The Rules of Attraction

Product Description

It's the mid-1980s at Camden College. Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek) is the younger brother of psychotic Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman. Sean's a drug dealer, owes a lot of money to "fellow" dealer Rupert Guest (Clifton Collins, Jr.), and sleeps with nearly half of the female population on campus. Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) is technically a virgin. She's saving herself for her very shallow boyfriend, Victor Johnson (Kip Pardue), who's left the states to backpack across Europe. Her slutty roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel), has the hots for Victor as well. Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) is bisexual. He used to love Mitchell Allen (Thomas Ian Nicholas) before Mitchell dumped him for Candice (Clare Kramer). Sean loves Lauren. Paul loves Sean and used to date Lauren. Lauren loves both Sean and Victor. Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll...what more could you want in a movie?

System Requirements:
Starring: James Van Der Beek, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, and Kip Pardue.
Directed By: Roger Avary.
Running Time: 110 Minutes., Color.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

A not-quite dazzling array of cinematic tricks (split screens, freeze-frames, running the film backwards, rapid editing, etc.) are used to depict college students floundering in the pursuit of love and meaning. Drugs, blow jobs, pornography, booze, rape, masturbation, '80s pop tunes, beatings, suicide, attempted suicide, faked suicide, loss of bladder control, and trite pseudo-philosophy are on display as pretty young actors with squeaky-clean images (like James Van Der Beek and Jessica Biel) attempt to dirty themselves up. The Rules of Attraction comes to life for about five minutes when an actor named Russell Sams appears for an outrageous restaurant scene, then slumps back into terminal disaffection when he departs. Also featuring Shannyn Sossamon, Faye Dunaway, Swoozie Kurtz, Ian Somerhalder, Kate Bosworth, Eric Stolz, Fred Savage, and many strikingly good-looking young people. The filmmakers are attempting to depict the vacuousness of today's youth but only succeed in portraying the void in their own hearts. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2007-07-08

People who are looking for a feel good story are not going to get it in this film. And that is exactly what makes it great -- because life is seldom this way. The characters are not likable and there are no happy endings. The story is told masterfully, and I envy the talent of the screenwriter/director.

I just finished watching the movie, got a drink of water, and watched it again to make sure I didn't miss a thing. Brilliant. Bravo!

wow.......2007-06-15

Went into this one not expecting much, and was surprised. Very good.

Truly horrible.......2007-05-26

This is one of the nastiest things I've sat through for a long time. I kept waiting for some hint of wit or wisdom to emerge but it simply cloaks its vacuousness with some pretentious flashback trickery. Every character in it is repellent and despaired, sex-obsessed and self-absorbed; the violence and abuse is graphic and it has nothing to say about human nature beyond what we know happens to people who have lost touch with all decent values. I'm told that it is satirical but it's too witless to be trenchant or mordant in its observations and as for comedy - I'm afraid I could not laugh at its glorification of decadence. People who live like this live neither long nor happily but this film attempts more to legitimise and normalise their casual misery than to satirise it. Real "vomit of despair" - avoid it.

Brilliant, dark, and very funny.......2007-05-21

Bret Easton Ellis is an awesome writer. I think his book "American Psycho" captures a certain essence of modern America that eludes most authors. It's difficult to say that about a book whose main character spends most of his time killing people in the most nauseating ways possible while working days as a Wall Street insider. Based on that plot summary alone, I would say you'd have to be insane to think "American Psycho" is a modern classic. It is, though. It's how Ellis captures the vacuousness of the elites, the absolute absence of any form of morality, which makes the book shine. Too, he captures the mindlessness of rampant consumerism perfectly. He takes it over the top, I think, but he does so only to emphasize the emptiness of his characters. Not surprisingly, his other novels look at the same ideas from different perspectives. "Less Than Zero" cast a scathing eye on the immoral goings on amongst wealthy 1980s youth in Los Angeles. Then there's "Rules of Attraction," a book, eventually made into a major motion picture in 2002, which does the same thing for wealthy college students. I think I detect a pattern unfolding here!

"The Rules of Attraction" exposes the antics unfolding at Camden College, one of those snooty, Ivy League type schools attended by the offspring of America's rich and famous. Let's meet the cast of characters, shall we? We've got Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), a drug dealer in hot water with his supplier Rupert Guest (Clifton Collins, Jr.). Lauren Hynde (the delightful Shannyn Sossamon) is a pretty young girl saving herself for her boyfriend Victor (Kip Pardue), who in turn is currently making the party rounds in Europe. Lauren's roommate Lara (Jessica Biel) likes to mix it up with the entire male population of Camden College. Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) is a chap that likes to swing both ways. He used to date Lauren before coming out of the closet, so to speak, and now has eyes for Sean Bateman, who he thinks swings both ways as well. I think that pretty much covers the main characters. We've got a host of minor actors in the unfolding story arcs--people like Candice (Clare Kramer), Kelly (Kate Bosworth), and Marc (Fred Savage)--to keep things popping. We also see Faye Dunaway and Swoosie Kurtz as parents in a particularly amusing sequence.

