Who's seen 'Hard Candy'?

Daryl · « **on:** 8 Nov 2006, 05:14 am »

Captivating, wasn't expecting that.

The young lady really sold the performance.

They definately found just the right person for the job.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #1 on:** 8 Nov 2006, 05:34 am »

I've almost bought it several times. Perhaps this will put me over the edge.

robert1325 · « **Reply #2 on:** 8 Nov 2006, 09:27 am »

I've got it lying around here, should watch it sometime

Folsom · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Nov 2006, 07:05 am »

I really enjoyed it a lot.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Nov 2006, 06:25 am »

Finally saw it. The writing is a bit subpar, decent thru most of it with major breakdowns in the end, but the acting was stellar. The direction was unfortunately a bit too "MTV" for me, but acceptable given what passes as art nowadays. I'd have loved to see what a better writer & director could have done with this story and off-the-charts cast of actors. Overall a better than average effort. Worth a rent.

ajzepp · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 01:13 am »

Okay, I had initially passed over it, but because of what you guys are saying I've decided to move it up in my Netflix queue.....if it sucks, I'm comin' to get ya!

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 01:31 am »

Rereading my comments I feel I'm probably being overly critical. Hard Candy is really a very fine movie, and my minor quibbles shouldn't be meant as an indictment of the entire thing. It was definately dramatic, with many twists, turns and genuine surprises. More than "worth a rent," it's really worth adding to your collection. The two main stars were really wonderful, and I'll be watching for them in other films.

mca · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 02:15 am »

I thought it was a good movie. Be sure to watch the extras with all the making of info. Makes you realize just what it takes to pull off a movie like this.

ajzepp · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Nov 2006, 11:10 pm »

Wow, you guys weren't kidding about the acting.....top notch! In fact, what made me cringe the most during that, um, one particular scene was the very realistic and convincing manner in which the actor pulled it off. Very, very impressive.

Overall I thought it was a TAD long, and I figured Sandra Oh would have more screen time than she did, but I give it a thumb's up for sure.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 12:02 am »

Yeah, they fooled us there. Sandra Oh isn't a huge star, but I still feel like they wanted to be able to tack her fairly recognizable & widely respected name to lend credibility to the project. They didn't need to- the caliber of acting was stellar. Both of the leads have the talent to be major stars. Ultimately I think the script came up a tad short; [POTENTIAL SPOILERS!- BEWARE!] as wonderfully compelling and convincing as Ellen Page is as Haley, I had a tough time buying she could be that sociopathic, and the level of Machiavellian scheming & manipulation seems beyond the capabilities of a 14 year old girl, no matter how bright.

BTW, did anyone ID Page as the actress that played Shadowcat in X3? She has a small role, and I admit I had to check the net to be sure!

ajzepp · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 12:11 am »

****Follow-up to Possible Spoiler**

Rob, my first instinct is to agree with what you said about Haley's character....but then I turn on the news and realize there are plenty of examples that make her look like a pussy cat!

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 01:25 am »

Quote from: ajzepp on 20 Nov 2006, 12:11 am

****Follow-up to Possible Spoiler**

Rob, my first instinct is to agree with what you said about Haley's character....but then I turn on the news and realize there are plenty of examples that make her look like a pussy cat!

Yeah, I thought about that before I posted. But the level of cunning & planning she was capable of is rare in the real world. [MORE DAMNED SPOILERS!] How does Haley even manage to figure out the two men's identities? Presumably the police were unable to. She not only learns of their crime, she tracks them down & IDs them online, and traps 'em in anonymous chatrooms, and has the computer resources to learn their real names? Then she has the resources to set up her sting, and the sophistication to manipulate two predators into committing suicide? Certainly there are young sociopaths, but predators tend to be older, more sophisticated people preying on younger ones. Haley is beyond merely exceptional- she's superhuman!

So to me the wheels don't come off at the end, but it loses a couple lugnuts!

Daryl · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 03:04 am »

Quote

[POTENTIAL SPOILERS!- BEWARE!] as wonderfully compelling and convincing as Ellen Page is as Haley, I had a tough time buying she could be that sociopathic, and the level of Machiavellian scheming & manipulation seems beyond the capabilities of a 14 year old girl, no matter how bright.

