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RE: RE: - 7/3/2007 3:25:32 PM

Hex

Posts: 1371
Joined: 26/7/2006

I didnt think it was all that good. Its was a very brave concept but, from all the hype that it was one of the most controvertial movies of the year, I guess was expecting something more shocking and gritty.

For one it was irritatingly twisty (Some films can pull it off. This one couldnt.) and Ellen Page, while meant to be a dislikable character, was immensely annoying into the bargain as well. Patrick Wilson did a good job but the movie still didnt let him have a good enough crack at his character. And the mixed message at the end fell flat for me. It didnt get under my skin in anyway. And I didnt care who came out on top in the end.

For me Mysterious Skin had more to say about the complexity of sexual predators than this piece of fluff.

< Message edited by Hex -- 7/3/2007 3:28:14 PM >

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Post #: 61

RE: RE: - 19/11/2007 2:39:39 PM

BobM70

Posts: 958
Joined: 29/12/2005

I heard some stories about this film, mainly that it devided opinions. And now having seen it, I know why.
I still do not know whether this was a bad film or a great one. And that thought alone makes it an interesting film at least.
The problem is that I don't know what the writer (Brian Nelson) and director (David Slade) had in mind.
-possible spoilers-

The story is quite simple. It tells about a 14 year old girl who meets a 32 year old photographer on the net and after a few weeks they meet in person. The (rather annoying) wordweary Hayley goes with Jeff to his appartement and some disturbing things start happening.
Like Hanneke, director of Funny Games, it seems Slade deliberately toggles with the motives of the two characters and with the sympathies of the viewer. Jeff is a normal looking bloke (uncanny resemblance to a young Kevin Kostner, by the way) who at first may or may not be a pedophile. Hayley drugs him by putting something in his drink. when Jeff wakes up he's tied to a chair and Hayley starts behaving like a little Hanniballina.
So, while we all know Jeff is a perv and that he should pay for luring little girls to his appartement, Slade and Nelson do not make this man a monster. Even so: for almost 3/4 of the movie we have reasonable doubt whether he is really "that" bad. On the other hand: Hayley is such a psycho that it is impossible to even remotely like her. So while all sorts of torture ensues, we hope Jeff will break free and just kill the sick little fucker.
That's where the film wrenches: because of this choice (?) we just can't feel any sympathy. Nor for Jeff because he actually is a pedophile/murderer, nor for Hayley who behaves in such a way only real psychos would appreciate.
It is a bold choice and it probably works for half of the film. In the end there are some sub-plots and plotdevices that just don't work. The end itself is weak, but I guess there was no "strong" way to end this film and maybe that's it own fault because of the choice made before.

Acting wise it's done very well and Slade proves himself a very talented director who gives his film a strange, European feel. Shame about the weak ending though.

I give it a 7 out of 10 (*** out of *****)

Bob

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Post #: 62

See it! - 7/12/2007 9:25:23 AM

The Yorkshire Rapper

Posts: 8
Joined: 13/8/2007
From: Hamilton, New Zealand

Got this out for $1 at our local video store and didn't think I'd enjoy it but F**K! What a movie! Pretty much what you expect and then some despite the uncomfortable subject matter. Do you sympathise with the guy (until the end!) or the young girl? F**ked up in places but all the better for it. Great performance from Ellen Page and well directed. Bluffs aplenty all the way through which only adds to the tension. Best dollar I've spent in ages....

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Post #: 63

Shocking, unflinching, and oh-so-topical - 12/3/2008 1:57:23 PM

blaud

Posts: 722
Joined: 13/12/2007

a cracking movie. well worth Lewis Taylor (Empire account leweyt) not answering his own girlfriend. What a pillock

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Post #: 64

- 10/4/2008 6:36:24 PM

shawshank prisoner

Posts: 1650
Joined: 20/4/2006
From: Norwich

dark, sick, twisted thriller with never ending intelluctual boundaries.

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Post #: 65

Hard candy - 27/1/2010 6:20:08 PM

Blue Ryan

Posts: 185
Joined: 31/7/2008

It's one of those films that stick with you even though it perhaps isn't the most exciting or visceral pictures. Both actors are extremly good and really i cannot fault the film properly. Seeing nothing on the screen really does work and i was one of those people who had to look down when i needed a wee to see if it was actually still there.

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Post #: 66

Balls - 9/4/2011 8:06:06 AM

badsanta

Posts: 126
Joined: 15/5/2006
From: Shanghai

Some daft comments here. It was a fantastic thriller.
Ellen Page is a stunning actress.

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Post #: 67

Hard candy review - 3/3/2012 3:46:11 PM

Beastwoop11

Posts: 6
Joined: 6/9/2010
From: Bristol

Hard candy is a thriller staring Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson. Hard candy follows the story of a young 14 year old girl (Page) who gets to know this elder man (Wilson) over the internet. They decide to meet up and eventually go back to the mans apartment where things take a dramatic unpredictable turn.

Before I watched the film I had no idea what it was about, I hadn't even seen the trailer, or read any other reviews.This was just as well, as by the end this film had me on the edge of my seat. This film is punchy, exciting and most important of all meaningful. The Director (David Slade) shoots the film in such a way that n
by the end of the film your rooting for the 'bad guy', which almost makes you question your own conscious.

The film is quite hard to watch at points, (without giving too much away) Ellen Page's character is a tad and she (suggestively) commits gruesome acts. This only adds to the strong story and even sparks some questions about the girl. Who is she? Why is she doing this? I even came to one conclusion that the girl could be representing the mans sub-conscious and that she may not even be real.

What this film does is realistically depict the sub-conscious of a pedophile, and it does this brilliantly. Yes it does this in a dramatic and at times 'over the top' way. The film still sticks with you long after you've seen it.

****
Calum.Russell

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Post #: 68