Lakeview Terrace

[Watashi]

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/lakeviewterrace/

LaBute's follow-up to The Wicker Man may not features bees or bear costumes, but seeing Sam Jackson as the pissed off racist cop may be worth the admission.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That looks absolutely awful. Though seeing Shepherd in it was pretty cool.

[Spinal]

I don't get why LaBute directs films that he hasn't written. Seems like a waste.

[EvilShoe]

I don't get why LaBute directs films that he hasn't written. Seems like a waste.
He's being punished way too hard for The Wicker Man.

This looks similar to weak 90's stuff such as Pacific Heights and Unlawful Entry.

[eternity]

Patrick Wilson and Sam Jackson in a decently concepted Screen Gems film directed by Neil Fucking Labute?

That has to be the worst possible thing I could ever imagine myself being there opening day for.

[eternity]

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/REVIEWS/809180303

Roger Ebert gave it four stars.

[Sycophant]

I'm not going to miss this.

[Watashi]

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/REVIEWS/809180303

Roger Ebert gave it four stars.
Well, obviously. He's biased.

[Sxottlan]

Interesting coincidence, we had a murder-suicide Monday in a nearby suburb.

And it happened on Lakeview Terrace.

[Ivan Drago]

Speaking of LaBute, I'm reading his play The Shape of Things for my acting class. I'm not impressed so far.

As for this movie, yep, looks terrible.

[MadMan]

This movie looks pretty funny. But I doubt that's the actual point....

[Ezee E]

Speaking of LaBute, I'm reading his play The Shape of Things for my acting class. I'm not impressed so far.

As for this movie, yep, looks terrible.
Keep reading.

[SirNewt]

All the scenes in the trailer with Jackson felt like they were from different movies. Either that or his character is just fucking with his new neighbors. The way he shifts from super serious to laughing or vice versa doesn't come off as crazy but as a joke.

[Sycophant]

I get the feeling the trailer is trying very hard to sell the movie as something it's not.

[Bosco B Thug]

I get the feeling the trailer is trying very hard to sell the movie as something it's not.
I was gonna make this my first theater viewing for the Fall season 'cause LaBute tackling this material seemed too good to pass up, and I'm encouraged by Ebert's review that it does have something substantial to say, but I perused through the RT reviews and was sad to see it seems the main criticism is it is as formulaic, and the directing as undistinguished, as the trailer made it look. Guess I should just go see Burn After Reading.

[origami_mustache]

http://www.popmatters.com/images/film_art/l/lakeview-terrace-sp.jpg

So I was thinking it would be a lot of fun to see a terrible mainstream film in theaters, and got myself really hyped up to see just how absurd Lakeview Terrace actually could be, and I certainly was not disappointed. Rather than point out just how bad the film really was I think it will be more fun to use Paul Scheer of Human Giant's "By the numbers" approach. Most of these numbers are fabricated rough estimates.

Likable protagonists: 0

Profound racial commentary: 0

Shaq references: 1

Intense rake vs. electric saw scenes: 1

Tension induced vomiting: 1

Kills: 2

Acts of violence against women: 3

Scenes with white people listening to rap music: 5

Samuel L. Jackson's stern glares: 17

Unnecessarily annoying and over dramatic music cues: 22

Times I told myself this might be the worst film I've ever seen: 32

Metacritic Score: 45

Minutes Patrick Wilson spends shirtless: at least 55

Minutes of My life wasted: 110

[SirNewt]

There seem to be some disparities in your numbers there. Well just one actually. . .


http://www.popmatters.com/images/film_art/l/lakeview-terrace-sp.jpg

So I was thinking it would be a lot of fun to see a terrible mainstream film in theaters, and got myself really hyped up to see just how absurd Lakeview Terrace actually could be, and I certainly was not disappointed. Rather than point out just how bad the film really was I think it will be more fun to use Paul Scheer of Human Giant's "By the numbers" approach. Most of these numbers are fabricated rough estimates.

Likable protagonists: 0

Profound racial commentary: 0

Shaq references: 1

Intense rake vs. electric saw scenes: 1

Tension induced vomiting: 1

Kills: 2

Acts of violence against women: 3

Scenes with white people listening to rap music: 5

Samuel L. Jackson's stern glares: 17

Unnecessarily annoying and over dramatic music cues: 22

Times I told myself this might be the worst film I've ever seen: 32

Metacritic Score: 45 this one

Minutes Patrick Wilson spends shirtless: at least 55

Minutes of My life wasted: 110

How?! How does this get a passable rating. I just don't understand it.

[Ivan Drago]

Keep reading.

Don't have to. I dropped the course.

[origami_mustache]

There seem to be some disparities in your numbers there. Well just one actually. . .



How?! How does this get a passable rating. I just don't understand it.

that was a bit baffling to me as well...not to mention the fact that it was #1 at the weekend box office...I feel so horrible for contributing to this.

[Qrazy]

that was a bit baffling to me as well...not to mention the fact that it was #1 at the weekend box office...I feel so horrible for contributing to this.

M. Hullot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953) - 9.5

Nice.

[Sycophant]

This was very, very good.

[Kurosawa Fan]

This was very, very good.

:eek:

Really?

[Sycophant]

:eek:

Really?
Really.

Perhaps it was just a little uneven, but writing this off as a "terrible mainstream film" seems an odd call to me. If you're looking for a kitschy, mindless experience, you might find that, but if you're willing to give it a chance, it actually says some very interesting things about race, sexual politics, family dynamics, and human relations, in the way I expect from the best Neil LaBute films. LaBute's choice to direct it (in his typically unglamorous and unflinching style) is by no means an ill fit.

Ultimately a very solid film. Ebert and Chaw (http://filmfreakcentral.net/screenreviews/lakeviewterrace.htm) both liked it. Its reception is a little odd to me.

[Barty]

Sycophant speaks the truth.