toni erdmann is a 2016 german-austrian comedy-drama film directed , written and co-produced by maren ade .

it stars peter simonischek and sandra hüller .

the film , which premiered in competition at the cannes film festival , was named the best film of 2016 by sight & sound and other respected cinema magazines .

it won five awards at the 29th european film awards : best film ( a first for a film directed by a woman ) , best director , best screenwriter , best actor , and best actress .

it also won the european parliament lux prize .

it was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 89th academy awards and was considered the strong favourite for the award ; it lost to the salesman .

toni erdmann

peter simonischek and sandra hüller in toni erdmann . photograph : komplizen film / ap
“toni erdmann” also won best actress for sandra hüller and best actor for peter simonischek .
sandra huller , toni erdmann : a risky , accomplished , even nakedly hilarious performance .
toni erdmann’s sandra hüller : ‘everybody knows the german clichés . maybe they ' re true '
oscar nominations include german comedy ′toni erdmann′ | film | dw | 24 . 01 . 2017
german comedy ' toni erdmann ' was the night ' s other big winner , earning three awards .
this is a remake of the german film of the same name , toni erdmann ( 2016 ) .
both films head into the january 22 ceremony with seven nominations , while ' toni erdmann ' scores six .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing toni erdmann near you .
it is with rare confidence that i can say you have not seen a movie quite like “toni erdmann . ”
the critical hit
toni erdmann
stars sandra hüller and peter simonischek . ( carolyn cole / los angeles times )
sandra hüller and peter simonischek in toni erdmann , which swept the board at the european film awards 2016 . photograph : handout
sony pictures classics’ acquisition of “toni erdmann” for north and latin america was one of the centerpiece deals of this year’s cannes festival .
since world premiering at cannes in competition , “toni erdmann” won a best film nomination at the the british independent film awards , among a flurry of nominations and prizes . sony pictures classics has rights to “toni erdmann , ” along with “elle” and “julieta . ”
needless to say , the writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer : there will be a hollywood remake of “toni erdmann . ”
peter simonischek in “toni erdmann , ” a german film , directed by maren ade , that is being widely praised for its quirkiness .
toni erdmann is a german comedy drama in which a man tries to reconnect with his daughter by accompanying her on a business trip .
german comedy toni erdmann has won the film of the year honor voted on by the international federation of film critics ( fipresci ) .
toni erdmann director ade’s acceptance into the upper echelons of the filmmaking universe will see her be a member of the jury at cannes .
summary toni erdmann is a german comedy drama in which a man tries to reconnect with his daughter by accompanying her on a business trip .
toni erdmann stars sandra huller as an ambitious businesswoman whose career path is thrown off course when her father , a tireless practical joker ( played by german theater star peter simonischek ) pays her an unannounced visit as his alter ego toni erdmann , a wacky “consultant and life coach . ”
but it was not to be . toni erdmann was all - conquering , with sandra hüller winning best actress and peter simonischek winning best actor .
practical joker winfried disguises himself as flashy “toni erdmann” to get busy ines’ attention and change her corporate lifestyle . the father - daughte . . .
enter “toni erdmann , ” an alter - ego winfried hatches thanks to a set of absurdly white false teeth . as winfried looks to relieve some of the family tension via toni , he creates more of his own .
toni erdmann
has plenty to say about parenting , ambition , feminism and modern happiness , but not enough to justify its absurdly longwinded running time .
directed by maren ade , toni erdmann premiered at the cannes film festival and is germany ' s official candidate for next year ' s foreign film oscar .
maren ade’s “toni erdmann’ swept five awards , including film , director and screenwriter at the 29th european film awards during a ceremony held in wroclaw , poland .
1 . barry jenkins , moonlight 2 . damien chazelle , la la land 3 . maren ade , toni erdmann 4 . kenneth lonergan , manchester by the sea
jack nicholson , who hasn’t appeared in a feature film since 2010 , will star opposite kristen wiig in the english - language remake of “ toni erdmann . ”
ot only does german humour exist , it might just save your life . that’s one of many horizon - altering takeaways from the exquisite toni erdmann , the new
it ' s rare that oscar gives comedies their due , and while “toni erdmann” isn ' t a typical one , it ' s worth the time investment .
she didn’t feel a similar experience with toni erdmann after it’s sensational cannes debut . “well i’m 12 years older now and i feel more safe with myself . ”
sandra hüller in “toni erdmann . ” ms . ade , the film’s director , said , “we were very happy that the comic aspect came out while editing . ”
toni erdmann , which will be released in the uk on 3 february , is one of three films with female directors to make this year ' s top five .
but the upstart german filmmaker maren ade employed an especially unconventional technique in greeting the stars of her new picture
toni erdmann
for the romanian portion of production .
toni erdmann , which premiered in cannes to near - universal critical acclaim , stars sandra huller as an ambitious business woman whose career path is thrown off course when her father , a tireless practical joker ( peter simonischek ) , pays her an unannounced visit as his alter ego toni erdmann , a wacky
consultant and life coach .
at nearly three hours ,
toni erdmann
is expansive but rarely self - indulgent , and the emotional payoff , when it comes , feels truly and bizarrely earned .
sold by the match factory , “toni erdmann” is a komplizen film production in co - production with coop99 , knm , missing link films and swr / wdr / arte .
cannes favourite toni erdmann has struck a sweet note for distributor nfp in germany , attracting more than 80 , 000 admissions over its first weekend and close to $ 1m .
a remake of german film toni erdmann ( 2016 ) about a dad who creates an alter ego for himself in an effort to connect with his polar - opposite daughter .
1 . isabelle huppert , elle 2 . natalie portman , jackie 3 . sandra hüller , toni erdmann 4 . emma stone , la la land 5 . sonia braga , aquarius
maren ade’s “toni erdmann’ swept five awards , including film , director and screenwriter at the 29th european film awards during a ceremony held in wroclaw , poland . “toni erdmann” also won best actress for sandra hüller and best actor for peter simonischek . ade , who dedicated her screenwriting prize to her father , won best director over ken loach , [ … ]
“toni erdmann” doesn ' t just defy the expectation that a comedy has to be short and punchy . it also shows that it can have rich , well - acted characters .
even jack nicholson wants in on the sudden craze for german films . it’s been reported that he was so enamoured by toni erdmann that he wants to star in a remake .
correction : an earlier version of this story reported that “toni erdmann” won the golden globe for foreign film in 2017 . it was nominated for the award , “elle” was the winner .
toni erdmann was produced by komplizen film ( janine jackowski and jonas dornbach ) in co - production with coop99 , knm , missing link films , and swr / wdr / arte .
slowly , through the poignancy of its writing and brilliance of its two leads , toni erdmann wins you over , worming its way into your mind and heart both , in equal measure .
maren ade ' s german dramedy toni erdmann on wednesday added another award to its trophy case , winning the lux film prize , the annual film honor handed out by the european parliament .
toni erdmann did not pick up prizes in cannes but is a possible contender for best foreign film at next year’s oscars , with the shortlist due to be released in the coming days .
1 . casey affleck , manchester by the sea 2 . adam driver , paterson 3 . colin farell , the lobster 4 . peter simonischek , toni erdmann 5 . denzel washington , fences
rumor is george miller hated toni erdmann and pressured the rest of the jury away from it . . . and towards many , many movies no one seemed to like . what a shitshow
i think toni erdmann is an acceptable movie , but by no means one of the best of the year or other exaggerations that have been said out there . [ full review in spanish ]
moonlight was named this year ' s best picture by the toronto film critics association . the german comedy toni erdmann and manchester by the sea were runners - up in the best film category .
is this a bad idea , or a really bad idea ? … kristen wiig and jack nicholson are set to star in an english - language remake of toni erdmann . composite : getty images
peter simonischek and sandra hüller star in the german film
toni erdmann ,
set for a christmas day u . s . release . ( liz o . baylen / los angeles times )
updated : variety also is reporting kristen wiig attached to play jack nicholson ’s daughter in paramount’s english - language remake of toni erdmann . the studio has not returned requests for comment on these .
the best foreign language film category is a race between elle , the handmaiden and toni erdmann , while cameraperson , o . j . made in america and 13 th occupy the best documentary slots .
maren ade ' s cannes competition entry toni erdmann , one of the best - reviewed films in the running for this year ' s palme d ' or , is being snatched up by international distributors .
ade , 39 , spoke to thr ahead of toni erdmann’s cannes debut about family dynamics , having a second baby while finishing the film and why she’s in favor of a subsidy quota for female directors .
toni erdmann is produced by ade , jonas dornbach , janine jackowski , michel merkt , co - produced by bruno wagner , antonin svoboda , david keitsch , sebastian schipper , and executive produced by ada solomon .
montréal festival nouveau cinéma awards german - austrian co - production toni erdmann with a louve d’or and the best performance prize to peter simonischek . the special mention went to tizza covi & rainer frimmel’s mister universo .
toni erdmann tells the story of practical joker winfried ( peter simonischek ) , who disguises himself as the absurd , offensive character toni erdmann to get his daughter ines ( sandra huller ) to pay attention to him and to try and get her to change her all - work - no - fun lifestyle . the review for the hollywood reporter called it “the best 162 - minute german comedy you ' ll ever see . ”
toni erdmann is a peculiar , engaging hybrid of a film . part of its acclaim may stem from the juxtaposition of two adjectives that don ' t typically go together :
funny
and
german .
toni erdmann , which bowed in limited release last december before receiving an oscar nomination for best foreign language film , competed for the palme d’or at cannes and won five european film awards , including best european film .
but while centering on the relationship between a shaggy elderly jokester and his uptight adult daughter ,
toni erdmann
also manages a thematic juggling act . a film about oppositional family dynamics ends up as an inquiry into much more , with feminism , globalism and corporate culture all falling under its gaze . american movies tend to be about either very big stakes or very intimate relationships .
toni erdmann
pulls off both at once .
there ' s another simple reason we should be talking toni erdmann ; it ' s a german comedy - a sparsely populated genre . a carefully crafted and honest film about artistic father winfried connecting with business orientated daughter ines , toni erdmann isn ' t an endless series of laugh - out - loud gags so much as a terrifically funny opening scene and climax , with the in - between littered with gags and observations about family .
said director ade , “sony pictures classics’ list of films and directors is so impressive . it’s a great honour that toni erdmann is the newest addition to their slate , and i am looking forward to this experience . ”
in the remaining acting categories , adam driver was chosen as best actor for playing a poetic bus driver in paterson , with runner - ups in the category being casey affleck for manchester and peter simonischek for toni erdmann .
a total of 85 countries are in the competition for the 2017 academy award for best foreign language film . germany is also on the list with the comedy
toni erdmann .
