Trap (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert headlined by Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), a popular pop singer. Unbeknownst to Riley, his wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), and his son, Logan (Lochlan Miller), Cooper lives a secret double life as The Butcher, a smart and calculating serial killer.

Cooper runs into an unexpected dilemma, when a merchandise stand worker named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon) reveals the concert is actually an elaborate trap designed to catch The Butcher. With Lady Raven’s help and guidance from FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the seemingly air tight trap complicates Cooper’s plans to escape.

Cooper devises a series of schemes and distractions, but the walls are closing in. Lady Raven has a chance to save Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), The Butcher’s latest victim, but Cooper comes up with a plan to escape with Riley….

My Thoughts- He’s a husband, a father, a firefighter, and a serial killer! Cooper is a man of many faces. Josh Hartnett delivers an amazing performance, playing a dangerous chameleon, who’s capable of switching personalities at the right time to fit whatever the situation calls for. Cooper is a devious and persistent tactician, who won’t be denied. The details and the little nuances for Cooper really pulls everything together. Whether it’s calmly cleaning or neatly folding a shirt in highly stressful situations, you can clearly see Cooper is a man with a lot of loose screws.

The narcissism, his massive ego, the constant lies, the phony good guy persona, and the fact that Cooper’s troubling problems are all rooted in serious mommy issues is noticeable. But you can also tell Cooper is a man, who truly loves his family. 

Yes, he’s a cold-hearted egomaniac, who doesn’t hesitate to step on anyone to get what he wants. But Cooper wants to be around for his children. Notice how excited Cooper is, while he’s basically playing the “cool dad” with Riley at the concert. Hartnett does a good job of being convincing as someone, who’s torn between the sadistic lifestyle of a serial killer and a family man, especially towards the end. Cooper wants it all, to have his cake and eat it too, and he becomes furious, when he realizes he’ll probably lose everything.

Saleka Night Shyamalan’s character is carefully crafted for Trap. She’s already a pop star in real life, so it’s not surprising that she’s noticeably comfortable playing Lady Raven, including the performances. It’s a role that suits her, and well, you have to believe she’s just being herself, or a more exaggerated version of herself. 

Lady Raven is a likable character, someone, who’s humble and compassionate. The final stretch gets a little weird, when Lady Raven tries to play mind games with Cooper (specifically that scene in the car). I’m not saying it’s bad acting, but certain parts are kind of awkward, and they do feel a bit forced. 

M. Night Shyamalan completely lost me with the ending. So let me see if I have this right. You pull out all the stops to catch The Butcher. Hordes of cops, tactical teams, and you set a trap for him during a concert. EVERYTHING except for the National Guard and the Navy Seals to stop this guy. And for some reason, when he’s completely surrounded by cops you let him touch a bike, giving him the opportunity to grab a spoke off of the wheel? On top of that, Cooper uses that spoke to unlock his handcuffs, so now there’s a chance to escape? Again?

It’s a bummer for me, because I was completely hooked in for everything leading up to the ending. The tense moments between Cooper and Rachel in the kitchen, the cat and mouse games between Lady Raven and Cooper, including Raven racing against the clock to save Spencer, and knowing Cooper was so close to completely losing it and killing Rachel. And Cooper finally giving in to visions of his deceased mother (Marcia Bennett), after trying so hard to ignore her throughout the movie.

But if you’re going the route of capturing The Butcher, then he should’ve been caught with no shenanigans. It just defies all kinds of logic after all the careful planning, having an expert FBI profiler on the case, and numerous strong walls of security. Why? Because he’s that good? Sorry, I just didn’t buy the whole idea that The Butcher is supposed to be Houdini, when he’s surrounded by a group of armed officers. 

The close calls are tight and there’s a few good nail-biters, while Cooper improvises his possible escape routes. But for me most of it is undone with the ending, because there’s just too much ridiculous BS in the final moments. 

Hartnett is fantastic. There’s no denying that, but it’s a case, where Shyamalan gets a bit too enamored with Cooper/The Butcher. There’s absolutely no reason why what happened should’ve happened during the ending, considering the circumstances, and knowing how dangerous Cooper is and what he’s capable of.

Still, Trap is an entertaining psychological thriller. Good methodical pacing, the concert scenes have a strong sense of realism, and there’s one brutal scene involving a deep fryer. There’s also something genuinely creepy about Cooper explaining why he goes after his victims. The Butcher believes no human being is truly whole, and that mindset plays a big role for him, when he decides to literally cut his victims into pieces. Really the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl. 

This is The Josh Hartnett Show. Hartnett’s tour de force performance is impressive, but there’s also some noteworthy performances from the supporting cast. Ariel Donoghue playing the exuberant teenage girl, or Alison Pill showing believable emotions for a conflicted Rachel, because she still wants to believe Cooper is a good person. Also, Hayley Mills is appropriately cast as the wise old veteran character, who’s smart  and knows how to keep her composure. 

