Movie Reviews

Trap Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s Silly, Self-Aware Thriller Is A Messy Tale Of Two Movies – SlashFilm

Published

2 years ago

August 1, 2024

Trap Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s Silly, Self-Aware Thriller Is A Messy Tale Of Two Movies – SlashFilm

Warner Bros. Pictures

It was supposed to be the Summer of Shyamalan. After spending the last decade scratching and clawing his way out of director’s jail with one self-financed hit at the box office after another, M. Night Shyamalan must’ve had 2024 circled on the calendar of his comeback tour for quite some time. The one-two punch of “Old” (starring 2022’s biggest Best Supporting Actor snub, the Beach That Makes You Grow Old) and “Knock at the Cabin” felt like a return to the auteur’s minimalist roots, but a quirk of timing meant moviegoing audiences would be introduced to the next generation of Shyamalans in little more than a two-month span. In June, his younger daughter Ishana unveiled her directorial debut while his eldest, Saleka, comes to the forefront this August with her acting debut in M. Night’s latest. “The Watchers” ultimately produced an uneven, if promising glimpse into the future. As for the latter, well, let’s just say “Trap” likely won’t win over any new converts nor rank among his greatest efforts.

Yet for those who identify as among the Shyamalan-pilled — the ones on the right side of cinematic history, in other words – this summer might not be a lost cause, after all.

“Trap” is many things at once: a cleverly-constructed thriller centered on the unlikeliest of protagonists, a darkly comedic lark that’s much sillier (complimentary) than many will expect, and a twisty genre film verging on B-movie/exploitation territory. It’s also a high-concept premise that runs out of steam awfully early, accompanied by a script that’s much less involving by the end than it is to start — a delineation marked by a plot point far too specific to spoil, but one that feels unmistakable in the moment as all the air is let out of the room. Above all else, however, it’s another deliciously complicated addition to a filmography that simply refuses to fit into any neat and tidy boxes.

Is this a lot of words to say that “Trap” is kind of a disappointment? Maybe, but since when has that stopped the more open-minded of us from meeting a film halfway and on its own terms? Messy and destined to divide audiences as it may be, this is one summertime “Trap” (mostly) worth springing.

Trap is exactly the movie it needs to be … for the first hour, at least

Warner Bros. Pictures

“We’re not gonna break any laws.” “Don’t let people fool you.”

With early lines of dialogue like the ones above, nobody can accuse Shyamalan of not being in on his own joke. That much should’ve been readily apparent from the moment “The Visit” (typically regarded as the beginning of his comeback tour) dropped the dweebiest, whitest tween rapper on us ever captured on film or when “Old” featured characters such as “Mid-Sized Sedan” and Shyamalan’s own extended cameo, where he happened to play a major villain in the story. In “Trap,” that wry and deceptively self-aware sense of humor is back on display as soon as the film opens on a shot of Saleka Shyamalan’s world-famous pop star, Lady Raven, on a T-shirt worn by Riley (Abigail Donoghue). Having dragged her father Cooper (Josh Hartnett) along to the concert she’s been dying to see, the young stan is downright giddy with excitement — an infectious energy that’s only matched by Cooper’s overcompensating dad jokes and aw-shucks goofiness. Everything here lives or dies by Hartnett’s performance, and his many, many sure-to-be polarizing acting choices make him a worthy addition to Shyamalan’s canon of off-kilter leads.

Long before editor Noemi Katharina Preiswerk cuts away to recurring images of cops standing at the ready and SWAT teams descending on the venue, it’s clear that Shyamalan is purposefully toying with our expectations and assumptions. That’s because this is the rare movie where the twist has been spelled out beforehand: Cooper is, of course, secretly the serial killer known as “The Butcher,” responsible for the deaths of at least 12 victims, and the entire event has been turned into a sprawling manhunt designed to capture him specifically. As absurd as it sounds, this is actually based loosely on a real historical event, though that’s been otherwise transformed into a pulpy, boiling-pot premise fit for a Shyamalan thriller.

