This should be out on DVD just in time for Horrorthon 2006. From Moviesonline, "Hard Candy is one of those movies that makes you really shake your head and go "woooo". The film exposes the visceral terror and violence that lies at the heart of the battle of the sexes, starring Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page. "Hard Candy comes to theaters April 14th. To view our movie gallery just click the image below. The official site has now also gone online here A smart, charming teenage girl, Hayley probably shouldn’t be going to a local coffee shop to meet Jeff, a 30-something fashion photographer she met on the Internet. But Hayley’s ready to have fun, and soon she’s mixing screwdrivers at Jeff’s place and stripping for an impromptu photo shoot. It’s Jeff’s lucky night – until his vision blurs and he passes out. Turns out Hayley isn’t as innocent as she looks after all. In fact, she has a lot on her mind. Like getting Jeff to confess to his penchant for teenage girls – and to what he did to Donna Mauer, the girl who disappeared from Jeff’s favorite coffee shop.
When Jeff awakens, he’s tied to a chair. If he doesn’t cooperate, Hayley has something to help him along--a little surgical procedure she picked up on the Internet. All she needs is an ice pack. And a knife..."
2 comments:
What is this trend of vulnerable hotties turning out to be little Torquemadas? I guess it's a commentary on the omnipresent predatorial nature of men, just desserts and all that, but since I don't actually practice such a nature I feel a little put off. Like I'll get the hottie that's revenging on men in general when I didn't do anything.
The truth behind my whining here: I know I'd totally fall for it.
Aintitcool review, "HARD CANDY
Until it goes completely bugfuck at the home stretch, David Slade's film is nothing short of a psychological masterwork. After semi-steamy netchat, Jeff (Patrick Wilson), a 32 year-old photographer, and Hayley (Ellen Page), 14 year-old honor student, agree to meet at a coffee shop. They go back to his place, for booze and talk; he winds up hogtied to a chair being interrogated about pedophilia and missing girls.
The brilliance of Brian Nelson's script -- and, it is brilliant -- is that as this girl takes her steps exacting private (no pun intended) justice -- "This is what they should be teaching girlscouts" -- we're laughing and squirming, equal measures. We root for Hayley, to a degree, and we're kind of dumbstruck by her tunnel-visioned guided-missile dogged determination to do what it is she's come here to do. But, same as you want to see revenge on this child molester representing all child molesters, we'd like to see the tables turned. Strictly in a cat-and-mouse sense. This guy goes through hell and back; she takes a bump on the head. Not fair. Hayley has two sides: wide-eyed misleading innocense, and sarcastic vigilante, with zero gray area. Which became a problem for me. As the film played, she seemed just a little too self-aware and prepared. And, dare I say it, spoiled brat. I don't know if I was supposed to, but when Jeff was yet again bound to a chair and Hayley had plastic wrap over his face, I wanted him to break free and physically defend himself somehow.
The film is well-paced and shot. The dialogue is sharp and perceptive, especially during the first two acts: "When a kid does something flirtatious, you ignore it, you do not encourage it." And, okay, so it goes off the deep end; I didn't buy the final scene between these two characters for a second. One. Second. It may remain true to who these people are, where they would end up after that long draining afternoon, but couldn't there have been another way to resolve this whole messy conflict without a hyperbolic slow-motion shot? Oh, and sidenote... what the hell is Sandra Oh doing in this?
The leads are pretty amazing, and play off each other extremely well. HARD CANDY is a memorable, if flawed, two character piece."
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