“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012): A Slice Of Your Life ★★★½

Reel Reactions

Though many have tried, no filmmaker over the last two decades has ever been able to capture the generation-defining spark that turned John Hughes into a legend throughout the 1980s. From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to Pretty in Pink and the immortal The Breakfast Club, Hughes had a knack for making films that tapped into the core of the adolescent spirit. Besides those timeless classics, I’ve never come across a film that’s been able to bring back to life the memories of my youth, until now. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, writer-director Stephen Chbosky’s adaptation of his own popular novel, is a film bursting with an emotional honesty that’s a time machine for the heart and that would certainly make Hughes proud if he were alive to see it.

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“Hotel Transylvania” (2012): Conventional Over Creative ★★

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When you watch a film like Hotel Transylvania, it’s hard not to realize why Pixar is the world’s award winning and profitable animated powerhouse. With an amusing voice cast and an ingenious concept, Hotel Transylvania had all the potential to be a daring, genre-throwback of a winner, but, instead, it merely wimps out in its sprint to the finish line. Whereas Pixar would’ve probably used this monster-mash set up to provide sensational doses of nostalgic warmth and hijinks (just think about what they did for a talking rat and a lonely robot!), the makers of Transylvania, Sony Pictures Animation, fumble the pass, creating a traditional father-daughter comedy that underserves all of the film’s creativity.

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“Liberal Arts” (2012): Highly Intelligent & Fiercely Funny ★★★½

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When you watch Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, you don’t necessarily think the man is a multitalented, award-worthy filmmaker; he’s humble and nice, yes, but a genuinely skilled writer-director? Perhaps not. Radnor’s 2010 debut feature, the forced and overtly indie happythankyoumoreplease, did little to boost his dreams of cinematic stardom; however, Liberal Arts is about to change all of that, or at least it should. Between an impressively layered screenplay and a hugely talented cast, Liberal Arts is smart, crowd-pleasing entertainment that hits you like an explosion of fresh air.

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SHARF @ REEL REACTIONS

……Hey everyone; As a student at Emerson College and a budding film critic, I could not be more thrilled to join the Emerson Channel’s “Reel Reactions” as Head Blogger. With that said, I encourage all of you to follow “Reel Reactions” on wordpress (http://reelreactions.wordpress.com/), facebook (http://www.facebook.com/reelreactions), and twitter (@reelreactions). Although I will reblog most of my material from Reel Reactions into this blog here (reviews/posts will come in as normal, nothings really changing), it’d be awesome if you came with me and check out “Reel Reactions” and really use it as a credible source for movie reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, and more. In a nutshell, “Reel Reactions” is like “Sharf @ The Movies” on steroids and I would really appreciate all the support as I build up my future movie critic career.

Thanks & I’ll see you at the movies

“The Master” (2012): Anderson’s Unmissable Milestone ★★★★

……While watching The Master, an extraordinary thing occurred: time, friends, plans, homework, and even reality itself became nonexistent; I forgot what I had been doing before the movie and I lost track of my plans for after, for from the very first frame my mind and body were at the mercy, control, and command of director Paul Thomas Anderson. If that’s not high praise, I’m not sure what is. To make a pun on the film’s title would be easy and obvious, but when a movie is this visually gorgeous, this superbly acted, and this expertly crafted, it’s hard to call it anything else other than, well, a masterpiece. With a trio of powerful performances and a legendary director at the top of his game, The Master is a major cinematic accomplishment and, as of this writing, the new best film of 2012.

“Trouble With The Curve” (2012): Eastwood Returns In Lackluster Effort ★½

……After 2008’s Gran Torino, legendary actor-director Clint Eastwood swore he would never step back in front of the camera unless a screenplay was extremely worthy. Four years and three films as director later (Invictus, Hereafter, J. Edgar), Eastwood is back in the spotlight with his signature rasp and grin in the father-daughter baseball dramedy, Trouble With The Curve. When a historic talent like Eastwood vows to return to acting only if the story is worthy, a certain level of expectations are bound to develop; I mean, it’s not everyday that Dirty Harry and The Man With No Name decides to come out of retirement, and when he does you don’t expect the film to be sappy, contrived, or tiresome. What Eastwood saw in this screenplay still puzzles me, for Trouble With Curve is all of these things and is easily one of the year’s most frustrating films.

“Dredd 3D” (2012): An Unexpected Adrenaline Rush ★★★

……There’s a moment in Dredd 3D when the titular judge faces the camera, his nostrils flaring from an exhaustive killing rampage, his helmet blazing with the reflection of a fire across his eyes; in another film, this scene might be a hokey, eye-roll of a mess, but in Dredd 3D it’s a moment that defines cinematic badassness. While fall films like Arbitrage and The Master are turning on the Oscar buzz, Dredd 3D is revving up the adrenaline; brace yourselves, folks, this romp packs a thrilling punch of eye-popping gore and mindless entertainment that’s infectious. Call me crazy, but Dredd 3D is the most fun I’ve had at the movies in quite some time.

“End of Watch” (2012): Chemistry Can’t Save Tasteless Action Flick ★★

……Is it too much to ask for the “found footage genre” to go away and never, ever come back? When The Blair Witch Project used the found footage format in 1999 it was a horrifying breakthrough; when Paranormal Activity brought it back in 2007 it was a fine return to form; but now, after two Paranormal sequels (a third is out this October), the mediocre Chronicle, the lackluster The Last Exorcism, and the atrocious The Devil Inside, the “found footage” style is being beat to a bloody, lifeless pulp. I guess it should come as no surprise, then, that End of Watch, the found footage story of two LAPD officers navigating the crime ridden streets of South Central, is just that: bloody and lifeless.

“Arbitrage” (2012): Gere Stuns In Financial Thriller ★★★½

……Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the return of Richard Gere! As a 19-year-old, I never knew the Gere who became a legend with such hits as An Officer and a Gentleman, American Gigolo, Pretty Woman, and more. Growing up, Richard Gere was more a fledging actor and the fading star of lackluster horror films (Mothman Prophecies) and schlocky romances (Shall We Dance? Nights in Rodanthe). Not anymore. In Arbitrage, Nicholas Jarecki’s sleek and addictive debut feature, Gere stuns with an Oscar-caliber performance in a film of unpredictable shocks and jolts. Take note Academy, Gere is back and better than ever.

Fall Movie Season: My 10 Most Anticipated Films

……With the Summer Movie Season and its escapist blockbusters now a thing of the past, the Fall is where movies get down to business. Between a number of major film festivals in September (Venice, Toronto, Telluride) and the always-approaching awards season, the Fall is the perfect time for studios to begin unleashing their awards contenders. As a result, the Fall Season is where we begin to see a majority of the year’s best performances, screenplays, and films, and for that I couldn’t be more excited. Which films will reign supreme? Only time will tell; for the meantime, however, here are my 10 most anticipated films of the Fall Season:

(Note: For this article, the Fall Season covers September, October, and the first two weeks of November; the remainder of November and December will be covered exclusively for a Holiday Movie Preview)