Hard Candy - movie review

It's hard to know exactly what to say about Hard Candy. The film blends the controversial topics of chatrooms, pedophilia, torture, and vigilantism - not your typical cocktail for entertainment.

After an introduction of chat dialogue the audience catches up with Hayley and Jeff at their first face-to-face meeting. Immediately the film sets up the uneasy story as the teen Hayley (I swear she doesn't look a day over 12) awkwardly flirts with the 30-something photographer Jeff. The actors are also uneasy in these initial scenes and the action tends to drag with a solid tone never being reached. Then again, perhaps this is the point because a decisive tone would require establishing a hero and a villain and Candy's main thrust appears to be keeping this distinction ambiguous.

Evenutally the characters end up in Jeff's apartment and soon after Hayley takes control of the action. Using a variety of interesting film tactics, director David Slade uses his music video roots to infuse energy into picture that could have been lifeless. Instead, the film explodes with jumpcut action and rotates with stark colour fades. The fact that the digital colourist is listed early in the opening credits is evidence of the visual stylings the film offers. As well, as a two-person show, Candy offers excellent performances. Both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson give chilling portrayals - not an easy feat considering the subject matter and plot points.

Candy is essentially a "Little Red Riding Hood" tale - an alusion that is direct in Hayley's red hoodie. But Hayley requires no woodsman to come and save her. With a pocketful of drugs, some surgery tools and a fazer she sets out to teach the big, bad wolf a lesson. The challenge in the film is how the viewer's sympathy jumps back and forth between the characters. Hayley's innocent victim is also a steely and disturbed young woman. Jeff's inappropriate slimeball is also a heartsick loner. And as the tension escalates and the stakes are rised the audience is thrown into the dilemma of deciding who is right. Who REALLY is the wolf in this tale?

Sadly, the film fails to secure solid red herrings and relinquishes its power by not taking a truly terrifying stance for either character. In the end, the story falls into pleading preachiness rather than sharp statement and the audience is left to wonder whether there was a point to it all. If the film had the balls to commit to total villainy then its moral questions would have bleed purely from the screen. As it is, Candy is an intriguing, but unsatisfying, diversion.

Lift a Glass

It's been awhile since I posted a blogthing for fun. This past weekend I saw a pub that had its tables outside ready to kick-off the patio season and I thought ... hmmm ... a drink would be nice. So this little trifle is about being true to your drinking self! I hope that many of you will try it and let me know your answers (that's what comments are for people!) I happen to think some of the references about me are downright scary in their accuracy! Cheers!

You Are a Classic Martini

You area sophisticated drinker, who knows that simple quality is over-rated. You're a knowledgeable drunk, but sometimes you're a know-it-all when you're blasted. You should never: Drink and gossip. You tend to forget who's standing right behind you! Your ideal party: Has a real bartender. But no one mixes a better drink than you. Your drinking soulmates: those with a Chocolate Martini personality Your drinking rivals: those with a Margarita Martini personality

What Flavor Martini Are You?

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Holy Hotness Meredith!

Ummmm ... so Chris O'Donnell is on "Grey's Anatomy". It happened last week but his romantic status was confirmed with tonight's episode. Could I be more excited that my crush-boy of the early 90s is on now on my favourite television show?! Does the universe love me or what?

And kudos to the "Grey's Anatomy" team for KNOWING their audience. Cause really? Is there a woman out there between 25 & 35 that is not somewhat addicted to the show? First they gave us Patrick Dempsey - our lovable 80s dork turned hotness. And now they offer up the blue-eyed boy wonder to play the rival for Meredith's affections! Has anyone else maybe had a dream like this?

DVD TV - My Brother Was Right

Yay! again for Video Difference and the 7-day, $12.99 rental for an entire box-set deal. I had gone in to pick up Season 4 of "Coupling" and decided to finally cave to my brother's influence and get Season 1 of "Arrested Development" as well. Well, the final season of "Coupling" was FANTASTIC. But since it was now over I needed a new fave show and AD fit the bill perfectly. How could I have resisted watching this show for so long? How could FOX TV not want to keep in on the air?

The problems with AD on network (American) television are many. The influence of advertising disrupts the flow of AD. The shuffling of program schedules challenges the cohesiveness of the layered serial. The mediocre preferences of mainstream viewers limits the ratings for an intellectual satire. But on DVD all of these problems are eliminated. No commercials. Creative production. Smart story-telling. Brilliant performances. Comic payoffs. It's all there. And it is completely addictive.

AD follows the antics of the Bluth family. It is filmed in a documentary/reality TV style that keeps the action moving and generates an intimacy with the charaters that most sitcoms fail to achieve. Although the Bluths are odd, selfish and deluded individuals you grow to love them. You crave the next installment. You want to know what will happen next. And the characters are so wonderfully drawn that it does feel like watching a "real" group of people fumble through absurdity.

And then there is Jason Bateman as Micheal Bluth. He is the "normal" heart of this dysfunctional body. He is trying to keep it all together. He is trying to be a good father to his son. He is trying to get his dad out of jail and save the family company. And Bateman is SO good in the role. So sincere and dry and easy on the eyes. Yes, Bateman has grown into a completely marry-able man who, lucky viewers, plays the straight-man to perfection. I would be lying if I said that one of the show's joys wasn't watching him. Time to go back for a second helping and get Season Two!

