This is 40 (2012)

A sad final product of a movie that had quite a bit of potential, This is 40 was disappointing to say the least. Judd Apatow's "sort of prequel" Knocked Up was one of the funniest movies of its year, and it's a shame to see this film not live up to its predecessor.

When Debbie (Leslie Mann) turns 40, her husband Pete (Paul Rudd) does everything he can to console her, but his efforts are in vain as she always seems to see the negatives in everything in life. To put it simply, as soon as she hit the big four-oh, Debbie became a 'Debbie Downer'. Add in a hormonal daughter, problems with parents and in-laws, and two failing businesses into the mix and you've got yourself a bona fide mid life crisis. However, on typical comedy fashion, everything seems to work out at the end for the couple and they learn to pull themselves together.

Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd as problematic couple Debbie and Pete. Source: Screenit

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Who in their right mind would attempt to turn this brilliant book into a movie? Oh yeah, the author of the book.

When I first heard that a movie was being produced, I wasn't sure what to think of it. Stephen Chbosky's book was absolutely masterful. I thought to myself, how could it be possible that the words on this page could translate into an equally amazing film? And who would want to take on such a project? Lo and behold, it was Chbosky himself. And boy did he do his own work justice.

Of course there were discrepancies between the original prose and what was depicted on screen, but the bulk of it was still the same. Logan Lerman plays the main protagonist, Charlie who has had some demons in the past that have been holding him back. We see him writing letters to an unknown friend, similar to writing a diary. Entering into his freshman year of highschool, he has a difficult time making new friends due to his introverted personality style. Basically his only friend on the first day of school is his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), who mentors Charlie and gives him advice through advanced literature assignments.

Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, and Emma Watson. Source: TIFF.net