Podcast: The Demented Podcast #1 - Doorknob Entertainment.

UPDATE: I finally got notice from iTunes that the podcast has been accepted. About freakin' time. So yeah, now you can download from iTunes.

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For the first episode of The Demented Podcast, I have Jess from Insight into Entertainment. She introduces herself, and then we get into our very first "The Challenge." This episode, we take on a scene from the Kiera Knightley version of "Pride and Prejudice." But with a twist...

From there, we get into our main discussion: Book-to-Film adaptations. Of course we cover the obvious (Twilight and Harry Potter), but we even get into a bit of Bill Shakespeare, Stephen King, and more!

Finally, we wrap up the show with my new game, The Demented Tower. Will Jess make it all the way to the top? Or will she be violently assaulted by a magical floating lemur? Listen to find out!

And if you're wondering... yes, I had to edit out a lot of long pauses for think-time during the game (so sometimes, her answers--or even my responses--weren't as fast as they appear). You can listen to the episode below, and it will be available through iTunes sometime within the next 24 hours.

That being said, enjoy! Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website for great, royalty-free music. And thanks to Google for helping me find a website that will give me free video game audio samples.

SAW VII 3D.

WARNING: Here be potential spoilers for all previous films in the series.

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October 29, 2004. Roughly 9 PM. I sit down on opening night to watch a low-budget horror film called Saw. I have no expectations except that I think it has a fun concept. It's entertaining, but totally predictable. It's now 5 minutes before the movie ends. Jigsaw stands up. My jaw drops. I sit and stare at the credits rolling, dumbfounded.

October 29, 2010. Roughly 4:30 PM. I sit down on opening day to watch a comparatively low-budget horror film called Saw 3D. It's the seventh in the series--and the last. I have seen every other one on opening day, and I wasn't going to stop that trend on the final film (of, at least, this particular chronology). It's entertaining, but totally predictable. It's now 5 minutes before the movie ends. We get our "Hello Zepp." The twist happens. The movie ends. I leave with a huge smile on my face. Why?

This is the Saw movie the loyal fans have been waiting for.

The story picks up where the--believe it or not--first movie left off. If you don't know already what happens next, you probably aren't a fan of the series. Let's just say it involves Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes). Then we get our first-ever outside, live-audience trap. It's mostly irrelevant to the overall movie. Finally, we continue where Saw VI left off, which shows Jill (Betsy Russell) putting Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) in the Reverse Beartrap and him escaping it. Jill hides and runs to the police, specifically Officer Gibson (Chad Donella), who has a past with Hoffman. Hoffman sets up a semi-game to have Gibson hand over Jill to him in order to stop the main game that is going on. The main game revolves around Bobby (Sean Patrick Flanery), who has gained fame by coming out as a Jigsaw Survivor and leading self-help groups for other survivors. However, as you can probably figure out from the first scene you see him in, he's lying... and he's put in his very own game of survival. Similar to Saws III and VI, he's given the option of saving somebody he knows, but at his own personal pain and loss. What's his goal? To save his wife (Gina Holden), who is chained up at the end of his journey.

There are kinda two and a half story lines going on in this movie. The main one is Bobby's game, but then there's Jill trying to stay protected from Hoffman. Somewhat connected to this is Gibson trying to hunt down Hoffman, as well as figure out a mystery behind the latest "trap" disaster. The story is easily the film's weakest point. Especially in its first 20 or so minutes, it's very jumbled and unfocused. It's trying to do way too much. It wants to stand alone as its own entity, but it can't, because it has a bunch of things to tie up (being the final installment). Bobby's story is good, albeit highly predictable with a hint of "I've seen this before." And you have. As I already said, a guy having to go through a building and save/kill people depending on his own personal strength and/or willpower has already been done twice, both (interestingly) at the end of their respective trilogies. Jill's mini-story and Gibson's story could have been better had it not been for their respective actors' over-acting.

Betsy Russell just screams and freaks out most of the time, while Chad Donella tries as hard as he can to taste that scenery. Besides them, though, everybody else is pretty average (for this series). Really, that's all I've got on the acting. If you've made it this far into the Saw series, it's most likely you're not looking for Oscar Gold.