Whew! Just trying to keep track of the characters takes up most of your first viewing experience. You'll need to watch the film again to get the most out of it, however, because director Roger Avary employs a most unusual narrative technique to tell these characters' stories. When we first enter the movie, Sean's prowling about the infamous "End of the World" party held every year on campus. We hear him talking about himself and his actions in voiceover, a tactic used for other characters as well, before the weirdness begins. Scenes start rewinding at an incredible pace, zipping back through what we've already seen in order to take us to another character's sad tale of woe. We see Sean's problems with Rupert, Lauren's romantic difficulties, and lots of out of control partying. We learn that Sean receives love notes in his post office box that he thinks Lauren sent. The two meet but eventually drift apart before anything serious occurs. That's mainly the crux of the film right there: interesting things start to happen but don't due to inaction, misunderstandings, and a lack of communication. It doesn't help that the characters labor under vacuousness so total as to preclude meaningful relationships with anyone other than themselves.

I got a huge kick out of this movie. Then again, I also got a huge kick out of the film versions of "Less Than Zero" and "American Psycho". Others disagree, obviously, but I think Ellis's novels translate well to the screen. "Rules of Attraction" works under the capable guidance of Roger Avery. I think a lot of people complain about this movie, and by extension the other film versions of Ellis's books, because they don't understand the subject matter. You can complain about the film's lack of substance (not substance abuse, though, because there's plenty of that to go around), but that's the point. Ellis writes books that expose the various forms of decadence plaguing our society, and writes them in order to show the consequences on its practitioners. If you can't grasp that concept, you won't like this film. Then again, maybe you will if you like your humor as black as pitch. Let me cite two wickedly funny sequences in the movie as proof. One, the scene in which Sean attempts to take his own life had me howling with laughter. I watched it again and again, and it never lost its ability to amuse. Two, Victor's sojourn through Europe is a sight and sound experience one should not miss. Hilarious. If you still can't groove to the flick, two words: Jessica Biel.

You'll find great picture and audio quality on this DVD. Supplements include an intriguing 26 minute "Anatomy of a Scene" that explains how Avary and company pulled off an especially tricky piece of camera work involving Sossamon and Van Der Beek. We also receive trailers and television spots for the film, promotional material, and a commercial for the book. We also get SIX commentary tracks. One of them is a bonus commentary with comedian Carrot Top (?). The rest rely on the various actors and a few crewmembers. SIX COMMENTARY TRACKS! What were they thinking? If you listen to all of them, and I did, you'll spend days working your way through this disc's special features. I like the movie, I'm giving it five stars, and even I don't think I needed to know this much information about the film. What's surprising is that director Roger Avary isn't on a single one of these tracks! Weird. Anyway, enjoy the film. It's a keeper.

Great Book Adaption, Not so Great Film.......2007-03-14

Despite many large and small changes to the characters and storyline (what little there is) of Bret Easton Ellis' book, "The Rules of Attraction" manages to stay completely faithful to the novel's spirit and tone. In this, it a far more successful adapation of Ellis' work than any film thus far. Roger Avary has created an incoherent, chaotic, frenzied work, full of unlikable, selfish characters. Anyone that's read Ellis' book knows that's exactly what it is. However, what works on page often does not work on film, and this film is a clear example of that. Even though the entire cast is great, and James Van Der Beek has never been better on the big screen, the film simply does not really click. I don't know if Avary could have made the film differently and still stayed faithful to the book, but the end result is a great book adaption and a not so great film.

My advice? If you've read and liked the book, you'll like the movie despite its big, glaring faults. If you haven't read or didn't like the book, don't see the movie.

Average customer rating:

Ann Rule's And Never Let Her Go
Starring: Gene Dinovi , Olympia Dukakis , Paul Michael Glaser , Mark Harmon , and David Hewlett
Director: Peter Levin
Manufacturer: Rhi Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000UAE7J0
Release Date: 2007-10-16

Description

Thomas Capano has power, influence, and money. Anne Marie Fahey has a desperate need to escape. From Ann Rule, "the queen of the true-crime genre" (Philadelphia Inquirer), comes the shocking true story of a love that turns to cruel obsession, and the perf

Average customer rating:

Kids/The Rules of Attraction
Starring: Kids , and Rules of Attraction
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000LC3IEW
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Description