True to form, the writer/director knows exactly when and how to ramp up the tension in the early going. He does so by confining much of the action within the interior of this fictional, Philadelphia-set arena. As we wait to see what this sociopathic and increasingly desperate villain will do to get out of this inescapable mess, we’re firmly trapped in his point of view for almost the entirety of the runtime — an intentionally suffocating decision reflected by cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Suspiria,” “Challengers”), whose roving camerawork represents an extension of Cooper’s own perspective as the walls close in around him.

Trap loses momentum and delivers another divisive ending

Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s an issue that has plagued even some of the greatest one-location movies ever made: How do you maintain a high level of stakes and momentum throughout every minute of a story that takes place largely in the same place? Without spoiling anything, it’s difficult to dissect exactly how “Trap” approaches this conundrum and ultimately fails to take full advantage of its premise. For much of the first hour or so, Shyamalan derives plenty of tension (and a surprising amount of laughs) out of Cooper finding excuses to leave his daughter, avoid the authorities, and frantically search for a way out. The moments where he turns into Jason Bourne, surreptitiously entering employee-only zones and stealing police walkie-talkies to listen in on their operation, are only bested by his bursts of MacGyver-like improvisation to cause sudden feints and distractions. This first act even builds to a gasp-inducing climax and a point of no return — one of the boldest plot turns (if not necessarily a “twist”) I can remember in any recent genre movie.

Once the plot progresses beyond this, however, viewers might end up with the sinking feeling that Shyamalan has just shown the ace up his sleeve — one that maybe shouldn’t have been played so soon.

Up to that narrative pivot, the script had at least offered some food for thought in terms of theme. Aspects of modern life such as social media, the prevalence (and many different uses) of phones, and the connections we foster as a result feed naturally into the film’s more pulpier concerns. All throughout the concert, the incredibly precise framing and blocking of Cooper and Riley (as remarked upon on Twitter by Shyamalan himself), dwarfed by the massive screens projecting Lady Raven to the masses from the stage, add an unsettlingly effective layer of artifice to the proceedings. And, yes, fans have another hilariously meta Shyamalan cameo to look forward to, which provides one of the best laughs in the entire film. But when the film quite literally runs out of plot, only the filmmaker’s sheer determination and commitment to the bit manage to salvage an ending that throws logic and reason out the door several times over. Provided you haven’t mentally checked out by this point, however, it might just leave you rooting for the villain.

Whether that’s Cooper or Shyamalan himself, one thing’s for certain. The Summer of Shyamalan is about to heat up several degrees, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

/Film Rating 6 out of 10

‘Trap” releases in theaters August 2, 2024.

Movie Reviews

Dan Webster reviews “WTO/99”

Published

11 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

DAN WEBSTER:

It may now seem like ancient history, especially to younger listeners, but it was only 26 years ago when the streets of Seattle were filled with protesters, police and—ultimately—scenes of what ended up looking like pure chaos.

It is those scenes—put together to form a portrait of what would become known as the “Battle of Seattle” —that documentary filmmaker Ian Bell captures in his powerful documentary feature WTO/99.

We’ve seen any number of documentaries over the decades that report on every kind of social and cultural event from rock concerts to war. And the majority of them follow a typical format: archival footage blended with interviews, both with participants and with experts who provide an informational, often intellectual, perspective.

WTO/99 is something different. Like The Perfect Neighbor, a 2026 Oscar-nominated documentary feature, Bell’s film consists of what could be called found footage. What he has done is amass a series of news reports and personal video recordings into an hour-and-42-minute collection of individual scenes, mostly focused on a several-block area of downtown Seattle.

That is where a meeting of the WTO, the World Trade Organization, was set to be held between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, 1999. Delegates from around the world planned to negotiate trade agreements (what else?) at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

Months before the meeting, however, a loose coalition of groups—including NGOs, labor unions, student organizations and various others—began their own series of meetings. Their objective was to form ways to protest not just the WTO but, to some of them, the whole idea of a world order they saw as a threat to the economic independence of individual countries.

Bell’s film doesn’t provide much context for all this. What we mostly see are individuals arguing their points of view as they prepare to stop the delegates from even entering the convention center. Meanwhile, Seattle authorities such as then-Mayor Paul Schell and then-Police Chief Norm Stamper—with brief appearances by Gov. Gary Locke and King County Executive Ron Sims—discuss counter measures, with Schell eventually imposing a curfew.

