Touches You

People are voting emotionally.

best movie i've ever seen.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

So, I can pretty much find something to enjoy about a movie. If not the acting, I can appreciate or enjoy the scenery, music, or something.But there is nothing enjoyable about this film. It is truly one of the worst things I have ever seen on screen. The acting is laughable, the plot is ridiculous, and there is nothing memorable about the film's scenery or score. The movie also seems to suffer from something of an identity crisis- it can't decide if it's a horror film, a supernatural thriller, or a romantic teen drama. I like Amanda Seyfried just fine, but she is just not a good enough actress to carry a leading role in a film. Not even the lead in this film which, to be perfectly honest, doesn't require her to do much other than widen her eyes. In my opinion, she is better in smaller, supporting roles and that is what she should stick to.Even renowned actors like Gary Oldman and Julie Christie cannot save this movie. In fact, why either of them would agree to be in a movie like this is beyond me. Maybe they really needed the money at the time, I don't know.I saw this movie when it came out in theaters, and it was a regrettable waste of money and time. I advise anyone who happens to catch this movie on TV not to waste their time with this film by watching it. You will regret it.

This is a nice update on the "Little Red Riding Hood" fairie tale. Instead of a wolf terrorising the local village we have a werewolf. This adds the dimension of mystery to the tale for who could be the dreaded werewolf. The writer David Leslie Johnson and director Catherine Hardwicke do a fantastic job of playing people off people and putting them into situations where you can never quite figure out who the killer is. This makes for quite an enjoyable movie which the audience can have a stake in; there's not many of those around today.I also liked the fact that the writer and director kept the story in the faerie tale spirit. The setting of the Ye Olde Village is brilliant, it gives a close knitted community that, pretty much, lives in each other's pockets. So when it's revealed by Solomon, played by Gary Oldman, that the beast could be one of them a personal fear and distrust of neighbours starts to spread. There is something very haunting about the village and the surrounding forest as it stands upon a bed of snow, which constantly falls from the overcast sky. All of this just adds layers upon layers to the film making it stronger.On the whole, I loved this film, though there are a few drawbacks which made it drop a few points. I don't understand why Oldman tried to do a German / Bavarian accent as the rest of the cast didn't bother. The worst of it was, his accent kept slipping and this became annoying.Most of the cast were excellent in their parts giving believable performances. Though there were times when both Max Irons, who played Henry, and Julie Christie, as Grandmother, came across as lacking in substance... sometimes Henry just looked doped up... and Grandmother was as wooden as her luxurious forest home.Then there was the music at the celebration of the killing of the beast. We heard modern rhythms and instruments (especially synthesisers) when the musicians were playing horns and drums. Also, the dance we see between Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) and her friend Prudence (Kacey Rohl) wouldn't be out of place in today's nightclubs... but probably not for a religious community. Lastly, the main sections of the story that people know and love - "Oh Grandma, what big eyes you have" and the wolf in grandma's clothing. These are taken as two separate scenes, which I can understand, though they appear to have been thrown into the story and film and this is a waste as they are pivotal to the original story and should have been used better to draw the audience further into the tale. I hate waste and this was an extreme waste of a good idea.This is a beautifully written, shot, and acted film that I would recommend to all as there are elements of mystery, thriller, horror, and fantasy, as well as a pretty decent love story. Worth a watch at least once.

#52filmsbywomenFilm 40: Red Riding HoodCatherine Hardwicke is a director who is making art-house film, but movies like Twilight too. Red Riding Hood is not an art-house film, that's for sure. In this movie, the story of Red Riding Hood is transformed in a romance and whodunit movie with the level of a Twilight movie. The screenplay is very bad, and actors like Gary Oldman en Julie Christie don't have a moment to shine. They have some charisma, something you can't say about the other actors.Movies like Maleficient or Snow White and the Huntsmen are even better. Although no Citizen Kane either, but visually more interesting and better actors.

While Red Riding Hood isn't one of my favourite films it is still entertaining, enough to get 9/10. Also I haven't seen any other film of the director (that means I haven't seen Twilight).The soundtrack ties pretty well with the atmosphere, as well as the backgrounds, even if not everything is accurate to history, and that's noticeable throughout the film. CGI works well and the werewolf doesn't look terrible. The kills aren't something gruesome but the movie has some. The story is interesting, I like the references to the fairy tale and the ending is nice. The love portion doesn't get on my nerves.While nice acted, RRH can be somewhat dull and some characters are forgettable.Despite that, Red Riding Hood is enjoyable. I wouldn't mind however a film with more action - a Red Riding Hood Hensel & Gretal: Witch Hunters kind of movie (H&G:WH is awesome) with werewolfs.