Lakeview Terrace

[Bourne101]

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/columbia_pictures/lakeview_terrace/lakeviewterrace_galleryposter.jpg

Directed by Neil LaBute

Written by David Loughery and Howard Korder

Genre: Thriller

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/columbia_pictures/lakeview_terrace/_group_photos/patrick_wilson3.jpg

Tagline: What could be safer than living next to a cop?

Plot Outline: A young interracial couple move into their dream home and are increasingly harassed by their next-door neighbor, a tightly wound black LAPD officer. When the couple decides to fight back the feud turns deadly.

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/columbia_pictures/lakeview_terrace/samuel_l__jackson/lakeview.jpg

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Jay Hernandez

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references.

Runtime: 110 minutes

Although it doesn't look like a spectacular movie, I would bet quite a bit of money on this being entertaining as hell. I'll definitely be seeing this, after I leave my brain at the door of course. And reviews so far, although mixed, have had quite a few positive things to say.

[Lazy Boy]

It can't be worse than Wicker Man. It just can't be.

At least I didn't know what the story was about before the trailer did a mid-act reversal that was clever (starting from the "color on his side" line), but this looks generic, entertainingly so.

[detective mills]

Looks ok. Sam is always entertaining and I like Patrick Wilson. I may check it out on a bargain day or wait for dvd.

[fooknasty]

I am actually looking forward to seeing this. This looks like it could be a lot of fun.

[Moviefan1234]

Meh, nothing so far has really gotten me excited about the project. We'll see what the reviews are like.

[unspoken]

I just hate that yet again, so much is ruined in the trailer. The cop thing would have been an excellent twist.

[SpikeDurden]

It looks utterly ridiculous, to be honest. Hopefully I won't have to see it.

[ilovemovies]

Looks like a fun time. And Sam Jackson is one of those rare actors who can actually overact with finesse and style. And this looks like one of those kinds of performances.

[ilovemovies]

I had no idea Neil Labute directed this. Totally surprised me. Very interesting.

[daddiefatsacks]

i heard the ending is fucking ridiculous

[BanksIsDaFuture]

i heard the ending is fucking ridiculous

Good fucking ridiculous or bad fucking ridiculous?

Either way, I can't wait. I love the cop angle here, and the fact that he hates them because they're interracial. Seems like something Hollywood would be scared to approach.

[PR0J3KT M]

ill watch anything with sl. jackson

[anakinsrise]

Looks like a combination of Pacific Heights and Unlawful Entry

[Mr.HyDe807]

This looks horrible. Sam Jackson and Patrick Wilson deserve better.

[the saw is family]

wow i had no idea labute was behind this, someone fund another one of his dialogue driven, people are just generally horrible films soon!!!

[ilovemovies]

I haven't seen In the Company of Men or Your Friends & Neighbors and I've actually only seen 2 movies from him (with The Wicker Man being the second one) but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Nurse Betty! Such a wonderful gem of a movie with what is by far Renee Zellweger's best performance! And wonderful work by Morgan Freeman too.

[xseanymacx]

I'm on the fence about this one. Nothing looked that positive in the trailer (the main tension point was over a bush) but I am becoming quite the Patrick Wilson fan.

[Tweek]

I'm on the fence about this one. Nothing looked that positive in the trailer (the main tension point was over a bush) but I am becoming quite the Patrick Wilson fan.
Hells yeah. Wilson is spiffy. Hope he gets more recognition (awareness?) brought upon him after Watchmen.

[Le_Big_Mac]

Looks laughably bad.

[Strider]

I made a serious mistake in seeing The Wicker Man in theaters, and I don't plan on seeing Lakeview Terrace anytime soon, which looks awful and terribly boring.

Strider

[MidnightAngel]

This film was supposed to be released STDVD.

[arto_j]

What the hell happened to Neil LaBute?

This looks just like that movie from the early 90's where Michael Keaton terrorized a couple for some reason. And that movie sucked.

[Bourne101]

Ebert gave it four stars. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this.

