Sincerity, not to mention quality, seems to be a tough one to pull off in films, especially films targeted to kids and young adults. Those groups are usually pandered to by the those-morons-will-watch-anything producers.
Thankfully, this month has seen the release of not one, but two quality adult-friendly YA releases.
First: the Oscar nominated animated feature Wreck it Ralph.
Right off the bat - if you know what "up up down down left right left right b a start" is, then you will love this movie. Not since Scott Pilgrim vs. the world have old-school video game references been used with such frequency and accuracy.
Ralph is the "bad guy" similar to Donkey Kong in an old-school arcade game, but after hours, the arcade characters continue their lives. Ralph isn't happy with always being the bad guy, so he goes into other games to try to turn his luck around. The voice acting is top-notch and this is one of the very few times when recognizable voices actually helped rather than detracted from the story.
On the teen romance side of the coin we have Perks of Being a Wallflower, a remarkably sincere film about being in high school back in the days when affections were shown with mix-tapes and late-night screenings of Rocky Horror Picture Show as windows to a better life.
The star is fresh out of a mental institution for reasons that come out later, but he spends his first days at school as an outsider, then is taken in by a charming group of misfits. Quality viewing to be sure enjoy.
