Noi siamo infinito

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is another story about a simple guy living in a cruel life of high school. The difference is he's not ought to save the day, wants to lose his virginity, seeking to be popular, or revenge on his bullies. The story is about a shy kid who wants to get along with people and can't wait to leave high school. Behind it is the genuine pain and emotion of the characters which makes it more than just another story about teenagers. Stephen Chbosky tells his own story on screen pretty well and the performances are quite excellent. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is often heartbreaking, charming, and wonderful.

Charlie is palpably just another teenage protagonist, but he is not one of those who tries to prove everyone who mistreated him wrong. His goal is to get away from being anti-social and be like anyone else in high school. We may have heard a story like this before, but what makes this one extraordinary is when it mostly depicts the darkest aspects of their lives. Expressing the most heartbreaking truths about these teenagers. Knowing their problems easily makes it reasonable for us to care about them. The romance is rather credibly lovely than a mainstream claptrap. In the joyous moments, it's pretty delightful and plays a quite nostalgic soundtrack.

The film gives the actors some nuance. This is probably a good thing for Logan Lerman. He usually plays the simple charming guy in movies. Since he's good at those, he adds some credibility to Charlie. Emma Watson is likable enough as Sam. The best among the three is Ezra Miller. One might hams it up for Patrick, but Miller gave the character a genuinely wonderful personality.

The director and author, Stephen Chbosky, didn't try anything else than to bring his book to life. He tells it straightforward on screen with plenty of strong, effective emotions. The cinematography is bright and beautiful enough. The tunnel scene has the best shots. While the soundtrack is too conspicuous, the music score is noticeably melancholic.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is best if you can actually relate to the lead character or have experienced the struggles of being an adolescent. When it's not depressing, the film goes to those blissful moments that make us remember the good times in high school. Overall, it's a great film. It's a film adaptation that replaces the cliché mainstream swagger with some painful realities and simply let the audience understand the whole point of it. In the end, it's quite a remarkable film.

Stephen Chbosky has taken his exceptional novel and made it an extraordinary film. As the opening credit rolled I was impressed with the quality of the cast including Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, and Dylan McDermott. And to top it off, Joan Cusak is there as well.

This is a story of coming of age and coming to terms of a boy entering high school and adulthood. Freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) almost by accident becomes friends with Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson). Soon he is hanging out learning about the ins and outs of being a teen. But there is something that is left unsaid, is it about his last best friend or his aunt.

Chbosky must have been blessed by John Hughes. Not only capturing this timeless story with every word and sight, the film's soundtrack blows me away. Not many can take a book of such depth and keep the heart and soul of it alive, but it happened here. Go to the theatre and see it. Check out the book and read it. But most of all, Stay Infinite!

GOOSEBUMPS. Literal goosebumps after seeing this movie. The emotions, the music, the love, the whole vibe is immaculate. I feel like all the lost souls connect through this movie and feel blessed If you haven't watched it for the first time because you can still experience that. I love the cast and the bond between the characters. Logan Lerman, Emma Watson (girl crush) and Ezra Miller give off such a inspiring energy so you wish you were a part of their crew. This movie empties your soul and then fills it over the top. Actual 10/10 movie!! P. S. Added bonus for The Smiths, and using their song Asleep :) + Paul Rudd is in it too :)

The Perks…as it were, was a bit of a marvel when discussing what teenagers have to contend with. Anyone that decides to see this film expecting a run of the mill high school drama or teenage angst tale will be pleasantly surprised at the depth with which this story delves. This adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel seemed to take the difficulties facing one young man embarking on his high school journey through one extreme situation after another. I could visualize a totally different version of this tale of misfit toys being played out where all is right with the world and Charlie (Logan Lerman) is the most popular freshman in school for the simple fact that all his friends are seniors. The immediate infatuation that Charlie had with Sam (Emma Watson) was no surprise, what did surprise me was the challenges that she and her step brother Patrick/Nothing (Ezra Miller) had to endure. Even I started to get annoyed as the school year progressed and the running 'Nothing' joke persisted. It's always surprising when a story focuses on well to do young people whose lives would be expected to mimic a fairytale. This story gives insight into the fact that some young people have the same if not even more struggles than others and having money can't really fix that. I found it interesting that there was no clear indication in the story as to the school year, even at graduation there was none of the typical 'Class of '92' or whatever to show how proud of their time graduates are. It may be that Mr. Chbosky wanted to steer clear of associating the story with a specific year, but it was obviously the early 90's when the primary mode of sharing and exchanging music was via cassette. I recall so very clearly the good old days when the 'mix tape' ruled. I have to say that I liked Emma Watson as an American teenager, she can cross the pond and put it down any time. Yes there were a few moments in her dialog that she sounded like Hermione, but this role did a great deal to paint her in a different and mature light. I am not drawn to tales of the human condition unless there is a deep truth to be gleaned from the story, so if I had to say the moral of the story is… It would be 'you gotta have friends'. This story worked because of what the three key characters gained from getting to know each other. I give it a green light.

Greetings again from the darkness. Brace for gushing. Last evening I attended a screening that included a fascinating Q&A with writer/director Stephen Chbosky. It reminded me of how personal and intimate and observant and incisive a well-made film can be. A well written script is so refreshing, and an exceptional script can be truly breath-taking. Mr. Chbosky takes the unusual step of directing his own screenplay based on his own novel (a 1999 bestseller), and he left me stunned and enthralled.

The popularity of the novel would typically make the film version a disappointment for its fans. Not so this time. Mr. Chbosky remains true to the spirit despite the need to edit for the sake of continuity and brevity. The key characters spring to life thanks to the efforts of four strong performances from young actors: Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson, The Three Muskateers) plays Charlie, Emma Watson (Harry Potter films) is Sam, Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin, City Island) is Patrick, and Mae Whitman (Arrested Development) is Mary Elizabeth.

If you have read the book, you know the story ... you know the characters ... you know the themes. If you haven't read the book, I will spoil nothing. The brilliance is recognized only as you get to know these characters and slowly uncover their stories. What we discover is that, regardless of our age, we recognize these characters from our high school days. We know the introverted, observant Charlie who so desperately needs a support system. We surely recognize the attention-starved, lacking in self-esteem Sam who is the epitome of "We accept the love we think we deserve". And we all knew a Patrick ... the flamboyant one who sheaths his pain with an over-the-top act of public confidence. What Chbosky does is shine the spotlight on these characters to ensure that we really SEE them this time.

The themes reminded me a bit of a darker John Hughes film (that's a compliment). There were also pieces of two other really good films: Stand By Me and Almost Famous. The formative years of a writer determine the depths to which his or her work will reach later in life. Admittedly, the film is substantially autobiographical, so when Mr. Chbosky says it's a personal story, we begin to understand the foundation of his remarkable writing style.

"Welcome to the island of misfit toys." When this line is spoken, we realize that most every high school kid has thought the same thing at some point. These are painful and difficult times and as Mr. Chbosky stated, we should encourage kids to fight through this stage and get on to the next ... then able to find their true self. Clearly, the film made a strong impact on me. My favorite reaction to a movie is profound thought, and this one caused this in waves. The decision to release as PG-13 was wise. There is no excess of profanity or nudity to divert attention from what really matters ... the characters. I can think of no finer compliment to a writer and filmmaker than to cite them as the cause of my internal discussions related to their film. My hope is that you have the same reaction. (http://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/)