What you really want to hear about are the traps. Oh man, there are some good ones. The "outside" trap at the beginning is cool (and actually darkly comic by the end of the scene). Unfortunately, this scene bares almost no purpose for the rest of the movie. It's referenced one other time (possibly two, if you can infer something later, but there's no proof). Other highlights are the "car" trap and the "throat" trap (which actually made me cringe). The others are really good, too, but I don't wanna spoil it by getting into them all. I don't really think I was disappointed by any of the traps in the movie. They were all relatively bloody and creative, which is all any Saw fan can ask for. They also tied nicely in with the sins of those in them (and had nothing to do with Jigsaw's personal history), something the last few films have been lacking.

Speaking of anything a Saw fan can ask for, the one thing that keeps bringing fans back is the continuity. Say what you will about the bloodiness of the films, but the continuity of this series is freakin' genius. All the backstory and inter-connectedness is so good. However, I can't talk about the rest without getting into spoiler territory, so I'm gonna put up some tags now.

SPOILER ALERT (FOR THE ENDING)



Dr. Gordon's return has been pretty much the biggest fan request since the first two films. What really sparked the Gordon theorists (myself included) was the limping figure who surgically implanted a key behind that one guy's eye at the beginning of Saw II. And it just escalated from there. I always said that the only way this series could end--and a lot of fans agree--was with Dr. Gordon coming back, showing himself as having helped John Kramer, giving us flashbacks to all the other films of how he did so, and ending back at the bathroom. And you know what? That's exactly what we got. If you're a major Saw fan like me, this ending wasn't a twist. It was fan service. And I loved it. It made the rest of the film even better simply for having that ending. Also, we finally get to see the Reverse Beartrap in action. How awesome is that?



SPOILERS DONE


The only other thing I wanna talk about is the story theme. Every one of the films after the first has had a main theme. The second was (arguably) patience. The third was forgiveness. The fourth was trust. The fifth was truth... or teamwork... or something. The sixth was choices. So what was the seventh? I think it's humility. But like the sixth, there was a strong message to go along with it. The sixth's played on the healthcare system. This one played on the recent rise in popularity in fake celebrities. For instance, the dude who wrote the fake memoir and had Oprah pimp it on her show as truth... or balloon boy... or anybody who has used tragedy as a stage for fame and popularity. And then, to take it even further, the American fascination with granting them that popularity (which is really all that "outside" trap was about).

Overall, it was an adequate film. Was it the best in the series? No. That'll always be the first one. But was it the worst? No... I don't think it even came close. It's somewhere in the middle. However, that being said, while the overall film might not be totally strong, the ending is definitely one of the best. So in summation... iffy story, strong traps, great ending... to both the movie and the series as a whole.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

(P.S. I refuse to call it purely Saw 3D, hence the VII in the title. It won't be 3D on DVD, and Saw 2D is just stupid... so they'll have to change it to Saw VII.)

R2D2... The One With Podcasts.

Hey guys! Remember, no Vlog again until December (when Season Two will premier). So in its place for today, I'm giving you more of me in other ways! I've recently been guest hosting on a bunch of podcasts lately, and I figured I'd let y'all in on 'em now that they're all officially out (OK, so 2 have been out for about a week, but the third just came out today).

1) Reel Insight - Episode 19.

I've been trying to get on this show since it started. Headed up by Rachel of Rachel's Reel Reviews and Jess from Insight into Entertainment, Reel Insight is a fantastic podcast where they focus on a celebrity's career every week. There is also movie talk and TV talk, as well... and, of course, the Quotable Quotes game, which is how I was finally able to get on. For this episode, we discussed one Ryan Reynolds.




2) Lair of the Unwanted - Episode 10.

This podcast is the brain child of Jason Soto of Invasion of the B Movies and Nolahn of Bargain Bin Review. Basically, they take a theme every month (as it's a monthly show), a couple bad movies from that theme, and discuss. For this episode, they had me on for some zombie talk... specifically, Zombie Strippers and Zombies Zombies Zombies. I thought it was great that I got to be in on their monumental 10th episode. It was a fun time (as were all the other podcasts, too).




3) MILFCast - Episode 9.

