Film Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Cinema: The Perks of Being A Wallflower   8/10
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Plot: a young, introvert teenage boy becomes friends with two school seniors who begin to change his life.

The 1999 book of the same title was written by Stephen Chbosky; being both the director and author of its source material is incredibly rare in Hollywood however it works perfectly well here. The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a strangely simplistic tale of our young Charlie (Logan Lerman), who becomes friends with the eccentric Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). Though the tale is incredibly easy to follow, the characters are all fantastic – with all three leads coming across as incredibly warm, uplifting and brave during some extremely tough times.

Logan Lerman plays the much anticipated role of Charlie very well; whilst he doesn’t look quite as timid and pathetic as you’d imagine, his portrayal is top-notch from beginning to end. Emma Watson shines here also; in her first proper, main post-Potter role, she is incredibly funny and electric, shining specifically during the more emotional scenes. Ezra Miller, best known for his mad role in We Need To Talk About Kevin, plays a role completely different to his norm, stealing some of the most comedic scenes of the film.

Where the film shines most is in its throwback to the 90s; the music, sets, cassette mix tapes and general high school experience are all captured perfectly on-screen, focusing purely on our main characters in their struggles.

In Conclusion: covering all aspects of teenage life with moments of hysterical laughter and eye-wetting emotion; Perks is uplifting and a real piece of old school cinema which is a perfect adaptation of its source material – a must see for teens.

Film Review: It's Kind Of A Funny Story

DVD: It’s Kind Of A Funny Story   6/10

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts
Plot: a depressed teenager is submitted into an adult psychiatric ward, after convincing his Doctor that he’s suicidal.

A suicidal teenager opening a film wasn’t quite the beginning you’d expect from a cheerful film… but it is! Whilst it all sounds terribly difficult to watch, it changes quite suddenly within the first thirty minutes of the film. Firstly, both directors of the film are incredibly underrated; both have directed episodes of the magnificent ‘Big C’ programme, as well as a number of independent films I have yet to watch. The main strength of the film are the characters; Craig, our main, played by Keir Gilchirst,  seems to be really negative about all things positive, as well as going through some of the most embarrassing and cringe-worthy moments a teenager could wish for. Bobby, played by Zach Galifianakis is also a wonderful edition to the film; whilst I have found Galifianakis very samey and not particularly funny in all his films, the script here allows him to really use his acting skills as well as to prove that he doesn’t need crude humour to be funny. As well as the main characters, numerous other mad, crazy, insane individuals move into the picture throughout and add some very sad but also very humorous moments which are little touches but add a lot more to it.

As I have said, the film isn’t depressing at all. The storyline has been arched so well as to show the change our main characters go through and both Boden and Fleck, the directors, do a terrific job at showing the journey of a claustrophobic young man, coming out of his shell gradually.

Perhaps the film’s only negative point is its length; it’s 101 minutes drag towards the end. Whilst the characters have brilliant storylines with a well-thought out script to go by, once all loose ends are tied, the film seems to carry on for 10 minutes too long and could’ve been trimmed.

In Conclusion: not a masterpiece by any means, but an enjoyable, funny, sad and uplifting tale of what life is really like when you stand back! All ages would enjoy it too (12 and up!)