The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

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http://perks-of-being-a-wallflower.com/

When I went to see Anna Karenina a couple of weeks back I recall that there were a LOT of trailers. There seemed to be more than the usual amount. The thing was that the film kinda sucked, but the trailers stayed with me. One was for The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Despite seeing the trailer and thinking it looked really good, on the day I went to see it, I wasn't really feeling in the mood for a coming of age tale. I'd just come out of seeing Looper and despite not loving the prosthetics I did really like that film.

But I'd made a promise to my cinema buddy and I knew he'd held off seeing it, waiting for me to go with him. So I kept my promise, and I was so glad I did.

Wallflower is so much more than the trailer suggests. At times it's a coming of age tale, in others a drama not afraid to touch on hard subjects, and for once I'm not talking about sex and teenage drug taking (take a note On The Road!). I'm talking about genuine hard to stomach subjects that I won't go into here as I think you should discover it as I did, as the film rolls on. It's not all doom and gloom though, much like real life. The film is peppered with happiness as much as it is with heartache.

The performances from all three leads are (I don't want to sound pretentious here) very real. Logan Lerman is a wonderful Charlie, keeping so much hidden all the time, Emma Watson's Sam is nothing special on the surface but when she opens up you can't help but love her, and finally Ezra Miller, my 'Breakthrough Performer' (I had my own version of the Oscars - he won Breakthrough Performer - Lady K Academy Film Awards) for his role in We Need To Talk About Kevin, here giving a very different but equally satisfying performance. The youngsters are ably supported by the likes of Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Paul Rudd and the always lovable Joan Cusack. It was also nice to see Melanie Lynskey back on the big screen as I've loved her since Heavenly Creatures and I don't think she gets nearly enough decent film roles.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower really surprised me with how genuine, affecting, and just how brilliant it is. I haven't read the book but I wonder how it can compete with such a beautifully made film. I'm sure those who've read it (and love it) will think otherwise, as I usually do when I see adaptations of novels I love. It has however, made me want to read the book, which I don't always want to do after seeing a film adaptation. Especially one as good as this.

If Wallflower is still showing at a cinema near you I urge you to see it. If it isn't then I'm sorry this review took me so long. Please rent/buy it when it comes to DVD. 9 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 7th October 2012

UK Release Date - 3rd October 2012

Cast Overview:

Logan Lerman ~ Charlie

Emma Watson ~ Sam

Ezra Miller ~ Patrick

Mae Whitman ~ Mary Elizabeth

Johnny Simmons ~ Brad

Paul Rudd ~ Mr Anderson

Dylan McDermott ~ Charlie's Father

Kate Walsh ~ Charlie's Mother

Melanie Lynskey ~ Aunt Helen

Joan Cusack ~ Dr Burton

Director/Writer ~ Stephen Chbosky

The Lady K Academy Film Awards Day 2 - Breakthrough Performer

The second award of the Lady K Academy is for Breakthrough Performer of 2011.

An award that goes to an actor or actress that truly broke onto the movie scene this year and made us all sit up and take notice. This was a really tough category to decide on and the winner wasn't necessarily playing the nicest of characters. But I partially think that's what made them stand out.

As they say in Hollywood, the award for Breakthrough Performer goes to Ezra Miller for his performance in 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'.

A performance which shocked me by how chilling a child actor's performance could be. He made the audience feel uncomfortable at times and yet intrigued us all to keep watching him. 

The difficulty I had in awarding Ezra with this prestigious honor was that it was as much a performance by the two other actors who played Kevin, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer as it was his performance. But I am sure Ezra will thank them in his acceptance speech.

My review of 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' had this to say:

"We (my friends and I who saw the film) were all in agreement that the performances - especially by the three child actors who played Kevin at varying stages - were exemplary. And it has to be said that the casting of the three actors who played Kevin was flawless. You never felt like you were watching three different actors, you just felt like you were watching Kevin grow up. And the perfomances, from all three Kevins (Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer) were chilling. To think these performances came from such young actors just astounds me."

Runners Up:
Jasper Newell and Rock Duer for 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'

Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney (and in fact the entire cast of children) for 'Super 8'

Asa Butterfield for 'Hugo'

Keir Gilchrist for 'It's Kind Of A Funny Story'

Craig Roberts for 'Submarine'

Feel free to tell me which new actor or actress blew you away at the cinema last year...

We Need To Talk About Kevin

http://www.weneedtotalkaboutkevin.co.uk/

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film I knew nothing about until the word of mouth started to filter through. This has surprised me as I had also not heard of the novel that the film is based on, which it turns out is rather well known and won the author, Lionel Shriver, the 2005 Orange Prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English.

The film - and the novel from which it is based - is about a writer and mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton), coming to grips with a heinous crime committed by her teenage son, Kevin (Ezra Miller). The film also details Kevin's upbringing and what Eva had to endure from her son on a day to day basis, from being a baby, through his toddler years and up to the present day.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of the toughest films I've yet had to review. And one which I discussed at length with the people I saw it with. The sign of a good film is how much it stays with you long after the credits have rolled. And this film definitely achieved that. 

We were all in agreement that the performances - especially by the three child actors who played Kevin at varying stages - were exemplary. And it has to be said that the casting of the three actors who played Kevin was flawless. You never felt like you were watching three different actors, you just felt like you were watching Kevin grow up. And the perfomances, from all three Kevins (Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer) were chilling. To think these perfomances came from such young actors just astounds me.

The other thing we were in agreement on was how the film evoked all manor of emotions from us throughout the viewing. Anger, sadness, fear, sympathy, hate, compassion, you name it and we went through it just as the characters did.

The film also stands out because of the angle it takes. I imagine this is thanks to the novel (although I haven't read it myself), as most films with a subject matter of a high school massacre tend to show the story from the point of view of the killer or the victim. This is the first film of this kind that I have heard of which is shown from the mother's point of view. It's a fresh take on what could have been a film seen before and made for interesting viewing.

The reason a film like this is difficult to review is that the end result is not enjoyable, or fun. It's a hard movie to sit through and one which I'm not sure I would want to see again (not in a hurry anyway), but that's not to say that it isn't good or that I'm not glad I saw it, because it is good and I am glad I saw it.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend seeing it if you would like to see something more challenging than the below average fare that's littering the cinema these days. And something which will start a debate between you and your friends. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 29th October 2011

UK Release Date - 21st October 2011

Cast Overview:

Ezra Miller ~ Teenage Kevin

Jasper Newell ~ Childhood Kevin

Rock Duer ~ Toddler Kevin

Tilda Swinton~ Eva

John C Reilly ~ Franklin

Ashley Gerasimovich ~ Celia

Director ~ Lynne Ramsay

Writer(s) ~ Lynne Ramsay (Screenplay) and Rory Kinnear (Screenplay). Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver