LAKEVIEW TERRACE

Written by Hombre Divertido

Too Much To Look At From Lakeview Terrace.

Samuel Jackson plays a high-strung police officer raising two children on his own. Jackson's daughter played by Regine Nehy is rebellious towards her strict yet uneven father. An interracial couple played by Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, who have numerous issues within their marriage, move in next door and fail to react to the situation as most normal people would have. As the numerous stories progress the neighborhood is slowly threatened by Southern California wildfires.

For the most part the performances are acceptable yet one-dimensional with the exception of the miscast Wilson whose uneven performance is extremely distracting. Jackson's performance is intriguing but the material prohibits this fine thespian from truly hitting his stride.

The previews of this film are reminiscent of the Ray Liotta/Kurt Russell vehicle Unlawful Entry but Lakeview Terrace is not that good simply because it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Had the story focused on the power of police office against the civilian neighbor, and allowed the protagonist/antagonist relationship to develop, a good film might have been the result. Unfortunately there is too much left unexplored on Lakeview Terrace.

Some interesting moments are certainly presented only to be too rapidly pushed aside by distracting sub-plots. Director Neil LaBute seems to possess a good sense of how to create tension, but the script by David Loughery and Howard Korder fails him.

If you look hard you can see the attempts to make statements about racial relations, stereotypes, and there are many metaphors floating about, all of which are ruined by the standard mechanics utilized to create excitement, ruining that which could have added true depth.

Recommendation: Listed at one hour and forty-six minutes, this film seems much longer. Fans of Samuel Jackson will enjoy his performance, but the unexplored plots and limited performances make this a rental at best.

MR. BROOKS

Written by Hombre Divertido

Kevin Costner actually plays a part with some range, though it took the addition of William Hurt to really add depth to Mr. Brooks. It is the relationship between Earl (Costner) and Marshall (Hurt) who both are encompassed by Mr. Brooks that makes him so intriguing.

Mr. Brooks is a successful businessman, dedicated family man, pillar of the community, who just happens to have a penchant for murdering people. Goaded along by Marshall, Earl Brooks picks people, and then picks them off with a great attention to detail, while bringing a class to the story of a serial killer not seen since Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.

Director Bruce A. Evans who also co-wrote the film with Raynold Gideon, manages to endear the killer to us with scenes that are light and humorous. The film has an An American Werewolf in London quality to it as we are shocked by the graphic violence, yet still amused by many aspects.

The normal aspects of Mr. Brooks make him relatable to us, which only makes his nocturnal endeavors far more terrifying. The audience can’t help but find itself not only rooting for him to get caught, but to get well.

The supporting cast equally brings a level of quality to the endeavor as does their storylines. Demi Moore as the successful detective out to catch Mr. Brooks and others while dealing with a messy divorce, and Dane Cook as a voyeur who blackmails Mr. Brooks to gain insight into his world, both shine in their respective roles.

This is an entertaining 121 minutes, though Costner’s portrayal and the depiction of the character in the script both seem inconsistent as he is established as somewhat of a nerd, who eventually becomes as smooth as the murderer inside him. Nonetheless, the relationships inside Mr. Brooks and the dialog that stems from said relationships make this film worth seeing.

Scheduled to be the first in a three-part story, it will be interesting to see if the cast returns and if the disease is indeed hereditary.

Recommendation: Should make for an interesting visit to the theatre and create good post-viewing conversation.