Synopsis
The introverted Charlie (Logan Lerman) chronicles his freshman year of high school.
Review
Many high school films follow a similar formula or character arc for the protagonist. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is no different. Main character Charlie (Logan Lerman) is not one of the popular kids and keeps to himself, he finds friends, has good times with those friends, has bad times with those friends, and has clear character growth and learns life lessons by the end of the film. While this may sounds like every coming-of-age movie, the cast and script make it stand out from the crowd. I’m a huge fan of Emma Watson so I’m always excited to see her in a film. Lerman perfectly captures the essence of what it is to be a high schooler and feeling like an outcast. I have only been recently been introduced to Ezra Miller, starring in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Justice League but he is my favorite performance of the film; His chemistry with both Watson and Lerman is fantastic. He is quickly becoming an actor to look out for. Director and writer Stephen Chbosky was also the author of the 1999 novel of the same name that this film is adapting. While I can’t say how it compares to the source material, I can say that it is clear a lot of love and dedication went into translating the book onto the big screen.
I thought The Perks of Being a Wallflower was GOOD 🙂 While on paper in may sound generic, the script and cast make this film a memorable one, particularly Ezra Miller. This has found itself onto my list of quintessential teen movies.
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Stephen Chbosky – Director / Writer
Michael Brook – Composer
Logan Lerman – Charlie
Emma Watson – Sam
Ezra Miller – Patrick
Mae Whitman – Mary Elizabeth
Erin Wilhelmi – Alice
Paul Rudd – Mr. Anderson
Kate Walsh – Mrs. Kelmeckis
Dylan McDermott – Mr. Kelmeckis
Nina Dobrev – Alice
Zane Holtz – Chris
Nicholas Braun – Ponytail Derek
Melanie Lynskey – Aunt Helen
Johnny Simmons – Brad
Joan Cusack – Dr. Burton
I feel like I’m back on the elementary school playground because I have been tagged! Catherine from Thoughts All Sorts tagged me for the Five Flamming Hotties tag that was created by her and Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews. The rules are fairly straightforward:
You must add the name of the blog who tagged you AND those of the 2 Reel Quirky Cats, Thoughts All Sorts and Realweegiemidget Reviews with links to these sites as given here… and use the natty picture promoting this post (found to the right, click for full size).
List 5 of your all time greatest hotties from TV or Film. ie crushes / objects of your affection.
Say how you were introduced to them, and why you like them (keep it clean)
Link to 7 other bloggers.
Add lovely pictures of those you selected.
Post the rules.
Well, I’ve already taken care of the first requirement so let’s jump straight into my five favorite hotties from TV or film. Since I could have also included athletes, a close runner up was Alex Morgan.
Now, onto my list:
5) Salma Hayek
My best friend and I watched Wild Wild West all the time, and I would be lying if I said Salma Hayek wasn’t one of the reasons why. When she is wearing not much more than a corset, it is enough to make a teenage boy weak in the knees. Besides her looks, she can command the screen just as good as any male co-star she is working with. I’ll admit that I haven’t seen many of her more recent films but she’ll always have a place in my heart as on of my first crushes.
4) Jaimie Alexander
I first saw Jaimie Alexander in Thor as the ass-kicking Sif then shortly thereafter in The Last Stand. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, she could kick-ass, too! Strong and beautiful, what more could you want? When she transitioned to the small screen in the TV series Blindspot, I jumped on immediately and haven’t been disappointed in both her or the show.
3) Anna Kendrick
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World served as my introduction to Anna Kendrick. I instantly fell in love with her quirky attitude, especially outside of films. Watching her in interviews and looking through her twitter feed, she seems so chill and down-to-Earth. Oh, did I mention she has a beautiful singing voice, too? So let’s get the run down: she’s adorable, she’s cute, she’s funny, and she’s a great singer. Basically, she’s the ultimate girl next door.
2) Emma Watson
Like many, I was introduced to Emma Watson as Hermione in the Harry Potter series. Since then, she has gone on to do many great things, especially outside of acting. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, she’s a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she’s a leading advocate for gender equality and she’s done some modeling for good measure. She might just be the perfect combination of brains and beauty.
1) Emma Stone
My number one flaming hottie was a no brainer (or was it a half brainer with a double twist?). Ever since Emma Stone hit the scene in Superbad and Easy A, I have had a tremendous crush on her. This girl can take any role and make it fun and memorable. Last year, she finally got the recognition she deserves with her best actress Oscar. Although I like her red hair better than her natural blonde, she’s beautiful regardless of hair color.
