TNLF: Death at a Funeral (73%)

On April 16th, no one will rest in peace.

I am not a fan usually of the all black cast movies that have been released lately. I have nothing against them, it's just that they are not marketed towards me (a 30 something white suburbanite). I'm also not a fan of Chris Rock. I have never really found him funny and for the most part (when he is in the lead) I have never enjoyed his movies. No amount of drugs and alcohol can erase the horrid memories of sitting in a theater and watching Down to Earth. And how many good movies has Martin Lawrence ever made?

So when Death at a Funeral was released I was hesitant to see it in the theaters. It starred Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence and had, on appearances, an all black cast. Intrestingly enough it was directed by Neil Labute which had me a little intrigued. I never got to see it upon it's release, and truth be told I never tried, but over the last few years my interest has grown. I never saw the original film so I can't compare the two but I can say this: This version is funny, laugh out loud funny at parts, and very entertaining.

Family and friends unite for a funeral after Rock and Lawrence's father passes away. At the funeral hijinks ensue, secrets are revealed and relationships are formed. That's the story in a nutshell. While most of the cast is black, Luke Wilson and James Marsden star as well. Peter Dinklage stars in the same role that he played in the original. I'm just gonna say it, I was wrong. Everybody will like this movie. It's targeted to everyone, everywhere.

Chris Rock is basically the straight man of the film. Marsden is funny, Danny glover is very funny and the rest of the cast is pretty damn funny too but Death at a Funeral is owned and dominated by Tracey Morgan. He steals the show with the funniest scenes and his absolutely hilarious performance. When he's trying to distract the reverend or helping his uncle in the bathroom are so laugh out loud funny your gut will be hurting for days. I watched this film three days ago now and I'm still laughing.
Kevin Hart, in a very small role at the beginning delivers a performance almost as good as Morgan's and just as funny.

The film is directed with style and flare by Labute. He shoots it in the 2.35:1 widescreen ration which isn't really necessary for this film but does make it more visually pleasing to the eye. And it looks good, with nice colours and great lighting. The editing is tight and picture breezes by so fast that when it ends you wish it were longer.

This was an interesting choice for Labute as it is different to anything he has done before. There is none of his trademark characters, no characters you hate, no moral messages and no twists. It is unlike anything he has done before and also his most hollywood fim to date. After eight pictures, Neil Labute seems to have caved in and become part of Hollywood. (Maybe his next picture will return him to his indie roots or at least to the fence between Hollywood and independence.) But even though this film is pure Hollywood it is also his best film since 2002's Possession. All that's missing here is some of that crisp snappy original dialogue that Labute is so good at.

While it's not awards worthy (well maybe comedy awards) it's definitely worth at least one viewing if not two or more. It's put together well, it's super funny, it's at parts smart and at parts just silly but at all times it is highly enjoyable. I give Labute credit for making a film with Chris Rock in the lead that is actually good and credit for putting Martin Lawrence in a film that doesn't have the words Bad Boys in the title and still is pretty good.  I've never watched 30 Rock but having seen Cop Out I never got what Tracey Morgan was all about. Death at Funeral shows me how funny and talented he is. Thanks Mr. Labute!

Again, everyone should watch this movie. Unless you are a racist, I can't see how you wouldn't like Death at a Funeral. Maybe the original is a better film and if you've seen it you wouldn't like this one as much, or maybe the opposite is true. I've never seen the original so I cannot comment. All I can say is you won't be sorry for this one. Do you have a funny bone? If the answer is yes I can't recommend this enough.


Film Rating: 73%

Breakdown (How Death at a Funeral scored 73%):

Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 7 out of 10
Re-playability: 8 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Costumes:  7 out of 10
Directing: 8 out of 10
Editing: 8 out of 10
Acting: 7 out of 10
Music: 7 out of 10
Script: 8 out of 10

TNLF: Lakeview Terrace (63%)

What could be safer than living next to a cop?

Lakeview Terrace is an interesting film from director Neil Labute. Having started off writing and directing independent character studies Labute inched towards more mainstream fair with Nurse Betty and Possession. By choosing to direct the much maligned The Wicker Man he remained on the fence between independent and mainstream (after all, The Wicker Man was a remake of an obscure cult classic). But with Lakeview Terrace Labute seems to be only inches away from becoming completely Hollywood.

I say inches away because even though Lakeview Terrace is a very traditional Hollywood film, in many ways there are touches that are rather risqué for mainstream filmmaking. Samuel L. Jackson plays a police officer who is a little on the psycho side. When an interracial couple move next door he disapproves and starts to make their lives miserable to get them out.

Jackson is superb in this movie. At times he seems so cool, at other times sad and at other times seriously menacing. He steals the picture (as he does so many times) from everybody else and makes the viewer unable to turn away. Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson, as the couple next door, are pretty good too but this movie BELONGS to Jackson and no one else.

Now what makes this movie risqué, and takes it a notch or two away from hollywood is that it is Jackson who is the racist. He is the one who doesn't like white people and that is something I have never seen Hollywood fully embrace. Usually (always) it is the other way around. This situation leads to interesting, different and original scenes that play out throughout the movie.

