Movie Reviews

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

Published

5 months 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

LOVE LIES BLEEDING Review

Published

8 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

LOVE LIES BLEEDING is a modern, vicious film noir. A lesbian woman named Lou is estranged from her vicious father Lou Sr. yet manages a decrepit gym he owns in their desert town. Jackie, a female drifter, arrives in town and engages in back-seat, adulterous sex with JJ, who’s married to Lou’s sister, Beth. Lou is instantly attracted to her when she flexes her muscles. The two women soon begin a tawdry sexual relationship.Beth winds up in a hospital when JJ viciously beats her offscreen. Jackie has been abusing steroids to build muscle. She flies into a murderous rage and brutally kills JJ. A string of double-crosses explodes. Can Lou bring down her father and his illicit crime machine? Is Jackie a serious love interest or a con artist?

LOVE LIES BLEEDING is a modern-day, highly immoral, sleazy take on the film noir genre. It features a graphic lesbian relationship, numerous scenes of graphic violence, substance abuse, and abundant foul language. The movie has a twist-filled script, fast pacing and gritty performances, but it repulsed the vast majority of moviegoers at the box office.

(PaPaPa, HoHoHo, LLL, VVV, SSS, NN, AA, DD, MMM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Vicious, promiscuous, totally immoral movie filled with violence and sex, especially lesbian sex;

Foul Language:

At least 78 obscenities (including 65 “f” words), three strong profanities using Jesus Christ and a gross scene where a woman has to unclog a clogged toilet;

Violence:

Numerous people are shot in graphically bloody fashion with sickening wounds and shocking sound effects, woman shoots another woman in the head and causes blood to splatter all over the camera, woman beats a man to death, woman breaks that man’s jawbone wide open as she slams his head repeatedly into a table, abused wife is hospitalized by a particularly brutal yet offscreen beating that leaves her face severely bruised and swollen, another character tortures this woman by pressing hard against her facial injuries, woman shoots another man in a shootout then shoves the barrel of her gun into his mouth, takes the gun back out but smashes the gun into his face to kill him, and a woman is shown waking up from a seemingly fatal gunshot wound, but another woman chokes her to death and dumps her body in the desert;

Sex:

Graphic lesbian sex scenes, particularly showing oral sex, the sex is shown promiscuously on a one-night stand, and later another lesbian blackmails one of the lead lesbians into having relations with her (though this is only implied and discussed, not shown), movie opens with a man having forceful, adulterous sex with a woman from behind in the back of a car, and a lesbian sucks on her girlfriend’s toe;

Nudity:

Several lesbian sex scenes feature female breasts and buttocks but no genitals, another lesbian woman is shown standing with full rear nudity after an implied sex scene, and shirtless men are seen working out in several scenes;

Alcohol Use:

Adults frequently drink alcohol, with one scene showing a woman drunk;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

A woman smokes cigarettes frequently, a female bodybuilder severely abuses steroids throughout, leading to violent outbursts and her vomiting onstage in front of a crowd, and the steroid injections are shown in a sensuous fashion;

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Lying, double-crosses, deception rampant throughout, with a dehumanizing use of violence.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING is a modern-day, highly immoral, sleazy take on the film noir genre that centers on a graphic lesbian relationship, numerous scenes of graphic violence and an abundance of foul language. LOVE LIES BLEEDING has a twist-filled script, fast pacing and gritty performances, but should not be viewed by anyone.

The story centers upon a lesbian woman named Lou (Kristen Stewart), who is estranged from her vicious father Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) yet works managing a decrepit gym he owns in their desert town. Meanwhile, a female drifter named Jackie (Katy O’Brien) arrives in town and immediately engages in back-seat, adulterous sex with JJ (Dave Franco), who’s married to Lou’s sister Beth (Jena Malone).

The backseat liaison results in a job for Jackie at a gun range on the edge of town owned by Lou Jr. She’s just saving up money to finish a trip to Las Vegas for a women’s bodybuilding championship, and when she flexes her massive muscles, Lou is instantly attracted to her.

The two soon engage in a tawdry sexual relationship, but Lou’s happiness is abruptly halted when Beth winds up in a hospital after a vicious (offscreen) beating at the hands of JJ. Lou Sr. wants to keep it all in the family rather than report JJ to the police, which angers Lou greatly.

Jackie has been abusing steroids in order to build muscle for her upcoming competition, and flies into a murderous rage that results in her brutally killing JJ. When Lou and Jackie dump his body in an enormous pit in the desert outside of town, a string of double-crosses explodes as Lou Sr. is determined to find out who killed JJ and federal agents start asking Lou lots of questions about his potentially criminal enterprises.

Can Lou manage to bring her father and his illicit crime machine down? Is Jackie a serious love interest or a con artist using her for her own ends?

LOVE LIES BLEEDING has excellent performances from all of its cast, who bring a wide array of seedy characters to vivid life. Also, Director/Co-writer Rose Glass keeps the twists coming fast and furious throughout the movie’s bonkers second half.

Despite the technical skill with which it’s made, LOVE LIES BLEEDING is a movie that has literally no characters to support and no sense of legal justice – just brutal vigilante revenge meted out several times over. Even Lou becomes utterly reprehensible and heartless by the end, and the movie’s entire mood is demoralizing and dehumanizing.

