WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys
Cred to Time Entertainment

Let me start by saying, I have never seen an indie movie nor been to an indie theater so it is fair to say I had my indie cherry popped today. And what a way to  go! Perks of Being a Wallflower was an unexpected delight and to make the day even more memorable, Logan Lerner star of the movie, made an impromptu appearance and had a brief Q&A session with the audience.  I have new found  love for independent movies.  These actors and directors are people like you and I who genuinely appreciate ever fan.

Impromptu Q&A setup

“Perks of a being A Wallflower” has set the bar for modern day coming of age movie.  Charlie, a naive, wide eyed freshman meets Patrick and Sam who take him under their wing and give him something he has been desperately looking for, friends.  Patrick and Sam introduce him to the rest of their misfit crew and the stage is set for a roller coaster ride of emotions and teen angst.  All this while Charlie battles with his own inner demons as he’s still bothered by the deaths of his aunt and best friend.

Stephen Chbosky, director of the film, truly keeps you entertained.  He establishes a connection with viewers and his characters so you genuinely feel for what they’re going through.  We learn through Charlie’s eyes, or rather his ears, as his friends confide in him.  These subtle situations enhance the films charm and reveal essential details of each character.  From Sam’s bleak past with past relationships and Patrick’s dirty little secret there is definitely no end to the drama.

As much as I tried to find some flaw in the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed “Perks” .  I pride myself on being a action, blow’em up movie lover so I was hesitant at first to embrace Perks.  However, there really is something that spoke to the inner teen inside of me.  It is worth seeing the emergence and transformation of these characters from beginning to end, Charlie especially.  Surprisingly, Logan Lerman (Charlie) steals the show from his co actors, Emma Watson (Sam) and Ezra Miller(Patrick), with his meekness and naivety.

Narration of the story is provided by Charlie through a series of letters he writes to an anonymous individual.  He writes for no reason in particular, just in the hope that there is one good person out there who is willing to listen.  The movie unfolds as a diary almost, an intimate account of Charlie’s daily interactions.  Do not be fooled though, amongst the sappy mix tape gifting (recording music on cassettes and given to admirers), Chbosky packs some raw and edgy situations.

Reminiscent of a Peter Parker/Bruce Banner, Lerman deals with family matters, chasing the girl he loves, and suppressing these “bad thoughts.”  He seems to be silent for a bulk of the movie but that somehow shines through more than any spoken lines could.  He starts as a budding bulb and, sprinkled with friends, love, and a dash of drugs, he  blooms into a full grown wallflower.

(Film poster imdb.com)

While Obama and Romney debated over who had the right economic formula to get America back to work, we enjoyed Detropia. An award winning 90-minute documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, that lays bare the moving human testimony behind the collapse of the car manufacturing industry in Detroit.

A trio of interesting and articulate personalities provide the bulk of the film’s narrative.  There is Crystal Starr, a local coffee shop worker/ avid video blogger, who pays particular attention to the decaying grandeur of the city’s many abandoned buildings, and George McGregor the pragmatic president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, who continues to preside over a dwindling and disgruntled workforce. Tommy Stephens is the charismatic owner of a local blues bar ‘The Raven Lounge’ which is struggling to survive without the business from the once plentiful car plant workers.

Classical opera under scores the opening scene. A man in an oversized jacket and headphones, walks down a typical urban street playing an imaginary mpc with his fingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRce1KFsH-g

And so the film begins. Gorgeous nighttime aerial shots capture the emptied city streets where the marginalized few eek out a living from unsavory means.  Emotionally charged commentary from a range of carefully chosen secondary characters, paint a colorful and in depth picture of what life was like in Detroit in the job abundant years, the gritty realism of today, and what it may be like in the future.

The Detroit Opera House has a recurring role throughout. Its existence and survival, symbolizing the idea of hope and renewal for a city struggling with the loss of 50% of it’s manufacturing jobs. It is by no coincidence that Ford is one The Opera House’s key sponsors, and one of the major backers behind this little film that could.

