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Hard Candy

A smart, charming teenage girl, Hayley probably shouldn't be going to a local coffee shop to meet Jeff, a 30-something fashion photographer she met on the Internet. But before she knows it, she's mixing drinks at Jeff's place and stripping for an impromptu photo shoot. It's Jeff's lucky night. But Hayley isn't as innocent as she looks, and the night takes a turn when she begins to impose a hard-hitting investigation on Jeff in an attempt to reveal his possibly scandalous past.

The supercharged possibilities of a single set and two amped-up actors are explored in Hard Candy, a twisted cocktail with a poison kicker. After a flirtatious encounter in an online chat room, two people agree to meet for coffee: a 32-year-old man (Patrick Wilson) and a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page). They quickly advance to his house, and just as quickly, the apparent pedophilic seduction morphs into something else entirely. After the tables turn, Hard Candy becomes a tale of revenge and torture that might have tempted a filmmaker like Park Chanwook. Here, first-time feature director David Slade opts for a slick look that stays close to the actors, and you can't really blame him--this movie is like a conceptual, more-than-slightly unbelievable off-Broadway play, a showcase for actors and "controversial" ideas. Those actors are strong: Patrick Wilson (Angels in America, Phantom of the Opera) is every bit as creepy as he needs to be, and Ellen Page has nothing short of a triumph. The Canadian actress was around 18 when she shot the film, but looks like an adolescent, which makes her authoritative wrath all the more shocking to witness. The provocations of Hard Candy sometimes seem arbitrary or forced, but Page's electrifying performance can't be denied, or dismissed. --Robert Horton

I realize many people don’t care for Madonna at all (“She can’t sing, she can’t dance, she can’t act, she has no talent, she’s getting old, she’s a bitch, blah, blah, blah"), but as a fan of hers, I’m happy to report that her latest CD, “Hard Candy” is quite good. Madonna forsakes the energetic disco of 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor” and teams up with two of hip hop’s most bankable producers: Pharell Williams of the Neptunes and Timbaland. Truthfully, “Hard Candy” doesn’t push any new ground, but then again, it doesn’t need to. It’s just a fun record that succeeds in what it aims to do: create radio-friendly dance pop with a dash of hip hop. Favorite tracks are “Candy Shop,” “Give it 2 Me,” “Heartbeat,” “Miles Away” (a sad tune that may or may not refer to her marriage to Guy Ritchie), and “Dance “2Night.” There are only 2 duds on the CD: “She’s Not Me” (which held my attention for all of 30 seconds) and “Spanish Lesson,” whose hook wears thin real fast.

All in all, “Hard Candy” (her final album for Warner Brothers) stands head and shoulders above much else in modern radio and gets my stamp of approval.

Unique hard candies featuring fabulous fruity flavors and a shape that resembles a tiny bundt cake!

This edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller is directed by David Slade (The Twilight Sage: Eclipse) and features Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page. Precocious 14-year-old Hayley probably shouldn't be going to a local coffee shop to meet Jeff, a 30-something fashion photographer she met on the Internet. But before she knows it, she's mixing drinks at Jeff's place and stripping for an impromptu photo shoot. It seems to be Jeff's lucky night. But Hayley isn't as innocent as she looks, and the night takes a turn when she begins to impose a hard-hitting investigation on Jeff in an attempt to reveal his possibly scandalous past.

The supercharged possibilities of a single set and two amped-up actors are explored in Hard Candy, a twisted cocktail with a poison kicker. After a flirtatious encounter in an online chat room, two people agree to meet for coffee: a 32-year-old man (Patrick Wilson) and a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page). They quickly advance to his house, and just as quickly, the apparent pedophilic seduction morphs into something else entirely. After the tables turn, Hard Candy becomes a tale of revenge and torture that might have tempted a filmmaker like Park Chanwook. Here, first-time feature director David Slade opts for a slick look that stays close to the actors, and you can't really blame him--this movie is like a conceptual, more-than-slightly unbelievable off-Broadway play, a showcase for actors and "controversial" ideas. Those actors are strong: Patrick Wilson (Angels in America, Phantom of the Opera) is every bit as creepy as he needs to be, and Ellen Page has nothing short of a triumph. The Canadian actress was around 18 when she shot the film, but looks like an adolescent, which makes her authoritative wrath all the more shocking to witness. The provocations of Hard Candy sometimes seem arbitrary or forced, but Page's electrifying performance can't be denied, or dismissed. --Robert Horton