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Entertainment review with Jelena Adzic: A deadpan dentist sees dead people. Sept 19/08

At one end of his career, Neil LaBute was an up-and-coming talent to be reckoned with. He earned a reputation as intelligent Mamet-like artist of uncompromising vision with movies like In the Company of Men and Your Friends & Neighbors, harsh, cynical films that looked under the rock of humanity and found icky, squirmy things. At the other end, there's The Wicker Man, a genuine, "what was he thinking?" movie, and the curious dud The Shape of Things, which couldn't quite reconcile LaBute's stage hat with his cinema hat. In the middle we have Nurse Betty and Possession, two exceptional Hollywood entertainments with gleaming surfaces and dark souls. As with David Gordon Green and his delightful, mainstream comedy Pineapple Express, this type of "compromise" may represent LaBute's real calling. With his seventh feature Lakeview Terrace, LaBute has once again managed to take a surface thriller and use it to work through some of humanity's ugliest and most hateful issues. It begins with a picture of suburbia, USA. Single father Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) struggles to get his kids up in the morning and off to school, but struggles even harder in relating to them. He knows how to boss them around, but doesn't understand them. (He makes his son change basketball jerseys to reflect "their" favorite team.) Later, he peers out the window and watches the new neighbors move in. He's clearly perturbed that it's a clean-cut white guy, Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson), married to a beautiful black girl, Lisa (Kerry Washington). We eventually learn that he has his reasons, his own emotional wounds, to explain why and how his buttons have been pushed, but it launches an all-out battle of wills. Filed under: Thrillers, New Releases, Sony, Theatrical ReviewsContinue reading Review: Lakeview Terrace Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sept. 19: "Say hello to our little friends ..." This week, Adam and Matty perform the entire show using their best Bobby De Niro and Al Pacino impressions in honor of the legendary duo's new crime drama, "Righteous Kill." The guys might even find time to work in some of their best Samuel L. Jackson when they cover his performance in "Lakeview Terrace," the newest social commentary/thriller from director Neil Labute. Plus, in honor of Bobby and Al, Filmspotting presents the Top 5 Actor Pairings We'd Like To See. "Yeah, we're talking to you ... hoo-HAH!" Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and music by The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir courtesy of Bloodshot Records. ** Filmspotting is presented by Spout.com. Sci-fi, horror, and other genre flicks are doing their best to scare the stiffs at Fantastic Fest. Read all about them at blog.spout.com. ** Filmspotting #227 :11-14:15 - Review: "Lakeview Terrace" Music: SYGC 15:22-19:30 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Sean T. DeLap) 19:31-29:24 - Review: "Righteous Kill" Music: SYGC 30:58-38:35 - Voicemail, Polls, Notes, 38:36-50:17 - Feedback (Burn After, Fall Movies) Music: SYGC 51:32-56:32 - New DVDs, Donations 56:33-1:14:35 - Top 5: Actor Pairings 1:14:36-1:17:32 - Close/Next Show/Outtakes NOTES/CORRECTIONS -

* Sony to film final Rent performance. * Wicked to launch second North American Tour. * I Love You, You're Perfect, No Change will close July 27. * Neil LaBute trilogy at MCC Theater. Read more at BroadwayBulletin.com

On this week's episode of Talk Theatre in Chicago Podcast Anne Nicholson Weber interviews Playwright NEIL LABUTE. Also we have another audio review, and Dustin Mote delivers Chicago's Theatre News.