That's what I was getting at about Ellen Paige selling the performance.

In my opinion no one is that smart in real life especially not a 14 year old girl and this movie is pure fantasy.

Even in a movie getting a teenage girl to make you believe she is running this show has gotta be difficult and she is large and in charge!

This is the type of performance that makes you buy into this fantasy ride instead of just saying this is B.S.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 03:21 am »

To a degree we see the same thing with Jeff, portrayed masterfully by Patrick Wilson. By the time he finally gets out of the house, he's been sounded thumped how many times by Haley? Yeah, he now realizes he's a "monster," and he's just that pissed, but doesn't anyone think that character would keep play Wile E Coyote to Haley's Roadrunner? Mad or no, I can't believe he wouldn't try to escape, or at least come up with a better plan than running around with a knife!

Again, these are quibbles, and don't intrude overly on the film while you're watching, but it gnaws at you later.

bubba966 · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 08:48 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock on 20 Nov 2006, 12:02 am

BTW, did anyone ID Page as the actress that played Shadowcat in X3? She has a small role, and I admit I had to check the net to be sure!

Yes, I was well aware of that fact.

After catching her in X-3 and hearing what Hard Candy was about it sounded interesting enough for me to put on my list of discs to pick up at some point. And if BB had discounted it at all for NRT I would've bought it then. But I've got a big problem buying discs from them for full price.

robert1325 · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 10:07 am »

saw the movie this weekend. very impressive...

ajzepp · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 02:15 pm »

The thing about him running away is that if he does, he's screwed....the reason why he can't is beacuse of the evidence of his little collection there for all to see. That being said, I can totally see the point about this being too unrealistic and Haley's character too savvy and puppet master-ish to be legit. I guess I just feel like I'm often surprised with what people are capable of in real life, so it's not a HUGE departure from that, in my opinion. I think I can pretty much deal with it on either a fantasy or a reality basis, to be honest. Clearly we all agree that the acting was superb, being so effective that it can actually take what is probably an unrealistic scenario and having us discussing it's merits as beign believable.

Not really a film I'd want to see again, but I'm definitely glad I rented it. How embarrassments like Ben Affleck can be running around when there is REAL acting talent out there is beyond me!

launche · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Dec 2006, 04:51 pm »

Saw this one last night, good movie.

I had this on my netflix list, I guess somebody said it was good so I out it there. I haven't kept track of my list and this just came in the mail. Up reading the netflix summary I was temtped to just send it back as I don't support this type of subject. But I figured I'd give it a look. At first it was uncomfortable for me (the subject is eggshells with me) and I admit to feeling like oh here we go again and I could eel myself getting angry and tense. In the first 5 minutes I was ready to take names for people putting out this pedofile crap, of course I rushed to judgement. I did fast forward about 20 minutes, as I was ready to mail this one back. But then I saw things starting to unfold.

At any rate I finished the movie and was glad I did, well done, good acting. But I don't think I'll be watching anything like it again, the subject matter is just not something I care to be exposed to in a cinematic fashion, it's just plain creepy to me. Having come face to face with a pedofile and have them speak boldly about their thoughts, it took every fiber of my being not to rip this person to shreds, lose my job and maybe go to jail. So this movie gets a thumbs up from me for its perspective.

R_burke · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Dec 2006, 07:52 pm »

I too am uncomfortable with the subject - I have two daughters, one grown and the other just 14.

None the less I too watched the movie and was very impressed with the acting and the script up to a point. I was unhappy with the ending and thought it left things too unsettled.

Another movie on the same subject, but from an entirely different standpoint is the Woodsman. Impressive acting, but I was uncomfortable watching this one also

launche · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Dec 2006, 09:27 pm »

I did also see the Woodmans but wasn't as bothered by that one. The acting is this one was better and the interaction alot more intimate and possibly true to life IMO. Yes the ending wasn't all encompassing and a bit abrupt.

This is a crazy subject and I'm torn between expressing my thoughts about the cinema and addressing my personal feelings. Another movie I thought was good but was equally as discomforting was Lolita. If I recall correctly, I actually had some empathy for the male character and that really messed my mind up for a moment. But that was a few years ago and I may have a different viewpoint now...but I thought it was a good movie, I think