The Man, I Love Films Podcast is headed up by Kai of The List and his irregular c0-host Heather of Movie Mobsters. We had a fun time talking about what we've watched lately, playing Kai's Always Right, and wrapping it up with The Game. But, of course, we also got into why I was invited on in the first place--to have a nice discussion on whether or not the Infected in 28 Days Later... are zombies. Enjoy!




Final Note: These aren't the final podcasts I'll be guesting on as of late. Coming up in November, I believe I'm scheduled to guest on The MatineeCast, the podcast for Mad Hatter's Dark of the Matinee. I'll keep y'all updated. But as for now, enjoy these!

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2.

I went into this movie nearly blind. I've seen (and own) the first film--which I declare is more creepy than scary. I didn't know anything about this one except that there was a baby and a dog. All I'd seen was the initial teaser trailer when it first came out. So I didn't know any of the story or anything. So let me spill that for you here. The movie is essentially a prequel to the first film. It starts roughly a month before the events of the first one and is about Katie's sister (Katie being the main chick from the original). Her sister, Kristi, has just had a baby named Hunter. She also has a step-daughter named Ali, who belongs to her husband, Dan. And, yes, they have a dog. Well, after what appears to be a break-in, the family puts up security cameras around the house. When further freaky stuff starts happening, Kristi jumps to the conclusion of ghosts, which both Ali and their nanny, Martine, believe, as well. But Dan (of course) thinks it's all nonsense. The movie is shown to us as a mixture of security footage and hand-held camera footage, usually recorded by the daughter, Ali.

All the characters get a good amount of screen time (except Martine), but I'd say we spend a great deal of time with Ali, especially in the latter half of the movie. The biggest different between this film and the first is that, in this one, the characters are actually likable. Yes, Katie and Micah make appearances (Katie moreso than Micah), and they stay pretty true to character. And although Dan essentially serves the same purpose as Micah (the joking, disbelieving male), and Kristi serves the same purpose as Katie (the freaked-out wife), they're both more enjoyable to watch. Dan is endearing, and Kristi doesn't go around being all whiny and bizarre. Though, again, it's Ali that really carries the movie.

But you really want to hear about the scares. You can forgive unlikable characters if the movie is scary enough, right? Well, let's put it this way: the first film relied on the "Day/Night" alternation. Every time we went to Night, we knew something even more hardcore than the previous Night was going to happen. And it starts pretty early. That's not the case here. Yes, we still have the Day/Night alternation, but where this one throws you off is where stuff happens in the daytime. That's right, in this one, you don't know when something is gonna happen. In the first, you were only uneasy during the night. In this one, you're uneasy all the time, never exactly sure when something will happen.

But the scare department is also where the film falters. I can easily split this movie into thirds. The first 30 minutes is dull. Almost nothing happens. The "scares" are so subtle, you don't even have to blink to miss them. In fact, I didn't realize until about the third time it happened that the pool vacuum cleaner thing was finding its way out of the pool by morning. By the end of "Night 1," I didn't think anything had even happened. We just saw some night shots around the house. And it felt very similarly for the next few nights. Hell, we had gotten almost a week in, and I was still waiting for something to happen. Then you have the middle 30 minutes. More stuff happens, but it's nothing spectacular. Think of the first few nights from the first movie. It's stuff falling down, loud noises, and other things like that. A couple jump scares, but nothing really creepy (in fact, the biggest creepy moment in this middle section is almost laughably silly--when the baby is moved).

However, there is a turn. The last 30 minutes of this movie--starting with the "cabinet" scene and up through the ending--are freakier/scarier than the entire first movie. Holy crap, it had me on edge. You never knew when something would happen, where it would happen, or who it would happen to. I ridiculed the "standing and staring" moments from the first film as stupid. However, when a certain character is just sitting there, staring into nothingness, it freaked me the hell out. I guess it's all in context. So while the first movie is a gradual "scare," this one is more of a slow burn. You get to know all the characters and get a few small moments... and then in the last 30 minutes, all Hell breaks loose. I swear, at the end of the movie, I've never felt so uncomfortable/nervous during a black screen.

