Fairytale Re-vamp

While "Red Riding Hood" may have fallen short of expectations (at least mine, anyway), the retelling of classic fairy tales is still a hot topic in Hollywood. Over the past few days, trailers for two new productions of Snow White (a drama featuring Charlize Theron and a comedy staring Julia Roberts, both playing the evil Queen) made their first appearance on IMDB and YouTube.

For someone raised on the great Disney classics (Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella ect...), I'm keenly interested in seeing what these updated versions have to offer; not just in terms of a different take on the story, but looking at that take with an adult's critical eye.

Theron's approach offers a dark and macabre fantasy of stealing the life force of young girls to retain her youth and beauty. When the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) she dispatches to capture Snow White has a change of heart, he takes the girl in, trains her in arms and sets her to take revenge on the queen. Although skeptical of Kristen Stewart in the title role, I sincerely hope for the film's success.

Though not generally known for fantasy roles, Roberts has clearly brought a unique touch to her peacock-adorned antagonist.  While being worried about wrinkles and trying to fit into old corsets, the queen still finds the time to banish Snow White to the woods, only to have the princess team up with a gang of rowdy dwarfs to rescue her prince charming from the queen's "semi-successful" love enchantments.

                                          Snow White and the Huntsman

                                          Mirror, Mirror