Hard Candy

No I am not actually going to write about lollies (sweets/candy). I mean lollies are awesome, don't get me wrong I love lollies but why would you talk about hard ones when gummy lollies are a million times better. I'm just saying.

Hard Candy is unlike anything you have ever seen. Unless you have seen it...cause then it would be exactly like the first time you saw it...

This film begins with a 14 year old girl, Hayley talking to a man on the internet, Jeff, who is 18 years her senior and a photographer. They meet up at a cafe where Hayley suggests that they should go back to Jeff's house. It's scary. You worry for this poor young girl and you hate her stupidity. Everyone has heard the stories and I bet you think you could guess where the story goes from here. But that would be falling into the trap that this movie wants you to fall in. Do not jump to conclusions.

Once at the house, Hayley spikes Jeff's drink. From there you no longer worry for her as she can take care of herself. Just watch her go.

It inverts everything. Well maybe not everything but messes with you. The movie is one step ahead of you the whole time and it really takes pleasure in that fact. It just laughs at you the entire time and doesn't let you in on the joke which is pretty brilliant. This is one clever film.

I was glued to the screen, at the edge of my seat. Well actually I wasn't. I was sitting on the couch with my knees pulled into my chest because it was all too much for me to handle. I had to revert to the fetal position. I couldn't cope. But then I would find something really exciting and spring up only to slowly pull my legs in again. 

This is also an Ellen Paige that you probably have never seen before. Forget Juno. You have been warned.

The set is so small and closed in and almost claustrophobic and it's perfect for the cat and mouse game that is played out. Really the whole movie gives you this claustrophobic feel. It's really off putting but at the same time works so well. There are only two real characters (Sandra Oh makes a 5 second appearance but that doesn't really count) and there are only about three locations where the film is shot but two of the locations are only used for a few minutes each. And the main location is in a house. Confined to rooms. And it's hectic. It's disconcerting. It's not gruesome, it doesn't need to be. It's all in the complexity. It leaves you with questions and if you are like me, then you will need a little time to digest.

If you haven't seen this and you are into films that can completely mess with your mind then watch this. I guarantee that this one will blow you away. If it doesn't then I don't know what to do. My guarantee is worth nothing. But my word. I like to think that my word has value. (Please be blown away by it)

It's a Wonderful Life

If you haven't seen this movie, then I suggest you get off your ass and do it. Now. Don't even read this blog (yes I will forgive you), get the DVD, get comfortable and don't move until it's over. It's worth it. You will thank me afterwards.
 

 
I should warn you that the first few minutes is a little weird and you will probably think I am crazy for telling you to go and watch this movie but stick with it. The way it starts, it can only get better and wow! does it get better.

I don't know if this movie could get any cuter. It's just so filled with happiness that it would probably explode if they tried to add anything else to it. Whilst filming it, the cameras would have given up working, just to soak up the happiness that this movie emits. The crew would have been unable to work again because they would be drunk on the cuteness. If they were able to release the film, the audience would never be able to leave the cinema. If they were ever able to release a DVD then the DVD players would never play another disc.

 

So luckily for you, this movie is ridiculously cute but not so cute that everyone and everything is immobilised, so it's a good thing. You wouldn't be able to appreciate it if you became a zombie on the cuteness so it's better this way.

According to my brother and backed up by Wikipedia (which I know isn't the most trustworthy site but in this case I believe it), when the film first came out, it was a flop. People were very underwhelmed and with it's high production costs, it lost over $500 000 at the box office. Ouch. So how does this film go from flop to classic? Well, someone forgot to renew the copyright, TV channels still had to pay royalties but that cheaper than having to pay copyright in full every time you want to play it. And so this film was played a lot. And then when everyone realised how great it was, it got played even more. And then when they noticed that it had Christmas attached to it, they played it every Christmas holidays and then twice on the Christmas holidays with one screening even on Christmas Eve.

Frank Capra, the director, said; "It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen, the film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I'm like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I'm proud... but it's the kid who did the work."

Monsieur Lazhar

A truly touching film dealing with grief, loss and reconciliation, French-Canadian film, Monsieur Lazhar, is one that hits the heart strings with all the right notes.


Set in Montreal, the teacher of a class of young students has committed suicide. After hearing about the tragedy that has befallen the class, Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, decides to help the school by offering to be the class’s substitute teacher and the offer is readily accepted. As the class struggles to heal their emotional wounds, Lazhar’s own painful past becomes apparent and the students end up inadvertently helping Lazhar through his pain as much as he helps them through theirs. Adapted from the award winning play by Evelyne de la Cheneliere, it’s a touching story that is handled with great skill by director Philippe Falardeau who sews together moments of insight, empathy and emotion with great sensitivity.


The cinematography by Ronald Plante is simple but beautiful. The shots are unobtrusive and compliment the highly emotional content and without trying anything flashy that would detract from the narrative. There is one particular scene at the start where the classroom at the school is being painted. It’s such a simple scene but it holds a lot of beauty just through the cinematography balanced with the soft music of the underscore.

Lazhar’s relationship with these kids is truly heart-warming. The teachers, especially Lazhar, are forced to tiptoe around the grief that has struck the students as the school decides that it is best not to directly approach the subject of suicide but skirt around it and due to the stern rules about contact with students. Lazhar manages to really help the kids through this hard time in their lives and Fellag plays the role of the teacher with the perfect mixture of meekness and power. 

The bereaved students manage to retain their childish innocence as well offering great emotional depth to their characters. Sophie Nélisse as Alice and Émilien Néron as Simon, create some really beautiful and honest scenes and moments of raw emotion that are very moving, so much so that they steal the show from the adults. All the children show great maturity in the approach to their roles that I found similar to the performances of the children in Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy (2010) another French film that relies heavily on the young actors. 

One thing that does let the film down is the soundtrack. It seemed to scream, “I am a French film and I am quirky and cute!” More often than not it worked against the film because the choice of underscore didn’t always fit the film, making it distracting at times. Also there were a few loose ends and unanswered questions mainly to do with Lazhar and his background but overall Monsieur Lazhar is a beautiful film.

 

If you are a fan of French cinema then this is one not to miss.