There's really nothing else to say. It has some good comedy, usually from Dan. The characters are good and likable. The hand-held cam wasn't really a problem, and they really utilized it at times, playing with your expectations. Sometimes they'd pay it off, and the camera would turn and something would be there. Sometimes they wouldn't, and it's a bunch of built tension that will just linger uncomfortably until something does happen. The first hour is kinda boring, but that final 30 minutes totally makes it all worth it. I think it succeeds more than the first; however, it relies on the fact that you've seen the first one to get a lot of the connections. Overall, the last third totally saved it, and I do recommend it if you enjoyed the first on some level.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

THE SOCIAL NETWORK.

This is probably the longest I've ever gone between seeing a movie in theater and actually writing the review (I saw it Sunday, and it's now Thursday). However, because everything has already been said about this movie by everybody else, I'm going to do something clever. Rachel at Rachel's Reel Reviews did her review in a very clever manner. Now, because The Social Network is all about stealing other people's ideas and putting your own spin on it, I'm going to do just that! So here's my review for The Social Network:



ACTING:




STORY:




SCREENPLAY:




NARRATIVE CONFUSION NEAR BEGINNING:




CINEMATOGRAPHY:




MUSIC:




OVERALL RATING:

Royale With Cheese

Random Ramblings of a Demented DoorVlog #10.

Alright... it's a day late, but it's finally here. And I hope y'all enjoy it! It's a very special episode... more a mini-film than a usual Vlog. But it's kind of a mixture of things.

This episode is the showdown and revelation between me and the penguin (which, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you need to check out the previous 2 episodes). It's also, in part, a Halloween special due to its SAW homage. Next, it sets up something I have planned for the end of the year. So, finally, I'm considering this the "Season One" finale episode. I need to put my focus on the aforementioned "something I have planned." Let's just say it'll be one heck of a Season Two opener. So consider this the last Vlog until December.

Because it is all of this, not to mention because it's just my 10th episode, it's extra long (roughly 15 minutes). I hope y'all like it. I spent a lot of planning and time in this episode. Lemme know what y'all think!

R2D2... The One Explaining Vlog 10.

Quick update, guys. I'm having some stupid technical difficulties. I have all the footage and whatnot, but there's no way I can get the Vlog up tonight (unless I forgo sleep on a work night, which I don't wanna do).

So yeah, you'll definitely have it tomorrow. I just wanted to explain why you aren't getting it tonight. It's a very special episode, so you won't be sorry about the wait!

Random Ramblings of a Demented DoorVlog #9.

Here's the new episode. And yes, the email was actually sent in by somebody. A different somebody than the closing salutation declares, but a somebody indeed. I hope y'all enjoy. Next week is the big 10th episode... where you'll see some special stuff... including the big showdown! But as for right now, here is episode 9. Enjoy!

Top 10 Favorite Narcissistic Characters.

Throughout literature and, of course, into film, there have been those characters that are--how you say--full of themselves. They're usually used as comedic relief and are hardly ever taken seriously. They see themselves as the best thing in the world, and it doesn't matter what you say, as they're always right (How silly of you to think otherwise). According to TV Tropes, this character is often called the Ted Baxter. So today I'm going to be focusing on my favorite narcissistic characters from movies. And today's list is in honor of yet another dear friend and fellow LAMBCaster, one Kai Parker of The List. I'll let you figure out how on your own...

Top 10 Favorite Narcissistic Characters

10. Zaphod Beeblebrox

Movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Played By: Sam Rockwell
About: I haven't seen this movie in ages (despite owning it), which is why it's at number 10. And while Zaphod (and Sam Rockwell) is great, the character didn't stick with me strong enough to put him any higher. But he's still fun for the role he has.


9. Miranda Priestly

Movie: The Devil Wears Prada
Played By: Meryl Streep
About: I've only seen the movie once--again, why it's so low on the list. But this is a character that sticks with you.


8. Patrick Bateman

Movie: American Psycho
Played By: Christian Bale
About: Bale plays the role with what appears to be ease. However, I've got to be in a certain mood to catch this flick, so the role isn't too often seen by these eyes. That being said, he's a completely memorable character with some very iconic scenes.


7. Kieran Vollard

Movie: Dinner for Schmucks
Played By: Jemaine Clements
About: I'll probably get some hell for this one, particularly with its placement. But this is a favorites list, after all. But whether or not you liked the movie, most have agreed that Jamaine Clements was the best part. And there's another, very similar character a little higher on the list...