The only problem is that this cat and mouse game that Jackson plays with his neighbours only goes so far and by movies end it becomes predictable and unoriginal. The first hour and a bit of Lakeview Terrace is tense and exciting and keeps the audience guessing at what will happen next. Although the story isn't to original, the reverse angle on racism and the powerhouse performance of Jackson make for a very watchable film.

It is only once the last half hour rolls around that the movie becomes, derivative, unoriginal and very Hollywood. It becomes Training Day or any other of the countless films out there that touch upon the same plot points. The ending becomes easy to guess and lowers the quality of the film significantly but even still Jackson keeps you watching.

Labute didn't have a hand in the writing (like on Nurse Betty) but the characters in this film are very much in line with what he usually writes. Jackson is like an extreme version of Aaron Eckhart's character in In the Company of Men. Wilson and Washington are like comedy-less versions of characters from Your Friends and Neighbors, hiding things from one another and lying. It is easy to see why he decided to make this film.

Lakeview Terrace is not an amazing film but it is captivating, entertaining and rather tense for the most part. It gets hampered by the ending and ultimately will not be as memorable as it could of been because of said ending. It is better than Labute's last effort though but doesn't come close to his earlier work. It's a shame that as Labute inches closer and closer to Hollywood he seems to be losing touch of what had made him so promising.


Film Rating: 63%

Breakdown (How Lakeview Terrace scored 63%):

Production Design: 6 out of 10
Cinematography: 7 out of 10
Re-playability: 5 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Costumes:  6 out of 10
Directing: 7 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 7 out of 10
Music: 6 out of 10
Script: 6 out of 10

TNLF: The Wicker Man (53%)

***THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE UNRATED NON-THEATRICAL VERSION***

Some Sacrifices Must Be Made

The Wicker Man is no where near as bad as I was led to believe. By no stretch of the imagination is it a great movie, or even a good movie, but it is passable as mindless entertainment if you are in the right kind of mood. Of course I am talking about the remake and not the original.

The remake is directed by playwright/screenwriter/director Neil Labute whom, like Possession, has made a film drastically different from anything he has done before. Here he tackles the horror genre; not the slice and dice em slasher horror but psychological horror that builds and builds to a terrifying conclusion.

The original The Wicker Man is a masterpiece in the psychological horror cannon of films. It is filled with weird imagery, terrifying moments and a shocker of an ending that after 39 years still has the power to shock. It has a great cast and if not for their well known faces it could almost pass as a documentary (or in today's world, a found footage horror film).

2006's The Wicker Man is nowhere near as good. For starters it isn't very scary. Maybe it's because I know the story, but I think it's more the fault of the story and the actions that take place. The film is about a cop who travels to a private island in search of a missing girl only to discover the  island is run like a cult and things aren't what they appear to be. Nicholas Cage plays the cop and Ellen Burstyn plays the leader of the island.

This isn't a scary movie mainly because Cage runs around the island acting very unlike a real cop. The things he does, the lack of logic and the motivation behind his actions isn't very convincing. He acts like a guy pretending to be a cop which he learned to do by watching television. His performance isn't bad, but it's overdone and lacks reality which is what made the original so good. Ellen Burstyn is barely in the film yet is listed second in the credits. When she does finally appear she is around for so short a time that it becomes impossible to gage her performance. The rest of the cast gives descent performances but are nothing to write home about.

As per usual, Labute keeps the pacing of his film at a steady and watchable pace and he uses the full anamorphic aspect ratio to capture some beautiful shots that look very pretty. But some shots are also under-lit or over-lit and are rather jarring at times. A great example is the bar/hotel lobby which is washed in a rather pale and bland yellow. Why?

About an hour into the movie things get really implausible. Too many things happen with bees, there is a love story that doesn't need to happen and Cage puts on the infamous bear suit. These implausibilities take away any kind of tension that the film needs and at times almost makes the audience laugh, something I'm sure Labute and company were not intending to happen.

It is only in the last ten minutes of the film, again the unrated version, that any tension or scares are conjured up. I won't go into details about what happens suffice to say that these ten minutes don't deviate from the original to much and actually work quiet well. Other than these ten minutes the best thing about The Wicker Man is the locations and sets which are perfect for the story that unfolds. The island looks truly mysterious and gives off more mystery than the actual story.

While Labute faltered with his adaption of this classic British horror, it is nowhere near as bad as most people will have you believe. It's not great, but it is passable entertainment if you like horror. If you don't like horror I recommend you stay far away. Labute shows in the last ten minutes that he can direct horror well and it would be nice to see him attempt something else.

The biggest shock to me when I finished this film was how unrealistic this film was. Labute in the past has written realistic characters and realistic dialogue. He has created films that feel true to life and filled them with characters that you feel like you know. So when he signed on to remake a film that at times felt more like a documentary than a fiction film, the producers must of felt like they had the perfect director. Instead it feels like Labute barely had a hand in the writing and focused mainly on directing. It feels like he lost control and never regained it. It feels very un Neil Labute. For the first time, it feels like Labute either didn't care or has lost his touch. Either way, The Wicker Man is more a disappointment because of it's director than anything else.

