anyone can get something out of, whether you're a Runaways fan or not.
After posting a review of Edgeplay on another site, I was amazed and delighted to recive an email from the director of the film, thanking me for my good review, and expressing her relief that someone "got" what she was trying to achieve with Edgeplay. Yes Victory, because of your long journey in making this poignant, affirming, yet disturbing documentary, we all got more than we could have hoped for. Don't worry. You did good.
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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All music documentaries should be this good!, April 30, 2005
Victory Tischler-Blue's "Edgeplay" is a riveting, emotional, brutally honest film about what happens when a cruel, manipulative man pumps 6 teen girls full of dreams.
The Runaways were a groundbreaking rock group whose influence over the years belies their mediocre record sales at the time. Somewhat manufactured in that none of the girls knew each other before being picked out by uber-scenester Kim Fowley, they still managed to forge a raw identity of their own while rebelling against his emotional abuse. Having been a 13 year old in Los Angeles at the time of their first album release, I can personally attest to the dreams they inspired amongst their fans.
All the girls involved except Joan Jett co-operated fully in this documentary. The interviewer / director was one of The Runaways herself: Vicky Blue was the bass player who replaced Jackie Fox after Jackie left the band. Even Kari Chrome who never played onstage, but contributed songs to the first album & was instrumental in Kim's initial concept of the band is interviewed.
Cherie Curry has previously written of her experiences in her autobiography "Neon Angel" but, judging from this documentary, left huge gaps in her book. All the dirt, all the hurt, all the damage done to fragile teen egos is finally aired in "Edgeplay". Cherie admits to sexual relationships both with other members of the band as well as a long-term one with "hands on" manager Scott Anderson which left her pregnant during their European tour. Her combustible relationship with Lita Ford (who spends most of her interviews either having to be reminded of recordings or glossing over her violent temper) led to Cherie's departure from the band.
Jackie Fox (the first bass player) discusses the real reason she abruptly left The Runaways in Tokyo at the peak of their fame. The revelation leaves her in tears, and the scars from the experience remain on her body to this day.
The most affecting interviewee is Sandy West, the drummer. As with most drummers, Sandy was never an intellectual or prone to analyzing situations. She just wanted to play drums & have a good time. Greedy, manipulative power plays took her life away from her & the final scene is of her tear-streaked face wondering why the original members can't reunite & record together again. It's a wrenching scene that illustrates vividly the damage done to these young girls.
Ms. Tischler-Blue also interviews both Sandy & Cherie's mother's which provides an excellent background on how Kim Fowley was able to abuse these young women so freely. Kim himself spends his interview time blustering & dodging questions, never coming close to admitting the wreckage he made of these 7 lives.
The extras aren't much, but do provide some additional background to "Edgeplay". There is a Video Gallery, which consists of some of the background footage used with more of Kim Fowley's bluster playing over it. The only other extras are 3 different promotional trailers. Interestingly, much of the promotional footage was not actually used in "Edgeplay". The final one, called "Edge-Tap" is hilarious, and a much needed antidote to the raw emotional footage of the film.
Absolutely recommended to anyone who wants to see what really goes on in the rock world. With the current mania for tarting up young teen girls & displaying them as sexual objects on MTV, "Edgeplay" is amazingly relevant to today's music business. Get this DVD!
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprisingly Good Documentary, November 15, 2006
I haven't listened to the Runaways in over 20 years, and even then, only listened to one album, their first. I came to it by way of Joan Jett, whom I liked. I wasn't crazy about the Runaways album. This film, however, reveals a group of girls who were, in fact, quite talented and strong, and who became skilled and made some good music.
Unlike other reviewers, I don't see Kim Fowley as quite the abusive sleazebag they did...More, he was a banal, self-important, smarmy, drover. Did he take advantage of them? Perhaps. They didn't seem to make any money to speak of during their 5 years together--there's no mention of what Fowley walked away with, either, though. And if he used them, he also groomed them. The girls were (understandably) unprepared for the hard realities of the music business. And they didn't like it when Kim called them names. Say whatever you want about Fowley, though, he took a bunch of inexperienced, horomonal, undisciplined kids who didn't know a whole lot of music, and he turned them into professionals. He made them rock stars; he gave them a shot at something great. He just didn't seem to be very good at managing teenage girls--is anyone? They were kids, and left to their owen devices, they drank; they took drugs--lots of them; they had sex--with each other, with one of their managers, with who-knows-who else.
The film seems weirdly lopsided without a contribution from Joan Jett. She went on in post-Runaways life to enjoy the greatest fame, and it is peculiar that all the other bandmates contributed to the movie, but she didn't. This odd omission isn't even mentioned in the film, or in the extras. Jett appears, of course, in the archive footage from the 70s, but that's it.
Blue assembles footage and interviews that successfully evoke sympathy and even affection for these kids, and I would have liked to know more about what became of them after the Runaways broke up. Blue, of course, is a filmmaker. Jett is a muy butch rock star who likes to tease her fans about her sexual orientation. Ford, too, went on to become a successful musician with some hits in the late 80s (no mention of this in the movie, though). Sandy, the drummer, seems by the end of the movie bitter--she went on to become an arm-breaker and money collector for drug dealers, and to work "in construction." That's all we really know about her Runaways afterlife. What about Jackie Fox, the original bass player? Despite having fled the band after trying to carve herself up with a piece of broken glass, she seems in the interview footage to be pretty together. She is articulate, intelligent, clear.
Devoting too much time to their post-band lives would have unfocused the film, but something could have been included that would both concluded the film and resonated with what preceded it. Failing, that, something could have been included in the Extras.
Also, did I miss something here? Is there no actual recorded concert footage with music in this movie?
Maybe I'm nitpicking. I also realize that it probably isn't really a 5-star movie, for the reasons I've mentioned. Still, I enjoyed the film. There was nothing about the film I didn't enjoy. As another reviewer pointed out, this is clearly a labor of love, and therefore deserving of whatever generosit we can muster. (Parents should see it as a cautionary tale: Don't let your daughters join rock bands!)
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