The Lollipop Girls in
"Hard Candy"
Yes, it's porn, but
those expecting wall-to-wall blowjobs might be disappointed. Made in the late
'70s, this 3-D oddity features a level of psychedelic weirdness that's likely
to confuse the hell out of contemporary audiences. Three ancient Greek
centurions wearing inner tubes wash up on a California beach looking
to storm the walls of Troy.
When they come to an impenetrable wall, one of them puts on an Easter Bunny
costume and jumps over it on a trampoline. He crash-lands in a candy factory
that's about to be taken over by an evil fertilizer company, where he
inadvertently spills a thermos of cream-of-yak soup on the lollipops, which in
turn become powerful aphrodisiacs. Still with me? Ample
intercourse for all ultimately ensues, but there's also much more weirdness
still to come, including some physical and verbal comedy routines that seem
inspired by early Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges, right down to the pie
fights and obligatory guy in a really fake gorilla suit. Although the legendary
John Holmes gets star billing, he's in it for just one scene that appears to
have been spliced in from an earlier movie. As for the other actors, they fall
into one of two categories: ridiculously monotone or hysterically over-the-top.
The 3-D effects don't really work, with the exception
of a high-speed car chase near the end, and one spectacular "money
shot" (call it "Air Pud"). Still, if you're not offended by the
hardcore sex scenes, it's well worth the viewing to see some of the most
inspired absurdism currently playing on any screen.