There’s also some good humor here. Jonathan Langdon has his moments (I genuinely laughed at Jamie’s reaction during the mid-credits scene, when he finds out Cooper is The Butcher.) as the upbeat and enthusiastic vendor. Kid Cudi is good for a few laughs as Thinker, an egotistical diva with a bad attitude. Marine McPhail-Diamond is hilarious as Jody’s (Riley’s ex-friend) mother, the sort of unhinged Pollyanna, with a “dark side.” 

And of course it wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan without a cameo from the man himself! As usual, I don’t mind Shyamalan’s cameos. It’s a brief appearance, and his character (he plays Lady Raven’s uncle) moves the story forward without unnecessarily taking anything away from the developments during the home stretch. 

The story of the firefighter living in the suburbs, moonlighting as an infamous serial killer was loaded with potential. I had high hopes for Trap, but it’s not a complete misfire. Shyamalan’s still capable of delivering wild and thought-provoking stories, and Trap proves he doesn’t need to rely on a big shocking twist. I was waiting for the swerve, because it’s Shyamalan, but I’m glad he decided to go with a more straightforward style of storytelling.

Rating- 6/10

Trap (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

  

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert headlined by Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), a popular pop singer. Unbeknownst to Riley, his wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), and his son, Logan (Lochlan Miller), Cooper lives a secret double life as The Butcher, a smart and calculating serial killer.

Cooper runs into an unexpected dilemma, when a merchandise stand worker named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon) reveals the concert is actually an elaborate trap designed to catch The Butcher. With Lady Raven’s help and guidance from FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the seemingly air tight trap complicates Cooper’s plans to escape.

Cooper devises a series of schemes and distractions, but the walls are closing in. Lady Raven has a chance to save Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), The Butcher’s latest victim, but Cooper comes up with a plan to escape with Riley….

My Thoughts- He’s a husband, a father, a firefighter, and a serial killer! Cooper is a man of many faces. Josh Hartnett delivers an amazing performance, playing a dangerous chameleon, who’s capable of switching personalities at the right time to fit whatever the situation calls for. Cooper is a devious and persistent tactician, who won’t be denied. The details and the little nuances for Cooper really pulls everything together. Whether it’s calmly cleaning or neatly folding a shirt in highly stressful situations, you can clearly see Cooper is a man with a lot of loose screws.

The narcissism, his massive ego, the constant lies, the phony good guy persona, and the fact that Cooper’s troubling problems are all rooted in serious mommy issues is noticeable. But you can also tell Cooper is a man, who truly loves his family.  

Yes, he’s a cold-hearted egomaniac, who doesn’t hesitate to step on anyone to get what he wants. But Cooper wants to be around for his children. Notice how excited Cooper is, while he’s basically playing the “cool dad” with Riley at the concert. Hartnett does a good job of being convincing as someone, who’s torn between the sadistic lifestyle of a serial killer and a family man, especially towards the end. Cooper wants it all, to have his cake and eat it too, and he becomes furious, when he realizes he’ll probably lose everything.

Saleka Night Shyamalan’s character is carefully crafted for Trap. She’s already a pop star in real life, so it’s not surprising that she’s noticeably comfortable playing Lady Raven, including the performances. It’s a role that suits her, and well, you have to believe she’s just being herself, or a more exaggerated version of herself. 

Lady Raven is a likable character, someone, who’s humble and compassionate. The final stretch gets a little weird, when Lady Raven tries to play mind games with Cooper (specifically that scene in the car). I’m not saying it’s bad acting, but certain parts are kind of awkward, and they do feel a bit forced.

The close calls are tight and there’s a few good nail-biters, while Cooper improvises his possible escape routes. But for me most of it is undone with the ending, because there’s just too much ridiculous BS in the final moments. 

Hartnett is fantastic. There’s no denying that, but it’s a case, where Shyamalan gets a bit too enamored with Cooper/The Butcher. There’s absolutely no reason why what happened should’ve happened during the ending, considering the circumstances, and knowing how dangerous Cooper is and what he’s capable of.

Still, Trap is an entertaining psychological thriller. Good methodical pacing, the concert scenes have a strong sense of realism, and there’s one brutal scene involving a deep fryer. There’s also something genuinely creepy about Cooper explaining why he goes after his victims. The Butcher believes no human being is truly whole, and that mindset plays a big role for him, when he decides to literally cut his victims into pieces. Really the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl. 

This is The Josh Hartnett Show. Hartnett’s tour de force performance is impressive, but there’s also some noteworthy performances from the supporting cast. Ariel Donoghue playing the exuberant teenage girl, or Alison Pill showing believable emotions for a conflicted Rachel, because she still wants to believe Cooper is a good person. Also, Hayley Mills is appropriately cast as the wise old veteran character, who’s smart  and knows how to keep her composure. 

There’s also some good humor here. Jonathan Langdon has his moments as the upbeat and enthusiastic vendor. Kid Cudi is good for a few laughs as Thinker, an egotistical diva with a bad attitude. Marine McPhail-Diamond is hilarious as Jody’s (Riley’s ex-friend) mother, the sort of unhinged Pollyanna, with a “dark side.” 

And of course it wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan without a cameo from the man himself! As usual, I don’t mind Shyamalan’s cameos. It’s a brief appearance, and his character (he plays Lady Raven’s uncle) moves the story forward without unnecessarily taking anything away from the developments during the home stretch. 

