Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

punishmentpark Dakota Fanning. I haven't seen much with her in it, but she was pretty good in Kelly Reichardt's 'Night moves'. There, she played a much more sober role than in this one, and it seemed befitting. Here, she is quite disappointing; some provocative dancing, some mediocre singing, a few teen tantrums and some awful screaming (the scene in which David Morse joins in with the screaming is truly awful). Never did she convince me of the pain and anguish Lewellen was in.The premise is relatively promising, but the story quickly becomes inane and boring. Seldom do I wish to turn off a movie, but 'Hounddog' accomplished that. The dialogues range from nothing special to truly annoying (although I was unable to understand all of them, due to the lack of subtitles), and really none of the acting was impressive, which also had much to do with the poor direction, I'm sure. There are some pretty pictures of the American South to look at, but they amount to very little here.Uninspired is the key word here, even if the story is all about being truly inspired (through blues music)... It's almost shocking to learn that the director is a prominent name in the academic world.2 out of 10.

dbryn I was intrigued by the synopsis when I stumbled upon this movie. I typically enjoy these 50's/60's coming of age period movies ala "Man in the Moon". That was my expectation, a different spin on "Man in the Moon". The movie started out pretty good and I was intrigued. Around 20mins in, story elements just seemed scattered all over the place. In the introductory scene, Lewellen discusses bruises on her body and how she's going to kill her daddy. I'm all set to witness a young girl who's obsessed with meeting Elvis, kill her dad. One of those two things ought to be her goal? Nope. That's the last thing we hear or see about her resentment towards her dad. In fact, she's quite fond of her dad through the rest of the story. So, maybe it's about her journey to see Elvis? I recognize his music is what comforts her, but the story is setup for an Elvis meeting... and when she misses out on the Elvis concert at the midpoint, I figure the ending will also involve Elvis. As a screenwriter myself, her missing out on Elvis at the midpoint has me suspect that she will not be successful in this goal, and she isn't. In fact, Elvis is really never mentioned in the last half of the movie. The snakes throughout were kinda cool, but what did they mean? Symbolism for sure... but extremely vague in my mind. Throughout the last half of the movie, I'm waiting for something to happen. I want clarity on what her goal really is, what the story's about, and I'm waiting... still waiting... and end credits. What? It's a shame that such beautiful scenery, music, and acting talent was wasted on such a lousy story. I didn't get it at all. So, I do some brief investigating and this is what I found...I've already mentioned I didn't like the story or the screenwriter's (Deborah Kampmeier) attempt at putting together a story. OK, so who's the director? Hmm, the director is also Deborah Kampmeier. Hmm, OK so who's the producer that actually liked the project enough to through some money at it? also, Deborah Kampmeier. I'm sorry to say it, but this leads me to believe that no one in the industry wanted to get on board this project. This explains the strange use of 'symbolism'(?) throughout the movie, because it was weird enough that only one person understood it... Deborah Kampmeier. I couldn't figure out if the snakes represented evil, poison, personal demons, etc... who knows? With 20mins remaining in the film, I suspected the snakes were actually symbolic for good? Perhaps a cleansing of the soul? But then at the very end, when dad goes to pick up a dead snake and the snake has a 'dead reflex' to strike... the dad is bit. Yet, Lewellen skips happily along and into the house... roll credits. What? Backup. OK, so maybe... just maybe... if she actually disliked her abusive father this would make sense. But, he wasn't abusive and she loved her father. What? It almost seems like there was an original script with a major rewrite, and no one bothered to fix the ending?I also noticed that pretty much any film Deborah Kampmeier has been associated with, has also been written, directed, and produced by herself. She's also teaches a master scene study class in New York City. Who am I, a newbie screenwriter (who can spot 20+ things wrong with this story), to critique Deborah? Hmm, maybe it's just me?

