Abandon & The Rules Of Attraction

It’s official. Some filmmakers are actually taking the teen genre seriously enough to make decent films. Two new films, The Rules of Attraction and Abandon, are definitely worth seeing…if not now then in a few months when they hit the video rental shelves.

The Rules of Attraction is based on Bret Easton Ellis’s 1987 novel of the same name. The Less Than Zero author has had a knack for getting straight to the gritty realism of young adults out on their own for the first time in their lives. It’s not all frat parties and hangovers as some of the decisions made by Rules characters are definitely going to affect them for the rest of their lives. The decadence of dorm life depicted in Rules is enough to make some parents consider sending their kids to Europe instead of college.

Abandon—a movie starring Dawson’s Creek’s Katie Holmes and Law & Order’s Benjamin Bratt—was handicapped this summer by some of the worst trailers known to man. Folks ignoring the bad previews, however, are in for a thrilling little treat as Holmes’ boyfriend (Charlie Hunnam) disappears under suspicious circumstances. When she starts to believe that he is still around and plotting for revenge, no one takes her seriously. That is until the carnage starts to add up…

Although Abandon is not the thriller most adults will want to see this fall, it is miles beyond its summer counterpart, Swimfan.
Now if White Oleander, Knockaround Guys, and Punch-Drunk Love will just make it to Boone theatres…