( 12 . 10 . 2016 )
“i feel extremely honored to be chosen by the people who have seen the most films over the years , ” said ade in a statement , thanking the critics “for giving toni erdmann such a great start in cannes . ”
the association voted the handmaiden as the best foreign - language film of the year . runners - up included toni erdmann ( 2 ) , elle ( 3 ) , neruda ( 4 ) and the salesman ( 5 ) .
the international success of toni erdmann made hüller the face of german cinema . her performance as a management consultant , whose father tries to get her to work less and play more , has had audiences and critics in raptures .
cannes — confirming its status as a palme d’or frontrunner , 2016 cannes sensation “toni erdmann” won the international critics’ prize saturday for best picture in cannes competition . plaudit was awarded by the international federation of film critics ( fipresci ) .
practical joker winfried disguises himself as flashy “toni erdmann” to get busy ines’ attention and change her corporate lifestyle . the father - daughter challenge reaches absurd proportions until ines begins to see that her eccentric father deserves a place in her life…
a year after taking cannes , and then the world , by storm with ade ' s toni erdmann , komplizen returns in style , with a film in un certain regard — valeska grisebach’s western — and ade on the competition jury . ahead of cannes , the trio sat down with the hollywood reporter to talk about a whirlwind year that launched them from obscurity to the oscars , the challenges facing avant - garde cinema and the news of a toni erdmann remake .
best non - english - language film elle – paul verhoeven , france fire at sea – gianfranco rosi , italy the handmaiden – chan - wook park , south korea julieta – pedro almodovar . spain toni erdmann – maren ede , germany
1 . moonlight 2 . manchester by the sea 3 . la la land 4 . toni erdmann 5 . oj : made in america 6 . paterson 7 . the handmaiden 8 . arrival 9 . hell or high water 10 . jackie
toni erdmann , an uproarious german comedy about a tricky father - daughter relationship , has swept the board at the european film awards , becoming the first movie made by a woman to win the top prize in its 29 - year history .
title toni erdmann year 2016 distributor ( s ) soda pictures ltd . classified date ( s ) 01 / 12 / 2016 main language english , german submitted run time 162m 14s approved footage 14601 + 0 bbfc reference aff347008 registration number cfj41000 remarks subtitled
winfried conradi misses his daughter , a successful businesswoman , so he pays an impromptu visit to her in bucharest . in toni erdmann german filmmaker maren ade creates a splendidly subversive romp ; peter simonischek and sandra hüller provide memorable performances in the leading roles
maren ade’s toni erdmann on a roll : after sweeping the five major distinctions at the european film awards , the german - austrian co - production was announced to be on the oscar shortlist for the foreign language award together with eight more candidates .
toni erdmann is notable for its unpredictability , its mashing of genres and , somewhat surprisingly , for its subtlety and sentimentality . plus , the performances of peter simonischek as winfried / toni and sandra hüller as ines are sharp and completely believable . simonischek walks a fine line in his portrayal of toni erdmann , giving us a character believable enough to seem plausibly real to ines’s colleagues , while allowing us to see winfried all the while . hüller is amazing as inez , gradually showing us the cracks in the armor of her tightly wound , emotionally suppressed character , and to engage our sympathies with a remarkably brave performance .
enter flashy toni erdmann : winfried’s smooth - talking alter ego . disguised in a tacky suit , weird wig and even weirder fake teeth , toni barges into ines’ professional life , claiming to be her ceo’s life coach . as toni , winfried is bolder and doesn’t hold back , but ines meets the challenge . the harder they push , the closer they become . in all the madness , ines begins to understand that her eccentric father might deserve some place in her life after all . .
european actor : rolf lassgård ( “a man called ove” ) hugh grant ( “florence foster jenkins” ) dave johns ( “i , daniel blake” ) burghart klaußner ( “the people vs . fritz bauer” ) peter simonischek ( “toni erdmann” ) javier cámara ( “truman” )
they say germans don’t have a sense of humor . how then to explain the fact that the year’s most innovative comedy , “ toni erdmann , ” hails from german writer - director maren ade ( whose name rhymes with “bar and spa day” ) ?
german - austrian co - production toni erdmann ( co - produced by coop99 filmproduktion ) tops its outstanding festival run with five major distinctions : european film 2016 , european director and european screenwriter maren ade , european actress sandra hüller and european actor peter simonischek .
small - budget , challenging european dramas ' i , daniel blake , ' ' elle ' and ' toni erdmann , ' are being celebrated at the european film awards this year , but are also the type of films finding it harder to get seen .
ade’s third feature , and by far her most ambitious , toni erdmann centres on winfried , an elderly music teacher who goes to bucharest to visit his daughter , ines , who has rejected his liberal values for a corporate career as a consultant advising on policy for an oil company . ines isn’t exactly delighted by his presence but winfried , a compulsive practical joker , can’t resist turning up inopportunely , disguised in a shaggy wig and ill - fitting false teeth as his spontaneously invented alter ego , life coach “toni erdmann” .
the heroines of toni erdmann and elle , meanwhile , bridle hard against their daddy issues , and choosing between sandra huller’s serious comic genius and isabelle huppert’s hilariously hard - edged brilliance is impossible ( although the cannes jury solved the problem by somehow citing neither ) .
sony pictures classics picked up toni erdmann for north america and latin america shortly after its cannes debut . the film will have its north american premiere at the toronto international film festival next month and is set for a dec . 25 release in the u . s .
during a recent interview with cnbc , murray , recognized by the academy for his work in sofia coppola’s 2003 drama lost in translation , explained how hollywood icon jack nicholson nabbed the lead role in the upcoming american remake of maren ade’s cannes comedy toni erdmann over him .
the 2016 new york film festival has filled its 25 - title main slate with buzzmagnet favorites from other stops on the festival circuit , with organizers announcing a lineup that includes “ i , daniel blake , ” “ toni erdmann ” and “ manchester by the sea . ”
the german - austrian - romanian co - production “toni erdmann” has won the 2016 european parliament lux prize , president martin schulz announced at a ceremony in the chamber in strasbourg on wednesday . the film explores a complex relationship between a father and daughter in contemporary corporate culture .
“toni erdmann” marks nicholson’s first film since playing a role in the james l . brooks dramedy “how do you know , ” which many in hollywood thought could have been the actor’s last major film . he also starred in the 2007 film “the bucket list” opposite morgan freeman .
in toni erdmann , the relationship in question is between a hippie father and his estranged daughter . worried her life as a corporate executive isn’t making her happy , the father takes extreme measures , dressing up as a rude practical joker and disrupting her life to provoke a confrontation .
german cinema is experiencing a renaissance . at the cannes film festival , fatih akin’s in the fade will be competing for the palme d’or . last year , two of the biggest foreign - language hits at the uk box office were sebastian schipper’s victoria and maren ade’s toni erdmann .
until the ramifications of the ban for film - makers such as farhadi became clear , germany’s toni erdmann had been the strong favourite to take the prize . the other nominees were land of mine ( denmark ) , tanna ( australia ) and a man called ove ( sweden ) .
european film : “elle” ( paul verhoeven , france , germany ) “i , daniel blake” ( ken loach , u . k . , france ) “julieta” ( pedro almodóvar , spain ) “room” ( lenny abrahamson , ireland , canada ) “toni erdmann” ( maren ade , germany , austria )
toni erdmann was agony for me , maybe more so because i’d actually been looking forward to it . but it was a chore , one that felt interminable for a time , a long time , a period of time that felt even longer than the nearly - three hour runtime .
madrid — “ toni erdmann , ” german maren ade’s breakout cannes competition hit , has snagged the 2016 intl . federation of film critics ( fipresci ) grand prix for best film of the past year , the first time the prestigious honor has gone to a film made by a woman .
a “stunningly singular” third feature , according to variety ’s guy lodge , “toni erdmann” was one of the best - reviewed cannes competition movies in the last decade . lodge called it a “unique study of an estranged but mutually depressive father and daughter” which is “a humane , hilarious triumph . ”
we’ve heard precious little about paramount’s planned english - language remake of maren ade’s beloved oscar nominee and indie spirit winner “ toni erdmann ” since the project cast jack nicholson and kristen wiig in its lead roles , but a new report from the tracking board packs a doozy of an update .