johnkick Southern Gothic story abounds with lots of Pre-Raphaelite imagery, and too many snakes to shake a stick at. Dakota's character is filmed in many Pre-Raphaelite shots, and she has that sense of calm longing on her face that has been made popular by the Pre-Raphaelites. In contrast, two of her main antagonists, her Grammie and her father, appear as Medieval country bumpkins in their last scene with her. It's pretty clear, there is a sub-textual analogy to the Renaissance and the Dark Ages, here. During her rape, one of Dakota's hands are pierced with a nail. This obvious Christ-like reference is strengthened later, when she appears in bed, with her white underwear bunched and puffy, as if in swaddling clothes, or even a Christ mounted in contorted agony on the cross. Snakes infest her garden of Eden. They are everywhere. The only way to survive being bitten is too spit the poison out, which she does metaphorically, when she takes a deep breathe and belts out the Blues. Visually, this Southern eden is filmed claustrophobic-ally. Besides tall grass and bushes, even the very trees work together to obscure the sun. Some have praised the Blues players as the light in Dakota's world. One reviewer rightly suggests this is patronizing, a stereotype of the magical Negroes in Vagger Bance? In any event, they free Dakota from this wicked Eden. By the way, Dakota's character is no Saint but a survivor. She knowingly lets her father be killed by not warning him about a snake.

kwugboots I have to give this film a 7 because it really got me thinking, particularly the character "Buddy" that Cody Hanford (a fantastic actor) played. I didn't fully buy the radical character change that Buddy apparently went through half way through the film, the director did not really show any gradual change in Buddy, and we are left wondering how such a caring, sweet boy can behave so callously and maliciously. I think that the film-maker portrayed Buddy far too simplistically, and this was a failing point of the film because to me Buddy's complex character and actions - and guilt - were the most interesting parts of the film. Although Buddy's character change seemed too extreme (or at least too unexplained)to be believable, Cody Hanford did a great job and his character really interested me. I keep thinking about the guilt that a young sensitive 10-ish year old boy would have to deal with and live with, after acting the way that he did. He was trying to fit in with the cruel older guys, and supported them after the rape rather than Dakota even though he clearly felt guilty for making a deal with the milk boy (rapist). Part of Buddy's harsh treatment of Dakota after the rape was probably because he felt so guilty. SPOILER: Buddy is a sweet and very sensitive, caring 10ish year old boy who is best friends with Dakota early in the film. His dad beats him up. He doesn't seem to have other friends. He almost drowns in the lake, Dakota rescues him, and he makes her promise not to tell anyone that he can't swim. Buddy later sees Dakota crying because she has no money for Elvis tickets and he begs Dakota, "don't cry, please don't cry. I will get you those tickets, I promise". She is mean to him & tells him that she doesn't have time to play with him until he gets her those tickets. Buddy makes a deal with an older teenage boy, who promises to give him 2 tickets if he can get Dakota to do her 'Hounddog' song in front of him, naked. Dakota agrees to do this in exchange for a 'Hounddog' ticket, but the teenage boy rapes her (in front of a shocked/traumatized Buddy). In church soon after Buddy looks at Dakota then whispers to his new (girl)friend, and they both laugh at her. After church Buddy's new girlfriend tells Dakota that she and Buddy are going to go see Elvis perform that night. Buddy looks guilty & ashamed. Later that night, Dakota watches them exit the Elvis performance. Buddy waves goodbye to his girlfriend and hops happily into the truck of the older teenage boy who raped Dakota, who drives him home. Buddy plays pool with the older teenage boys later that night, including the rapist, and seems happy (until Dakota's mentally impaired father wanders into the room naked and the boys poke him with pool sticks; Buddy is terrified & hides under the table, indicating he has been traumatized from watching Dakota's earlier rape). Dakota is very ill & Buddy overhears her grandmother worry that Dakota might be dying. In the final film scene that involves Buddy, Buddy brings up his worries with the teenager who raped Dakota, saying "if she dies, it will be our fault" and "you might have broken something inside of her". His fears are dismissed by the older teenagers who just joke about the rape. Buddy clearly feels guilty about betraying Dakota. I think that Buddy changed far too drastically in the film, and with no warning. How could such a sensitive, caring boy turn into such a revenge-seeking callous child? There should have been a scene showing Buddy hanging out with the older boys after Dakota refused to play with him (before the rape) as the boys talked about sex/drank beer (we needed a pre-rape scene showing that Buddy was becoming friends with the older boys, and moving his loyalty from Dakota to them instead). Also, Buddy should have seemed more worried/guilty/afraid when making the deal, or when telling Dakota what she had to do to earn her ticket. I think there should have been a tense scene of Buddy & the milk boy (the rapist) interacting after the rape, exploring how Buddy responded to what the milk boy did. All we see after the rape is Buddy hanging out with & having fun with the milk boy. We know that Buddy feels very guilty and ashamed for his part in the rape, but he never turns his anger/hostility/fear onto the milk boy.