It's never really fair to add to the million woes of the indie filmmaker by mentioning the troubles stirring around them pre-release. After all, it's what's on screen that counts. But there comes a time when the fuss is irresistible to watch, especially after a look at Cinematical's Kevin Polowy and Kim Voynar's reviews of Hounddog, as well as Monika Bartyzel's earlier anticipation of the trouble to come, from that now notorious Sundance film best known as the "Dakota Fanning rape movie."

The LA Times's Robin Abcarian did the pro-Hounddog piece on Jan. 20 , taking the high road as she described the 21 credited producers, the usual horror stories of money dropping out and director Deborah Kampmeier hocking her car. S.T. VanAirsdale of The Reeler took a significantly lower road, reproducing, in all of its misspelled glory, the ad Kampmeier wrote for the Sundance newsletter which describes trying to avoid the unions while she made Hounddog. As a reward for this small act of union-avoidance, Volkswagen presented her with a VW Touareg. It's interesting to note in Neil Gabler's book on Walt Disney, by the way, that unionized newspaper critics refused to attend the screening of Pinocchio because of Disney's well-known labor troubles. Other times, other morals. Warmly heralding the director's "exploitative, racist piece of s--t," VanAirsdale links to Manhola Darghis' by now famous Sundance screed calling Hounddog "overinflated rubbish ... as sincere as it is stupid."

While waiting for someone to find the tongs with which to handle this movie, you can sign (sight unseen) either the "block Hounddog petition" or the "support the movie Hounddog" petition.