6. Steve Stifler
Movie: The American Pie Trilogy
Played By: Seann William Scott
About: Stifler thinks he's hot stuff, almost obnoxiously so. But he's not without his insecurities underneath it all. He's probably not a true narcissist as the rest of this list--it's much more of a front, at least partially. But there's no doubting he thinks highly of himself, and he's funny while he thinks so.


5. Derek Zoolander

Movie: Zoolander
Played By: Ben Stiller
About: "I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is."


4. Aldous Snow

Movie: Forgetting Sarah Marshall/Get Him To The Greek
Played By: Russell Brand
About: I've yet to see Get Him To The Greek, though I've heard it's good. I wasn't crazy about Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I thought he was hilarious in it--clearly the best part of the whole thing.


3. Vizzini

Movie: The Princess Bride
Played By: Wallace Shawn
About: Vizzini: "I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains." Westley: "You're that smart?" Vizzini: "Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates?" Westley: "Yes." Vizzini: "Morons." And you best not disagree with him! That'd be inconceivable!


2. Ron Burgundy

Movie: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Played By: Will Ferrell
About: It's my second-favorite Will Ferrell movie (after Stranger than Fiction). And the narcissism is right there in the title of the film! He's a fun character, wrapped up in his own little world.


1. Gilderoy Lockhart

Movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Played By: Kenneth Branagh
About: This is definition narcissism. I think Lockhart is hilarious. One of my favorite comical moments from the series is when Lockhart is talking to Harry during his detention and says "Fame is a fickle friend, Harry. Celebrity is as celebrity does. Remember that." *turn and smile* Seriously, he goes to such lengths as to fake his fame and risk the deaths of many-a-student to keep his ego fed. Though I was sad to see him not make an appearance in Order of the Phoenix, as he does in the book, his portrayal in Chamber of Secrets was excellent.

R2D2... The One With A New Layout.

You might have noticed over the last couple days that the site looks a bit different. Well, that's because I gave it a make-over!

Taking into consideration everything that was told to me in a previous LAMBCast where the participants blustered my blog, telling me what was wrong with it, I made some fixes.

Of note, there is no more "About Me" section; the LAMB section is higher up for visitor viewing; the rating system pictures are no longer "stretched"; and there are some header differences.

Among the header differences is, well, the header itself. This wasn't blustered, but I felt it needed a change due to the change in background color (which WAS blustered)... and I added a tagline. Also changed were the "Page" links under the header. I changed them into buttons rather than having them as text links. I also took out 2 of them (the two where I kept a list of books and movies I owned, as I never updated them). And then I added 2 new ones: The Vlog (where I put descriptions and links to my Vlog episodes) and The LAMBCast, where I keep the embedded player of the podcast I frequent on a near-weekly basis.

Other changes are rather minute, but there are some others. I'll let you find them on your own. Anywho, I just felt like sharing, despite you probably having noticed by now. I hope you like it! Leave me comments on what you think below.

Random Ramblings of a Demented DoorVlog #8.

I think I really needed that week off with the Vlog. After what I feel to have been a decrease in quality over the last couple episodes, I'm back with episode 8. And I really like this one... so I hope y'all do, too. It's one of my more original episodes. There are no Dramatic Post Readings... no Bill, either. And I do something I haven't done since, I believe, the first episode: review a movie!

I asked on Facebook for some suggestions in making the Vlog better. I took those into consideration, so I hope this meets your standards. Let me know what you think!

LET ME IN.

I came in slightly late to the game with the original film. By the time I finally saw the whole thing, it had been over-hyped to the point where I expected it to be one of the greatest things ever put on film in the history of the world ever. Needless to say, my expectations were a bit too high going into it. I still loved it and thought it was great. However, I wasn't as blown away by it as everybody else. This time, I saw this version on opening weekend.

The story now takes place in 1980s New Mexico in March (apparently it still snows during March there). Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is 12-years-old and is constantly bullied by bigger kids at school. And all he wants to do is find a way to get even. Enter Abby (Chloe Moretz), a strange young girl who walks around barefoot in the snow. She lives with her apparent father (Richard Jenkins), who goes out and kills people and drains them of their blood... specially for her. But the police are on the trail of this killing spree, headed up by a main policeman (Elias Koteas). During this, however, Owen and Abby become closer to each other, despite Abby's warnings that they can't be friends.

