'The Woman' is horrifying as well as scary

<b>Reel Life mini-review: 'The Woman'</b>

It always amuses me when people go to a horror film and actually become horrified by its ideas and imagery. We've become so numbed by thoughtless and tepid formula films (most of them rated a commercially safe PG-13) that when something caustic and challenging like Lucky McKee's "The Woman" stumbles into Northwest suburban theaters, we're shocked!

The bluntly feminist "The Woman," written by McKee and novelist Jack Ketchum, examines a real domestic tale of terror about a family man and local attorney Sean Bridgers (Johnny Burns) who cooly batters his wife (Angela Bettis), puts his teenage daughter (Lauren Ashley Carter) into a catatonic state and openly encourages his disengaged son (Zach Rand) to act and think just like dear-old-abusive Dad.

Then one day, Dad comes home with a trophy: a fierce feral woman (Pollyana McIntosh) he captures in the deep woods where he hunts.

Dad chains up the woman - untamed, spitting and snarling - in the cellar and has his family take her on as a rehabilitation project.

Mom is quietly petrified. His son asks, "Can we keep her?" As a pet?

McKee, who directed the excellent 2002 gothic tale "May," avoids exploitative excesses in "The Woman," still, it's a grisly reinvention of a dark and disturbing Grimms fairy tale for adults, rife with graphic violence, made all the more unsettling by McKee's knack for never letting us be comfortably entertained by cruelty and hypocrisy.

<b>"The Woman" opens at area theaters. Rated R for language, nudity and extreme violence. 108 minutes. ★ ★ ★ </b>

<b>Reel Life mini-review: 'Blackthorn'</b>

In Mateo Gil's somber western "Blackthorn," playwright and actor Sam Shepard stars as the aging outlaw Butch Cassidy, who, along with the Sundance Kid, didn't really die in Bolivia as they did at the end of George Roy Hill's 1969 classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

As flashbacks trace the evolution of Butch, now living under the name of James Blackthorn, a reclusive Bolivian rancher, he yearns to return to the U.S. and to his family. But a twist of fate changes everything.

He crosses paths with a thief named Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega) who promises Butch half the money he's filched, setting in motion a blistering, lengthy chase that cries out for Butch to ask his immortal question, "Who are those guys?"

Stephen Rea plays a Pinkerton agent, the story's Inspector Javert, who never really believed Butch and Sundance died as reported.

"Blackthorn" has gunfights and stand offs and chases, but is hardly action-packed. Mostly, it's Gil's leisurely paced, poetic ode to old foes who reunite, put down the weapons and talk man-to-man about the implications of age and shifting priorities in a colder world.

<b>"Blackthorn" opens at the Century Centre in Chicago. Rated R for violence, language. 98 minutes. ★ ★ ★ </b>

<b>'Munger Road' widens</b>

"Munger Road," the scary thriller made in St. Charles by St. Charles native Nicholas Smith, 26, opens even wider this weekend by adding 25 Chicago-area theaters to its run. The movie grossed an amazing $100,000 last week at nine venues.

If you haven't seen "Munger Road" yet, you'll be impressed with Smith's ability to create suspense and thrills without employing the sensationalistic elements of graphic violence, nudity or foul language.

Here's an old-fashioned chiller thriller that recalls the psychological manipulations of the original "Haunting" coupled with Munger Road's (sub)urban legend about students stuck in a car mysteriously stalled over the railroad tracks.

Smith will appear at the Lake Theater in Oak Park Friday and Saturday nights after his movie. Go to mungerroad.com. Click the camera.

<b>Dann wrong on 'Steel'</b>

Dear Dann: I'm not sure if we even watched the same movie ("Real Steel"). From the first minute you could see in Charlie's face a twinge of pain and regret as he parked his truck. Once a contender and now reduced to swimming in beer and dodging creditors as he tries to win a 'bot fight or two just to make a couple of bucks.

Charlie learns, however belatedly, that this kid Max is his one chance to redeem himself, especially with Bailey, and gain a little self respect. That kid, Dakota Goyo, was great. Your heart breaks for him. Yeah, I know, Atom mirrors Charlie's moves because the G2 faces him. But the idea was learn the moves.

This movie made me feel just like I felt when I saw the first "Rocky" movie. It was exciting and you couldn't help but to cheer them on. Come on. One and a half stars? That's a low blow.

As to your assessment that "Drive" is like "Shane," it's an insult to a classic and one of my all time favorite westerns. I could see Steve McQueen playing a part like this in his heyday. But, neither Shane nor Steve was sadistic. Does the driver, defending himself and the girl, REALLY have to stomp the hit man's face until it crushes like an egg?

Good thing I didn't take my girlfriend to see this or she would have been grossed out and mad at me. The only really good thing about this movie was seeing the sleaziest mobsters I have ever seen get killed.

Three stars? Four stars? Sorry, Danno. Give "Drive" the same grade you gave "Real Steel." At least that movie didn't make me feel like I needed to take a bath. - Brian4n211

Dear Brian4n211: It's unfair to compare Shane and Steve the Driver and their violent temperaments. The classic hero in a western is a paragon of virtue. The classic hero in a neo noir is a nasty piece of work who would normally be the villain, except that the real villains are so much worse.

I would argue that "Drive" is a better, smarter, more polished film noir thriller than "Real Steel" is a good, smart and polished science-fiction sports drama.

I'm not a fan of movies that talk down to viewers, as when a character explains that robot boxing was created because the public demanded "more carnage." Gushing motor oil is a comical substitute for spurting blood. If anything, battle robots eliminate carnage (defined as "bloody massacres") from boxing, not supply more of it.

I'm glad that "Real Steel" made you feel like you felt when you saw "Rocky" - an obvious inspiration for this movie, for sure.

"Real Steel" made me feel like the last time I watched a demolition derby. Or a commercial for a new line of robot boxer toys. - Dann

<b>'Mist' not to be missed</b>

Here's a treat for true movie buffs. Frank Darabont's terrific science-fiction thriller "The Mist" will be presented in black-and-white - the director's preferred medium - at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the theater at Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine.

The widely ignored 2007 release, written by horror author Stephen King, shows what happens to ordinary people when they're trapped in a supermarket, surrounded by strange creatures hiding in a mysterious mist. A great ending, too.

<b>"The Mist" is part of a monthly movie series sponsored by Blue Whiskey Cinema. Advance tickets cost $8 ($10 at the door). Go to cuttinghall.org. Rated R for language and violence. My original review rating: ★ ★ ★ ½</b>

<b>Black perspectives</b>

Actor Anthony Mackie will be honored with a Black Perspectives Tribute at the Chicago International Film Festival, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chase Auditorium, 10 S. Dearborn St., Chicago. Go to chicagofilmfestival.com or call (312) 332-FILM. The festival runs through Oct. 20.

<i> Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!</i>