it does eventually do that , but as with every story turn in this film , the manner in which it happens is hilariously disorienting . as already mentioned , winfried has another personality he occasionally inhabits , a man named toni erdmann who serves as some parody of an eccentric tycoon , and toni begins to spend an uncomfortable amount of time in bucharest . if ines and her company represent the grinding gears of westernization in a country still defined by the collectivization of its soviet past , toni erdmann is some funhouse - mirror vision of the future ines is helping to build . he’s an uncouth , shambling character , but he’s one that always commands the attention of every room he’s in , simply because of his bizarre , assured confidence .
chosen by 475 fipresci members from three finalists — the other two were charlie kaufman’s “anomalisa” and jim jarmusch’s “paterson” — “ toni erdmann ’s” triumph reflects critical reaction at cannes where , though the movie failed to score an official prize , it did win the fipresci nod for best film in competition .
the showrunner of hbo’s girls , jenni konner , and its creator , lena dunham , may write the toni erdmann remake . the remake of the german drama is coming from adam mckay and will ferrell ‘s gary sanchez production company and paramount and is set to star jack nicholson and kristen wiig .
spc said in a statement that toni erdmann is “one of the freshest films in years ; profound , funny , powerful , ” and director ade “a force to be reckoned with , one of the world’s truly great directors . it’s great to be back in business with the match factory again . ”
sony pictures classics bought toni erdmann for north america earlier this week . on thursday , sales group the match factory unveiled a raft of deals for other territories , including the u . k . ( soda ) , italy ( cinema ) , australia ( madman ) and japan ( bitters end ) .
adam mckay , who recently directed “the big short” for the studio , will produce along with wiig , will ferrell and jessica elbaum of gloria sanchez productions . maren ade , writer and director of the original “ toni erdmann , ” will exec produce the remake along with producers jonas dornbach and janine jackowski .
on seeing the cannes premiere of maren ade’s oscar - nominated german tragicomedy toni erdmann – starring peter simonischek as the ageing , jape - addicted dad who suffers a late - life crisis and sets out to embarrass his daughter at work – i wondered aloud who would play the lead in a hollywood remake .
the fipresci grand prix will stoke speculation that “toni erdmann” will be a foreign - language oscar contender . fipresci cannes competition winner “son of saul” went on to oscar glory , snagging an academy award in the foreign - language category . fipresci’s 2015 grand prix winner “mad max : fury road” took six academy awards . “erdmann” is one of eight german films on a long - list to become germany’s 2017 oscar entry . the country’s candidate will be announced later this week .
while the pic was snubbed by the cannes jury , toni erdmann has been picking up awards ever since , winning the fipresci international critics award for film of the year , earning best film honors at the brussels international film festival and taking home the audience award at the seville european film festival , among many other laurels .
european director : paul verhoeven ( “elle , ” france , germany ) cristian mungiu ( “graduation , ” romania , france , belgium ) ken loach ( “i , daniel blake , ” u . k . , france ) pedro almodóvar ( “julieta , ” spain ) maren ade ( “toni erdmann , ” germany , austria )
toni erdmann is being rolled out in limited release . as this is written it is being shown in just three theaters in the sf bay area – in sf , berkeley and san rafael . for a list of where the movie is currently playing and / or when it will open in your area , click here .
fire at sea could have been replaced by i , daniel blake , the unknown girl , toni erdmann , hissein habré : a chadian tragedy or various other films dealing powerfully with the politics of our troubled world . things to come could have been replaced by elle ( huppert is surely the greatest actress of our age ) .
toni erdmann is another film that takes genre and drags it , kicking and screaming , somewhere else . its ‘flaws’ , or rather , foibles , are what gives it some kick . seeing that in a packed 1 , 600 - seat house at the vancouver international film festival was a highlight of the year , no question .
now , writer / director maren ade ’s melancholy toni erdmann , a 162 - minute black comedy about father - daughter estrangement , looks set to take the academy award for foreign language film . having cleaned up at the european film awards and topped sight & sound ’s prestigious best of 2016 poll of more than 150 critics and curators , toni erdmann is provoking grins and grimaces wherever it plays , balancing laugh - out - loud absurdity with excruciatingly understated tragedy . “this will not be a comedy , ” ade reportedly told her co - producer . “this will be a very long and sad film . ” in fact , it is both and more .
ines , an ambitious young woman , is trying to make a name for herself in the cutthroat world of business consulting . but when her prankster father , winfried , shows up at her work to rekindle their relationship , things fall apart quickly . stressed out from her attempts to secure the business of mr . henneberg , a ceo of a german oil company , ines shuns her father . enter winfried ' s alter ego , toni erdmann , who quickly wins the favor of mr . henneberg with his funky wig and false teeth . as mr . henneberg ' s new life coach , toni erdmann tries to fix his relationship with his estranged daughter .
while “welcome to the hartmanns” directly tackles a tough contemporary issue , “toni erdmann” is also slyly political , about the differences between those in winfried’s generation , who came of age in the ’60s and rebelled against parents from the nazi era , and those of ines’s generation , who grew up in a post - cold war capitalistic society .
friendship was a welcome tickle of the costume movie’s well - corseted ribs . rachel lang’s baden baden and maren ade’s toni erdmann – which finds an unlikely funny - bone amid the central european business world – should really be in my list too . i predict / hope that the latter at least will be championed by other contributors .
sony pictures classics acquired u . s . and latin american rights deal to the german - language toni erdmann when it played in competition last year in cannes . the bittersweet comedy stars peter simonischek and sandra huller and revolves around an older man who begins to play pranks on his adult daughter after finding her too self - serious .
paris — the german director maren ade’s breakout film , “toni erdmann , ” has won over audiences and racked up awards across europe . an uncharacterizable father - daughter story that’s also about neoliberal economic reforms in romania and the clash between the generation of 1968 and its capitalist children , the film is exceptional for another reason : it’s hilarious .
actors , directors and producers of toni erdmann with their prizes at the 2016 european film awards : ( from left ) actor hadewych minis , producer michel merkt , producer jonas dornbach , actor sandra hüller , director maren ade , actor peter simonischek , producer janine jackowski and actor trystan puetter . photograph : janek skarżyński / afp / getty images
nicholson needed no excuse there to crank up the performance . what he will do with toni erdmann is anyone’s guess ; he may play opposite wiig with all the subtlety he had opposite adam sandler in anger management . but alexander payne was strict with nicholson on about schmidt , and got one of his very best performances out of him .
now on her third film , ade has developed a precise method of refining and rehearsal by which she arrives at piercingly truthful and often unnerving intimate portraits — a process so long , in fact , that ade delivered two children during the course of making “ toni erdmann , ” one during the writing phase , and another during post .
previously : jack nicholson , the three - time oscar winner whose last movie role was in 2010 , is attached to star in the english - language remake of toni erdmann , the german pic that is nominated for the oscar best foreign language film . paramount has acquired remake rights to the film , according to our sister publication variety .
the nominations for best international independent film are all high - profile choices : maren ade’s comedy - drama toni erdmann was a palme d’or favourite ; moonlight and manchester by the sea are likely oscar contenders ; mustang was nominated for best foreign film at last year’s oscars ; and hunt for the wilderpeople has become new zealand’s highest - grossing film .
the original toni erdmann , written and directed by maren ade , was first released in europe in 2016 , and only saw a uk release last friday . it starred peter simonischek as a fake teeth - wearing prankster father , and sandra hüller as his highly - strung daughter who finds herself on the receiving end of her father’s practical jokes .
british audiences have already woken up to the new confidence of german cinema . the success of victoria and toni erdmann came despite the marketing barriers the films seem to present : an almost three - hour german comedy and a two - hour thriller shot in one - take . but they won audiences over because they are audacious , brilliant films .
the visual language of
toni erdmann
revolves to a large extent around the contrast between the buttoned - up ines ' power suits and the fearlessly awkward winfried ' s ridiculous get - ups . beyond those teeth , a wig of long , unkempt hair is another key component of the toni persona . they tried a hundred wigs , simonischek says , and pulls out his phone to offer photographic evidence . he swipes from the image of him as a rock ' n ' roll toni ( shag haircut and shades ) to one with childish bangs to a silver - coiffed version that reminds a delighted hüller of filmmaker michael haneke .
with other teeth ,
she quickly adds .
cannes — confirming its status as a palme d’or frontrunner , 2016 cannes sensation “toni erdmann” won the international critics’ prize saturday for best picture in cannes competition . plaudit was awarded by the international federation of film critics ( fipresci ) . a “stunningly singular” third feature from germany’s maren ade , per variety’s guy lodge , “maren ade” has been [ … ]
it’s because toni erdmann is legitimately unlike any comedy i had ever seen before , as hyperbolic as that may sound . describe it in passing , and it might sound like many a fuzzy hollywood affair , a tale of a prankster father and straight - laced daughter learning to reconnect ( in fact , its rumored american remake may well end up in that lane ) . but toni erdmann draws so much of its humor from refusing to cut away from a scene that might seem irrelevant or boring , or to land on an easy punchline . it’s some new , evolved form of awkward comedy that doesn’t strive to make the audience wince , but rather lives in every joyously strange , unsettling moment .
a flair for both the human and the absurd animates
toni erdmann ,
a german - language tragicomedy that is one of the most surprising and lauded films of the year . the movie joins
boyhood
and a rare handful of modern pieces in capturing the well - meaning fumble that can occur when parents and children try to connect .
but then , this year with toni erdmann , the more successful the film became , the more lonely i was . at the oscars , mine was the only fiction film nominated , in all the categories , that was directed by a woman . we won so many prizes where it was the first time ever a woman won . it’s 2017 !
