Shiloh Fernandez

Why is supernatural romance all the rage these days? When you see a movie like Red Riding Hood, a mature take on the classic fairy tale, you understand why. Director Catherine Hardwicke re-imagines the story, jumping off the basic points (young girl in a red cape, bloodthirsty wolf, grandmother in peril) and manipulates it into a sexy mystery that's equally appealing for both the beautiful cast and whodunit plot. Amanda Seyfried stars as the title character, Valerie, with a juicy dilemma: she's in love with poor woodcutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez) but her hand has been promised to well-off tinsmith Henry (Max Irons).

Romantic entanglements prove to be the least of Valerie's worries, though. A big bad wolf has tormented her village for ages, but when it claims a young victim, the townspeople panic. A famous priest (the incomparable Gary Oldman) visits to help them, bringing a new piece of information — the villagers are actually being hunted by a werewolf. The witch hunt that follows is distressing for everyone, but it's worse for Valerie as she wonders if her smokin' hot lover Peter could be the wolf everyone fears. Hardwicke manages to draw out the satisfying puzzle while seducing the audience, making Red Riding Hood a deliciously guilty pleasure.

Find out why I enjoyed the movie when you read more

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Not Amanda Seyfried, who plays Valerie in Red Riding Hood — which makes her the Little Red Riding Hood of storybook lore. Yes, this update turns the child caring for her grandmother into a lusty PYT, and Shiloh Fernandez plays her illicit love interest. But is her woodcutter more than human? The trailer implies that he could be the werewolf Valerie's fellow villagers (led by Gary Oldman) are hunting for.

Leonardo DiCaprio produced the film with Catherine Hardwicke in the director's chair. She's a woman who knows her way around gothic monster stories thanks to Twilight (and she's particularly talented at casting relatively unknown but extremely attractive leading men — we can add Fernandez to the hot werewolf tally already). The atmosphere of Red Riding Hood feels darker and sexier than Hardwicke's vampire venture, but between Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, and Twilight, are people getting overloaded with werewolf pop culture? Ponder that as you watch the trailer when you read more

When I first watched the trailer for Skateland, it seemed like the kinda movie that's up my alley: a little indie coming-of-age drama about teenagers who are stuck in that place between high school and what comes after that — who doesn't remember that feeling? Then, I watched it again and came to a realization: is Skateland just a bizarro version of Adventureland?

Let's go over the facts. Twilight saga actress? Check (this time it's Ashley Greene instead of Kristen Stewart). '80s setting? Check. Teenagers with jobs at a local entertainment venue? Check. Brooding young lovers who are questioning just what the world holds for them? Yup. I'm not saying that it's deterring me from seeing the movie — especially since I loved Adventureland — but hopefully there are some major shake-ups beyond the trailer. Decide for yourself when you read more