That decision comes, though, after what Bell’s film shows is a peaceful protest evolving into a street fight between people parading and chanting, others chained together and splinter groups intent on smashing the storefronts of businesses owned by what they see as corporate criminals. One intense scene involves a young woman begging those breaking windows to stop and asking them why they’re resorting to violence. In response a lone voice yells their reasoning: “Self-defense.”

Even more intense, though, are the actions of the Seattle police. We see officers using pepper spray, tear gas, flash grenades and other “non-lethal” means such as firing rubber pellets into the crowd. In one scene, a uniformed guy—not identified as a police officer but definitely part of the security crowd, which included National Guardsmen—is shown kicking a guy in the crotch.

The media, too, can’t avoid criticism. Though we see broadcast reporters trying to capture what was happening—with some affected like everybody else by the tear gas that filled the streets like a winter fog—the reports they air seem sketchy, as if they’re doctors trying to diagnose a serious illness by focusing on individual cells. And the images they capture tend to highlight the violence over the well-meaning actions of the vast majority of protesters.

Reactions to what Bell has put on the screen are bound to vary, based on each viewer’s personal politics. Bell revels his own stance by choosing selectively from among thousands of hours of video coverage to form the narrative he feels best captures what happened those two decades-and-change ago.

If nothing else, WTO/99 does reveal a more comprehensive picture of what happened than we got at the time. And, too, it should prepare us for the future. The way this country is going, we’re bound to see a lot more of the same.

Call it the “Battle for America.”

For Spokane Public Radio, I’m Dan Webster.

——

Movies 101 host Dan Webster is the senior film critic for Spokane Public Radio.

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: ‘Scream 7’ – Catholic Review

Published

24 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Movie Review: ‘Scream 7’ – Catholic Review

NEW YORK (OSV News) – As its title suggests, “Scream 7” (Paramount) is the latest extension of a long-lived horror franchise, one that’s currently approaching its 30th anniversary on screen. Since each chapter of this slasher saga has been a bloodsoaked mess, the series’ longevity will strike moviegoers of sense as inexplicable.

Yet the slog continues. While the previous film in the sequence shifted the action from California to New York, this second installment, following a 2022 quasi-reboot, settles on a Midwestern locale and reintroduces us to the series’ original protagonist, Sidney Evans, nee Prescott (Neve Campbell).

Having aged out of the adolescent demographic on whom the various murderers who have donned the Ghostface mask that serves as these films’ dubious trademark over the years seem to prefer to prey, Sidney comes equipped with a teen daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). Will Tatum prove as resourceful in evading the unwanted attentions of Ghostface as Mom has?

On the way to answering that question, a clutch of colorless minor characters fall victim to the killer, who sometimes gets — according to his or her lights — creative. Thus one is quite literally made to spill her guts, while another ends up skewered on a barroom’s pointy beer tap.

Through it all, director Kevin Williamson and his co-writer Guy Busick try to peddle a theme of female empowerment in the face of mortal danger. They also take a stab, as it were, at constructing a plotline about intergenerational family tensions. When not jarring viewers with grisly images, however, they’re only likely to lull them into a stupor.

The film contains excessive gory violence, including disembowelment and impaling, underage drinking, mature topics, a couple of profanities, several milder oaths, pervasive rough and considerable crude language and occasional crass expressions. The OSV News classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Movie Review: “THE BRIDE!” – Assignment X

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Movie Review: “THE BRIDE!” – Assignment X

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: March 8th, 2026 / 08:00 PM

Rating: R
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Penelope Cruz, Jeannie Berlin, Zlatko Burić
Writer: Maggie Gyllenhaal, based on characters created by Mary Shelley and William Hurlbut and John Balderston
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Release Date: March 6, 2026

“THE BRIDE!” (as with the recent “WUTHERING HEIGHTS,” the quotation marks are part of the title) is awash in homages, and not just the ones we might reasonably expect in a movie that takes its most obvious inspiration from 1935’s BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.

