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Reviews
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
There are no rules!
"The Rules of Attraction"
I don't know where to start; literally, even the film begins telling us the story from the end. The film centres on the weekend of three main characters Sean, Lauren and Paul, all who are romantically intertwined, and the shenanigans that consist of their over partied lives in college, a day in the life if it were. Sex, drugs, rock n roll, not to mention suicide and unrequited love all are major players in this film.
Jason Van Der Beek (TV's Dawson of "Dawson's Creek") gives a great performance playing Sean Bateman; a small drug dealer on campus that is in love with a virgin named Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon / "40 Days & 40 Nights"). However, she is in love with drug loving Victor, who has just got back from a European vacation. Bisexual Paul (Ian Somerhalder, TV's Boone in "Lost") falls in love with Sean and then things start to get even more complicated.
Very much focused at the teen audience, the social realism portrayed as well as the heartache, I think the audience could certainly feel a connection with some of the characters; Kate Bosworth, Jessica Biel and Thomas Ian Nicholas also star.
"The Rules of Attraction" is a Bret Easton novel (American Psycho) which has been superbly adapted for the screen by Roger Avary, who happened to work in the same video store as Quentin Tarrantino. I think that gives you an idea of what this film is going to be like; no A to Z plot, no beginning, middle & end and definitely no censorship.
Filmed with great expertise, this fantastic story is presented to us in the form of split screen, rewind mode and repetition. The attention to detail is fantastic and the more you watch it, the more things you will notice in the subtle settings. The soundtrack too, adds to the films success. Whilst using songs from an array of genres (European Dance/ 80's pop/ indie-rock etc) every scene and mood is enhanced. This film has everything that separates an excellent film from just a good film!
The Messengers (2007)
Entertaining as it as much eerie
"The Messengers" is a been there, done that, horror about a family who move to a spooky house in the middle of nowhere and then strange things begin to happen. It sounds like you have seen this film before yet the story still keeps you interested and in some cases even intrigued.
A family move from Chicago to an eerie, abandoned farmhouse in North Dakota to start a fresh and to start growing sunflowers on its land, aw. Then the teenager daughter Jess (Kristen Stewart, Panic Room) begins to sense strange happenings from the moment they move in, something just isn't quite right, her toddler brother, Ben, also begins to notice creaking noises and following shadows and the mother (Penelope Ann Miller) just can't get rid of THAT stain on the wall. However, the family don't seem to communicate so everybody just gets on with it without mentioning the strange goings on to other family members. Tut.
Roy the dad, (Dylan McDermott, Miracle on 34th St) then hires Burwell, a man who has literally came from nowhere to help on the farm, just as long as Roy throws in a free dinner. Mysterious Burwell (Aidan from Sex and the City) comes complete with sideburns a beard and a backwards cap, yes, a backwards cap. They are all getting on nicely, the sunflowers are growing, Jess has made a friend in Bobby but mum Denise just can't get THAT stain off the wall. So where did Burwell come from? Please enter ghostly Gollum like figures, shrieking violins, pecking crows and a lot of jumpy movements.
There isn't much new with "The Messengers" but with the film changing which character it's going to focus on every 5 minutes it still manages to keep you entertained and even concerned in what is going to happen. However, we know what is going to happen, don't we? You know what's round the corner, yet you still manage to jump, and I still managed to enjoy it!