madrid — “toni erdmann , ” german maren ade’s breakout cannes competition hit , has snagged the 2016 intl . federation of film critics ( fipresci ) grand prix for best film of the past year , the first time the prestigious honor has gone to a film made by a woman . the fipresci grand prix will be presented to ade at [ … ]
for hüller , working on this film provided her with the opportunity to be at home . after the whirlwind few months that followed the debut of toni erdmann in cannes , a journey that saw her win several best actress awards , including european award for best actress , she is enjoying sleeping in her own bed at the end of the day’s shoot .
a “stunningly singular” third feature from germany’s maren ade , per variety ’s guy lodge , “maren ade” has been one of the best reviewed cannes competition movies in the last decade . lodge , for example , called it a “unique study of an estranged but mutually depressive father and daughter” which is “a humane , hilarious triumph . ” last year’s fipresci competition winner , “son of saul , ” went on to oscar glory , snagging an academy award in the foreign language category . sold by the match factory , “toni erdmann” is a komplizen film production in co - production with coop99 , knm , missing link films and swr / wdr / arte . sony pictures classics has acquired “toni erdmann” for north and latin america .
although there are only three female directors in competition — arnold , nicole garcia ( “from the land of the moon” and maren ade ( “toni erdmann” ) — roughly one - fifth of the directors in the overall official selection are women . the un certain regard section features the work of five additional female helmers — and showcases a younger crop of talent overall .
“toni” also represents a change from the german films that normally appear on the international festival circuit : works by directors from the 1968 generation , including werner herzog and wim wenders .
previous festival favorites , including sundance hits manchester by the sea and nate parker’s rousing slave drama the birth of a nation , were also announced as part of the special presentations section . cannes standouts set for tiff include maren ade’s toni erdmann , paul verhoeven’s elle , asghar farhadi’s the salesman , andrea arnold’s american honey , and jim jarmusch’s adam driver - starring paterson .
jack nicholson , who hasn’t appeared in a feature film since 2010 , will star opposite kristen wiig in the english - language remake of “toni erdmann . ” sources tell variety paramount pictures has acquired remake rights to the oscar - nominated film with nicholson and wiig attached to star . paramount had no comment . adam mckay , who recently directed “the big short” [ … ]
a richly - layered dramedy centering on a fragile father - daughter relationship , “toni erdmann” is ade’s third film . her directorial debut “the forest for the trees” won the special jury prize at sundance , while her sophomore outing “everyone else” won berlin’s jury grand prize and earned birgit minichmayr the best actress award . the film represents germany in the foreign - language oscar competition .
written and directed by maren ade and starring peter simonischek and sandra hüller as a father - daughter duo whose distant relationship is clumsily shoved to more snug territory by the former , toni erdmann – which has charmed critics worldwide and swept up a generous array of awards following its debut at the cannes film festival last year – is certainly a film that takes comedy seriously .
they say germans don’t have a sense of humor . how then to explain the fact that the year’s most innovative comedy , “toni erdmann , ” hails from german writer - director maren ade ( whose name rhymes with “bar and spa day” ) ? “i was interested in making a film about family , ” ade says , “about the different roles that we play [ … ]
leaving the oscar front - runner la la land by damien chazelle and starring ryan gosling and emma stone without any prizes in this year ' s competition , the tfca on sunday tapped toni erdmann ' s maren ade as best director and the pic ' s lead sandra huller as best actress , while also naming the german comedy the best foreign - language film of the year .
graduation is yet another extraordinary parable from romania , toni erdmann , though over - praised and overlong , is still one of germany’s most original films of recent years , nocturnal animals is a stylistically excellent moral tale from tom ford and paterson shows that jim jarmusch , in lighter mood , has a refreshing charm and a dog to die for among the leading members of the cast .
not for maren ade , the abundantly talented writer and director of “toni erdmann , ” germany’s official submission for a foreign language film oscar . she fully embraces the inherent awkwardness of a testy emotional bond and tackles it to the ground , all the while mining it for heartfelt humor without the all - too - common safety net of predictability found in big - budget hollywood fare .
' toni erdmann ' could almost be one long
dad joke ,
with winfred taking any opportunity to amuse friends and students by dressing up in a wig , false teeth , and accent while sitting on a whoopee cushion . huller is excellent as ines , and while she remains stony - faced throughout her father ' s ongoing shenanigans , you sense the emotions flooding her body .
the 2016 new york film festival has filled its 25 - title main slate with buzzmagnet favorites from other stops on the festival circuit , with organizers announcing a lineup that includes “i , daniel blake , ” “toni erdmann” and “manchester by the sea . ” ken loach’s “i , daniel blake , ” about a man struggling to apply for government benefits after a heart attack , won [ … ]
almodóvar too inspired me with his haunting julieta – a contemplation of mortality and guilt as harrowing as any greek tragedy . actor raúl arévalo made of the year’s best debuts with his 70s style urban western the fury of a patient man and toni erdmann was strange and beguiling – a gloriously meandering tale of father - daughter miscommunication , embarrassment and exasperation realised across the broader canvas of corporate culture .
the original “toni erdmann , ” starring sandra huller and peter simonischek , followed a practical joking father who tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her ceo’s life coach . the german pic is nominated for best foreign feature at the academy awards on feb . 26 and was also nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes in january .
hüller is amusingly discombobulated as the uptight ines . but the film is perhaps best appreciated as a showcase for the gifted simonischek , whose portrayal of winfried / toni is one for the ages .
the film category was particularly strong this year with four cannes competition alumni , “toni erdmann , ” ken loach’s palme d’or winning “i , daniel blake , ” paul verhoeven’s thriller “elle” and pedro almodovar’s “julieta , ” as well as lenny abrahamson’s heart - wrenching drama “room” which world premiered last year at toronto and won a golden globe , an oscar and a bafta for its lead actress brie larson .
on one level , toni erdmann can be read as scathing satire on europe , and a warning about the depersonalising results of globalisation . yet while such socioeconomic subtexts are hardly hidden , it’s in the intimate interplay between infuriating father and insular daughter that the real fireworks occur . ade’s genius is in refusing to allow either character to become a caricature , instead painting both in sympathetic shades of grey .
ade also would occasionally behave as though she were living inside the movie , as with the airport - pickup moment , in which her bold limo appearance mimics a move toni tries in the film .
two festival circuit favourites , germany’s toni erdmann ( directed by maren ade ) , and the salesman , from iranian oscar winner asghar farhadi , have made the shortlist , along with it’s only the end of the world from canadian director xavier dolan – which has drawn a decidedly mixed response compared to his previous film , mommy – and paradise , from veteran russian director andrei konchalovsky , which has received middling reviews .
ken loach ' s british social welfare drama i , daniel blake ; room from ireland ' s lenny abrahamson ; maren ade ' s german dramedy toni erdmann ; paul verhoeven ' s french - language thriller elle ; and spanish melodrama julieta from pedro almodovar have been buoyed by critical praise and accolades — even before they were nominated in the category of best european drama at this year ' s european film awards .
equally authentic is the almost ostentatiously gritty , handheld camerawork , which throws down the gauntlet in the messily framed opening shot of a front door with recycling bins outside . the film builds a case for its unpretty aesthetic , but this , together with the challenging running time , will pose a dilemma for distributors . despite this , toni erdmann will travel extensively : its audience genes are strong enough to overcome both obstacles .
this week , it was announced german language oscar nominee “ toni erdmann , ” the third directing effort from writer - director maren ade , would be remade in english with jack nicholson and kristen wiig . since indiewire recently curated a gallery suggesting the cast for this developing project , several members of the editorial team shared the following thoughts on the latest news and whether or not it bodes well for the upcoming film .
as for the proposed remake of toni erdmann that is rumoured will feature bridesmaids star kristen wiig , hüller is excited by the prospect , “i’m really curious , i’m going to watch it , definitely , ” she says . “i’m a big fan of both actors whose names are currently attached to the project , and who knows if it will happen , but it’s a different thing and i’d like to see it . ”
but dad has other ideas . unconvinced his daughter has her life as together as she claims , winfried surreptitiously stays behind . he then makes his presence felt by assuming the comic persona of
toni erdmann
— a supposed
life coach
intent on helping anyone he encounters . wearing a wig and gag false teeth , he crashes ines ' social obligations , creating numerous script opportunities for pathos , slapstick and surrealism .
ines conradi is a successful businesswoman currently stationed in bucharest but poised for promotion and transfer to singapore when this next deal goes well . winfried conradi is her father , a lonely man , socially handicapped and prone to the dumbest , most trying “pranks” on the planet . there is no such person as toni erdmann . toni erdmann is just what winfriend calls himself when he’s wearing ludicrous false teeth and an even worse wig , which is his go - to costume for “pranking . ” his pranks , by the way , consist mainly of just showing up and being this weird alternate personality . he more or less stalks his daughter and endangers her career by showing up at her office and various work functions . if he was your father , you’d either die of embarrassment , or you’d kill him . no two people should survive a relationship like this .
simonischek , for his part , would go out into the streets of bucharest dressed as toni erdmann , in part to get into character and in part to gauge how people might react to someone so cluelessly oafish ( and ok , maybe in small part to see how much he could pull their legs ) .
many people didn ' t react ,
he said .
but you could see they wanted to react .
writing toni erdmann came out of ade’s research into corporate behaviour . she became fascinated by the role of consultant , discovering that firms often hire them to advise on difficult choices , so bosses have someone to blame for unpopular decisions . at heart , toni erdmann is a powerful political film , not least as a study of how the cold intricacies of managerial language systemically alienate individuals from their instincts . ade says it is “about globalisation and capitalism and what they do with us , with our relationships” . but , she adds : “it doesn’t give one strong political statement . two days ago i was at a symposium and [ iranian director ] asghar farhadi said , ‘the time of cinema that gives answers is over – now’s the time for cinema that asks questions . ’ i was like , ‘oh shit , where’s my notebook ? i have to write that down ! ’”
growing tired of their distant relationship following yet another whirlwind visit from his go - getting daughter , winifred decides to pay a surprise visit to ines in bucharest . when his plan for enforced bonding fails , winifred changes tack – and persona – by adopting a wig and fake teeth and introducing himself as ‘toni erdmann’ to ines’ friends and colleagues… while a horrified ines looks on as her father threatens to compromise her professional and social standing .


