Enter Sebastian. A very handsome young man who’s father is very rich and away for the summer. This leaves him with the time to run around the city as your own personal playground in his classic Jaguar. With the reputation as a bit of a ladies man you are starting to get bored with the same ... Read review
This modern-day teen update ofLes Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both ... more
critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominat...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
This modern-day teen update ofLes Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both ... more
critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominat...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar - Scooby Doo, The Grudge) and Sebastian Valmont ... more
(Ryan Phillippe - Gosford Park) are two gorgeous, filthy rich, manipulative stepsiblings from Manhattan's upper east side.Bored of the girls he has so easily seduce...
From the Producer of the original Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer, ... more
comes a brand new story about three unscrupulous college students willing to use and abuse each other in their vicious games of gossip, deceit and betrayal.Patrick (Kerr Smith - TV's Dawson's Creek), Cassie (Kristina Anapau - Cursed) and Jason (Nathan J. Wetherington - TV's The It Factor) take malicious pleasure in ruining the lives of fellow classmates through a series of sexual wagers. Bored with such easy prey, Jason and Patrick agree to one final bet, a winner-takes-all game of seduction and revenge where Cassie becomes the grand prize and the loser is forced to experience a whole new level of pleasure ...and pain.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Ryan Phillippe (Crash) sizzle as ... more
a pair of unscrupulous siblings in a deliciously sexy tale of seduction, revenge and conquest.After cleverly seducing and ruining the reputation of an unsuspecting classmate (Selma Blair, Hellboy), the sparks fly when Kathryn (Gellar) poses the ultimate challenge to her insatiable stepbrother Sebastian (Phillippe): deflower the headmaster's beautiful, virgin daughter Annette (Reese Witherspoon, Walk The Line). If he fails, Kathryn gets his most prized possession, but if he succeeds, Sebastian gets to possess and bed Kathryn. The stakes are high, but for Sebastian, the payoff is feverishly irresistible...
Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, TV's ... more
Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Studio 54) are two gorgeous, filthy rich, manipulative stepsiblings from Manhattan's upper east side. Bored of the girls he has so easily seduced in the past, Sebastian has set his sights on the ultimate challenge - the beautiful, virginal, headmasters' daughter Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon - Pleasantville, The Man in the Moon). Kathryn sees the perfect opportunity for a wager. If Sebastian fails to lure Annette into his bed, he will have to surrender his priceless vintage Jaguar; if he succeeds, he will win the most tempting prize of all - Kathryn. Sparks fly in this wickedly sexy tale of seduction as Kathryn and Sebastian play a dangerous game of sex and betrayal...Also available is the sequel Cruel Intentions 2.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Enter Sebastian. A very handsome young man who’s father is very rich and away for the summer. This leaves him with the time to run around the city as your own personal playground in his classic Jaguar. With the reputation as a bit of a ladies man you are starting to get bored with the same old faces, same easily caught woman, there is just no challenge with them anymore.
Next we have Catherine. An intelligent young lady who has a lot ... ...built an impeccable reputation with both the staff and parents of her fellow students. She has a very well hidden vindictive and manipulative side which only her step brother Sebastian is aware of and gives herself hours of pleasure in orchestrating the downfall and general misery she can inflict.
Then along comes Annette. Daughter of the new principle, she is a beautiful and wholesome young lady who prides herself in her self written ... more
Enter Sebastian. A very handsome young man who’s father is very rich and away for the summer. This leaves him with the time to run around the city as your own personal playground in his classic Jaguar. With the reputation as a bit of a ladies man you are starting to get bored with the same old faces, same easily caught woman, there is just no challenge with them anymore.
Next we have Catherine. An intelligent young lady who has a lot of responsibility in the school they both attend and has built an impeccable reputation with both the staff and parents of her fellow students. She has a very well hidden vindictive and manipulative side which only her step brother Sebastian is aware of and gives herself hours of pleasure in orchestrating the downfall and general misery she can inflict.
Then along comes Annette. Daughter of the new principle, she is a beautiful and wholesome young lady who prides herself in her self written manifesto proclaiming that she intends to keep her virginity intact until the night of her wedding day.
New to the school is Cecile. Very socially inept and slightly dim, her mother seeks the help of Catherine to help her daughter fit into her new school and to rise up the social ladder. However, unknown to her mother is her afro-american boyfriend Ronald who also just happened to have dumped Catherine to go out with Cecile.
What unfolds, is Catherine plans and ‘cruel intensions’ come into play as she places a bet with her step brother that if he manages to bed Annette, she will offer herself to him with the promise “that you can put it anywhere” and if not, she gets his prized car. Meanwhile, she puts in place a plan to ruin the vulnerable Cecile’s reputation before she even starts the first term in her new school….
Set in Manhatten, this updated version of Dangerous Liaisons looks at how the children of the upper classes look to amuse themselves. While showing us the exquisite opulence they enjoy it, at the same time it shows us what boredom and no real purpose in life can lead to for the adolescents who find themselves in this rather envious position.
