INTERVIEW: CATHERINE HARDWICKE, DIRECTOR OF "TWILIGHT" AND "RED RIDING HOOD" | SIGNED PHOTO GIVEAWAY

Catherine Hardwicke in Toronto - March 2011

Known commercially as the Most Successful Female Director of all time, Catherine Hardwicke would appear to have a lot - pardon the pun - riding on her re-imagination of The Brothers Grimm classic, Red Riding Hood. After surprisingly opting not to sign-on for the second Film in The Twilight Saga franchise due to the rushed demands of its studio, many are wondering: will Catherine Hardwicke be able to replicate her success without that franchise?

Sitting down to chat with Hardwicke recently during the Toronto stopoff of her promotional tour for Red Riding Hood, the Architect-turned-Production Designer-turned Filmmaker sure had me fooled if there was an inkling of pressure. The effervescent Texas native walked into the room all smiles, apologizing for running behind schedule in one of many interviews she had slated for the day.  "Ooh, that`s cute!", she said as she  admired a Paul Smith-designed Limited Edition bottle of Evian on the table.

Despite Red Riding Hood being Hardwicke`s fifth time directing a Feature Film with critical successes Lords of Dogtown and moreso Thirteen on her Résumé, this is the first project which allowed her to incorporate her talents as an Architect and an Artist into her Filmmaking. "When I first arrived in Hollywood I was so naïve and thought they only wanted creative people.  I thought I could be like Tim Burton and just do whatever I wanted", she  giggles.  Incorporating her artistic vision into the Film wasn`t an easy feat though as  Hardwicke had to draft various images, paintings and drawings and present them to the studio, "Essentially, I had to sell Warner Bros. on their own project", she admits.

RED RIDING HOOD - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Red Riding Hood

Catherine Hardwicke has a lot - pardon the pun - riding on her re-imagining of Red Riding Hood after much criticism for the first Film in The Twilight Saga series.  She does however, step up to the challenge and prevails in her darker take on The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.

Amanda Seyfried stars in the role of Valerie, a Girl in the village of Daggerhorn who is caught between two lovers - one aristocratic in Henry (Max Irons, son of Jeremy) and one whom she loves by choice in Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). After her Sister is found dead at the paws of a Wolf which terrorizes her Village, soon we learn that it has its eyes on her with the intentions of taking her away. Valerie is frightened to learn that she is in fact able to communicate with the Wolf and after this is uncovered, she is accused of being a Witch.

Unsure of its true identity and desperate to rid of the Wolf, the Village calls upon the corrupt and tyrannical Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), who reveals that the Wolf actually can manifest itself in human form as long as it bites its Victim before the end of the Blood Moon (the first Full Moon after the Harvest Moon). As the Village grows mad with paranoia as the deadly Wolf ever-presently lurks in the background, we wonder whether the Wolf's true identity ever will be unveiled and whether or not Valerie will escape from it unharmed. All the while, with both her Suitors risking their lives to protect her, we want to know who she will choose as her Lover, Henry or Peter?