Rental Reviews: Looper & Perks

Looper

Now it is very apparent my undying love for Joseph Gordon Levitt, he is incredibly talented, charming, and a face to call home. I will admit, Looper looked a bit confusing, but I love thrillers, add a little sci-fi in there, all the better! Unfortunately, this combination was unimpressive. The film had nice camera shots, a really interesting set design of what 2044 is going to look like, but the acting and story really hurt this film. Joseph Gordon Levitt's the main character, there was no entertainment/ likability to his character at all! If you are going for the blockbuster action/ sci-fi flick, it is essential to have a protagonist the audience can relate to. Along with the questionable main character, Bruce Willis comes into the picture as the older version of Joseph Gordon Levitt.... and Bruce Willis is god awful. Can this man only look intimidating and kill people? This film really showcases his range as an actor! He has minimal lines, and has blood all over his face for the majority of the film...cool Bruce Willis, you are really manly. Talk about a dumb/ confusing storyline... time traveling assassins? Hell yeah, I'll take it... but once you had the "rainmaker" and super powers....you lose me. The end of the film, wasn't awful, it's no "Safe Haven"..... but it was, as I said earlier, unimpressive.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

After watching 2 awful films this weekend, I needed something to restore my faith in films. I had heard nothing but good things about Perks, and maybe I went into the film with high expectations. I'll admit I was a little disappointed at first, then the movie began to sink in, and I started to cry like a baby. Besides Emma Watson's horrendous attempt at an American Accent, the film was well made, very emotional, and dangerous. Logan Lerman gives a stellar performance (wish he was nominated for tonight) but he's the leading man this film needed. The whole cast shines as it depicts the ruthlessness of loneliness and high school. To say the least, this film is emotional and raw and true, but I felt unsettled at the end. The resolution was real, we don't actually know how Charlie is going to turn out, but we know how he felt at that moment, which is something movies don't do often. In most films, we can infer the fate of our protagonists through the denouement, but in this film, it focuses on the present (in the world of the story). I think that's what what made this film beautiful for me, it was philosophical for younger generations, and challenges viewers to do some introspection.

Nicholas Sparks: Just Stop. Please.

Nicholas Sparks. Anyone with a vagina swoons over his hegemonic love stories....I mean, "The Notebook", "A Walk to Remember"  They're perfect! Then something happened, his movies began to suck. Not just kinda suck.... REALLY FUCKING suck.... "Dear John"? "The Vow"? and now "Safe Haven".

Going into "Safe Haven", I had the blind hope that Nick would have at least made sure this story would turn out okay since "Dear John" and "The Vow" flopped.  "Safe Haven" had a love story, a little thriller attached, and the book was great. PLUS Josh Duhamel.... now that's what I call a good looking leading man (SO much potential). Well, as the movie began, Julianne Hough's acting wasn't horrible, then shit hit the fan....fast. Hough's portrayal of Katie was shallow. Katie/Erin is a character with depth, she has been through an abusive relationship and was trying to start "fresh". That's a lot of emotional baggage that Hough clearly did not grasp fully. The film barely touched on her relationship with her ex, Tierney. Anyway, damsel in distress, cue sexy charming prince (Josh Duhamel) and now we have a classic Sparks "epic love story". The movie did a horrible job explaining Katie's past, and her new found love with Alex. The movie portrayed these two characters finding each other because they were both the hottest people in town, the connection, besides looks, was barely there. That's why their dramatic almost break up was laughable. The two of these people are claiming that they are madly in love with one another, but on what grounds? The acting was unbelievable and I found myself laughing at the story, even the thriller parts. The movie may have been decent if they picked one storyline. A dual storyline was a little too sophisticated for these people. Overall. Sparks needs to retire from the film business.... for all of us....please just stop.