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"Killer" buzz: Ouch, that hurts
Published: 1/25/2010 6:17 PM
Last Modified: 1/25/2010 6:17 PM

The film it seems that everyone at Sundance Film Festival was talking about on Sunday night, according to a pair of blogs, was "The Killer Inside Me," the crime tale filmed in Oklahoma last year.

The premiere apparently induced a substantial amount of venom for its graphic violence against women, apparently at a level not seen on film in a couple of years. In the blogs by writers covering this year's Sundance festival, films like "American Psycho" were brought to mind, and much was discussed about a scene involving Casey Affleck's deputy character punching Jessica Alba's prostitute in the face, repeatedly, with her features noticeably distorting.

After Sunday night's first screening, a woman reportedly lambasted director Michael Winterbottom during a Q&A session, questioning how the film made it into the festival's lineup.

Ouch. That's the reaction to some of the comments made (I don't want to post one blog that I read, as it unabashedly gave away the film's entire plot). This reaction also applies to reading the works of Jim Thompson, the Oklahoma native and pulpy fiction writer whose books never shy away from the cruelty factor, especially against women.

As I wrote in a blog last year when the film was announced, one need only watch "The Grifters" or "The Getaway," both adapted from Thompson's books, to see how women are treated in the author's world.

The key question now, as the film has not yet gained a distribution deal for the United States: What studio is going to show an interest in promoting such a hot-button, buzzed-about motion picture? Or rather, will all of the major studios shy away, despite the film's star power?

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I See Movies for Free

“I was born a poor, black child” … not me, actually, but Steve Martin’s character in the “The Jerk.” That absurd opening line is just one of the absurd number of film facts, quotes and minutiae contained in movie critic Michael Smith’s brain, at his disposal to toss out on a moment’s notice. It’s a key requirement as Tulsa World film critic to know these things. Michael learned a few other life facts along the way (seven years as a Crystal’s Pizza & Spaghetti manager) before attempting journalism and joining the Tulsa World in 1996, where he’s covered everything from a school shooting in Fort Gibson to a tornado in Stroud to witnessing an execution. A little community theater coverage was sprinkled in there, too. Movies engender many of his happiest memories, from standing in line for “Star Wars” and “Grease” at the Southroads Cinema to the James Bond and Pink Panther movies that always premiered at the enormous Continental Theater.

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Past Articles By Michael Smith

2/16/2013		Broken Arrow movie theater moves to discount showings
2/15/2013		Review: 'Amour'
2/15/2013		Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard'
2/15/2013		Review: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/14/2013		Review: 'Quartet'
2/14/2013		Shirley MacLaine to speak at Osage Casino
2/14/2013		Weekly rewind: February 14
2/14/2013		REVIEW: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/12/2013		Belgian best picture hopeful 'Amour' opens in Tulsa on Friday
2/10/2013		'Die Hard' marathon at AMC Southroads on Wednesday ends with new film
2/9/2013		Review: 'Identity Thief' a stupid movie from stupid idea
2/8/2013		Oscar audit: Critics choices for best picture hold up over time

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