Red Riding Hood

It should be no surprise that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is responsible for my latest guilty pleasure. Her newest melodrama revamps the traditional fairytale into a dark, teenage fantasy. Red Riding Hood (Amanda Seyfried) still has to protect herself (and her village) on the way to grandmother’s house, but this time, it’s a werewolf she’s battling. Yep, just like Jacob from Twilight. All that aside, using the half-wolf, half-human character is one of the strongest assets of the narrative. Once the village discovers that the murderous wolf is one of their own citizens, the story turns into a suspenseful, if campy whodunit. And that’s why I put up with the forced dialogue and mediocre delivery; I needed to know who the damn wolf was! Unlike everything else about the film, this mystery wasn’t transparent. If you appreciate the “it’s so bad, it’s good” theory, this fairytale will deliver your happy ending. Cinemark 14 and Feather River Cinemas. Rated PG-13