Reviews

I was lucky enough to be in one of the first test audiences for this film in Los Angeles. Knowing nothing about the film except that it's being described as suspense/horror, and stars Patrick Wilson and a 14 year old girl, I went in expecting another bad to mediocre slash film. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Hard Candy is an intense psychological drama, with incredible performances by both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson. The two actors are practically the only two people with lines in the film, aside from some brief appearances by Sandra Oh and Jennifer Holmes. Thusfar I have only seen Wilson in The Alamo and Phantom of the Opera, but I was blown away with how he handled this performance. The slow, suspenseful film is set mainly in the Los Angeles home of photographer Jeff, a 32 year old man whom Hayley, a mature 14 year old girl who met him online, suspects to be a pedophile. The pacing was steady, and phenomenal - after a brief exposition we get into the real suspense about 20 minutes into the film, and it doesn't let up from there. The cinematography and camera work went excellently with the film. Rather than being extremely gory, the adult themes of the film lead to a more psychological creepiness. There are also questions that remain unanswered until the end of the film, when everything is wrapped up nicely - leaving you puzzled to the true identities and motives of the characters throughout most of the duration.

Horror films are not my cup of tea, but psychological drama is. An early fall release date has been rumored, and I can only hope this movie doesn't get lost in the shuffle between summer blockbusters and Oscar season. I also hope Lion's Gate markets this film for what it is, and doesn't try to aim for fans of slash, or a teen crowd.

At first glance, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey, and I had heard it was a good story, but I knew nothing more than that. My roommate and her friend turned it on, so I sat down to watch it with them and was blown away. It's a very powerful story about a girl seeking ways to rebel against an uptight, anal retentive mother who, we find, is trying to protect her from the "real world" and only perpetuates the cycle. Elisabeth Shue and Hanna R. Hall are both wonderful. The setting, a small town in Maine in the early 70's, is perfect, and so is the filmography, even though it's made for television. The flashback scenes are exceptionally well done. I can't wait for this to be made available on video so I can watch it over and over again!

I adore this movie. The casting was exceptional, especially Sally Field and Robin Wright Penn. The soundtrack fit perfectly. The only thing is, I don't believe many people actually understand what Forrest Gump is about. Many see it as a sentimental story among the backdrop of the late twentieth century, complete with events like the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, the Disco Era, the AIDS scare, ect. Actually, this film is a spoof on reality. I came up with this theory the first time I watched it, and have since heard similar comments from the director, Robert Zemekis. It is absurd how a man from a small town in the deep south with an IQ of 75 can become so entangled in American history - becoming a war hero, meeting several presidents, playing ping-pong in China. It's really a comment on American life. In a way, Forrest Gump represents a skewed version of Everyman. That, along with everything I have already mentioned, makes this a brilliant and wonderful film. If you have never thought of this before, try watching the film with this theory in mind. I promise you'll see it in a different way.