red riding hood is a 2011 canadian romance horror film directed by catherine hardwicke , produced by leonardo dicaprio and starring amanda seyfried as the title role , from a screenplay by david leslie johnson .

the film is very loosely based on the folk tale little red riding hood collected by both charles perrault under the name le petit chaperon rouge ( little red riding hood ) and several decades later by the brothers grimm as rotkäppchen ( little red cap ) .

despite negative reviews , the movie was commercially successful grossing almost $ 90 millions worldwide .

red riding hood ( 2011 film )

red riding hood ( 2011 ) …review and / or viewer comments • christian spotlight on the movies • christiananswers . net
for those without comedic tastes , the so - called experts at wikipedia have an article very remotely related to red riding hood ( 2011 film ) .
red riding hood [ 2011 ] o . s . t . - keep the streets empty for me [ fever ray ] hq
amanda seyfried attends the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
charlie brooks attends the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
red riding hood [ 2011 ] o . s . t . - keep the streets empty for me [ fever ray ] hq - youtube
mix - red riding hood [ 2011 ] o . s . t . - keep the streets empty for me [ fever ray ] hq
amanda seyfried attends the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue . . .
charlie brooks attends the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue . . .
amanda seyfried attends the european premiere of ' red riding hood ' at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
director catherine hardwicke attends the european premiere of ' red riding hood ' at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
director catherine hardwicke attends the european premiere of ' red riding hood ' at . . .
see a photo gallery of daniel egnéus ' illustrations from
little red riding hood . '
red riding hood is loosely based on the fairy tale
little red riding hood
. the tale was adapted for the movie by screenwriter david leslie johnson . just prior to the film ' s release in 2011 , a novelization written by american author sarah blakely - cartwright was released .
amanda seyfried attends the european premiere of ' red riding hood ' at the vue . . .
catherine hardwicke on casting ' red riding hood ' . . . through make - out sessions - - exclusive
person with the clothing : valerie is the titular red riding hood ( though she ' s never actually referred to as such in the film ) .
l - r max irons , amanda seyfried and shiloh fernandez attend the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
red riding hood is a 2011 live - action adaptation of the novel by sarah blakely - cartwright and re - imagining of the popular fairy tale directed by catherine hardwicke and starring amanda seyfried as the girl in the hood .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing red riding hood near you .
catherine hardwicke on casting ' red riding hood ' . . . through make - out sessions - - exclusive | urltoken
“red riding hood” is rated pg - 13 ( parents strongly cautioned ) . wolf violence and make - out sessions .
amanda seyfried as valerie in
red riding hood
. ( photo : courtesy of warner bros . ) , kimberly french
adrian holmes , max irons with director catherine hardwicke , amanda seyfried and shiloh fernandez attends the european premiere of ' red riding hood ' at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
l - r adrian holmes , max irons , catherine hardwicke , amanda seyfried and shiloh fernandez attend the european premiere of red riding hood at the vue leicester square on april 7 , 2011 in london , england .
amanda seyfried as valerie in warner bros . pictures’ romantic fantasy thriller “red riding hood , ” a warner bros . pictures release .
hardwicke said
red riding hood
cost $ 42 million to produce , meaning its projected debut would be good but not great .
photo : kimberly french / ? 2011 warner bros . entertainment inc . all rights reserved .
filmography : pagan oratorio ( 2000 ) , invisible house ( 2001 ) , sandokan nikolić – the bare truth ( 2002 ) , little red riding hood , shown at the fidmarseille ( 2009 ) , snow white and the seven dwarfs ( 2010 ) , five time five ( 2011 ) , moment of movement ( 2011 ) .
lady in red : valerie ' s red cloak , which she wears over a blue dress .
urltoken education charity filmclub sent along young ambassador rebecca to interview the stars and director of new film red riding hood . rebecca chatted tothe film ' s cast - amanda seyfried , max irons , shiloh fernandez and the film ' s director catherine hardwicke about their roles in the retelling of the famous fairytale . red riding hood is released in uk cinemas on friday 15 april . into film seeks to put film at the heart of all children and young people ' s education . visit urltoken for more information . twitter : @ getintofilm and @ intofilm _ edu instagram : @ getintofilm ' like ' on facebook : getintofilm
featured in seven salads for seven brothers who are sexually attracted to salads ( 2011 ) . see more »
the weekend ' s other new wide release , warner bros . ' gothic retelling of
red riding hood ,
will probably collect around $ 20 million .
but the fairytale revolution will really get into top gear with the debut in the us of little red riding hood , starring the rising young actress amanda seyfried .
twilight director catherine hardwicke seems to be trying hard to cobble together a franchise of her own with red riding hood , a fantasy thriller loosely based on the fairy tale .
little red fighting hood : valerie is not an action girl but she ' s still pretty fearless and badass .
the illustrations give the story a dreamy
twilight
- like feel with an added poe - esque danger element that may be intentional . catherine hardwicke , who directed the first
twilight
film , is also the director of
red riding hood .
it was very different then the original
little red riding hood
story , but it was a pretty good movie . it was alot like twilight chosing between two . . . continue reading
why , oh why , is catherine hardwicke’s red riding hood so bad ? we don’t know—but chris lee elaborates on the movie’s awfulness , from its quasi racism to its betrayal of teen girls .
first off , the original red riding hood was gruesome in nature as well . don ' t let the fact that it was a little girl skipping to visit her grandmother betr . . . continue reading
red riding hood was a movie made by catherine hardwicke , who also directed the infamous movie called twilight ( ewww ) . the movie ( red riding hood ) revolves around a girl called valerie who lives in a village called daggerporn and runs around raping innocent animals and goes on an affair with peter , a sexy wood - cutter . valerie is meant to marry henry , but she thinks he is a complete retard .
international film and music festival küstendorf | 17 - 23 . 01 . 2012 .
hit the jump to check out 43 images from the movie . red riding hood stars amanda seyfried , gary oldman , shiloh fernandez , billy burke , virginia madsen , and julie christie . it opens march 11th .
little red riding hood ,
the story of a big , bad wolf and a young girl and her grandma who meet with dire consequences , has been diluted and made more kid - friendly since wilhelm and jacob grimm created their own version of the folk tale in 1812 . in sync with the release of the film
red riding hood ,
which opens this friday and stars amanda seyfried and gary oldman , harper design has published a reinterpretation of the grimm brothers ' fable , illustrated by swedish artist daniel egnéus .
but where hardwicke leavened twilight ’s more fantastical vampire elements with pangs of teen yearning ( thereby minting kristen stewart and robert pattinson as international superstars ) , there’s nary a plausible motive for anything anyone does in red riding hood .
this is a film which is visually stylish , but the plot holes are enormous .
gory discretion shot : some of the deaths in the film revolve around this trope .
but red riding hood has a thinner story than stephenie meyer ' s twilight series and seems to invent its own werewolf mythology . it ' s set in what looks like medieval times , but the characters have a contemporary vibe .
n catherine hardwicke’s version of red riding hood , melodrama and painfully long , silent expressions poses more screen time than any semblance of actual plot . in a remote village , tucked deep into the mountain forest , its inhabitants live in
urltoken watch little red riding hood and read along to the story with the words on the screen . there are more fun activities , worksheets and the words to the story to download for little red riding hood here : http : / / www . learnenglishkids . britishco . . . visit learnenglish kids http : / / www . learnenglishkids . britishco . . . for lots more free online english learning resources including kids songs , nursery rhymes , fun games and short stories . kids can have fun and learn english too ! don ' t forget to check our kids stories playlist on our youtube channel urltoken . we hope you enjoyed watching little red riding hood and we will see you soon on learnenglish kids !
red riding hood
has the added inconvenience of being dreadfully serious about a plot so preposterous , it demands to be filmed by monty python . all that amused me was a dream sequence where grandma says , “the better to eat you with . ” i ' m asking myself , “how can red riding hood dream about dialogue in her own fairy tale when she hasn ' t even gone over the hill and through the dale to grandmother ' s house yet ? ”
a copy of the revised first draft of the film can be obtained here * . however , it ' s quite different from the final script . it ' s bloodier and more gruesome , there ' s more characters that didn ' t reach the final film , the opening scene is completely different , the final confrontation between the werewolf , red riding hood , and the villagers is different , etc . also , it plays out as a more historically accurate horror film rather than being set in a fantasy medieval world .
we’re getting contemporary “ red riding hood ” vibes from the new teaser trailer for katie bonham ’s mab , about a girl who turns to witchcraft to teach someone a lesson . the short film will have a world premiere at frightfest this fall over in the uk . take a look below at the teaser and read about the other short films [ … ]
in this makeover of the
red riding hood
story , the characters are elegant and upper class .
