****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
As a fan of Christina Ricci, I was thrilled to find this DVD release of Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories. This disk contains three short films by David Kaplan:Little Red Riding Hood: This is the only story that Christina appears in, but she is wonderful. I started out just watching her, but quickly realized I was caught up in her character and I wanted to follow her through the woods to find out where this story would take her. I have to say that her performance justifies putting her name on the cover as well as being reason enough to give this DVD a five star rating. But there is even more to enjoy in this film. On my first viewing, I was not so thrilled with the introduction of the wolf, played by Timour Bourtasenkov, doing some kind of interpretive dance, but he quickly impressed me with his expressive face and truly brought this wolf-like creature to life. In subsequent viewings, this all fit together and drew me in much more than most short films do. This film is in black and white, with no dialog - only music and narration, in a 4:3 standard (16mm) frame typical for 1997, just over 12 minutes long. Multiple viewings recommended.Little Suck-a-Thumb: This film is dark and twisted. It feels like a student film shot on a single set, and the performances are not overly convincing. The story took me somewhere I didn't want to go, slowly and deliberately with no surprises, and when it got there I laughed out loud. It's that strange of a story. So it was worth watching at least once. This film is in color, 4:3 standard frame, just over 8 minutes long. 1994.The Frog King: It's Ringu (The Ring) meets Gonzo (The Muppets)... Black and white, silent with title cards (music and effects), 4:3 standard frame letterboxed to 16:9, 10 minutes. 1992.Commentary tracks are somewhat interesting, but occasionally lost in the mix.