The story is engaging and right from the offset the twisted web of deceit woven by Catherine and Sebastian is played out to you to give you the exact idea of what kind of film you are about to see. The script itself is full of one liners, sexual innuendo and sarcasm. For me, the story moved on quite quickly although I did feel that while it tried to maintain two distinct storylines, only one of them was successful in holding my attention fully (Sebastian & Annette) while the other, basically faded into the background as the film progressed.
The acting from the mostly young cast was, for the most part, very good. Gellar was highly successful in her Jeckle & Hyde portrayal of Catherine perfectly contrasting her most well known part as the goody goody Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In playing Sebastian, Phillipe conveyed the sleazy side of the character very well and was admiral in showing us how the character started to struggle with his feelings and choices in life. Witherspoon again was very effective in conveying how a person with her beliefs has to deal with the sometimes adverse reaction they get when championing the choice of abstinence however I was rather disappointed with Blair’s portrayal of Cecile, as for me the character was less believable as she went over the top on a couple of occasions.
Directed by Roger Kimble, who’s other notable film (apart from the disastrous sequal to this) is The Sweetest Thing, was very effective in showcasing this type of life and the grandeur of the accommodation and designer clothes that these young adults have access to. Coupled with the fact it was Kimble who wrote the screenplay, the direction was very effective in keeping the story moving. His use of the size of Catherine and Sebastian’s apartment, and the many shadows people can overhear things, added greatly to creating the suspicious actions they were committing.
The soundtrack of the movie was excellent. Using very up to the minute tracks from both sides of the Atlantic, they very much managed to capture the moment they were playing over perfectly and added so much to the understanding and effect the viewer received. Non better in my opinion, that the final scene where the Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony slowly starts and then takes over as the movie ends. Other notable artists are Blur, Skunk Anansie, Faithless, Fat Boy Slim, Placebo and the Counting Crows.
Finally, the DVD itself contains the standard extras you come to expect these days. There is the directors commentary and cinematic trailer. Also included are a selection of the aforementioned tracks of the soundtrack as well as a behind the scenes featurette. Finally there is a deleted scene section, which while interesting, I have to say I fully agreed with them not being in the film but to explain more about that I would have to spoil some of the plot for you!
So, to conclude, I will happily give this film five stars as I can sit and watch it over and over again. With its certificate of 15 being justified in my view, it is more likely to appeal to people of that age and well into their late 20’s. Above that, I am not quite sure what you will make of this film, but then its not really aimed at that market.
Enjoy folks!
drew
(p.s – my only spoiler for the film is for the ladies and guys like me, look out for Sebastian getting out of the swimming pool……a rather nice sight awaits you!)
Cast List (imdb.com) Sarah Michelle Gellar .... Kathryn Merteuil Ryan Phillippe .... Sebastian Valmont Reese Witherspoon .... Annette Hargrove Selma Blair .... Cecile Caldwell Louise Fletcher .... Helen Rosemond Joshua Jackson .... Blaine Tuttle Eric Mabius .... Greg McConnell Sean Patrick Thomas .... Ronald Clifford Swoosie Kurtz .... Dr. Regina Greenbaum Christine Baranski .... Bunny Caldwell
Advantages: Hot Sarah Michelle Geller Disadvantages: The ending was a bit of a let down
...including a direct-to-video sequel to Cruel Intentions and Cruel Intentions appears to be by far his best work. He adapted it from a famous French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses which has been directly adapted into films set during the period of the novel (18th century). I have neither read the book nor seen any of these films so I can not compare. However, the end of this film was a bit of a disappointment, it became a little too soppy and romantic. ... ...originality but the strength of the majority sort of gave this a pass. As already said the soundtrack was a great addition to this film 1 Every You Every Me (single mix) - Placebo 2 Praise You (radio edit) - Fatboy Slim 3 Coffee And TV - Blur 4 Bedroom Dancing (first recording) - Day One 5 Colourblind - Counting Crows 6 Ordinary Life - Barry, Kristen 7 Comin' Up From Behind - Marcy's Playground 8 Secretly - Skunk Anansie 9 This Love - Armstrong, ...
Phelthew 22.11.2008 (04.06.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions (DVD)
Advantages: Great plot, great cast Disadvantages: none really
Before you start thinking whether or not to bother reading YET another American teen flick review, this time it’s actually very good!. STORYLINE:
The story revolves around the handsome, yet cruel, Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe) and his beautiful, yet sinister, stepsister Kathryn (Sarah Michelle-Gellar) and there little bet. If Sebastian manages to bed the new college headmasters daughter before the start of the new semester, he will get what he’s ... ...his most prized possession, his 1956 Jaguar Roadster.
The film starts off with Mrs. Caldwell (Christine Baranski) introducing her daughter, Cecile (Selma Blair), to Kathryn – who is the College Student Body President. What they don’t know is that Kathryn holds a grudge against her because her ex-boyfriend left her for Cecile not long before. So she decides that she will befriend her and ‘teach her the ropes’ with the intention ...
seteo 10.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions (DVD)
Advantages: Excellent story, supported by a good all round disc. Disadvantages: The nature of the film will not test your system.