making them more pompous and living in enormous castles allowed me to have more fun . i purposely dressed them in extremely big clothing ,
egnéus said .
even the reliably intense margot robbie is unable to fill the gaps left by the film’s unambitious screenplay .
i can’t watch the trailer for red riding hood without laughing . it looks like a parody of a real movie with its overly sinister take on the red riding hood fairy tale . i know the brothers grimm’s original tales were dark , but you’re not going to turn “my , what big eyes you have , ” into a chilling piece of horror dialogue . while the story may turn out to be a problem , cinematographer mandy walker has done a solid job capturing the gothic tone that director catherine hardwicke ( twilight ) wanted to convey .
you’d be forgiven for mistaking the new movie red riding hood ( which hit theaters friday ) for something that it most certainly is not : a romantic thriller in the twilight vein set against a sexed - up brothers grimm backdrop . in fact , marketers have been working overtime in the hopes you’ll presume precisely as much . the logic being that red riding hood ’s parts–conflicted heroine caught between brooding hunks , exquisite adolescent longing , arterial splatter–will add up to the same hormonal calculus that propelled the first three twilight saga movies to gross $ 1 . 8 billion worldwide .
but how to update the basic , climactic events of the red riding hood tale ? the whole
gobbling up
thing can of course only translate into sex , but in true twilighty style , the film has a tense need to refrain from going all the way . a roll in the hay , during a village celebration , appears ambiguously to end in valerie not actually having sex .
susan carpenter writes about the multimedia blitz of the film and accompanying books in tuesday ' s calendar section .
red riding hood : match & catch is the latest mobile puzzler game from developer go vuzzle is available now from the google play store on android devices . this brand new puzzler offers over 100 levels of puzzles with a delightful little red riding hood theme . the game will also be coming soon for ios device users . watch the new gameplay trailer below… red riding hood : match & catch is a new puzzler that offers more than 100 levels and many bonus levels where players must collect the forest fruits , escape from the wolf , chase after butterflies and remove obstacles in order to avoid the big bad wolf and get to grandma’s house safely . players will be able to connect their game via facebook and share the adventure with their friends as well as send gifts and receive gifts and also request help if they need any . the game will provide plenty
shot through with dreadful acting , howl - inducing plot twists , and distracting production design , red riding hood not only manages to underserve its intended teenage girl constituency , it pillages a beloved bed - time story for a tawdry tag - line : “believe the legend . beware the wolf . ”
: everyone in the film speaks with an american accent , except for father solomon and his two african guards .
twilight - esque is the word for this film , i also think that is precisely wrong for a horror film . if you liked twilight here ' s more of the same for you . - . . . continue reading
i have typed and retyped this line over a dozen times . nothing i can say does this film any sort of justice . ethical issues aside , this movie is horrible . from the very first scenes the dialogue is spotty . there is zero character development before the film jumps off into melodrama so thick and syrupy that it makes daytime television look relaxed . if you are a fan of twilight and the camerawork / imagery , then you will probably like the look of red riding hood . if you enjoyed the abrupt nature of the soundtrack jaggedly dispersed throughout twilight , then you will probably like that same style in this film . in fact , those two technical qualities considered , they could be the same film . the very small amount of storyline that red riding hood has going for it is predictable and could likely be squeezed into a 30 minute television show and still be awful . the performances are unrealistic and disconnected . the only aspect of this entire movie that has any sort of chemistry is the scenes of sensual / sexual nature and even those aren’t good .
girlz n the hood . . . amanda seyfried , billy burke and virginia madsen . photograph : kimberly french
readers are speaking out about this on amazon because they paid retail price for a book that is incomplete , and cannot be resold online or through a used book store . you can imagine that this is a bad pr move for warner bros . and we will see what the opening day results are now for red riding hood .
while all this may sound reasonable enough on paper–it must have at least seemed potentially commercial enough to secure the backing of leonardo dicaprio’s production company , appian way– red riding hood ends up providing a showcase for no small number of troubling scenes , strange filmmaking choices , and puzzling characterizations ( alert : spoilers abound ) . among them :
the list includes an updated version of little red riding hood , two films based on the snow white story , a movie of the old english fable jack and the beanstalk , a 3d pinocchio , a version of beauty and the beast set in modern america called beastly , and the unusually titled hansel & gretel : witch hunters .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
image credit : kimberly french red riding hood director catherine hardwicke has certainly proven she knows how to cast a movie . ( would twilight have been the same if she hadn’t nabbed kristen stewart and robert pattinson ? ) now , in an ew interview , the director unveils some of her casting secrets . “starting with thirteen , my known technique is to cast the lead , then find someone with whom they have incredible chemistry , ” hardwicke tells ew . “like nikki reed and evan rachel wood . same with rob and kristen . the same was true with [ red riding hood star ] amanda [ seyfried ] . i wanted her to be on fire with the person . ”
which doesn’t add much value for anyone , let alone members of red riding hood ’s core under 25 - year - old female demographic , a constituency that’s been casting about for another twilight , another love story for the ages . not an exercise in reimagineering everyone’s favorite 700 - year - old bedtime story as a sexually sinister exploitation movie .
according to deadline , jane the virgin star gina rodriguez is wanted for the lead role in a remake of the 2011 mexican drama miss bala , which is set to be directed by catherine hardwicke ( twilight , red riding hood ) . the original film follows a young beauty pageant contestant who witnesses a drug - related murder and is kidnapped by the gang and forced to do their bidding . the script for the remake is being written by gareth dunnet alcocer , while kevin misher and pablo cruz are set to produce . hardwicke is also said to be circling an adaptation of the classic 1961 children’s book the phantom tollbooth , although miss bala could jump to the front of the queue if rodriguez’s casting is confirmed .
es , red riding hood features a girl in a cape , a doomed granny and a massive chatty wolf . but there the similarities between the classic bedtime frightener and catherine hardwicke ' s revamp end . imagine hansel and gretel but with the gingerbread swapped for bacon and the witch for a tap - dancing cartoon jellyfish and you ' ll have some idea of the liberties hardwicke and co have taken to help make this film as closely as possible resemble her previous one : twilight .
in preparation for the release of the movie red riding hood fans have been scooping up the novelization by sarah blakley - cartwright . in doing so though they have learned that the book is missing it’s ending . that’s right , fans who have bought the book that the movie is being based on will not know the ending until the movie is released !
red riding hood ,
which stars amanda seyfried as a strong - willed teenager in a love triangle , is generating solid interest from teenage girls , whom warner has been courting heavily in its advertising campaign . it ' s the first movie from director catherine hardwicke since 2008 ' s
twilight ,
a mega - hit with young females .
. there ' s a basket of goodies ( not exactly the edible kind ) , a sweet grandma , a winsome young lass in a beautiful red hood , and a big bad wolf . but there the similarity ends . this
the red cloak , given to valerie by grandmother ( julie christie ) , was boot length , but in some scenes the hood is much , much longer and billows out behind her . the long cloak signals a dream sequence .
red riding hood * * ( out of four ) stars : amanda seyfried , gary oldman , billy burke , shiloh fernandez , max irons , julie christie , lukas haas , virginia madsen director : catherine hardwicke distributor : warner bros . rating : pg - 13 for violence , creature terror and some sensuality running time : 1 hour , 40 minutes opens friday nationwide
by the time the title character gets pawed by an eager young lad , growling , “i could eat you up , ” it’s clear that this isn’t your grandmother’s “red riding hood . ” more like your teenage daughter’s , as director catherine hardwicke stays firmly in “twilight” territory with another moony - eyed romantic triangle beset by hellish supernatural complications . intermittently enjoyable [ … ]
the definitive brothers grimm version of little red riding hood was the ultimate don’t - talk - to - strangers warning : a tale of moral peril about a curious girl who dared to leave her mother’s approved pathway . “red - cap” was “a dear little girl who was loved by every one who looked at her , ” especially an “old sinner” like the wolf . the wolf lured that “plump morsel” into bed with a bit of kinky role - playing , then devoured her whole .
this film is proof of a different kind of representation of roma and affirms their artistic value and cooperation of roma and europe , based on respect for cultural differences . the film literalizes what aime cesaire , referring to a different context , termed as “neologistic” cultural politics – which is a polyphonic tactic collage focusing on the “existence among fragments” , conflating folkloric manifestations with alien forms and symbols . subverting the classical fairytale of little red riding hood the director draws a multi - linguistic psycho - genealogy of a people , the romes , constantly persecuted for their refusal to abide by the violent logic of feudal materialism that still rule our ( un ) civilised democracies .
sneak peek new revealing images , plus footage of actress amanda seyfried (
lovelace
) in a recent issue of vogue ( australia ) fashion magazine : seyfried started her career as a young model , then moved on to recurring roles on the soap operas
as the world turns
and
all my children
. in 2004 , seyfried made her film debut in the teen comedy
mean girls
, with subsequent supporting roles in independent films , including
nine lives
( 2005 ) , the crime drama
alpha dog
( 2006 ) and a recurring role in the upn tv drama
veronica mars
( 2004–2006 ) . between 2006 and 2011 , she starred on the hbo drama series
big love
and appeared in the 2008 musical feature film
mamma mia !
