Candy Land

Okay, I still haven't seen the new Transformers movie. There are many out there breathing a sigh of relief (it was commented by my ticket taker while attending a second showing of Midnight in Paris on Wednesday that he was so happy to see someone seeing that film on Transformers release night; I told him to sod off), but eventually I'm going to get to it. This means that those of you film purists who might prefer Hello, Mr. Anderson to review nothing but dramatic foreign films subtitled exclusively in Helvetica get a reprieve... THIS time. Come Monday this site WILL be headlined by a giant Optimus Prime poster while the borders of the page stream live scenes from other excellent Michael Bay films. So, all you film snobs out there can be thankful I haven't unleashed that epic awesomeness on your pretentious hides and settle for a well-received (if American) low-budget indie film, in this case the psychological thriller Hard Candy. This was another recommendation from "Southland Dan", and I have to say this film sure came with some pre-warnings. My roommate watched the movie and refused to speak for days afterward, huddling in a corner and scrawling nearly illegible messages on her walls about the koalas coming to steal her teeth while she slept. Granted, she was going through eucalyptus withdrawal at the time, so perhaps that wasn't too unusual. However, there was also our friend Ryan, who suffered a leg injury in Dan's presence (under mysterious circumstances) before seeing Hard Candy, and had been unable to stand up while being coerced into watching it. Both these sources admitted that the film was quite good, but something in there freaked them out beyond all belief. Mr. Anderson was going to find out why.

Have you seen this girl? You know, before Juno

Hard Candy opens with a silently disturbing scene, an online chat between Hayley Stark (Ellen Page), a 14-year-old girl, and Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson), a 32-year-old professional photographer. In case their casual flirting was not cringe-worthy enough, the two plan to meet in person in the near future. Once they do that, Jeff convinces Hayley to come over his house, where the two enjoy drinks and Jeff's collection of photos of under-aged near-nude teen models. Then... well, that's the thing, isn't it? I wasn't warned what would happen, and while part of me would like to spoil every scary detail, if you don't know what happens you should watch this and find out for yourselves. Let it be said that a character's fight for survival has rarely been more satisfying or riveting.

La Femme Nikita she ain't

Released in 2005, Hard Candy was the feature film debut for director David Slade, whose earlier work consisted of mainly music videos. Since this particular film, Slade's film career has hardly been gangbusters, as his name has only been associated with the underrated 30 Days of Night and the just-about-correctly rated Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Of course, Hard Candy was far more limited than either of those efforts, with a budget of less than a million dollars and most of the filming done on a sound stage. The low quality does on occasion become obvious, but not often enough to be either a distraction or a hindrance. Slade does end many scenes by fading to black, which gets old after the first time and doesn't even do a good job of setting up any false endings. Obviously, he was still in music video mode, unsure how to quite master the idea of a narrative that went on for more than a few minutes at a time.

Four out of five doctors agree: this movie is MESSED UP

The acting is quite good, and even if the film really boils down to a two person show, it's an excellent one. Patrick Wilson had impressed me this year with his work in the horror film Insidious, and I was happy to once more witness a strong performance from him, and at a time when he was even less of a known quantity than he is now. Is Jeff a pedophile or isn't he? That's the question Hard Candy constantly asks you, and it's to his credit that you really aren't sure through the entirety of the film. Ellen Page was still two years away from critical acclaim and several award nominations for her leading role in Juno, but even here she shows a remarkable talent, as Hayley is rich and full of character. Page is not unrecognizable; her nymph-like looks are immediately discernible to anyone who has seen any one of her films, but the amount of personality that is not hers that she can convey is almost paramount. This might be the best I've seen of Page, as her more high-profile roles really pale in comparison. Sandra Oh makes a small appearance, but any hoping to see a performance as strong as those in Sideways or Grey's Anatomy will be disappointed.

You don't want to know... but you should watch anyway

For the few faults it carries, Hard Candy is a much better film than you might think the first five minutes in. Slade's directorial debut is far from perfect, yet he does manage to hold the audience's loyalties in the palm of his hand as he ups the ante at every turn. The amazing talent at his disposal helps seal the deal, and while some might get turned off by the themes present, Hard Candy is definitely worth a rental if you're into this particular genre. If you're not, well, I still think you should give it a shot. I call to all of you to set your pretensions aside; to embrace other ways of thinking.

That should get you prepared for the Transformers review Monday.