There’s that, of course, plus its source, Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel FRANKENSTEIN; OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, and its sober 1931 film adaptation FRANKENSTEIN. But there are also big nods to wilder takes on the legend, including YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and even movies that have nothing to do with FRANKENSTEIN, like BONNIE AND CLYDE.

Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal casts a wide net in metaphors and ideas and looks. Sometimes “THE BRIDE!” is a comedy, sometimes it’s a crime drama, sometimes it’s a love story, occasionally, it’s even a musical.

Mary Shelley (Jessie Buckley) narrates the tale to us from beyond the grave. She is haughty and naughty, intoxicated by verbiage and her own literary genius. She is going to tell us a story, she says, that she didn’t even dare imagine while alive.

We’re in 1930s Chicago, where a young escort (also Buckley) is having a really awful evening out at a fancy restaurant with some of her peers and a bunch of crass gangsters. Shelley dubs the woman “Ida” and takes possession of her, causing her to speak and act in ways that get her escorted outside. There she stumbles and takes a fatal fall.

The two goons who were with Ida are happy to describe her tumble as the result of their intentional actions to their horrible gangster boss (Zlatko Burić). Ida was suspected of talking to the cops.

Around the same time, Frankenstein’s creation (Christian Bale) – let’s just call him “Frank,” like everybody else does – comes to Chicago to seek out the groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening), whose published works he has read.

Frank wants the doctor to create a companion for him. His appearance is unusual, but the most alarming injuries are covered by clothing, so he’s not as extreme-looking as, say, Boris Karloff in the role. This isn’t about sex, Frank explains when Euphronious asks why he doesn’t just hire a prostitute. After over a century of loneliness, he seeks a soulmate, and he is sure this can only be achieved by reviving a corpse.

So, Euphronious and Frank dig up the grave that turns out to belong to Ida (we never do learn how they know it belongs to a soulmate candidate as opposed to a shot-and-dumped male gangster). Euphronius revives her. Ida remembers how to walk and talk, but not who she is or what happened, so Frank and the doc tell her she’s been in an accident.

Even without Ida’s beauty, Frank is already devoted to the very notion of her. A more accommodating suitor would be hard to find. Frank has another passion, the musical films of Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal, the filmmaker’s brother), a Fred Astaire-like star. Frank imagines himself in the midst of those dance routines, and we get some more within “THE BRIDE!”’s “real” action.

One thing leads to another, Frank and Ida go on the run, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. They are pursued all over the country. Among those seeking them are sad-eyed police detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his secretary Myrna Mallow (Penélope Cruz), who’s better at this whole crime-solving business than he is.

It’s all very kaleidoscopic and energetic, occasionally impressive and sometimes very funny. Bening as the frazzled, worldly Euphronious has some great moments. Buckley, currently and justifiably Oscar-nominated leading performance in HAMNET, juggles the very unalike personas of Mary and Ida with impact.

Oddly, Bale underplays Frank. We get that he is trying his hardest not to spook Ida (or anyone else), but it seems like he should have a bit more spark. Cruz, going for a snappy ‘30s working woman, has her own style that works.

But in addition to being entertaining and eye-catching, Gyllenhaal has a message that gets very muddled. This is less because it’s so familiar by now that it feels a little redundant, and more because a crucial part of the set-up collides head-on with the feminist slant.

Ida seeks to be her own person, but she is literally bodily controlled by Mary Shelley, who puts her creation in danger with her outbursts. This may help get Ida out of the clutches of the mob, but it is possession, the aftereffects of which the character understandably finds confusing and upsetting.

If Gyllenhaal wanted to discuss or dramatize the clash between what Mary, as a woman, is doing to this other woman, that would make sense, but it seems we’re just meant to somehow overlook this while being immersed in how men control women. The resulting cognitive dissonance adds another layer to a movie that already has more than it can comfortably service.

Additionally, when Mary has one of her outbursts while inhabiting Ida, the plot comes to a screeching halt until she’s finished. Many viewers will wish Mary would stop declaiming and just let Ida be herself.

“THE BRIDE!” succeeds in being trippy and some of it is memorable. By the end, though, it is more disjointed than even a movie about experiments and a character made up of multiple people’s body parts ought to be.

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