[Lazy Boy]

That four star review is surprising and yet not surprising when Ebert has been extremely favorable in the past to films fueled by race and miscegenation (Monster's Ball, Crash, Eve's Bayou). He makes a persuasive argument, but he and Walter Chaw are the only critics I read who are doing so in a wide sea of terrible ratings for the film.

[Badbird]

"Enough is enough! I've had it with these mother fucking interracial couples in my mother fucking gated community!"


When I first saw the trailer, I thought it looked pretty good. Then about t e800th time I saw the trailer, I didn't think it looked that good anymore.

Think I'll pass, though Ebert's review is compelling and interesting.

[Sidebot]

7/10

Not really gonna write a much of a review since I'm horrible at that. However, I did enjoy the fact that it was a slow paced affair, it helped build some good tension between the characters which made the moments when it did get loud and such more nailbiting. Sam Jackson is easily the best part of the movie, I wasn't really surprised by that though.

[Lazy Boy]

7/10

*spoilers, near the end*

Talk about another film done in by misrepresentation of quality; the goods do lie within the celluloid, the marketing unfortunately purports otherwise. One of the better films of the year, and thankfully not the trashy B-movie I was half dreading, half yearning for, the way most people had before Labute's misguided and awful Wicker Man abortion was released. Samuel L. Jackson is back in near Bible quoting mode (he also has a Biblical name, although it would be hard pressed to find a connection between him and Patrick Wilson as any "brother," soul, metaphorical, rhetorical or blood). The movie is a slow burn -- quite literally, as the Terrace termites' blood feud is set against a wildfire backdrop which eerily grows closer and closer as the movie progresses. The problem is, the more you enjoy it as it goes along, the more you understand it has to end in some way that is (a) flat or (b) overcooked. It's more of (b), but I understand why it had to go there; don't understand the martyr metaphor/Christ image that was so blatant, but I'll let it pass. I enjoyed the triangle between Jackson, Wilson and Kerry Washington, and the race reversal theme which carried the film throughout.

A bit of a spoiler, but did it irk anyone that Jackson had to take that call at the end and give himself away? Did he not know the snitch's number? I thought he was always one step ahead and let it slip too easily.

[chinton]

I thought the film was incredibly monotonous and predictable. Once you get the layout of the characters i.e. Jackson and wants them out of neighborhood and Patrick is too nice to do anything about it you can see where this film is going from a mile away.

There is a nice germ of an idea here and the first half before they turn Jackson into a complete psycho is certainly more interesting. In the end though the movie is essentially the same scenes over and over i.e. Jackson pissing Patrick off and Patrick getting back in bigger and bigger ways.

Oh and the ending is ridiculous.

Its fine its just far too predictable and dull.


5/10



This movie reminded a lot of Changing Lanes except Changing lanes was a vastly superior film.

[visual_tension]

A tense, well-acted and highly enjoyable thriller. Jackson stands out with his menacing performance.

8/10

[Bourne101]

Lakeview Terrace - 7/10

Wasn't sure what to expect going in. The trailer made it look entertaining, but not necessarily good, and the reviews were pretty much a handful of positive and a handful of negative. So I went in with moderate expectations, and did this film ever exceed them. The first hour is excellent. Superb character development and great pacing. The story unfolds very well. The second half isn't quite as good as the first, as it kind of falls away from the first hour which strayed away from being a generic thriller, but is still a very solid half of a film. The second half does fall into the generic thriller category a bit, but it is still entertaining as hell, and the ending is actually better than I thought it was going to be. The performances are great all around, with Samuel L. Jackson stealing the show. The script is very sharp, with many great scenes of dialogue which create a very character driven drama. The direction is pretty damn good, and the movie looks pretty good, capturing the essence of California suburbia. Although I would consider the movie a character driven drama, that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The movie moves along at a brisk pace, filled with plenty of suspenseful moments. So overall, Lakeview Terrace is a very good film, with great performances, a story that does a pretty good job of straying away from completely generic thriller, and some very good dialogue. I highly recommend it.

[chinton]

Didn't anybody find the film monotonous. I really didn't think the character were all that complex and the whole film was just the same thing over and over.



