Every Day (2018)

Based on the best-selling novel by David Levithan, this film tells a beautiful love story that is so creative in its inception, it might just be one of the best romantic films I have seen in a long time.

Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) is for the most part your average teenager. She lives with her parents, Nick (Michael Cram) and Lindsey (Maria Bello), and older sister Jolene (Debby Ryan). She's doing well enough at school, about to begin applying for universities. And she has a boyfriend: Justin (Justice Smith) who, when we first meet him, seems lovely.

The two of them spend an entire day together, sharing and making memories together, and Rhiannon feels this is possibly the best day of her life so far. The two of them end their day together on beautiful terms, but the following day, Justin seems like an entirely different person, and doesn't seem to remember anything from the last 24 hours.

However, Rhiannon knows that in fact it was during the last 24 hours that Justin seemed like an entirely different person, because sadly, she seems to be used to this Justin. And indeed, he was someone different.

You see, the boy she spent the day with has a unique problem. Every morning, he wakes up in someone else's body. It's always someone close to his own age, and located within the same general proximity, and it's never the same body twice. This has been happening his whole life, and he has just had to become used to it.

This 'he' I keep mentioning goes by the name of 'A' (I can't give you the name of the person who plays this character, because of course, it changes all the time). In fact, even saying 'he' is not always accurate, as fifty percent of the time, A inhabits a girl's body.

To add to Rhiannon's woes, her family is becoming more and more dysfunctional by the day. Her father, since having a manic episode many years earlier, is unemployed and spends his days painting portraits of faces, her mother works several jobs just to keep the family afloat, and her sister is caught in the middle of all of this, and ends up taking her frustrations out on Rhiannon.

As A and Rhiannon spend more time together (which isn't easy at first, I mean, would you believe someone if they told you they woke up in a different body every day?), they become close and eventually - of course, as you would expect from a film of this genre - they fall in love. This presents its own set of problems, which I won't go into here, as I want to allow you to experience the same highs and lows as I did watching it, and that is more likely to happen if you don't know what's coming.

The screenplay - by Jesse Andrews - is so incredibly clever and creative, as I mentioned earlier. I'm not sure how much of this is due to Andrews, and how much was actually present in the novel, as unfortunately, I haven't read the book yet (though rest assured, I certainly want to do so now). The way these characters are written - and not just Rhiannon and A, but all of them - is so intricately detailed and intertwined, it's just magical to watch, while at the same time, being devastating to watch in an emotional sense.

The performances of the cast are fantastic. Angourie Rice is stunning as Rhiannon, and it is wonderful to see her in a larger role than she has played before: a task which she steps up to magnificently. Also, all the various people who play A deserve an honourable mention, as they all manage to portray this same character with the occasional individuality that comes from being in different bodies every day.

There isn't much I can say about the music, composed by Vladi Slav and Elliott Wheeler, because there simply isn't much of it. Though I suppose that's something in itself; the music certainly does not overwhelm or overshadow the action, but when it's there, it is beautiful.

Director Michael Sucsy has made an absolutely gorgeous film here, one that I'm sure I will want to watch again very soon. I think the more times I watch it, the more gems I will discover.

8 1/2 out of 10.

Paper Towns (2015)

Based on the best-selling young adult novel by John Green, this film takes the traditional teen romance/senior year story and adds a healthy dose of mystery.

Quentin (Nat Wolff) has been in love with the girl from across the street, Margo (Cara Delevingne), since they were in primary school. The only trouble is, she doesn’t feel the same way about him.

The two were virtually inseparable friends for several years, but as they got older, they drifted apart somewhat, and now barely even speak to each other.

That is, until one night, when Margo takes Quentin out for a night that will change his life. She needs his help to exact her own brand of revenge on several people she believes have wronged her in one way or another.

He agrees, and is off on an adventure of a lifetime. The two of them share an adrenaline-fueled night together, driving all over town, punishing other teens whom Margo bears grudges against. It seems that the two of them are becoming close again, and Quentin believes that she has finally come around after all.

But the next day, she disappears virtually without a trace.

Following a series of what he believes are clues Margo has left as to her whereabouts, he sets off on a road trip across the country with his two best friends, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), along with Radar’s girlfriend Angela (Jaz Sinclair) and Margo’s best friend Lacey (Halston Sage).

Enough of the plot, let’s get to the meaty part of the review.

I can’t really offer any comment on the quality of the adaptation (script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber), as I have not read the novel on which it is based. The script seems well-crafted and fast-paced throughout, though I am unsure how much of this is present in the novel as well.

The performances by most of the cast (including a cameo by Jay Duplass) are first-class. However, I never really felt anything for Cara Delevingne’s character. She doesn’t seem at all likeable to me, and her performance as an actor leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, acting requires a lot more than looking in the right direction and saying the right lines, which sadly seems to be all Delevingne is capable of, at least in this film.

The production design (by Chris Spellman) is superb, setting the scene(s) very well, and conveying so much with, in many cases, so little.

I found the score by Ryan Lott moderately enjoyable. It’s nothing special, but at the same time, it’s not bad, either.

This film is beautifully shot by cinematographer David Lanzenberg; every shot is virtually perfect, even in the scenes with a much faster pace, nothing is missing from the frame. The use of light and dark (a big part of good cinematography) is very good here. There is a lot of strength in every single shot.

Director Jake Schreier has created a relatively enjoyable mystery story, suitable to be watched at least once. Fans of the book may enjoy watching it again and again, but for myself, a single viewing is enough.

6 out of 10.