Hole in One

When all is said and done, 2010 might be remembered as the year of the indie film. Seriously, in a year when so many big productions have scampered to catch every dollar they can just to break even, the indie films are raking in the dough. Winter's Bone, Black Swan, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, and Blue Valentine have all earned their share of positive critical reviews, award nominations and relative box office success even in limited releases. In fact The King's Speech, in earning over $88,000 per theater its opening weekend, had the highest gross per theater for any opening film this year, surpassing another art house winner, The Kids are All Right. But it's not just the financial successes that are worth watching: if we followed that logic, I would be running out to see Little Fockers (hint: I'm not). Sometimes it's the award nominations that direct us to something we might not have given a chance to otherwise. In this way nominations play a huge role in guiding audiences to films they might not otherwise see to drive up box office numbers and make their small film more impressive in the eyes of voters. And damned if it doesn't work. How many films have you not at first seen, only to change your mind when it gets nominated for an Academy Award? Me too, and that's why this past week I took advantage of living near a multiplex that happens to carry the occasional limited release film to see the John Cameron Mitchell-directed Rabbit Hole.

"Hello, I'm Harvey Dent and I want to be your D.A."

Based on the stage play by David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole is about grief and mourning. It's been eight months since the death of Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart)'s young son Danny, who was killed in an accident, and the husband and wife still have a hard time reconciling the sudden loss in their life. Visits to support groups don't work for Becca, who is bothered by those who try to justify their child's death by saying that it's God's plan. Stricken by grief, she wants to rid herself of the visual reminders of her lost child, wanting to go so far as to move out of the house they love. This puts her at odds with Howie, who relishes those same reminders and doesn't want to lose the image of Danny from his mind. As the two strain dangerously apart, each makes difficult decisions and try to learn to live with the emptiness that has come in their son's absence.

Yes, there is indeed Al Green playing in the background

Rabbit Hole received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for this film, and when you watch Kidman's performance you'll understand why. Kidman doesn't just cry throughout the film (though she does her fair share) like you might expect in films like this. She shows several sides of grief in her performance, from sadness to depression to disbelief in others' attempts to help her cope. Everywhere she looks and everyone she meets in the course of the film remind her in some way of Danny, and Kidman does an amazing job showing even the tiniest traces of the strain that such things would put on her emotions. She does the big waterworks productions to excellent effect as well, but it's the restraint in her performance that really sticks out and makes it a must-see.

For God sakes, woman, don't let him get on the topic of shrimp!

Compared to Kidman, everyone else in the film doesn't quite stack up, but closest is Eckhart as the suffering husband Howie. Unlike Becca, Howie doesn't want to let go of Danny's memory, wants the help of others both familial and stranger, and regularly immerses himself in the memories of raising his son. Like Kidman, Eckhart doesn't just mourn in one way, and he varies from subtle to loud in his work. It's only because of Kidman's stellar performance that one could say he was lacking, and he does a fine job in his understated execution. Award-winning actress Diane Weist does an amazing job playing Becca's mother Nat, who underwent a similar process with Becca's deceased brother years ago. Weist is a great storyteller and her appearances in the film, though sometimes straining, always serve a purpose to push the movie's tale forward. Other great showings come from Sandra Oh as a member of the support group Becca and Howie attend, Tammy Blanchard as Becca's insufferable and immature sister Izzy, and Miles Teller as Jason, a teen who Becca befriends over the course of the film.

Life feeling like a Prozac commercial?

Of course, there's no guarantee even award-addled audiences will want to see a film in which the main plot device is the death of a child. It's particularly dark stuff, full of bittersweet memories and encounters, and the great performances by the leads means you the audience feels the same grief they do, albeit on a much smaller scale. The film is also a bit predictable, as you can guess some events before their occurrence and the characters take a few side-trips in their emotional roller-coaster journeys that are telegraphed a mile away, though their impact on the audience is still palpable enough as to be moving. Some off-beat pacing slows down the film at parts as well, but not poorly enough to detract from the tale telling.

The weirdest hand-holding scene EVER

For what it's worth, Rabbit Hole may not be a perfect film but is still a very comendable one. Even with the amazing performances by its star cast, it however has the risk of being completely overshadowed by even the other indie films this year, not just the big blockbusters. 2010 was a big year for working small, and I hope that Kidman's performance doesn't completely get shut out by the Portmans, Hathaways and Jolies that threaten to take over during this biggest of movie seasons. I would put this one in the same category as Winter's Bone, a sterling and emotional ride that may not leave you wholly fulfilled, but definitely makes you think about life and it's many existential mysteries.