. noted appearances include
jennifer ' s body
( 2009 ) ,
chloe
( 2009 ) ,
dear john
( 2010 ) ,
letters to juliet
( 2010 ) ,
red riding hood
( 2011 ) and
in time
( 2011 ) . other roles included
gone
( 2012 ) ,
les misérables
( 2012 ) ,
lovelace
( 2013 ) ,
a million ways to die in the west
( 2014 ) and
ted 2
( 2015 ) . click the images to enlarge and sneak peek amanda seyfried
sneak peek new images of actress amanda seyfried (
lovelace
) in the july 2017 issue of
elle
( spain ) magazine , photographed by alexi lubomirski : seyfried started her career as a young model , then moved to recurring roles on tv soap operas including
as the world turns
and
all my children
. in 2004 , she made her feature film debut in the teen comedy
mean girls
, with subsequent supporting roles in indie films , including
nine lives
( 2005 ) , crime drama
alpha dog
( 2006 ) and a recurring role in the upn tv drama
veronica mars
( 2004–2006 ) . between 2006 and 2011 , she starred on the hbo drama series
big love
and appeared in the 2008 musical feature film
mamma mia !
. noted appearances include
jennifer ' s body
( 2009 ) ,
chloe
( 2009 ) ,
dear john
( 2010 ) ,
letters to juliet
( 2010 ) ,
red riding hood
( 2011 ) and
in time
( 2011 ) . other roles included
gone
( 2012 ) ,
les misérables
( 2012 ) ,
lovelace
( 2013 ) ,
a million ways to die in the west
( 2014 ) and
ted 2
( 2015 ) . click the images to enlarge . . .
lucie is the older sister of valerie . she is oldest daughter of suzette and adrian lazar , although she believes her father to be cesaire . she is in love with henry lazar ( not realising they are actually half - siblings ) . lucie is killed by the wolf at the beginning of red riding hood ; her death is the catalyst for many of the events that follow .
of the classics of world literature crying out to be filmed as a sexual fantasy for teenage girls , surely
red riding hood
is far down on the list . here ' s a movie that cross - pollinates the
twilight
formula with a werewolf and adds a girl who always wears a red hooded cape , although i don ' t recall her doing any riding . it ' s easy to imagine a story conference in which they said : hey ! let ' s switch the vampires with a werewolf and recycle the theme of a virgin attracted to a handsome but dangerous hunk , only let ' s get two hunks !
is distinguished on this list because it ' s the only film here that features a bonafide film star or two , and still hasn ' t secured a release in the u . s . , though it did sneak a quick peak in u . k . cinemas in february , before promptly disappearing amidst appropriately embarrassing reviews and a paltry box office . it ' s a film easy to compare to the year ' s best comedy ,
buy dvd | soundtrack | book distributor warner bros . runtime 100 min rating pg - 13 year 2011 director catherine hardwicke screenwriter david johnson cast amanda seyfried , gary oldman , billy burke , shiloh fernandez , max irons , virginia madsen , lukas haas , julie christie
reimagining a legend already subject to innumerable changes over the centuries , the script by david leslie johnson ( “orphan” ) superficially recalls tim burton’s “sleepy hollow” in the way it spins a classic tale into a convoluted whodunit cloaked in small - town superstition and religious paranoia , though “ red riding hood ” lacks the earlier film’s visual mastery and rich sense of time and place . seeming willfully anachronistic one moment , distracted and fuzzy - headed the next , the film unfolds in what looks like a medieval european village populated by characters with names like valerie and roxanne , played by actors who make no effort to hide their flat american intonations when they say things like , “you’d better watch yourself . ”
when the wolf in one of carter’s red riding hood stories explains to the girl why he has big teeth — “all the better to eat you with” — she bursts out laughing . “she knew , ” carter writes , “she was nobody’s meat . ” her insouciance is thrilling . ms . hardwicke wants to have her feminism and fairy tale , but carter’s no - prisoners bad attitude is too far out for an entertainment like “red riding hood , ” where only the appearance of girl power will finally do . given this , it’s worth noting that ms . hardwicke , who is deeply enamored of aerial photography , sends the camera repeatedly soaring over the landscape where sometimes a woman in a red cloak as vivid as blood walks with a man across the snowy expanse . it’s a striking image suggestive of freedom , though perhaps it’s really just the guy who this little fairy - tale fugitive needs to escape from .
such themes certainly seem to have helped attract hardwicke to the red riding hood story . in a recent interview with newsweek , she said :
why did she get in bed with the wolf … it represents a dark animal nature which is close to sexuality . in the traditional story , the wolf cross - dresses and lures her into bed . that ' s pretty kinky right there !
is distinguished as the only film on my list which was sarcastically applauded and howled at by disparaging critics as we sat in a soho screening room watching it ( though season of the witch very nearly broke out into a fervour too ) . this film held my number one spot for a long time , its badness running deep to its core , all the more disappointing given the film ' s ripe comic potential . taking herman melville ' s literary classic
in this case the project is clearly aimed at a teenage audience obsessed with awakening sexuality and the supernatural . its director is catherine hardwicke of the hit vampire movie twilight .
this little red riding hood looks completely made for the twilight generation . it looks like it is teenage angst and very pale people ,
said professor jonathan gray , a popular culture expert at the university of wisconsin - madison .
the novelization which includes a forward by red riding hood director catherine hardwicke has omitted the ending and is telling readers to go to a specific website once the film is released where the final pages will be posted . are they kidding ? first of all the book becomes useless once warner bros . decides it no longer wishes to maintain the site . second of all this is a total ripoff to fans everywhere . selling an incomplete book in order to drive up movie sales is a cheap , underhanded way to improve your box office numbers . this is low .
hardwicke , you see , also brought twilight to the screen , becoming the most successful female director ever in the process . and if there’s an unmistakable twilight - y whiff to the whole thing , it’s thanks to her pedigree coupled with two none - too - subtle casting maneuvers : twilight dad billy burke plays red’s father in red riding hood and shiloh fernandez , the also - ran who famously came this close to portraying edward cullen in the twilight saga , appears here as a wolf - battling character named , ahem , peter .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
the film’s heart - aches and lupine maulings exist in a nowhere land of bad genre clichés ( hot girl - on - girl action ! a rave ! ) , quasi - medieval mise en scène and–most bafflingly–emo posturing . which has resulted in a movie with considerably more violence and less romance than its storybook milieu would have you believe . more problematic still , red riding hood may ultimately end up trashing its director catherine hardwicke ’s hard - earned credibility as an oracle of adolescent interests–as a filmmaker singularly capable of spinning the libido - driven chaos of budding teens into box - office gold .
one image shows red and her mother in a palatial mansion in pre - raphaelite - style gowns about 13 to 16 feet long .
the movie was directed by catherine hardwicke , who made the first
twilight
film .
red riding hood
opens with computer - generated shots of hundreds of square miles of forests , dotted here and there by grim , stubby castles . then we meet the narrator , valerie , who always wears a red cape . she is but a lass when she steals away with peter , her pre - pubescent boyfriend , so they can trap a bunny rabbit and possibly slit its throat , although the camera moves away from the bunny at the crucial moment to focus upon their faces as the young actors think , “ok , this is where they flash forward , and we are replaced by amanda seyfried and shiloh fernandez . ”
—i don’t think the reviewer and i saw the same film . i quite enjoyed “red riding hood . ” it was beautifully photographed and visually stunning , the symbolism was evident , the cast was solid , the musical score was memorable , and i liked the characters . i did not guess who the wolf was until the very end . i appreciate that for once , they made the “other” young man vying for the heroine’s affection into an honorable boy , who showed his love for her in being willing to let her follow her heart , rather than falling into the cliche of “rich boy—evil , poor boy—good ! ”
' battle ' erupts , ' red , ' ' mars ' stumble . . . click here to read the full report > > >
consider its plot : red riding hood a . k . a . valerie ( amanda seyfried ) , a beautiful maiden with a quiet wild streak , is about to run off with poor woodsman peter after discovering mom and dad have arranged her marriage to henry ( max irons ) , brood - tastic son of the village’s reigning plutocrat . but valerie and peter’s elopement gets the kibbosh when they discover the wolf–who has kept an uneasy peace with this forest hamlet for generations thanks to regular pig sacrifices–has viciously murdered valerie’s sister . eventually famed werewolf hunter father solomon ( gary oldman , who doesn’t so much chew scenery as gnaw entire soundstages to shreds ) is enlisted to battle the beast . bodies pile up while red finds her heartstrings plucked by the two young studs , either of who would gladly take her hand in marriage . or more to the point , owing to the fact that every character is potentially a werewolf in father solomon’s view , either suitor could as easily bite red riding hood’s hand off in the glare of the full moon .
in red riding hood , valerie is being courted by the village’s two hottest young lads , but rather than reveling in what must be every teenage girl’s dream ( as evidenced by the ubiquity of this particular plot device in this new giant of a genre ) , she’s forced , instead , to spend all her time worrying that one of them might be a werewolf—while also dodging accusations of witchcraft and dealing with some dark family secrets . the ultimate revelation of the werewolf’s identity and motives is annoyingly tidy , revealed in a half - assed series of flashbacks which finally answer the question of why valerie is the central figure of this story . but the film’s final image is so decadent and haunting—combined with highlights such as julie christie’s performance as the aloof and mysterious grandmother , along with the rich opening and closing montages of breathtaking landscape shots punctuated with gothic touches—that you sometimes realize you’re enjoying yourself despite your better judgment . in the end , red riding hood is sort of like a hook - up that you remember more or less fondly but still would never tell your friends about .
so , for seyfried’s romantic interest in red riding hood , hardwicke called in what she labels the “80 hottest guys from around the world” — and narrowed them down to eight . she then instructed seyfried ( “quite the trooper ! ” ) to make out with each of them . “i’d say , ‘you don’t have to kiss them all if you don’t want to , ’ and then i’d look over there and think whoa ! , ” she says , laughing .
