Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Plot: Charlie is a shy teenager without friends that has just joined the high-school. He misses his best friend, who had committed suicide, and he writes letters to an imaginary friend telling his feelings. Further, Charlie has a mental illness problem in his past. Soon Charlie befriends the veterans Patrick, who is gay, and his stepsister Sam and they become best friends. Charlie wants to be a writer and he also becomes the favorite student of his teacher of literature, Mr. Anderson, who lends him books. Sam and Patrick introduce Charlie to their friends and Charlie falls in love with Sam, but he does not have self-confidence to date her. Charlie discovers a new world and feels happy with his friends, and he dates their common friend Mary Elizabeth. But when they end their relationship, Patrick asks Charlie to stay away from them for a while and soon he triggers his mental illness again. He goes to the hospital where a doctor finally discloses the origin of his problem. (Courtesy of IMDB)

Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, who also directs, Perks is a true coming-of-age movie for the current generation of teens. Dealing with love, alcohol, courage, school, friends, being an outcast, and pretty much problems that everybody deals with at one time or another, yet, Perks does this in a way that many movies in this genre cannot. The audience can truly connect with every character on the screen, because everything they go through, we've been through ourselves. The movie is perfectly cast and acted. Logan Lerman shines as the main character Charlie, fulfilling the awkwardness that is necessary for the role. Many of the supporting actors, including Ezra Miller as Patrick and Paul Rudd as Mr. Anderson, also fully encompass their roles and have just the right combination of humor and relate-ability. The true star, however, in this movie is of course the beautiful Emma Watson as Sam. In her first major role since the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson has really proved herself as an actress and not just as the girl who played Hermione Granger. She deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but the movie and the role didn't stand a chance going up against powerhouses like Les Mis or The Master. Another great aspect of the movie was the writing. The screenplay was fresh and new, just like the novel it was based on, and allows for a movie that young adults to finally relate to. Overall, a great film that will become a "cult hit" not far from now. It truly allows for any audience member to relate due to its strong themes of love, peer pressure, and self-discovery. 

"We accept the love we think we deserve." 

Rating: A

Oscars 2013: My Picks for Who Will Win/Who Should Win

Greetings, all! It has been a while since I last blogged, but it has been quite a busy semester. Here are my picks (before the show!) of the winners of tonight's Oscars!

Best Picture
Will Win: Argo 
This one is no question. Argo lost a LOT of momentum when Ben Affleck was not nominated for Director, but since then it has swept every single major awards show, including the Golden Globes, Director's Guild, Screen Actor's Guild, Producer's Guild, and everything in-between. It's the favorite to take home the Gold. 
Should Win: Les Miserables/Zero Dark Thirty/Amour/The Master
The Master, by far the biggest snub of the Oscars this year, was the greatest film I saw this year. A virtuoso piece of filmmaking, with the best writing, acting, and look of anything that came out this year. But since it is not even nominated for Best Picture (nor is the incredible Paul Thomas Anderson for directing) I have to choose between Les Mis, Zero Dark Thirty, and Amour. All incredible movies in their own right, that I believe are more deserving of the award than Argo or the other favorite, Lincoln. 

Best Director
Will Win: Steven Spielberg/Ang Lee (Lincoln/Life of Pi)
These are the only two I can see winning the Best Director Oscar. There were too many snubs to count in this category, including Tom Hooper for Les Mis, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, and Ben Affleck for Argo. But out of those nominated, Spielberg or Lee will take it home. 
Should Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
I still cannot get over how The Master was snubbed out of the two categories it most deserved. PTA made yet another "masterful" film, one that was more affecting than anything else nominated. But, God forbid people have to think while watching a movie. 

Best Actor
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
This is one of the only categories this year that is locked in. Day-Lewis will win this by a long shot, and even though I wasn't one of the biggest fans of Lincoln, Day-Lewis did what he usually does and churned out a great performance. 
Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
I understand that Daniel Day-Lewis made another great movie, but I feel like Phoenix's role in the Master was better than Day-Lewis. He got so into his role, emotionally and physically, and I believe he deserves the award more than DDL. 

Best Actress
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
This category is also a lock. Jennifer Lawrence has won almost every award coming to the Oscars, and she should be the one taking the award. 
Should Win: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
The oldest Best Actress nominee ever, Riva churned out a heart wrenching performance of a stroke victim in the final months in her life. This was one of the most heartfelt films in recent memory, and Riva was incredible. 

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
This is a category in which everyone nominated could take home the award. In my opinion, I think that the Academy will give it to DeNiro to make up for it not winning Picture or Director. 
Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
When I first saw The Master, I thought for sure that PSH would be the favorite to win by far. His performance was incredible, as usual, and he deserves to take this Oscar more than anyone else nominated. 

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Hathaway will win this because of her incredible turn as Fantine in Les Mis, mainly for her one-shot rendition of the beautiful I Dreamed A Dream. She has been the favorite to win all season. 
Should Win: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
As much as I love and adore Hathaway and Les Mis, I believe that Helen Hunt had a better and "exposed" role as a sex surrogate in The Sessions. The movie, also snubbed in the Best Actor and Best Picture categories, was sweet and very genuine, and I think Helen Hunt deserves the award.