Bio-Blog #8 ... Cindy

So I made Cindy complete this bio super-fast for last weekend and then didn't get it posted. I apologize for the two-week gap in friends due to the Easter holidays. This week it's all about my gal-pal Cindy who is looking totally derby festive in her picture cause she's living in Australia and went to the horse-races. I hope when she comes home I will FINALLY have someone who will go to Woodbine with me! But enough about that. Cindy is one of the Georgian Bay hags (there are 4 of us!) - my last full Katimavik cluster. What a year that was and I got three exceptional friends out of it - one of which is Ms. C here. I love the time I get to hang out with Cindy. She has things like the "jaunty walk" and putting her hair in her eyelid (don't ask!) that I will always remember about her. And she has this great way of looking at you with an amused expression that makes you feel like a nut and completely loved at the same time. Not alot of people can do that. She's one of a kind - and my friend.

I am ... extremely lucky in friendships, not so lucky in love.
I can ... appreciate the small things, speak portufranglais, forget a name as soon as I hear it and sometimes my friends' birthdays, and get so into a book that I forget where I am and where I'm going.
I love ... food. Music, movies, books, parties, dancing, and of course my family and friends. A good challenge, new experiences.
I will ... never stop learning.

What is your sign? Leo and Dragon
Where were you born? Wingham, Ontario, but mostly grew up in Kincardine.
Where do you live now? Sydney, Australia. Temporarily

What has been the best place you've visited in between and why?
That's a tough one. Sitting on top of an inselberg in rural Mozambique feeling completely at peace with the world. Or snorkeling in Cuba with my best friend despite our fear of sharks.

What is your favourite:
Movie: Mr. Holland's Opus
Book: The Life of Pi
TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or ER
Drink: gin and tonic, beer, champagne, wine... you know, the basics.

Who is your celebrity hottie of choice? Goran Visnjic

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world ... who would it be and why?
Bono. I think his political work is interesting, and he's not hard on the eyes.

How do you know Raye?
Katimavik, of course. We worked in the same cluster and she amazed me with her organizational and motivational skills. And we talked a lot about boys and movies and became known as the alcoholic cluster. We rocked.

What 3 words would you use to describe Raye?
energetic, determined, sensitive

Do you have your own website? www.cindytwo.blogspot.com

Is It 1984 Yet?

"Who controls the past controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past."
Big Brother is Watching You.

I saw a small theatre company's adaptation of George Orwell's famous novel tonight and the experience has caused many thoughts to swirl in my mind. The thought police would have a field day with me! In the first place, the play itself. It was all right. I find it fascinating to attend independent theatre because of its no-frills nature. This makes the performance less-thrilling but more focused on the actors. This presentation was no exception. There was no stage, art direction was bare, and seating was improvised.

The adaptation was original and you could see that in the effort of the players. They really wanted the experience to work. But the script fell short in achieving the critical subtext that makes the novel so intriguing. The play moved through static plot points but never achieved a cohesiveness of theme. One of the films greatest strengths was the use of video to create the INGSOC news bulletins and to model the ever-watching telescreen. This tool was effective and communicated most of the important information from the novel. It was clear that the presentation was made for fans of the book but not as an artistic interpretation in its own right. If you've never read 1984 then you would not leave the play with an understanding of its commentary. You would, however, get a good grasp of the major activities of the story.

So leaving the play I pondered this idea. There appears to be a return to political commentary in popular culture. And as I perused the internet to find an image for this post I encountered many political cartoons and pictures that connected the current US administration with Orwell's Big Brother. But then I also found a multitude of images from that other Big Brother - the shameless reality TV one - and realized that entire generation probably doesn't know why that show is called what it is. And if this is the case, then there are more people who haven't read the novel (or its brethren - the works of Huxley and Vonnegut for example) and I feel that the scary prophecies of the 1940s are moving closer to reality.

There is much to say about the book but it is not one of my favourites. I took me three tries before I could get into it enough to get all the way through the story. But it has stayed with me. And I found that during the play I would nod at the touches, the comments, the references as the story came flooding back to me. The performance was not as riveting a I had hoped. I also felt that it missed the opportunity to present the overall feeling of the book. But I will also concede that the adaptation is a challenge and I am just thankful that such obstacles are tackled in the arts scene here.

My Closet

THIS is my closet. I love it. It's the best thing I've had for a closet in a long time. It has no doors but that's fine by me. I can actually lay in bed and figure out what I want to wear. What could be better? OK - an entire walk-in would be better - but this is good for now. And when I took this pic (a couple of months ago) my closet was in prime shape. I had filled with a solid collection of work, school, social, and fun options. My particular "looks" had colour options and flattering combinations. I was very happy with my closet. And this month, I got a bit smaller. As in, I lost an inch off my waistline. And as much as I am excited to be digging into those last few inches around the middle, the change has ruined my closet. My pants hang low and baggy. My skirts are about to fall off. My tailored blouses have become boxy. And now that I have a job for which to wear all my great outfits I lay in bed and struggle over what to wear. I knew it was too good to last forever.

A Real BIRTH Day

In an obvious attempt to one-up my plant acquisition - my friends Scott & Katrina welcomed their son into the world yesterday. I stole this pic from Scott's site so I hope he doesn't mind. It is all in the name of spreading the news afterall. So Maxwell Hunter Carefoot arrived on the 23rd of April to say "Happy Birthday" to his very own father. Can you believe that? To be born on the SAME day as one of your parents? I thought it was nifty when Taggart was born on his great-grandfather's bday but this one takes the cake (so to speak!). I'm gonna go water my plant now.