The Wicker Man is not a great film but if you give it a chance it really isn't as bad as you might of heard. Have a few drinks and it becomes an absurd comedy. Watch it sober and relish in the implausibilities. But either sober or drunk, it will still entertain you for it's entire 102 minute run time. Is it bad? Yes. Is it terrible? No. Is it worth watching? Sure, if you like horror, are going to watch the unrated version and have nothing else to do. And if you do watch it just remember: Everyone involved in making this picture has the potential (and has proven) to be much better than the finished product.

Film Rating: 53%

Breakdown (How The Wicker Man scored 53%):

Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 6 out of 10
Re-playability: 4 out of 10
Originality: 4 out of 10
Costumes: 5 out of 10
Directing: 6 out of 10
Editing: 6 out of 10
Acting: 5 out of 10
Music: 6 out of 10
Script: 4 out of 10

TNLF: The Shape of Things (70%)

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***
***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Seduction Is An Art

Neil Labute's fifth film, The Shape of Things, is a return of old from his last two entry's as a director. It is a return to the type of cinema, and stuffed with his particular brand of character, that made him famous to begin with. It is, like his first two films, an adaption of a work he previously created on stage but pales in comparison to his previous works.

Not that The Shape of Things is a bad film. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It is well written, well directed, original, thought provoking and well acted (for the most part). It's just that some of the scenes seem a little forced, or for lack of a better word, underwhelming. Coming after In the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors, The Shape of Things just feels a little weaker, a little simpler and a little less affecting.

There are only four actors in the entire picture: Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Mol and Frederick Weller. Rudd plays a nerdy, overweight neurotic who falls for and who's feelings are reciprocated by Weisz. Mol and Frederick play Rudd's friends. The story goes as follows: Rudd meets Weisz, they start dating and she slowly but gradually shapes him into a 'better' man while working on an art project. Weisz seems a little crazy and seems wrong for Rudd, while Mol who is engaged to Weller seems like she belongs more with Rudd.

Labute directs the film like a play. And like his first film, the only music heard acts as act breakers. Only this time instead of string versions of Metallica we get Elvis Costello (actual Costello, not covers). While I like Costello, his music wasn't as affecting as Apocolyptica's covers of Metallica tunes. Other than that, the entire film is dialogue driven. There is very little camera movement and many static shots, long scenes with long takes with long talks and long rants. While it is pleasant to watch, it does at times feel like it would be better as a play.

The cast that Labute uses here are the original four cast members from the play and all but Weller deliver excellent performances. Weller just isn't as strong an actor as the others and his performance at times feels forced, while at other times feels unnatural and at all times he just doesn't compare to the other three players. Rudd is excellent, funny and sad and transforms from the anti social nerd at the beginning into someone rather 'cool'. And all the while, from beginning to end, he remains likeable and even loveable.

Weisz on the other hand, other than her opening scene is utterly unlikeable. As the movie progresses she becomes less likeable and in true Labute form, by the end of the film she is excruciatingly intolerable. You hate her, you can't stand her, she is a real 'bitch'. She destroy's Rudd, the people around her and to some extent, herself, all in the name of art. It's been a few hours since I watched this movie for a second time and many a year since I watched it the first time and I have never been able to get the mean spirited Weisz out of my head. She is memorable and deplorable to the nth degree.

Labute, in his stage work and stage-to-film work never leaves the audience with a happy ending and this film is no different. It builds a relationship and then shatters all expectations to the floor. Then just when you hope it's going to get better, the end credits roll. This is what makes Labute films unique, fun (I know, they don't sound fun but they are) and watchable.

But The Shape of Things is far from perfect. Weller is a weak link in casting. Some of the dialogue and discussions don't ring as true as Labute's pervious work. They seem like a playwright wrote them while usually Labute's dialogue sounds natural and realistic. The music is okay, and would be much better if you are an Elvis Costello fan. (I like his music, but I'm not a huge fan.) There is plenty to laugh at as the movie plays out but at the same time there is a level uneasiness that creeps up throughout. On the whole though, the film seems to tame for it's subject matter and the ending ends up coming to soon. I'm sure it would work better on stage than it does on screen and maybe needed it just needed to be beefed up a bit for the silver screen.

While not a bad film, it is still fun to watch (even a second time), it is definitely Labute's worst film to date. I still recommend it though. It's worth at least one viewing. And if you liked In the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors you will for sure enjoy this one. It's got laughs, it's got heart and it's got darkness. And as I've said before, if you are into dark humor, then The Shape of Things is well worth a viewing or two.

Film Rating: 70%

Breakdown (How The Shape of Things scored 70%):

Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 7 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Costumes: 8 out of 10
Directing: 7 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 6 out of 10
Music: 6 out of 10
Script: 7 out of 10