KIDS - Powerful and passionate, colorful and compelling, Larry Clark's KIDS is 24 frenetic hours in the life of a group of contemporary teenagers who, like all teenagers, believe they are invincible. With breathtaking images from one of the world's most renowned photographers, KIDS is a deeply affecting, no-holds-barred landscape of words and images, depicting with raw honesty the experiences, attitudes and uncertainties of innocence lost. KIDS gets under the skin and lingers, long after it is viewed. The kids at the core of the story are just that: teenagers living in the urban melee of modern-day America. But while these kids dwell in the big city, their story could, quite possibly, happen anywhere. THE RULES OF ATTRACTION - Forget everything you thought you knew about higher education. Academy Award-winning writer/director Roger Avary masterfully takes you back to school and drops you in the middle of the drugged-out, sexed-up lives of some of Camden College's most disaffected students. Meet Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), a womanizing drug dealer whose quest for a connection brings him face-to-face with Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), a sensitive virgin looking for love but saving herself for the much sought-after Victor (Kip Pardue). All the while Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) wants to make a connection of his own...with Sean. Based on the best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis' darkly funny satire of life, love and the pursuit of social debauchery.

Average customer rating:

Wow!
wow
Truly horrible
Brilliant, dark, and very funny
Great Book Adaption, Not so Great Film

The Rules of Attraction
Starring: James Van Der Beek , Shannyn Sossamon , Kip Pardue , Jessica Biel , and Ian Somerhalder
Director: Roger Avary
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000089Q73

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2007-07-08

wow.......2007-06-15

Went into this one not expecting much, and was surprised. Very good.

Truly horrible.......2007-05-26

Brilliant, dark, and very funny.......2007-05-21

Great Book Adaption, Not so Great Film.......2007-03-14

Average customer rating:

Good movie, bad acting
Fascinating, yet how actually interactive is it?
POV- it's GREAT!!
A different kind of entertainment...
Engrossing, intelligent interactive entertainment

Point of View
Starring: Stefanie von Pfetten , Chris Bradford , Christopher Shyer , Sarah Rodgers , and Paul Jarrett
Director: David Wheeler
Manufacturer: D3
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000053V1N
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Good movie, bad acting.......2003-04-22

The acting leaves a little to be desired. Combined with the natural lighting, it gives a very "student theatre" or "80's movie" feel to it. Also, unlike "Tender Loving Care," POV's questions are overt. Because of this, most people will have the same ending.

The soundtrack, though, does lend strength to the movie.

Fascinating, yet how actually interactive is it?.......2002-11-22

Just a small note to add to others' reviews: I'd say that the promise of interactivity adds to the movie more than its *actual* interactivity. I saw the film twice, the second time giving ridiculously different answers to the tests, and I got back to the very same ending. However, the possibility of exploring interviews with the characters and extra clues enhanced the experience of the film very much, and way beyond its actual movie-of-the-week merits. A nice experience, but one is left wondering how better it could have gotten (and look forward to a further and bolder experiment in storytelling).

POV- it's GREAT!!.......2001-12-27

This interactive movie is a lot of fun...If you liked Tender Loving Care, you'll love this one. The characters are really interesting, and you'll be eager to see what happens next! Check this one out!

A different kind of entertainment..........2001-10-03

I didn't know what to expect when I bought this, but was surprised to find that I loved it. It's the type of movie where you control what the characters do. You answer lots of questions after watching every 15 minutes. The questions can be answered via your dvd remote and are simple and sometimes hilarious questions. A great way to pass the time and awesome actors, actresses. I highly recommend if you are looking for something new and fun to do. :)

Engrossing, intelligent interactive entertainment.......2001-09-26

Point of View or "POV" is a truly innovative art-house movie from Canada that makes intriguing use of the interactive capabilities of the DVD medium. It easily succeeds in providing an absorbing entertainment experience for thoughtful viewers that transcends its relatively low budget.

All aspects of the storyline revolve around POV's central character, Jane Bole, a beautiful introverted and seductive artist/cleaning lady, played brilliantly by Stefanie von Pfetten, who gradually recovers her self-confidence in romantic matters as she strives to come to terms with a dark incident in her past - a traumatic event which she justifiably fears may soon be repeated. Jane's bizarre requited romance with across the street neighbour, musician/paperboy Frank (Chris Bradford), provides plenty of opportunities for fantasising, mild eroticism and the building up of a strong aura of tantalising mystery and considerable sexual tension as Frank warily but persistently tries to unveil the reasons behind her mysteriousness.

During the course of the movie, a surprisingly wide variety of adult themes are at least touched upon. Particularly prominent is the theme of big-city loneliness and alienation that can lead to odd and obsessive behaviour. Others include issues of female beauty and attractiveness and the problems that can cause. Most inspiring is the theme of facing up to one's past and coming to terms with one's fears so that retreat from the world is no longer a viable or desirable option. Themes are all explored by excellent acting and skilful, sensitive directing, thereby negating the need for any nudity or excessive sexual activity.

