THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (2002)

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Having just finished reading the book it seemed like as good a time as any to have another look at this adaptation.

Roger Avary (Killing Zoe) adapts and directs Bret Easton Ellis’ brilliant second book with his usual disjointed style. Some would say that it works well as a translation of the book but it turned out to be boring which the book definitely wasn’t.
The rhythms in the writing didn’t translate easily onto screen, the nihilistic nature of these mainly unlikeable characters and the tone of the book come across but the poetry of the language in the book was lost in translation.

The main problem could have been the fact that it was made under the studio system.
Had it been made today the transfer from word to image may have been more honest and daring.  It felt like the film was a series of scenes from the book as opposed to a full adaptation.

The execs must have been squeamish about Dawson experimenting with gay, especially when James Van Der Beek was still playing him at the time, so they made the affair between Sean and Paul a figment of Paul’s imagination. It could be argued that, as the chapters in the book are all told from different character’s POV’s it may reside in their imaginations but by doing this you lose a great deal of story, character and suggestion.

The film didn’t work for several reasons; it did not gel, was too disconnected as a piece of film and the subtleties in the book were given big flags in the film thus rendering them much less effective.

Special mentions must go to the Victor (Kip Pardue) European trip told with quick cuts and spanning several countries in the space of about 10 minutes, it has been copied countless times since throughout the media, Lost’s Ian Somerhalder played Paul Denton with the right amount of insecurity and ennui and finally, this was one of Shannyn Sossamon’s first films and she is great in it, the camera (and audience) loves this ex model.
Why isn’t she in more films?

2.5/5

BUY IT ON BLU-RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

WAJDJA (2013)

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Haifaa al Mansour is Saudi Arabia’s first female film director and the director of the first film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. That is huge.

The patriarchal society, in general, is outmoded, archaic and regressive. To deny or hide away from the subtle, powerful feminine energy is the kind of world I want no part of.
It lacks intelligence. Only when the balance is balance, equilibrium will be closer to being restored.
That being said, change can be very painful and takes time. This film is helping to usher in that time with compassion and love.

Haifaa al Mansour has made a beautiful, gentle film about a young girl who wants to buy a bicycle in a country where it is taboo for females to ride bikes.
A simple story, told with grace and elegance.
Any social commentary is here as observation as opposed to hammering home a strong political stance and that is where the biggest strength lies.

Amongst such strife and oppression it is so refreshing to see that this director decided to make a film like this. Kill them with love and beauty as opposed to shouting, spouting and spewing anger.

Waad Mohamed is wonderful as our plucky protagonist, charming and full of character as are all the supporting cast.

This was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars (2014).
It didn’t win but in order for it in the running it had to be submitted by Saudi Arabia officially, so on some level there is acceptance. That is huge.

Help usher in these changing times by supporting these artistic endeavours and telling everybody about it.
Not all will listen but some will hear.

4/5

BUY IT ON BLU-RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUBES HERE