Theater director David Dichera laments, “This is a city going through one of the greatest challenges of the twentieth century”

At times Atkinson’s gritty cinematography is almost Mad Max esque, the snow on the ground detracting little from the familiar lawless sentiment of the young men and the apocalyptic landscape.

But after harsh winters, then comes spring. An artistic young couple have moved in to the city and purchased a loft conversion for $20,000. Like others, they were enticed by the cheap housing options and vast amounts of open space. Could this be the start of the city’s comeback? The UAW slogan says “We built this city” but who will be the builders of Detroit’s future?

Obama’s picture still has pride of place in The Raven Lounge, but for how much longer?  People remember that he bailed out the big three on the verge of bankruptcy. Romney by contrast, is the would-be president who said the car plants should simply just go broke. I hear he had a good debate tonight. Motor City will be watching carefully, the people there know just how much is at stake.

Neither judgmental nor preachy, the subtle genius of this movie is that it lets Detroit speak for itself.

Perks of Being a Wallflower was a lot more than I expected. The story line drew you in from the beginning and the constant flashbacks didn’t allow your mind to stray from what was happening on screen.

Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller comprise a dynamic trio that might inevitably remind you of Emma’s other two best friends, but these are way less magical and have much more angst.  With an unstable wallflower tormented by his past, a girl who only accepts “the love she thinks she deserves” even though it’s not the right kind of love, and a confident homosexual teen in the 1990s about 10-15 years ahead of his time, Perks conquers as a top film in its genre. 

Stephen Chbosky the director and writer of both the original novel and screenplay, created the epitome of a movie centered on the teenage years in ways other movies have failed. From High School Musical to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (in all its installments) being a teenager, with teenage issues, has always been pigeon holed to just having relationship issues and constant arguments with your parents. Though, nothing less of a real teenage drama could be expected from the same group of producers that made Juno into the critically acclaimed film it is recognized as today.

Even though this has been one of Stephen’s first films to hit the big screen, the prospect of having a major media push (especially after casting Emma Watson to play Sam) didn’t intimidate the story he wanted to tell. As a viewer, you get a raw take on a teenager’s life told from Charlie’s perspective with many different personas rounding out the verdict: being a teenager is walking a tunnel on your own two feet (albeit sandwiched in between friends also making the journey) and coming out the other end stronger.

The rawness, vulnerability, and unpredictability is what makes this a great Indie drama film. 

The story is grounded on Charlie’s letters to an anonymous reader, who allows you to take a step back from the constant teen drive and look at the scene through the eyes of someone older than sixteen. Chbosky creates a platform from where you are able to both experience and analyze Charlie’s life, in a way that no other teenage drama has been able to capture. This film is more than a Freaky Friday outer body experience, it’s a look at real world problems from the eyes of a teenager whose greatest torment is being too aware of others problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aog8680PVmU

L’Accordeur

The Piano Tuner is a French Thriller Short by Olivier Treiner about a failed musical genius that ends up working as a tuner. His boss is not happy with the plan he devises to become at least successful at this, but his bookings have doubled within one month. The clients tip better, treat him especially well and are more open with their private lives. His boss reluctantly allows him to proceed, however, sometimes the solution can easily become the problem…He has to tune what happens with the piano he is tuning.

The story is very well written, concise and well cast. The premise of the story is simple but the execution is refined, detailed – Brilliant! It contains just the right amount of suspense and type of music not to be over the top, the pace is perfect. Within such a short amount of time the films is able to touch upon so many subjects within the bigger story.

This film fits as close as two sheets of paper laying against each other into my favorite genre: Cerebral Foreign Films. A French produced, French language, thought provoking, intellectually stimulating film with a deep lesson to top it off.

The first 45 seconds are not necessary. Watching the film several times was the only way to notice that this beginning snippet does not add anything nor subtract so it is useless. L’accordeur is worth watching, no doubt.

Click here to watch