'Riding Hood' only has eyes for a werewolf

The bad boyfriend is making a comeback in the movies, primarily thanks to Edward Cullen, the teenage vampire of the "Twilight" films. As a guy whose future includes eternal damnation, he has reinvigorated a long bloodline of lousy choices that includes Warren Beatty's doomed criminal in "Bonnie and Clyde" and Marlon Brando's inarticulate biker in "The Wild One." One of the originals, the already-married Mr. Rochester, is back on screens in a new "Jane Eyre" (opening Friday in Manhattan).

Continuing the trend is "Red Riding Hood," starring Amanda Seyfried as a snowy-skinned girl named Valerie and Shiloh Fernandez ("Skateland") as Peter, a hunky woodcutter who may also be a man-eating werewolf. Unfortunately, the two lovers live in a medieval village, and Valerie has been promised to a wealthy heir, Henry (Max Irons, son of actor Jeremy).

Against expectations, Henry is kind, brave and respectful -- but who wants that? Valerie only has eyes for Peter. In turn, the beast who ravages the village has eyes (and my, what big ones!) for Valerie.

Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the first "Twilight," delivers another paranormal bodice-ripper, adding throbbing industrial rock to a village dance sequence and placing her romantic leads near a fireplace while they roll in the hay (literally). Gary Oldman adds an outrageous laugh or two as Father Solomon, an overzealous werewolf hunter with silver press-on nails; there isn't nearly enough of him.

As for the film's ending, it's something of a tragedy -- exactly the kind that's meant to make young girls happy.

Back story: What big eyes she has

"Red Riding Hood" star Amanda Seyfried says director Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") has "an eye for casting and . . . chemistry."

"When she sees two people connect, she becomes your biggest fan. She wants to take that and make that into something beautiful," Seyfried says. "I think she saw that with Rob and Kristen Stewart], and she has been very vocal about that. When she first saw Shiloh [Fernandez} and me do our chemistry read, she saw something and I saw something."

Hardwicke, 55, also launched careers for Nikki Reed, who co-wrote and starred in "Thirteen" and went on to appear in the "Twilight" series, and Emile Hirsch, a star of "Lords of Dogtown" whose credits now include starring roles in "Into the Wild" and "Milk."

"She [Hardwicke] kind of understands this coming-of-age and teenage-angle angst," says Gary Oldman, who plays a veteran werewolf hunter in "Red Riding Hood." "And she is very good at casting."

Newcomer Fernandez, who plays one of the main love interests in "Red Riding Hood," was almost cast in Pattinson's role in "Twilight." "Thank God he wasn't," Seyfried says, "so he could be in our movie." -- AP