The movie holds its own against the original. It really does. There are some things I liked better in the original, and there are some things I liked better in this remake. So let's get the comparisons out of the way immediately. This movie isn't a shot-for-shot, but it's your basic concept-by-concept. The scenes portray the same general idea (though a lot of scenes do have a very similar look). There were five main cuts/changes from the original that I noticed in this one (NOTE: If you've not seen the original and don't know the story, skip the rest of this paragraph). First, the subplot of the townspeople/community was changed to people who just live in the same complex as Owen. I actually liked this change, as I didn't care for the townspeople angle in the original film. The second is how the father kills people; in this one, he hides out in their cars and waits for them to come to a desolate stop. Not too bad. The third is the whole segment where the main boy goes to his father's house. There's still turmoil between his parents, but he never goes to visit him. This is another change I didn't mind. Finally, the scene I knew wouldn't be shown: the castration scar. Abby says plenty of times that she's not a girl, but for those uninitiated with the story, most will infer that she means she's a vampire--not that she's a boy. There's actually the scene where he peeks on her getting dressed; they just don't show what he sees like the original does. Finally, unlike the original movie, this one basically comes straight out and tells you that "the father" was an old friend/lover, similar to how Owen is starting out. I liked this addition, despite the original's ambiguity in letting you figure it out on your own.

Anyway, now we have the comparisons out of the way, let's focus on this one, shall we? The acting is superb. Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee are outstanding. I actually forgot I was watching two kid actors (which is especially good with Moretz, who has the Hit-Girl stigma hanging over her). Richard Jenkins plays the troubled and conflicted father-figure well, too. And the main bully was just totally mean/nasty. And I was also totally into Elias Koteas' policeman character, which I don't remember being as big a role in the original, though I haven't seen it in a while. Regardless, he was great.

The cinematography was great, as well. I don't think it was as breathtaking as the original (I know, I said I would stop...), but it was definitely up there. I loved a lot of the camera choices Matt Reeves made, particularly when we had a stationary camera inside a car, so where everything else was moving expect the camera--like in a particularly trippy car crash scene. Overall, everything was great to look at in that regard. Though everything really came down to how they would film the climax, being the scene that grasped so many people in the original. For the most part, it's very similar, but the camera angle is different and there's a lot more blood. The jury's still out on which climax I preferred.

My biggest issue with the film (besides the name change) is the CGI. When Abby goes vamp-mode, they have her in some insanely disturbing and creepy makeup. It looks totally awesome (though they do give her a deeper voice to go with it, which was strange). However, when she's doing vamp-power things, like attacking people or climbing a tree or something like that, it's this silly CGI figure with monkey-like movements. You can tell it isn't real, even though there's never a close up on it. The biggest "why?" moment is relatively early on when Abby has to feed on somebody. She's already in this guy's arms, but then she starts bouncing all over him to attack him in a very CGI-fashion instead of just biting him and knocking him over. Fortunately, there are maybe only 3 or so of these CGI moments throughout the entire film, so you don't have to deal with them much.

The film is very visceral. There are quite a few blood and cringe moments in the film. Now, it's not a slasher/horror or anything like that. It's actually a very quiet film, much like the original. It's just that when one of the violent moments comes up, the violence is amped up and made much more brutal. Again, I liked this change.

The last thing I wanted to touch on is the musical score. The score is just beautiful, and it matches every scene perfectly. That's really all there is to it.

Overall, the movie is fantastic. It's a solid rival for the original. As I said before, some things I liked better in the original (from how some things were handled to how a scene was shot) and some things I liked better in this remake (certain cuts/changes). The acting is superb. The cinematography is really good, though the random CGI moments could have been toned down. This film was very well done and put together. Should people still see the original? Totally. But this was definitely a high class remake.


Royale With Cheese

(P.S. I found it funny that there were quite a few 7-13-year-old girls in my showing. There was even a mom with a girl who couldn't have been any older than 5. Thankfully, they were able to keep quiet for most of the film, except for the preteens giggling at serious moments. I just felt bad for that real little girl.)