The Perks of Being a Wallflower: There's a LOT of Them

For my next movie, I picked, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This movie was recently released on DVD and I promise its worth the watch, but make sure you have tissues at the ready.

The movie starts with the introduction to Charlie, a young teenager who clearly has a lot on his mind. The entire story is being told through letters that Charlie writes to an anonymous friend. He is starting his first year of high school and within the first few weeks he meets two friends that will change everything for him. Sam and Patrick befriend Charlie and from that, a high school year full of love, drugs, and Rocky Horror Picture Show affect Charlie's life in ways he didn't know possible.

As someone who read the book, I was pleasantly surprised (I'm usually not with book to movie adaptations). This surprise may be due to the fact that the author of the book also directed the movie. Logan Lerman (Charlie), Emma Watson (Sam), and Ezra Miller (Patrick) add so much life to characters that are from a book with several heavy themes and crucial life messages. The acting in this film full of such young actors and actresses is superb. A cast of supporting characters played by more seasoned actors (such as Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, and Dylan McDermott) adds to this dramatic film, but Lerman, Watson, and Miller still shine.

Final Review: See it. Bring Tissues. Attempt to look past the bad fake American accent Emma Watson tries to put on. Its worth it.

Silver Linings Playbook: Well-Acted Romantic Comedy

So for my first review, I am picking the Oscar nominated dramatic-romantic-comedy, The Silver Linings Playbook. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, this movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and only won one of them. And frankly, I feel like it only deserved the one.

This movie revolves a man, Pat, recently released from an institution where he was sent after being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. It chronicles his journey back into the real world where he is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions. His mother, played by Jackie Weaver, and father, played by Robert DeNiro, do what they can to assist his recovery, but as expected, they are not quite sure how to do that. Throughout the story he meets Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. She is a recently widowed woman with a serious anger problem. Through their problems, they build a bond but the past still haunts both of them.

When it comes down to it, this movie is average. Why? The plot is the essentially the same as any other romantic comedy. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, twist at the end. Simple. What made this movie a contender for the "Best Picture" Oscar? The acting. The acting in this movie is outstanding. Bradley Cooper, Jackie Weaver, Robert DeNiro, and Jennifer Lawrence put so much pure, raw emotion into these characters that you leave the theater thinking you have just witnessed one of the greatest pieces of film this year. Every actor in this movie plays their part to the best of their abilities and it works. Seeing this movie, you believe everything that is happening (especially if you are a Philadelphia native such as myself).

Final Verdict: Worth the money to see in theaters. But keep in mind that it rightfully earned only one Oscar (Jennifer Lawrence, "Best Actress").

Hey!!

Hey everyone! My name is Bridget, fourth year senior at West Chester University. I'm a Communication Studies major and I want to get into film marketing and promotion. So that's why I decided to make a movie blog (also because it is a project for one of my classes, but I really like movies too :). Every so often I will update the blog with my reviews of movies that have recently come out in theaters or on DVD. So check back soon for my first review!