Viewers are pulled into all these developments by becoming active participants in deciding upon some directions the storyline will take and by other interesting methods that all but preclude traditional passive attention. For example, at the end of each of POV's first eleven chapters, viewers are asked several multiple choice questions based upon their personal opinions on the characters and themes portrayed in the scenes they have just watched. Most questions are quite relevant, but those with less relevance are still valuable to get the viewer to think deeper about the themes in the story and thus get them more emotionally involved in the developments. Depending upon one's responses, some future scenes are omitted, modified or added. Furthermore, the end of most chapters also includes bonus material which provides further depth to the storyline in the form of static pictures of the character's personal papers and other belongings, and brief visual segments where select characters speak their innermost thoughts directly to the camera. Different viewings of POV can result in slightly different plotlines. Complete viewings can take anywhere from two to four hours each and one's "games" may be saved/reloaded using a special code shown on screen.

Director/writer David Wheeler has considerably surpassed his earlier work, "Tender Loving Care", here in many respects. He filmed POV in digital video using minimal artificial lighting, thereby providing a clear, realistic look for the entire production, a large percentage of which was filmed at night. Significant artistic use is made of black and white video, mainly to indicate flashbacks or at least scenes where Jane is somehow reminded of her dark past. Where appropriate, stills and slow motion are used in certain scenes. Wheeler set and filmed POV in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, and it shows - wide angled shots of downtown and other areas are presented and actual locations rather than film sets were used wherever possible.

Complementing all movie scenes is the highly memorable, varied and appropriate musical score and songs by local Vancouver musicians Payton Rule and jefreejon. They can even be seen as characters in one nightclub scene. Some scenes contain little or no dialogue, so their music and song combined with the superb acting and directing can lead one to see such scenes as well-designed music videos as well as vital plot enhancements. These types of scenes tend to be concentrated in the first half of the movie, the latter half containing many dialogue heavy scenes that last for several minutes with little or no music.

Topping off this magnificent DVD are a couple of bonus extras: a trailer and a "making of" special. The trailer uses mainly the song/music from chapter one of the movie and provides a useful overview of what to expect without spoiling too much. Conversely, the "making of", while extremely interesting, has been oddly placed, allowing those who have not completed the movie in full at least once to view it. Those who want to avoid several spoilers should avoid watching it for as long as possible. The "making of" provides a personal, often quaint and amusing overview of the reality behind POV. Both the cast and crew get screen-time and the director provides the overall focus for this special. Seeing Stefanie von Pfetten's real-life personality is the real highlight of the special and she is to be highly commended for her attitudes.

Failings in POV are not easy to find. If one had to be picky, one could say that: some movie scenes contain unexplained lines across the screen; there are some relatively rare misspellings and grammatical errors in the text; the storyline is not as customisable as it might be and contains some minor inconsistencies; and that the "making of" special is inappropriately placed on the disc, but these errors are so trivial compared to POV's positive points as to be barely worth a mention.

Overall, Point of View is an outstanding, innovative contribution to the DVD medium that this reviewer is honoured to have in his DVD collection and is recommended to any mature person who likes to think and interact with intelligent movies.

Description

As Sora comes to terms with Yoru, his hidden personality, and his relationship with Sunao, new levels to the mystery continue to appear. What was the goal of Aizawa and his strange experiments? What is the meaning behind Sunao's strange behavior? Does Sunao hold a deep hatred for Sora within his heart? Love and hate battle each other as the past threatens to repeat itself.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious.......2006-02-26

When I first heard about this show I thought it was just another bad Yaoi that girls swoon over. But I was definatly wrong, this is a great story that is cleaverly intwined with moments of laughter. Although it seems to be a romantic series, that almost washes away with the jokes and the moments of depression that some of the characters in the show get. Over all its a great show that anyone above 13 should watch, rent it if available, but you also won't regret buying it.

Worth getting!.......2006-01-08

This is a great Shounen-ai anime to have, not too short or long. The artwork is pretty, the characters endearing, the Japanese vocal cast excellent and the story sublime though needs a bit of time to get into. There is humour, drama, mystery and of course it is boys' love. I personnally prefer the love between the 2 teachers than between the 2 protagonists. I have watched the whole series in Chinese sub and was taken by surprise by the turning points in the series, which give this whole story a different perspective. I do not wish to give any spoiler away but the story is much more than it first appears. You either like the turn of events or be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised though could not help feeling a trifle betrayed. The initial direction of the story is much more romantic.

Average customer rating:

The Rules of Attraction [Region 2]
Starring: James Van Der Beek , Shannyn Sossamon , Kip Pardue , Jessica Biel , and Ian Somerhalder
Director: Roger Avary
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000087JHP

DVD:

DVD

DVD