"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME
Hard Candy | 2005 | R | - 6.7.6
Patrick Wilson stars as a successful 30-something photographer who meets a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page) on the Internet and makes arrangements to meet her in a coffee shop. He takes her back to his home, ostensibly to play a bootlegged concert for her, but after they arrive events begin to take unexpected turns. Also with Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes and Gilbert John. Directed by David Slade. [1:43]
SEX/NUDITY 6 - Two people have an e-mail conversation that includes allusions to sexual activity (a 32-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl).
► A teenage girl removes her shirt in order to change, and shows a man (bra and bare abdomen exposed). A man tied to a table has no pants on and we see his bare thighs.
► A man and a teenage girl flirt when they meet. A man kneels on the ground and kisses a teenage girl's foot.
► We see the reaction of a person upon finding pornographic photos of children (we do not see the photos).
► A teenage girl talks about not finding any pornography and makes references to "kiddie porn." A teenage girl talks about, "intending to sleep with all of the right people." A man and a teenage girl talk about him having sex with models that he would photograph. A man talks about being 9 and having his young female cousin jump on him while she was nude from her bath and tickling him, and when her mother found them she assumed there was something sexual happening.
advertisement
VIOLENCE/GORE 7 - We hear squishing sounds when a teenage girl performs a castration and a man sweats and appears in shock (we see blood on a scalpel and bloody gauze in glass containers). Testicles are thrown into a sink and ground up in a garbage disposal.
► A man puts a noose around his neck, walks off a rooftop and hangs himself (we hear a crunch).
► A man with a scalpel attacks a teenage girl, she tasers him repeatedly, he crawls after her, and she tasers him again. A man wraps his legs around a teenage girl's head and squeezes her, he has a rope around his neck, the rope pulls tight, he gags, and she falls to the ground and runs away. A teenage girl is slammed against a cupboard repeatedly (she groans and gasps). A man kicks a teenage girl, she falls down, and hits her head on the leg of a table (we see blood on her forehead).
► A man stands on a chair with a rope around his neck and his hands tied. A man wakes up tied by the hands and feet to a table and has a large bag of ice on his crotch. A teenage girl shaves a man's testicles (we hear the shaving sounds) and talks about performing a castration.
► A man yells for help and is sprayed in the mouth with window cleaner a couple of times. A man's face is wrapped with plastic wrap and he is held until he falls unconscious. A man collapses from the effects of a drug laced-drink. A man wakes up tied to a chair.
► A man talks about a woman holding his bare buttocks over a hot burner on a stove, as a warning.
► A man gets a gun and walks through a house looking for someone. A man stabs a photograph of a young girl in underwear, repeatedly. A teenage girl roots through a man's personal possessions.
LANGUAGE 6 - 20 F-words, 18 sexual references, 4 scatological terms, 6 mild obscenities, name-calling (pitiful), 1 religious exclamation.
SUBSTANCE USE - A teenage girl and a man drink alcohol (screwdriver cocktails). A man collapses from the effects of a drug laced drink.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Pedophilia, murder, castration, suicide, revenge, loneliness, seduction, anger, disappointment, Roman Polanski, molestation, adolescence, stalking, child neglect, impressing the opposite sex by exaggerating, vindictiveness.
MESSAGE - Sometimes the only away to end a cycle of violence is to end the predator's life.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Mufasa: The Lion King - 1.4.2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - 1.3.3
The Piano Lesson - 3.5.4
Homestead - 1.5.4
how to
support us
PLEASE DONATE
We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
NO MORE ADS!
Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.
how to
support us
PLEASE DONATE
We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
NO MORE ADS!
Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.