Famke Janssen

Not every movie can be Schindler's List-caliber, but would we really want that, anyway? Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a preposterous movie, but the blood-soaked fairy tale is more than aware of its silliness and embraces it. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star as the titular brother-and-sister duo, but the classic characters are a little different than you may remember. Their tale begins traditionally, with their miraculous escape from a witch who lures them in with her candy-coated cottage. Now grown, the siblings' childhood nightmare has catapulted them to fame as the most successful witch hunters in the land. The movie picks up when they are commissioned by a village to investigate the disappearance of children. It's not the most imaginative concept, but that doesn't mean the film lacks creativity. Read on to find out why Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters may be more amusing than you think.

• The acting isn't genius. Wry one-liners and overblown dialogue are status quo here, and for the most part, this isn't a brilliantly acted work of art.
• But . . . Watching Oscar nominee Renner spit out lines like "If you're gonna kill a witch, set her *ss on fire" is worth the price of admission. There's something fantastic about the way he clearly doesn't take himself too seriously to do a film like this, and it's a pleasure to watch him as the grumpy, suspicious Hansel.
• It's ridiculous. The project is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, so that should be an indicator that this film is no ordinary thriller. Hansel is diabetic because of all the sugar the witch made him ingest when he was a kid, and the leather-wearing hunters have homemade medieval versions of machine guns and defibrillators. The latter is used to bring a fallen troll back to life.
• But . . . It's the perfect antidote to all the three-hour dramas flooding theaters during award season. Hansel and Gretel take their jobs seriously, but audiences know better than to take this movie seriously.

To find out the other ups and downs of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, just read more.

• Watch Russell Brand's SNL promos with Jason Sudeikis — Vulture
• The Can't Hardly Wait cast: where are they now? — Moviefone
• Everything you need to know about Justified before tonight's premiere — TV.com
• Check out Adam Sandler's greatest SNL skits — TV Squad
• Need help picking Oscar winners? Use this handy index — Movieline
• The Foo Fighters, Eminem, and Muse will headline this year's Lollapalooza — Stereogum
• Yay! Ed Westwick is not leaving Gossip Girl — PopSugar UK
• Debra Messing is in talks for NBC's musical pilot Smash — TV Line
• Famke Janssen joins Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters — MTV Movies Blog
• Christian Bale may drop weight again for Concrete Island — The Playlist

This pooch isn't named Spike (hello, it's Licorice, of course) but that's what the collar's called. The Spike Studded Leather Dog Collar ($59) sported by this smooshy is super cute for Famke Janssen's little stud.The happy twosome took a stroll around SoHo over the weekend. I love their neutral color coordination; what a sleek match they make! See more, close-up pictures below.

Well hello there, Licky, how I've missed you! The now-8-year-old pooch tried out a different fitness routine — biking. There's been some recent news out in California about banning even recreational cyclists from walking running dogs due to the dangers presented to nearby pedestrians, but this pup seems to be in the clear for people territory.

Personally, I haven't ridden a bike since undergrad (save a couple vacation afternoons) and know my crazy yet scaredy cat pooch would not be too fond of running alongside something like this, even if I wanted to test it out. Have you ever tried this fitness routine, either for a quick trip or a lengthy excursion? Check out Licorice as he scoots alongside Famke in the gallery below before sharing your stories in the comments.