Now that I’ve shared my Five Flaming Hotties, I guess all that’s left is to tag a few others. I tag
Synopsis
Belle (Emma Watson) takes her father’s place as the prisoner for the Beast (Dan Stevens). The Beast hopes to win Belle’s heart and break the spell that has been placed on him, his castle, and its inhabitants.
Review
Disney is currently going through a phase of remaking its animated films as live action films. There have been a few of their lesser (although no less loved) classics already made and now they are stepping up to remake one of their most popular films, one that even holds the honor of being the first animated film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Disney’s previous live action remakes have gone in several different directions. Maleficent retold Sleeping Beauty’s tale from the titular fairy’s point of view, whereas last year’s The Jungle Book, told a similar story to their 1967 classic while incorporating more of the original book’s source material, making it feel new yet familiar. Where does Beauty and The Beast stand? Well, knowing that their Disney Renaissance film is such a well known and well loved film, it follows very closely to the original. Maybe a little too close.
Beauty and the Beast‘s biggest strength comes from its cast. Emma Watson, to no surprise, is an absolute gem. Her Belle is every bit as gentle yet strong as her animated predecessor. Watson mentioned many times in interviews that Belle means a lot to her on a personal level and that love for the character really shines through. Not only that, she has great chemistry with Dan Stevens, who plays Beast, which seems like a silly thing to say since Beast is a CGI character. However, Stevens’ emotion is still felt through the computer animation, leading to several touching moments throughout the film.
Besides Watson as Belle and Stevens as Beast, I thought the other characters were well cast also. Luke Evans’ experience in theater made him a perfect fit as Gaston. He brings the same charisma we’ve come to expect from his animated counterpart. Josh Gad’s short and stout stature fit the character of LeFou perfectly, and I’m sure his experience as Frozen’s Olaf helped with the musical numbers as well. Kevin Kline was a more composed, less village-crazy-man incarnation of Maurice, Belle’s father, than the 1991 version. Ian McKellen embodied the character of Cogsworth flawlessly. While Ewan McGregor’s French accent is a little dodgy, it never bothered me too much and he was still fun.
What surprised me the most about this film was how humorous it was! The original had plenty of laughs, sure, but I don’t remember it for its comedy. This time, however, there were multiple times the entire theater would burst out laughing. It definitely kept the mood light.
The set and costume design for this movie undeniably gorgeous. The majority of this film takes place within Beast’s castle and the ornate designs and decorations give it a breathtaking appearance. Everything is extremely detailed and well thought out and designed. It all deserves some recognition, from the castle’s furniture and stone towers, to the characters’ 18th century outfits, even character designs for the living objects, such as Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts.
My biggest flaw with Beauty and the Beast is that it doesn’t expand on, or do anything new with, the 1991 classic. Instead, what it does do is fill in and clean up the story. For example, Gaston is painted in more of a villainous light, Belle’s family is given more of a background, the movie’s timeline is tightened, and more is revealed about the Enchantress’ spell. Disney’s other live-action remakes they have done so far have each told their own story using characters we were acquainted with, albeit with varying success. This film, on the other hand, hits the exact same beats and the characters go through the same motions as before. In essence, all this film is what the 1991 Beauty and the Beast would look like with live actors.
I thought Beauty and the Beast was GOOD 🙂 If you are a fan of the Disney Renaissance classic, you will more than likely enjoy this remake since it follows it very closely. However, that is also its biggest weakness, in that it simply fills in some story points but never does anything wholly original. It does make up for it though, with fantastic casting all around and great chemistry between Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Bill Condon – Director
Stephen Chbosky – Screenplay
Evan Spiliotopoulos – Screenplay
Alan Menkin – Composer
Emma Watson – Belle
Dan Stevens – Beast
Luke Evans – Gaston
Josh Gad – LeFou
Kevin Kline – Maurice
Ewan McGregor – Lumiere
Ian McKellen – Cogsworth
Emma Thompson – Mrs. Potts
Nathan Mack – Chip
Audra McDonald – Madame Garderobe
Stanley Tucci – Maestro Cadenza
Gugu Mbatha- Raw – Plumette
Rita Davies – Old Woman
Hattie Morahan – Agathe / Enchantress
Synopsis
5) Salma Hayek
4) Jaimie Alexander
3) Anna Kendrick
2) Emma Watson
1) Emma Stone
Drew's Movie Reviews 