Anyone who has seen the 80s classic Dangerous Liasons will know what to expect. This movie has updated the tale to the modern day, and plays out the main characters as rich siblings who manipulate friends and acquaintances.
The plot centres around a wager between Sebastian and Kathryn (step brother and sister), played superbly by Ryan Phillipe and Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy fame. Sebastian has to bed the new girl in town - if he wins then he ... ...The film is very enjoyable - plenty of twists and turns keep the audience guessing right to the last. But as with all my dvd opinions, this is a review of the dvd as a package, and not just a spoiler to the film.
So what is the transfer like? The answer is very good - the 1.85:1 frame is crystal clear throughout, and gets a chance to show off during scenes shot in the bedrooms which are finished in superb blues or reds.
The soundtrack is reasonable, ...
petrasol 31.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions (DVD)
Advantages: All of the extra features Disadvantages: None that I can think of
...already wrote an opinion on Cruel Intentions I know, but the DVD is so good that I just had d=to write another one on the DVD itself! So, if you want to know what the movies about, this isn’t the place to get the info from, you’d be better looking at the opinions on the film itself. Right, so onto the DVD. What has it got that makes it so good in my humble opinion? Well you know when you either rent or buy a DVD and look forward to all ... ...view cruel intentions and are wondering whether to get it on VHS or DVD (well, obviously you should get it on DVD anyway) then you should really go for the DVD just for the extra features that it offers. Well worth the extra couple of quid if you ask me! ...
GR-Design 10.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions (DVD)
Advantages: Lots of DVD extras, moral tale Disadvantages: Buffy seems tame by comparison!
...his prized Jaguar car.
Cruel Intentions is directed by writer turned director Roger Kumble and is an excellent movie which should enhance the reputation of everyone involved. For the first time ever I've bought the CD soundtrack of the movie which features fourteen excellent tracks by Placebo, Blur, Marcy Playground, Fatboy Slim, Counting Crows, Faithless, The Verve, Blur and others.
Gellar and Philippe also starred together in I Know What You ... ...chemistry between this great leading couple although they didn't have it all their own way with top notch performances by Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair.
As a parent I wasn't sure about the 15 certificate - there's lots of explicit sex-chat and one or two scenes showing drug use but these are relevant to the plot and are eventually portrayed as "a bad thing" so the censors probably got it right.
The DVD includes the usual actors film biographies, ...
joecon 13.02.2001 (14.02.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions (DVD)
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Advantages: so bad its funny Disadvantages: bad acting, script, direction, need I go on
Yesterday I paid a visit to a friend and noticed he had a new pile of dvd's. As I sifted through I noticed CruelIntentions 2. Now I knew it existed but hadn't heard much about so I thought I'd take a look.
All I can say is I want 83 minutes of my life back now please!
CruelIntentions 2 started life as a televsion series called Manchester Prep. The show was based on the CruelIntentions film. Now probably due to the fact that the show wasn't any good and that most US TV networks are quite reserved in their censorship rules, needless to say it didn't get aired. So instead of being consigned to the vaults the footage has instead been edited to film length and passed off as a sequal.
Let me just say I liked the first film. I have it on dvd and thought it was an entertaining film that had it's toungue firmly in it's cheek ...
Advantages: Good handling of social issues Disadvantages: Subplots drag
CruelIntentions is the 1999 film which is a modern day remake of Dangerous Liaisons, and based on the 18th century novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It is a tale of seduction and is well directed by Roger Kumble.
The film is a twisted tale of seduction with the backdrop of wealthy college kids in the States. Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) are step-siblings with common morals - each is the most popular of their sex, and each regularly proves to the other how good they are at bedding someone. Kathryn bets Sebastian that he cannot bed Annette (Reese Witherspoon), a virgin who has vowed to wait until love before losing her virginity. If he succeeds, he gets to spend a night with Kathryn.
Essentially, this film is about nothing but ego. There are some good performances on show, with the two leads giving ...
Advantages: Cruel Intentions was a great movie Disadvantages: The other two movies weren't as good
2, made in 2000, focused on when Kathryn and Sebastian, the sociopathic brother and sister from the first movie meet and they maipulate and destroy their peers.
CruelIntentions 3, made in 2004 however, has yet another completely different cast from even the prequel. In this one, the focus is on Kathryn's cousin who turns out to be just as vicious as her cousin when she, her high school and his roommate constantly scheme to outwit each other after the roommate and friend decide to seduce and dump young women on campus together.
I give this DVD a satisfactory because the prequel and CruelIntentions 3 weren't as bad as some movies I've seen, but are much much more than a stone throw away from the goodness that was CruelIntentions.
DVD DETAILS:
Directors: Roger Kumble, Scott Ziehl
Language: English
Number of discs: 3 ...
"...A clever reworking of a literary classic..." (Sight and Sound, p.42-3, 01/06/1999)
DVD Description
Kumble transfers the DANGEROUS LIASONS tale to Manhattan, where Kathryn bets her step-brother Sebastian that he can't deflower the virginal Annette before the school year begins. If he fails to accomplish this task, Kathryn gets his Jaguar Roadster; if he succeeds, he gets Kathryn.
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