So first things first… About Friday’s comic.

I know, I know. I totally dropped the ball and I feel terrible about it. Basically, I had a conflict at work with a last minute project that soaked up all of my time Thursday and Friday that prevented me from getting a comic online. But the time I had any free time left, it was practically Saturday and I thought I was just better off shelving the comic until today. I should have been in closer communication with you guys and I’m sorry.

If you’ve been following Theater Hopper for any length of time, you know I take this kind of thing pretty seriously. I’m not one of those guys who is going to flake out on your an update “whenever I get around to it.” I treat this gig seriously and I take it as a serious commitment.

With that said, let’s talk about today’s comic.

I might be getting myself in trouble again trying to tackle racial content (even after apologizing for making lame attempts in the past). But I don’t think I’m picking up on anything outlined in the plot synopsis of Lakeview Terrace that the producers of the film didn’t want us to discuss. They pretty much announce it in the trailer when Patrick Wilson’s uptight white neighbor character talks to his lawyer about what he can do to protect his family from the increasingly aggressive neighbor played by Samuel L. Jackson.

“There’s not much you can do,” says the lawyer. “Plus, he has the color issue on his side. And that color… happens to be… BLUE!”

*GASP!* He’s a cop!

The fact of the matter is, this movie would lose half of it’s steam if the cop played by Jackson were of any other ethnicity BUT black. If it was an Asian actor in the role, it would have been just another lame home-invasion thriller.

I’m not saying that the race card being thrown into the mix makes the movie better. I’m just saying… “Buyer Beware.” This film was directed by Neil LaBute who – as a screenwriter – never found a painful social hypocrisy he didn’t feel like shining a great big spotlight on. If you’ve seen In The Company of Men, you know what I’m talking about.

Some people might find LaBute’s predilection for highlighting these issues commendable. I find them exploitative. Not that I expect LaBute to spoon feed us any kind of resolution, but his movies have a habit of parading the most ugly aspects of human beings in front of us and he lets them sit there for us to make a judgment about them. I think the passivity he displaces toward these characters reflects a greater indifference to their attitudes and behavior, which is just as much of an endorsement as anything else. To put it another way, “If you don’t condemn it, you must endorse it.”

Maybe I take LaBute’s work a little too personally because of how uncomfortable it makes me feel. Again, one could argue that his tactics are working. Because what would I have to feel uncomfortable about otherwise?

But I counter that I think his work is not there to evolve any level of discourse. I think his work exists to provoke. I think his work represents a need to hide something ugly within himself, so he uses characters with far more vile traits to hide behind.

Just my two cents. For what it’s worth.

We’ll likely get into these discussions and more at 9:00 PM CST during our weekly recording of The Triple Feature podcast – which you can now access through http://www.thetriplefeature.com

Keep in mind that we are also accepting questions from listeners about anything and everything. You can send us questions about this week’s movies, films we’re looking forward to or even questions about our comics. Send your inquiries to group@thetriplefeature.com and we’ll do our best to answer them on-air.

That does it for me! Thanks again for your patience this week and come back to the site later today for an important announcement regarding the donation drive!