Front Page
News
Opinion
A & E
Features
Sports
Back Page
Archive
Staff
Contact
|
Andrew Johnson Layout Editor In this day and age, it seems that movies are becoming more and more simple and boring. When I went to see "The Rules of Attraction" I was expecting much of the same; however, I left the theater feeling like I had seen something truly origional and inspiring. What you must know before seeing this flick is that it was adopted from Bret Easton Ellis's novel American Pshycho. In living up to the writing, Director Roger Avary creates an almost psychadelic feel with the cinemaphatography. In one scene the screen is split in half as you watch Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon) and Sean (James Van Der Beek) wake up and get ready for a Saturday morning tutorial. A long series of single camera shots culminates with them meeting in a hallway where both cameras pan out then combine into one shot. Also, there is excessive drug useage. With more cocaine than Blow and a scene where Fred Savage (The Wonder Years) makes an appearance in his underwear and shoots up through his toe. This movie is not for the light-of heart. When it comes to the plot, as with most movies based on novels, the story is hurried along to fit in two hours. The movie begins at the end of the story, in the midst of the "End of the World Party." Sean procedes to take a girl with "dick-sucking lips" up to his room. Bi-sexual Paul (Ian Somerhalder) goes tries to kiss a homo-phobic man, resulting in Paul being hit repeatedly and kicked into the hall. Then Lauren looses her virginity as she is passed out, and it is video tapped. From there the opening monalouge begins as the scene follows the snow upwards and a leaf un-decintegrates and flies back up to the tree. The story actually begins at the beginning of the semester and proceeds through it, following Lauren and Sean, as well as Paul as they hit "The End of the World Party," the "Pre Saturday Night Party Party," the "Saturday Night Party," and the "Dressed to Get Laid Party." What ensues is not exactly a love triangle, but some other geometric form with way too many sides and angles to describe. Watching the parties, I was wondering if I was watching American Pie, or Varsity Blues because all of the same actors were in all three movies. I began to wonder if they had used the same extras. However, the acting was suprisingly good. It seems that if you put these actors in the same role over and over they will eventually get the character. While this movie had its bad moments, they were completely overshadowded by an captivating story and how it was presented. I am deffinetly buying it when it comes out on video. © 2002 Shoreline Community College™ |