Red Riding Hood (1989)

Very Cool!!!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The Cannon Movie Tales version of Red Riding Hood, starring Isabella Rossellini and Craig T. Nelson, among other lesser-known names. This is just the second of the Cannon Movie Tales that I've seen after the fun Hansel and Gretel. This one isn't as good as that one but it is watchable, particularly for "so bad it's good" reasons. It's a nice-looking film despite its obvious budgetary limitations. The location shooting helps. I'm not sure where it was shot but, given Golan/Globus produced it, I'll assume it was filmed in Israel. Amelia Shankley is fine as Linet (never called Red Riding Hood). Isabella Rossellini is beautiful and graceful and brings class to things. Craig T. Nelson is embarrassingly bad here, playing dual roles. He's beyond corny as the hero and over-the-top hammy as the villain. I defy you not to laugh at his ridiculousness. Rocco Sisto plays the (were)wolf and does his fair share of scenery-chewing, as well. The songs are all pretty bad but worth a chuckle or two. Those synthesizers! As with Hansel and Gretel (and I imagine all of the movies in this series), Cannon has had to pad out a relatively thin fairy tale story to make it into a feature film. So here they have added elements from other stories, such as the part of Robin Hood where the evil king rules cruelly while his good brother, the rightful king, is off at war. Overall, it's a not a good movie but there is some fun to be had with it. Just don't expect much and enjoy the weirdness and unintentional hilarity of it all.

This is a movie was made by Cannon Films was under control by Gollan and Globus, they are related to each other (cousins).Gollan and Globus were known to make movies on the cheap. Often re-using back drops or back grounds of other movies.Often they would get one or maybe two somewhat famous or known actors for the film and all others are unknowns.In this case those two actors are Isabella Rosallini and Craig T. Nelson.The acting in this and like many of the Cannon films of the Gollan and Globus era is mediocre at best. It's not because the actors can't act. They are not given the time to. The script is of the style what you might get at a school play that the students were asked to come up with based on a fairy tale, in this case Red Riding Hood.You are given songs at the oddest time. This are songs you will NOT know nor your children. They wouldn't want to either.They are trying to stretch a 10 minute story at best to nearly 90 minutes.You can't enjoy this movie as it is difficult to like any of the characters.Not watchable.

My mother insisted I should chew my food twenty times. The wolf in this fairy tale has a lot to learn regarding his eating habits. But he is a cunning fellow. He gives Red Riding Hood a spiked drink to blur her vision so she doesn't recognize the wolf in Granny's bed.Granny despite her age and poor health is a very active woman indeed. She runs like hell to get help when Red Riding Hood falls into the wolf's clutches.The familiar story is embellished with a sub-plot. Apparently Red Riding Hood's father has not returned from the wars and her cruel uncle wants to move in to claim her mother Jean in marriage. There are a few scary scenes. Watch carefully and you can see a wolf peering through a leafy branch. And may be worse…if you don't pay your taxes, you can expect to be tortured and thrown into a dungeon.The wolf that roams in the wood can change himself into a man. This can lead to a dangerous situation for an unsuspecting child. Red Riding Hood is a fairly sensible child and is aware that strangers cannot always be trusted even though you may be searching for a new friend.The story is given a light touch by introducing songs in appropriate places. Though the singing is not high quality, it adds to the fun. I especially liked "Never trust a stranger" a duet sung by Red Riding Hood and the wolf-man.Most fairy tales have a happy ending, but in this tale the outcome looks pretty hopeless as the peasants assemble in Granny's bedroom and Red Riding Hood is nowhere to be seen. What comes next is the highlight of the film! A very tense moment indeed. A matter of life or death. Can we really believe our eyes? Mr. Wolf, take it from me, anything can happen if you don't chew your food twenty times!

This movie has been one of my favorites since before I can remember. I used to be so excited whenever the library near my house had it in their small stock of videos. It took a long time but last year my aunt finally found it on video online and I know every last line of every song. I watch it now as a teenager and just think of how extremely cheesy this movie is, and the guy from Coach singing? Almost scarier then the special effects, but "Red Riding Hood" is still one of my favorites, now because of it's cheesiness. It is an entertainment staple at my sleep over parties, because when my friends come over one of the first things they ask is "You got that corny movie ready?" It's good fun to dance around and make fun of the movement from "Man without a Heart" or act out "You should never talk to strangers." It might make you think what the creators were smoking when they made this movie, but it's fun to watch if you're in a goofy mood. My favorite songs have to be "You should never talk to strangers" and "Good at Being Bad." I could spend the entire night just rewinding that song and singing along "I'm so good at being bad/ I'm good a being bad/ It's sweet/ How sour I am!"