Saturday, October 07, 2006

HOODWINKED! - it's better than bad: it's good!

What the Schnitzel?HOODWINKED! is a wiity, clever, new animated movie that spoofs the Little Red Riding Hood story. It comes jam-packed with movie and TV references and takes the mickey out of lots of musical styles and film genres - from xXx to MI2 to film noir. The biggest wink to the audience comes in the complex narrative structure. Instead of the linear story-telling one might expect from a kids film we have a RASHOMON style structure. As the movie opens, "Red" has entered granny's cottage to find the wolf in disguise. Into the mix dives a psychotic axe-weilding wood-cutter. Soon the police have arrived, cordoned off the area and have the four suspects in custody. Because the real beef is that a thief is running around the Deep Dark Forest stealing all the cookie recipes and putting small independent cookie makers out of business. The movie shows us the events of the fatefull night from the point of view of each of the four suspects - each time building up a trail of evidence to the real Baddie.

The animation is a lot of fun with plenty of detail for those of you who will be suckered into repeated viewings on DVD with the kids. And the voice cast does just fine - notably featuring
Anne Hathaway as "Red" and Glenn Close as the Granny. But the real market for this movie is not the under-tens - they'll find some of the characters fun but aren't going to stick with the convoluted plot. The people who will enjoy this movie are the kind of people who love Ren and Stimpy and wander through the Marienplatz singing The Log song*. (Yes, Gibbons, that means you!) Because the best of the humour is definitely in The Log song tradition, not least the Schnitzel song.

So, is this a recommendable kids flick? Probably not. But if you have a bunch of friends who love to quote movies and watch the Cartoon Network well into their twenties, then this is a fun movie to go see.

HOODWINKED! opened in the US at the end of 2005 and has since opened around the world, finishing up in the UK last week and finally rolling into Brazil next week and in Germany in December 2006. HOODWINKED! is available on Region 1 DVD. *What rolls down stairs alone or in pairs, rolls over your neighbor's dog? What's great for a snack and fits on your back? It's Log, Log, Log! It's Log, Log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood. It's Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good! Everyone wants a log! You're gonna love it, Log! Come on and get your log! Everyone needs a Log!

3 comments:

  1. no review for marie-antoinette?

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  2. Hi Hongkonggarden, I tend to post reviews near the UK release date regardless of when I saw the movie. (The big exception is during the London Film Festival where I struggle to stand still). However, as MA is out soon in the UK I'll probably post later this week,
    Bina

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  3. LOL. It's totally a recommendable kid's flick. My kids watch it over and over and over. Unless I'm just a really shitty mom, which could be possible...

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