Child Rape Movie Appears to Be a Dud: They're Talking Going Straight to DVD

This is my final post on this movie, unless someone says something really outrageous and deserves some attention.

I'm still fuming over the Hounddog movie (that features a child rape scene) over the moral lines that it succeeds in crossing.

Dakota Fanning remains in the news, telling the media that some of the criticism leveled at her and her parents have been "uncalled for and hurtful."

She and her parents should have thought about the storm of controversy before they "decided" to do this movie and offend so many people; not the least of whom are rape victims and sexual molestation survivors. Many are coming forward and posting their thoughts online.

Just because child rape is a fact of life doesn't make it right, or acceptable, or something to be worthy of presentation in a movie. That's what has people so hot.

Some of the criticisms that have been expressed about her mother have been harsh; the minor tongue-lashing I administered in my last post pale in comparison.

But "uncalled for?" She's playing an adult game in an adult world under adult rules, and if she can't take the heat for her (and her mom's) bad decisions, perhaps she should stick to more appropriate venues, such as her recent film "Charlotte's Web", which was brilliantly executed and did more to further her career than a child-rape scene in an adult-themed movie.

It's pure exploitation and the proof is in what happens before the rape scene: reportedly her character dancing in wet underwear and t-shirt, her waking up as her naked father climbs into bed with her, her demanding that a young boy expose himself in exchange for a kiss, doing some kind of provocative pole dance, and then a teenager raping her.

And she really should stay out of the news on this controversy. She doesn't have enough life experience or judgment to speak on this issue or lecture adults on whether child rape is any more acceptable on the big screen than it is in real life.

"It's just acting" she says, but that's the tip of the iceberg. If acting out a scene causes a huge tidal wave of controversy, then they should probably find out more about what the underlying issue is.

This is also where her parent(s)--and all the other parents of children in this film--should have put their foot down and said "I won't allow this. It's crossing too many lines and you don't want this kind of bad publicity at this stage of your career" or "And as a parent, I object to the very idea of my child participating in a movie like this."

That's it from me.

12-Year-Old Child Actress Defends Her Child-Rape Scene in New Movie: She Has No Idea What She's Done

It's more than a little offensive when a 12-year-old not only participates in a simulated brutal child-rape scene in a movie, but then defends her "decision" and says that the controversy is "blown out of proportion." I think not.

Her parents ought to exercise some parental authority and keep her out of the limelight for a while. Then again, maybe they should have their heads examined too, for green-lighting this scene in the first place. What were they thinking?

This is a line that shouldn't have been crossed. Some groups are saying that there should be a federal probe to see if any laws were broken. I support that idea.

The big question (among many) is whether the scene is simulated child pornography (which is illegal in the United States.) It doesn't sound like it's actual child porn under this definition, but the laws on simulated porn are very complex and do not necessarily involve nudity--or even kids (see above link).

It doesn't matter that Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster played controversial roles in films when they were young too--the laws concerning child welfare are much stricter now and this controversy should be looked at in the current climate, not in yesterday's.

If there is a federal probe, many of these troubling questions will be addressed, and this controversy will be with us for some time to come. But if there isn't, it will blow over quickly and Hollywood's reputation will take another (well-deserved) blow.

I will not be going to see this movie as I find the idea of child rape abhorrent and won't support an "artistic" portrayal of it in a movie or any other medium. And no 12-year-old has any business participating in or defending a child-rape scene. Does she have any idea the damage she's helped to do? I suspect she doesn't have a clue.