Packed with graphic violence, sex and nudity and an abundance of foul language, LOVE LIES BLEEDING is utterly distasteful and a must to avoid for viewers of all ages.

Movie Reviews

Love Child (2024) Movie Review & Ending Explained: Can Love and Sacrifice Keep Ayla and Paolo’s Family Together?

Published

15 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Love Child (2024) Movie Review & Ending Explained: Can Love and Sacrifice Keep Ayla and Paolo’s Family Together?

Rom Coms, the ones that match the endearing and intelligent with equal fluency, have a scintillating flavor. The book of tricks to make a romcom sing and soar may have admittedly gone jaded and dog-eared. The crises of couples, dilemmas, and anxieties they have to battle have undergone dramatic changes in a fast-evolving world. Expectations vary with the decades, even as gendered rules haven’t dented much.

The urge to steal a leaf or two from every standard template Hollywood romcom is immanent in any new derivation. It becomes a constant tussle, hence, for a new film in similar spaces to eke out freshness and smarts. Jonathan Jurilla’s directorial “Love Child” (2024) has little to add or say anything genuinely sparkling. It’s a weary distillation of parental exhaustion and re-alignment, too silly to pass off what it views as clever self-reflexive remarks.

There are basic cardinal rules a romcom must ensure is upheld. Conflicts should ideally resonate across a demographic; humor needs to exist in spades. A helping of self-awareness goes a long way in establishing a winking playfulness. The best rom-coms sail through these assumptions with lightness and spryness.

Love Child (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

Ayla and Paolo’s Journey of Love, Sacrifice, and Resilience

Ayla (Jane Oineza) and Paolo (RK Bagatsing) are young parents. Incidentally, the actors themselves are a couple in real life, who call the film a “free trial” to parenthood. Ayla and Paolo have been exultant about becoming parents but what awaits them is a whole lot of instability, fraught periods of testing faith in each other to weather the hardships of raising their child, Kali (John Tyrron Ramos) who is diagnosed with autism. It’s this diagnosis that opens the film and sends their lives into a tailspin. The two have fought with their families on several counts to realize their togetherness. Dreams have also been put on hold. Paolo is a filmmaker who desires to make it big but naturally meets resistance from his father, from whom he has cut loose.

They arrive in the Philippines to put up at the house that Ayla’s aunt has offered. They don’t have to worry about rent, an exponential anxiety hence taken care of. The first thing they get done is to enroll Kali at a school for children with support needs. They hope he can be addressed with due attention and be given proper time, nourished in a safe, loving, and understanding community.

How Far Will Ayla and Paolo Go to Secure a Future for Their Son?

Of course, things don’t go as smoothly. The money to raise the child is immense, formidable, and persistent. It’s no small task. To exacerbate matters, the couple has no savings to lean on. Ayla has just a small income from a virtual assistant job and Paolo has barely any gigs to draw a livelihood from in the Philippines.

At home back in Australia, opportunities were, at least, higher. Sources of supporting themselves stand a chance. The couple start a coffee cart as an added source of income. Even that isn’t enough. Customers are few. To run the cart is its own demanding affair that strains their purses more than they expected it to.

One night, Kali falls terribly sick. His parents rush him to the hospital, where medical expenses surge. Where will the couple find the money to foot the bill? They are at wit’s end. Pao assures Ayla not to worry. He’ll dredge out a way. However, when he is away scavenging for a source, Ayla already turns to her mother who lends her the needed money. He is angry with her because Ayla’s mother has been refusing to recognize Kali as her grandson. She tells him, if they waited longer, they’d be staring at an added day of hospital expenses.

Love Child (2024) Movie Ending Explained:

Do Ayla and Paolo find a way of raising their child?

Ayla and Paolo are compelled to employ specialized teachers and attendants for Kali. The cost of living becomes exceedingly high. How can they afford it? Ultimately, they edge toward the pained but necessary realization that they have to live apart at least for a while. If that’s the only way they can build a decent future for Kali, they can’t ignore it. What’s significant and decisive is both Ayla and Paolo are wholly committed to being there for Kali, no matter what it takes, as well as underscoring the need to go out and chase their individual aspirations.

Yes, she must pursue her dream of being a lawyer. The climax is a wistful one, with Paolo leaving for Australia where he would brush aside his bruised ego and accept his father’s job offer. He takes the marks of his wife and child, remnants of them he’d carry with him as he moves into an uncertain, yet hope-tinged future in Australia. They part ways with a promise of return. They know he’ll be back when the time is right and resources have accrued enough to carve for them a comfortable life together.

Love Child (2024) Movie Review:

“Love Child” lacks a fundamental, driving vitality and energy. It is only inconsistently curious and sporadic in its plunges into human indecision and the fear of failure. What is that projection we induce when we feel we are turning into reflections of our parents, a reality most horrific and to skirt clear? To encounter such a realization is depressing and upsetting.

The central pair of the film have to negotiate and move past reservations and a bundle of fears popping up. They are opposed to seeking the help of their parents, who have never sided with them in big decisions, but they also understand the need for a bigger family their child ought to have. Having just his parents wouldn’t suffice for Kali to rely on. For his sake, the parents have to look past their grudges and learn to forgive and let go of ill will.