The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Guess what. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. No one is surprised. Except maybe me. It's pretty rare for me to go into a film with REALLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS (I'm talking months of intense fanhood and waiting), and not come out disappointed. But, Perks is just that special.

Before you get all cranky and whatnot (because I know you get cranky if you haven't had your nap), I have read the book. I enjoyed the book. I did not love the book. So, why was I so eagerly awaiting the movie? Because the cast is amazing and the trailer is out of this world! Logan Lerman is beyond adorable. Emma Watson is my girl-crush. Mae Whitman is my home-girl from Parenthood. Paul Rudd is randomly in it. And that theme song! Come on! AMAZING!

Now that you're absolutely sure that I can't be unbiased, I'll tell you why I liked it. Let's start with the cast. Logan Lerman is an exceptionally talented actor. It's almost impossible that he will get an academy award nomination for this because people view it just as a teen movie, but he really blew me away. It's hard to play everyone, but he did. He played exactly how you felt. Or, if you weren't the shy kid in school, then Emma Watson played you. She's outgoing, fun, and totally believable. Although, I've heard a couple complaints about her American accent, I thought it was near perfect. Ezra Miller was also hilarious and will no doubt be very relatable for people as well.

I could talk about this movie forever (and I pretty much did in a 14 page midterm), but I'll just tell you my favorite thing about this film. It captures a moment. It doesn't sell you a story, it makes you feel something. There's something intangible but so real that just is the teen experience. And whether you are a teen, you recently were and are missing it, or this is nostalgia from long ago - you know what they feel. And the tagline "We are infinite," feels right, and makes more sense than any marketing ever has for me before.

So, yeah,  I guess you should go see it or whatever.

Looper

The best part about this movie is trying to figure out afterwards what the heck happened during the movie. It's kind of like Inception in that way. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT Inception, and anyone who goes into it thinking that it is Inception will be disappointed. But, it's a fun, interesting and extremely entertaining movie that exceeded my (somewhat low) expectations.

This movie is smarter than 90% of the mainstream films out there. It doesn't try and explain itself. It assumes that the audience will figure it out or be satisfied enough with the details their given. In that way, it maintains its mystery. You don't entirely understand the world these characters live in, but it is a fascinating, futuristic, sci-fi world. The director made a conscious decision to throw all the rules of time-travel out the window, and that's okay. The average person does not need to know exactly how it works during the movie, and it gives them something to talk about after the movie.

I'm a big JGL (Joseph Gordon-Levitt for those of you who live under a rock and don't refer to people you don't know by charming nicknames) fan. I was a bit sad that you basically don't get to see his pretty face in this movie because they graphically alter it to look like Bruce Willis' face, but you get used to it after a few minutes. Emily Blunt's character was much better than I thought it was going to be (although still a little lacking). From the trailer, I thought she was going to fail entirely at playing some country bumpkin that JGL would fall for. There's actually another plot-point that makes her a slightly more intriguing character. I really loved Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels in this movie as well - great bit parts. I'm not a crazy Bruce Willis fan, so he was neither here nor there for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie a lot. I expected average, and got something far more fun to watch.

Forward Unto Dawn

So I have no intention of ever playing HALO 4, but this web series that they've made to promote the release is AWESOME! I want it to be a real series! I want it to be a movie! It's like a mix of Star Trek and Ender's Game, with actors I really like. Check it out!

Movie 43 Trailer

I have no idea what's happening in this trailer, but I think I like it.

BIG FRICKIN' NEWS

So, you may have noticed that I AM OBSESSED with movies. And, today, I saw something that is LIFE-ALTERING. Exaggerating? NO. THAT IS WHY I AM USING SO MANY CAPS.

Check this out: http://blog.moviepass.com/see-moviepass-in-action/

I was very skeptical at the beginning, but after researching it, this may be the best thing EVER.

The studios won't be mad because people are still technically paying the full price for the ticket. The theaters should be ecstatic because people will be buying more concessions (because they'll go to more movies.) And the company will stay afloat because some people will not fully use their membership. Now, I personally think this might not last because people like me will go see 10 movies in a month and drive this company into bankruptcy. But, I plan on making the most of this deal while it's around!