i actually enjoyed the original version of the film , thought it was a great twist to the tale . however the extended blu - ray version is better by far . this is an adult story , not for children . suitable for people who like romantic comedies , dramas and fantasy . i enjoyed the interplay between the characters . they all showed chemistry , especially amanda and shiloh . amanda seyfried works for me as ' red riding hood ' , though she is not addressed as such in the film . amanda is not playing an atypical victim , but a young woman who is comfortable with who she is and what she wants . shiloh fernandez was a good casting as the brooding would be love of red . he doesn ' t go over the top , but plays the part just right . max irons character was also a good casting . he is your typical male lead and a fitting counterpart to shiloh . all in all the three leads do a very good job and play their roles responsibly . this is not a tale for children to watch but more an adult version of the film . the supporting cast led by gary oldman , who is brilliant in every role he takes , are great . we are kept guessing as to who the wolf is with good scripting and acting . i enjoyed the music and ambience of the film . they helped weave the story . many people have criticised this film , but i enjoyed it and will happily watch it again .
the rare actress who can appear angelic and devilish in the same frame , the luminous seyfried would seem ideally cast as a sweetly corruptible red riding hood , but the film is loath to jeopardize the viewer’s rooting interest by making her an especially rich or complicated heroine . oldman , playing an obvious caricature of fire - and - brimstone hysteria , nonetheless brings some declamatory showmanship and an interesting quasi - slavic accent to the community’s otherwise bland diction . there’s something to be said for allowing actors to speak and emote in their natural patois in a fairy - tale context , but here it serves merely to point up the general absence of magic .
is a film that never really stood a chance as soon as its trailer was released ; giving away the main plot twist of the film - that its protagonist , played by daniel craig , is batshit crazy - is the most asinine marketing calculation seen in years , and makes for an utterly joyless , unsurprising cinematic experience . after spending 45 minutes waiting for the trailer twist to reveal itself , the rest of the film is spent getting increasingly ridiculous , resulting in an unsatisfying , shockingly dull thriller which serves as an embarrassment for all involved . in fact , stars daniel craig and rachel weisz disowned the film and refused to do publicity for it after taking issue with the studio - mandated cut of the film , and it ' s widely documented that director jim sheridan - who has endured a few duds as of late - had control taken away by the studio , who argued with him about how to shoot several scenes . it ' s hilarious to think that six months ago , oscar prognosticators were considering the merits of this film , and now it ' s topping many
worst of . . .
lists . the ultimate feel is that of a film by committee , not a singular , unique vision as one might expect from a talented director like sheridan ; it is clunkily put together , and frankly one feels the most productive result of it is that craig and weisz became a couple off the back of it . the film also serves as a crucial lesson in film marketing ; how could anyone think it was a good idea to essentially spoil the entire film from its first trailer . it ' s little surprise that daniel craig and rachel weisz disowned this turgid , woefully inept thriller which idiotically gave away its big reveal in the trailer .
amanda seyfried ' s big eyes are mesmerizing . her blond hair falls in pretty waves . she looks wonderful in red . those are the only good things to be said about this grotesque version of the classic fairy tale , which was directed by catherine hardwicke . in keeping with hardwicke ' s twilight past ( she helmed the first film ) , red is ripe with twisted messages about sexuality and beckoning werewolves , but , hard though it may be to believe , it ' s much , much sillier than twilight . seeing what hollywood did to this fairy tale is a reminder to not get too excited about the prospects of next year ' s snow white & the huntsman and mirror , mirror . on the other hand , the movie is proof that gary oldman , who chews the scenery as a witch - hunting priest in red riding hood and stars as the perfectly reserved george smiley in december ' s tinker tailor soldier spy , can rebound from anything .
seyfried has as much fun as she can with valerie ; she relishes her passion in a way kristen stewart ' s bella never would . (
i know good girls aren’t supposed to go into the woods , ” says a wide - eyed valerie , shortly before flirtatiously playing with the woodsmen ' s phallic axe . ) she wears her red hood with hester prynne pride , and she does get to strike a fatal blow . but the shadow of bella can ' t be escaped . similarly , red riding hood has virtues ( the stark , stylized visuals ; a scenery - shredding turn by gary oldman as a religious werewolf hunter ) , yet it ends with such a naked attempt at launching a franchise , that any good evaporates . you might say that twilight has sucked the life right out of it .
fairy tales are an easy thing for hollywood to adapt , since you don ' t actually need to pay licensing fees for ips or anything . which is why there was that whole fad of
gritty fairy tales
, like snow white and the huntsman and red riding hood and such . now , it seems , that fad has died out . but there ' s a subversive take on the way about the fairy godmother called . . . fairy . . . read more . . .
was red riding hood masterminded by a cadre of particularly silly 11 - year - olds undergoing withdrawal from twilight ? that’s the only excuse for a movie this dopey . david johnson’s screenplay is amateurish and tone - deaf , and director catherine hardwicke , best known for the perfume - commercial tone of that first twilight movie and thirteen , must have actively encouraged her fleet of able supporting actors to embarrass themselves . julie christie , virginia madsen , lukas haas and gary oldman couldn’t have reached these depths on their own . the best performance in this movie is by a garment — the hooded red cape itself — which swirls and billows fetchingly in the snow .
oscar - nominated british actor andrew garfield will be honored this year with zurich ' s golden eye award , a lifetime achievement honor . garfield , whose career spans from the gritty brit noir of the red riding hood trilogy to acclaimed performances in mel gibson ' s hacksaw ridge , david fincher ' s social network and martin scorsese ' s silence to donning the tights for marc webb in the amazing spider - man , will attend zurich to receive his award . garfield will present his latest film , breathe , at the festival , together with actor andy serkis , who makes his directorial debut with the real - life drama based on the life of robin cavendish , who was . . .
i was looking forward to this film as i thought that the trailer looked good and i liked the director from previous films she has done but although the mood was good throughout the film i thought that it just kind of seemed flat , a bit like an extended tv episode of a poorly written show . gary oldman was terrible in this as well , usually he is fantastic but i just don ' t think the part did him justice at all . wouldn ' t suggest you buy this but if twilight etc is your thing then you will probably enjoy this film .
“twilight” helmer catherine hardwicke has been tapped by sony pictures to direct its remake of “ miss bala , ” sources confirmed to variety . the film is an adaptation of the mexican entry for best foreign - language film at the 84th academy awards in 2011 . it centers on a woman named laura guerrero who , along with her friend , enters a miss baja beauty pageant . she witnesses during rehearsals a gang killing drug enforcement administration agents and nightclub - goers , which turns her life upside down . she’s then kidnapped by the men and forced to work for them in the deadly drug war . related why catherine hardwicke started to fight back against hollywood sexism stephanie sigman starred in the original movie , directed by gerardo naranjo . kevin misher and pablo cruz will produce the remake , while andy berman executive produces . gareth dunnet - alcocer will write the adaptation . no talent is currently attached to star in the film . sony had
“twilight” director catherine hardwicke is set to helm the sony remake of “ miss bala , ” as reported by deadline . according to the site , “ jane the virgin ” star gina rodriguez is the front - runner to topline the film about a beauty pageant contestant who witnesses various drug - related crimes and is dragged into the gang’s dangerous business . read more : ‘the handmaid’s tale’ : margaret atwood expands her legendary novel for audible special edition the original drama premiered in the un certain regard section at the 2011 cannes film festival . and was mexico’s submission for best foreign language film for the 84th academy awards . it was directed by mexican filmmaker gerardo naranjo , who also co - wrote it alongside mauricio katz . “ spectre ” actress stephanie sigman starred as the lead role . read more : ‘the divine order’ clip : swiss women fight for their rights in incredibly timely tribeca drama — watch the script for the english - language remake is
so little red riding hood ' s real name was valerie . who knew ? it ' s one of the many minor tweaks to this grimms ' fairytale made over for the young teen movie market . think of it , in fact , as twi - lite - and that ' s not just because its director , catherine hardwicke , presided over the first instalment of the vampire franchise . it ' s also because of the heightened , cheesy special effects , brooding atmosphere and tale of a girl caught between two moody guys .
prepare for a fairytale invasion . hollywood movie studios , in their constant quest for remakes and modern spins on old stories , are about to unleash a new wave of film versions of ancient european folktales .
the level at which red riding hood borrows from twilight is not just limited to the dueling suitors and the werewolf component ( oversized and able to move at lightning speed , this wolf would fit right in with jacob’s crowd ) . the actor who plays valerie’s father , billy burke , even plays bella’s dad in the twilight series . and valerie has a special bond with the creature : she can talk to it , which causes her to worry about her own nature . “maybe there was something dark inside me , ” she speculates , shortly after father solomon commands her to put on her “harlot’s robe” and prepare to be offered up to the wolf . oh , red , what purple prose you’ve been given .
once upon a time , a small girl in a red cloak scurried through the dark forest to deliver pastries to her worryingly lupine - looking grandma . now the girl in question is valerie , played by amanda seyfried , a totalicious babe , who lives in a quaintly imagined medieval european village , menaced by a werewolf that lives in the outlying forest . my ideal casting for red riding hood would have been justin bieber , but there you go . she is in love with sexy bad boy peter ( shiloh fernandez ) but promised in marriage to equally dishy posh henry ( max irons ) , who is supposed to be rich , and yet seems to have the somewhat pleb job of ironmonger , presumably to show us his sweaty pecs .