Candy

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: November 17, 2006

DVD Release Date: March 27, 2007

Plot 411: A love story almost as tragic and destructive as Romeo and Juliet.

Review: Dan (Heath Ledger) and Candy (Abbie Cornish) are a young couple completely in love with each other. Their passion for one another burns even brighter after their introduction to drugs. The drugs seem to make their love more intense while at the same time making them more fragile. The couple's drug habits get worse and they do everything they can to get their fix. They steal from family members, prostitute themselves and commit identity theft just to fill the euphoria of the drugs. When they learn of an unexpected pregnancy, the couple decides to quit for the baby. But after years of drug abuse that has rocked their relationship, can they be responsible enough to raise a child? This movie is the first in which I truly recognized Ledger's acting chops. Sure, he'd been in several movies by this point (such as 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale and Lords Of Dogtown), but even after Brokeback Mountain I thought it just might've been a fluke. How could the guy who did an impromtu Frankie Valli tribute pull off this tweaker? But Ledger pulls out all the stops and is really something to watch. It was a moving and powerful performance and utterly heartbreaking to know that he's gone.

Watch It: Because despite his genius as the Joker in The Dark Knight, I think he is even more amazing as Dan.

Skip It: Because of its pretty explicit drug usage.

Secretary

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 20, 2002

DVD Release Date: April 1, 2003

Plot 411: A secretary and her boss share an unusual and unconventional relationship that surpasses the employer-employee boundaries.

Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal is probably one of the greatest actresses of this generation because of the types of roles she's willing to take a chance on. Who the hell would've thought someone who was cast in The Dark Knight would also play a girl in a BDSM relationship in Secretary? Gyllenhaal's character Lee is a girl with some social and emotional issues. She is young, pretty and very shy. Her mannerisms are cautious and hesitant. To her new boss Mr. Grey (James Spader), these are the things that are most attractive about her. He attempts to fight off his attraction by releasing it through angry outbursts and verbal abuse. However, when this is only met by Lee's submissive reactions and her need to please him, he is done for. The movie discusses a BDSM relationship openly, which may be shocking to some. However, it portrays the lifestyle with respect and even a bit of humor. Rather than jumping on a moral high horse spouting the benefits of diversity and the sexual revolution, the movie quietly tells its tale and allows the audience to decide for itself. On the surface, it may seem to some that Lee demeans herself by acquiescing to Mr. Grey's outrageous behavior (work related and not). His utter domination of her will be overwhelming, especially to feminists. But when you look deeper, you find that they share a symbiotic relationship and that it really isn't that out of balance. Both have needs that are being met by the other, which is a thoroughly traditional effect of romantic involvements. The movie is an unconventional love story about two socially awkward people who find one another in the vast sea of conformity.

Watch It: With a wide-open mind to fully get at its meaning.

Skip It: If you're fiercely traditional.