presentsense

HsSsR#1 - Lakeview Terrace (Blu-Ray)

He Says:

I really liked this movie. I would say that I was pleasantly surprised by it, and it mostly all comes down to Samuel L. Jackson. For some reason, to me, he's a lot more believable as a bad guy than as a hero. As a crooked cop, well really, what other kind of cop could he be? It's his eyes. He just looks like he's lying to you all the time. Anyway...the story is predictable. You know who the bad guy is pretty much from the beginning. Heck, you know if you watch the trailer, so there are no spoilers there. You know he's going to get his at some point, although the ending is mildly unexpected, while at the same time being ultimately satisfying. The good guys - the couple that bought the house - are well played and believable as well.

She Says:

While I sat down for this movie I had to have my glass of wine, bowl of popcorn and lights turned off. I liked this movie o.k. It wasn't one of my favorite, and it wasn't my worst. I wish it had more suspense scenes. I thought the husband was kind of a jerk so, it made it hard to root for him even though the evil cop (samuel L. Jackson) next door was harassing them.  Samuel L. Jackson is a very good convincing evil twisted bad cop.

However, it did have a beginning, climax, and a dramatic end. I did appreciate the twist and turns but at the same time were a little predictable. I wish that his grudge against his neighbors was not because they were a mixed couple but maybe something else that built. The plot was good, the acting was good, the dialogue was good, the soundtrack was good. It did have all the points of a good movie.

Parent's corner...
Violence: There's a lot of violence, but little gore. Guns, fighting, and one bitch-slap.

Sex: There's a bachelor party scene with strippers doing lap dances, but no naughty bits are exposed. There's also a married-sex-in-the-pool scene, but it's pretty mild with no boobies, butts, or humping noises.

Awkward moments?: It might be tough to explain the whole concept of "bad cops" to kids under 8. There's some exposure to racism - mostly blacks against interracial marriage. That will probably fly right over most kids' heads.

Sociability: We'd watch this with our older kids, and our parents, but probably not our grandparents.

Language scale: Mr. Rogers - Mormon - Gym teacher - Sailor - Vietnam War Platoon Leader

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Lakeview Terrace on IMDB.

NEW FEATURE - The He Said She Said Review (HsSsR)

Hey faithful readers, Steph and I have decided to do something fun here on the blog. Introducing the "He-said-She-said-Review" Here's the concept: After Steph and I watch a movie, TV show, concert, etc - together, we'll write a review of it together here on the blog.  Since most of you who read this blog know at least one of us, this feature might be useful as a little word-of-mouth take on whatever it is. The majority of our reviews will be of movies, and probably most of those will be DVD/Blu-Ray reviews, as we don't get out to new flicks very often.

Anyway, you know us, so we'll probably have a little bit of fun with these reviews. We try not to take ourselves too seriously. They'll be written from an adult with 5 kids perspective, so we'll be sure to fill all you parents in on stuff that might be too salty for the kiddies too.

Think of it as our gift to you, our cherished readers.