I think the bar scene best sums it up. After a long time of of Jackson playing a character that became a caricature he open up about what happens to his wife. I thought the film was actually going somewhere and the dialogue between Jackson and Wilson would become something more than yelling at each other or throwing veiled threats at each other. Instead he blows and goes right back to what he was doing the entire time i.e. saying how much he hates Wilson or what he represents. Like I said this film heavily heavily reminded me of a poor mans Changing Lanes.

[visual_tension]

Didn't anybody find the film monotonous. I really didn't think the character were all that complex and the whole film was just the same thing over and over.

Like I said this film heavily heavily reminded me of a poor mans Changing Lanes.

Yeah, the film didn't have much variety in its structure but that didn't stop me from enjoying it from start to finish.

I didn't think of Changing Lanes at all while watching this. To me, although they might seem similar on the surface, they're two very different films especially when it comes to how Changing Lanes handles its third act. Severely underrated film by the way.

[anakinsrise]

SPOILERS BELOW

Lakeview Terrace worked best for me when Samuel L. Jackson's Abel Turner and Patrick Wilson's Chris Mattson are trying to one up each other in the bad neighbor dept.Turner has the upper hand because he's a cop and that comes with all types of intimidation.
The mere sight of the interracial couple taps into Turners own personal issues and wounded mind,something he likely should have seen a psychiatrist
about.At first his menace is mild but the more he interacts with Chris's wife
Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) and friends,the more unhinged Turner becomes.It was fun to watch him consitently lure Chris in to thinking they could get past their differences,but their talks ultimately just end with more intense anger towards each other.
The last 15 to 20 minutes of the film kill anything that was enjoyable with plot holes,and silliness.Did Turner actually pull 3 guns during the climax?
When i look back at what i liked about LT i wonder if it would have been more appealing as a comedy.
Scale of 1-10 a 6

[therealjohng]

I was reading this, http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/PEOPLE/809159993, interview with LaBute and it sounds like he thinks that Jackson was in Training Day.

Second to last paragraph.

[MoovEDude]

Good fucking ridiculous or bad fucking ridiculous?



Either way, I can't wait. I love the cop angle here, and the fact that he hates them because they're interracial. Seems like something Hollywood would be scared to approach.


I agree, I give it kudos for being original, in as far as that one would have expected the racist cop to be WHITE instead of black - nice touch for going the opposite.

[unspoken]

Good God, I can't believe this is getting any positive reviews.

Every tired cliche in the book is played out in this one. Every performance, even that of the great Samuel L., comes off incredibly flat and uninspired. And the pacing was absolutely ridiculous. The few ideas that could have actually been good were executed so horribly that they turn out to be some of the lowest points of the film. I was bored out of my mind for the whole time, and nearly fell asleep on four separate occasions. This would have come off at least semi-decent if they chopped out about 70% of it and made it into a one hour episode of Law and Order or something like it, but it was just incredibly bloated.

The worst film I've seen this year. And I've seen Meet The Spartans and Superhero Movie.

0/10

[mutesaint]

SPOILERS BELOW
Did Turner actually pull 3 guns during the climax?



It was two guns. The first he had taken from him and he recovered it, it was taken again, then he pulled the hip piece.

[Crazy Dud]

Due to the heavy subject matter of the film (racism) and a downright disturbingly real performance from Samuel L. Jackson, this can be a difficult film to watch. It is not the rip-roaring thriller the ads promised, but a heavy drama that eventually transforms into a thriller near the film's end. There are some loose ends left untied, and the ending strains believability, but Samuel L. Jackson has probably delivered one of the best performances of his career here, and that's saying something, since he's had many other great performances. You believe completely his character, which most other actors would have probably over-acted. It's a delicate character to play and Sam pulls it off perfectly. Almost equally as good are the performances by Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, the latter of whom really deserves more good roles like this than she gets. If you're looking for escapist entertainment, look elsewhere. If, however, you're the kind of person who seeks out difficult and provocative films, then this one comes highly recommended.

8/10