The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Robot and Frank and The Man With the Iron Fists are also available on DVD this week.

Skyfall

Daniel Craig reprises his role as Agent 007 in the latest stylish Bond film. Director Sam Mendes blends together classic Bond elements and characters for a fresh take on the beloved franchise. This time, Bond finds himself coming out of early retirement to help M (Judi Dench) after she accidentally leaks a list of secret agents. He's led to creepy, campy villain Silva (Javier Bardem), who provides an evil agenda and some comic relief. The DVD comes with a four-part making-of documentary.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author Stephen Chbosky takes his beloved coming-of-age story to the big screen, as both writer and director of the film. Logan Lerman stars as Charlie, the shy teen who finds his niche with a like-minded group of misfits and soon develops a crush on one of the ringleaders, Sam (Emma Watson). Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd, and Mae Whitman also make up the colorful cast, but it's Ezra Miller who steals the show with his outstanding performance as the openly out and proud Patrick. DVD extras include commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette.

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One more new movie when you read more

Jake Gyllenhaal's LA cop drama ,End of Watch, and horror flick House at the End of the Street tied for the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, each earning an estimated $13 million in their opening weekends. Fellow new release Trouble With the Curve placed a close third with $12.7 million, followed by Finding Nemo, which took in $9.4 million in its 3D release. Last week's number one, Resident Evil: Retribution, fell to fifth place with $6.7 million. As for other new releases, Dredd 3D took sixth place with $6.3 million and The Perks of Being a Wallflower had a small, four-theater opening, but pulled in a healthy $244,000.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower succeeds on a multitude of levels: it's a coming-of-age story that accurately reflects the agony and ecstasy of getting older, it's a showcase of some fantastic young talent, and it's a satisfying big-screen translation of a beloved book. Directed and adapted by the novel's author, Stephen Chbosky, the movie is the story of Charlie (Logan Lerman), a teen who begins high school with trepidation and a troubling past. When he encounters Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), seniors and stepsiblings, they welcome him into their group of friends, and Charlie begins a journey of acceptance, friendship, and first love. It's a ride that's both joyful and painful.

The book on which the movie is based has a fairly bare-bones structure (it's a series of letters written by Charlie to an unknown recipient), but Chbosky colors in the details and visuals in an impressive, fitting way. The ensemble cast members (including Paul Rudd, Nina Dobrev, and Mae Whitman) commit themselves fully to their roles for performances that are great for different reasons, ranging from commanding to understated. To find out what else I liked about The Perks of Being a Wallflower, keep reading.