Cruel Intentions

Cruel Intentions is one of those films that is simply perfect to watch when you need a delicious teen guilty pleasure in your life. Gossip Girl pretty much took everything from this. If you watch the trailer, you'll see. Even the aerial shots of Manhattan are a direct lift.

Of course, this is based on Dangerous Liaisons which is a film I find hard to love. This doesn't have the same bite as that film but it's a whole lot more fun. All the cast are on top form. I particularly love Selma Blair in this who plays the naive and desperate teenager beautifully. Discussing this with my sister today, we both wondered what happened to Sarah Michelle Gellar. She was hot to trot in this and of course Buffy but she seems to have fallen off the radar. Reese has gone from strength to strength. Ryan, not so much but he was never that great. And this has Joshua Jackson in it. A little bit of a treat for us who admire him but he's not cute in this - bleached tips on the hair? No.

This is completely a film for the MTV generation. No scene lingers for too long, it looks fantastic, everyone is pretty. But the story is a great one. Just like Baz's Romeo & Juliet, when you have great source material, it's hard to go wrong.

It uses music brilliantly - who could forget Bittersweet Symphony at the end when Annette gets her revenge? Fan-tab-u-lous. I might have to watch it again.

Here's the trailer. Enjoy!