The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Little Red Riding WOO HOO!

Genre: Action Adventure Comedy Period Fantasy Horror Thriller (USA, UK, Czech Republic)

Starring: Matt Damon (Syriana; The Bourne Supremacy), Heath Ledger (The Order; Brokeback Mountain)

Directed By: Terry Gilliam (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas; Brazil)

Overview: A couple of famous mythbusters and monsterkillers are forced to fighting the stuff of darkest horrors in the Black Forest of 1789 French-occupied Germany.

Acting: It's quite obvious that the casting director had a nice little budget, and the actors all do a great job, from the children to the middlemen, to the leading men and ladies. Top quality acting, though I wonder if the direction was a little weak, regarding the delivery of certain lines, especially those of the French commandant following them. I found his accent often unintelligible.
Rating: 8

Cinematography: The pretty pictures! The look and the angles! I wondered how they got those panning shots from the ground to up top and then across the ground. Technically some difficult scenes that you wouldn't normally notice (unless you had a website devoted to reviews with a slight focus on cinematography). The one thing that I found distracting however was the occasional moments of realization that the special effects were obvious. It's like Industrial Light and Magic gave this project to the interns ot something. Hell, we all have to learn, but still, have someone supervise the scarf scene, come on. Don't get me wrong, the look and effects were pretty damn cool. I just mean it's no 10.
Rating: 8

Script:
"You've killed all my friends." "I wish you had more." This was well written. Constantly thrust into revised moments of all sorts of tales, be they Hansel and Gretel or Sleeping Beauty. The dialogue was clear and often funny, yet the French guy who followed them was often speaking unintelligible words (and they weren't French, I'm French). It would have been nice to hear more of it. Is that script or direction? Either way, I really liked this, but it weren't poetry.
Rating: 7

Plot: The historical reference is something to look into, but you know what? I'm sure they paid some guy with a PHD in Napoleonic Germanic occupational history about a hundred grand to have the story look right. Either way, the historical context behind this is a real nice touch. The story itself may not be for everyone. It is a tribute to or a theft of a half dozen or more folkloric tales? I myself liked it, but in all fairness, it's pretty specific, and even formulaic, but the trip is certainly unique and exciting, regardless.
Rating: 7

Mood: The look of this is amazing. The only reason it doesn't get full points is the special effects weren't seamless, and here and there I wondered where the movie was going, instead of enjoying the ride. The look of this is completely immersive, like Brotherhood of the Wolf, but without the stupid plot and acting. If you like the gothic / medieval / Napoleonic look, this is 100% visually spectacular.
Rating: 9

"Help! Her head's going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight!!!"

Overall Rating: 78% (Grim, But in a Great Way)

Aftertaste: It's nice isn't it? Knowing so little about a movie that you have no preconceived notion about it? Wow. Takes me back to the Stand By Me days, when my dad took me to the first movie i knew nothing about and i hated it, till I saw it. It was good. And so was this. I bet this will not be heard from too much, but then again, I stopped watching television. Maybe I'm full of it, forcing my paradigm on the world...
Either way, if you liked this you will LOVE Snow White: A Tale Of Terror.