The story of the firefighter living in the suburbs, moonlighting as an infamous serial killer was loaded with potential. I had high hopes for Trap, but it’s not a complete misfire. Shyamalan’s still capable of delivering wild and thought-provoking stories, and Trap proves he doesn’t need to rely on a big shocking twist. I was waiting for the swerve, because it’s Shyamalan, but I’m glad he decided to go with a more straightforward style of storytelling.

Rating- 6/10

Coming Attractions- Trap (2024)

 

Director- M. Night Shyamalan

Cast- Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Allison Pill, Marnie McPhail, Vanessa Smythe

Release Date- August 9, 2024

M. Night Shyamalan, the man of many twists and shocking swerves! Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes the surprises in Shyamalan’s films are horribly disappointing. The Sixth Sense is a shining example of Shyamalan at his best, you can also add Signs to that list. 

But it’s hard to forget about the misfires throughout Shyamalan’s career. The twist for The Village was too far fetched and ridiculous. The Happening? A big letdown after so much anticipation for the reasons behind the pandemic, which basically led to a borderline silly film, that’s about people offing themselves in creative ways.

Shyamalan can be streaky with his films, but Trap has a lot of potential so far. A unique premise, and I’m having a hard time believing Josh Hartnett is actually the killer. Surely there’s no way they would reveal a big storyline in the trailer? It’s just too straightforward, considering Shyamalan’s track record.

Setting a trap in a packed arena? Why would the authorities put so many innocent lives in danger? Something BIG has to happen, a lot of paths and different possibilities to go with. 

Character Spotlight- Marybeth Louise Hutchinson- The Faculty 1998

The Faculty is an excellent horror/sci-fi comedy, that's loaded with winks to some great films of the past (The Thing, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, etc.), but somehow, Marybeth managed to slip underneath everyone's radar. As a killer alien race invades a local high school, a petrified group of remaining survivors struggle to get to the bottom of the conspiracy before the aliens take over the world. Casey, Stokely, Stan, Marybeth, Delilah, and Zeke stand together as the last wall of defense against the aliens, but someone in the group is hiding a deadly secret

The mystery of the leader wasn't so easy to figure out. As the gothic outcast, is Stokely plotting her revenge against everyone, who bullied and tormented her by turning everyone into aliens, so she can take over the world? After suspiciously quitting the football team as the star player, is Stan quietly piecing together the puzzle of an alien takeover? Is Delilah deceiving everyone? After all, the glamor queen uncharacteristically takes a break from contact lenses to wear regular glasses, so she can keep up "incognito" appearances. What about Zeke? He's the bad boy rebel, so taking over the world should fit his personalty, right?  Or is Casey unleashing hell for the punishment he endured as the nerdy wimp?

Nope. It's the seemingly innocent new girl. Behind her soft voice and southern accent, Marybeth was able to conceal her identity as "The Queen."

                                


Clea DuVall did a great job of selling the shock of Marybeth's reveal. I'll never forget my first time watching The Faculty, because this twist shocked the hell out of me. Out of everyone in the main cast, Marybeth was the most unlikely suspect. And remember, there's the scene at Zeke's house where Delilah failed the scat test. After Delilah failed the test, she gave everyone a foreboding warning about the alien takeover before destroying the bulk of Zeke's scat supply, and Delilah hopped into the getaway car of an accomplice. So you could say Delilah was a logical choice for the leader before Marybeth's reveal.

Laura Harris was spot on as this quiet and harmless new kid, who was trying to fit in. Seriously, just take one look at her in the pic above. Could you picture Marybeth as a nasty alien? But Marybeth failed in her mission as The Queen to take over the world, when Casey destroyed Marybeth in her alien form with the rest of Zeke's scat. It's triumphant irony, when you stop and think about it, because the unlikely hero destroyed the unlikely villain.

Follow this link to read my spoiler review for The Faculty! http://mitchmacready.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-faculty-1998_11.html

30 Days Of Night (2007)

**This review contains spoilers**

As the citizens of Barrow, Alaska prepare for thirty nights and days of darkness during the annual polar-night month, a mysterious and dirty stranger (Ben Foster) wanders into town with a freighter ship close behind him. Upon his arrival, The Stranger destroys all the communications in Barrow, a helicopter, and murders a group of sled dogs. After The Stranger causes an altercation with a waitress at the local diner, the town Sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) steps in, and arrests him.

As nightfall approaches, The Stranger is in jail, but a group of vampires slowly sneak out of the freighter ship, and invade the town. Eventually, it’s revealed The Stranger helped the vampires through a serious of careful steps and planning to make sure no one else would suspect anything fishy. The pack of vampires are lead by Marlow (Danny Huston), and soon enough, the vampires are able to take control of the town with ease. At the Sheriff’s office, Eben’s younger brother, Jake (Mark Rendall), narrowly escapes a vampire attack, but Jake and Eben’s grandmother, who works as a desk clerk at the Sheriff’s office, is murdered.

Eben must put aside bitter feelings for his ex-wife and fire marshal, Stella Oleson (Melissa George), who is upset about missing the last plane for thirty days out of Barrow, and work with her to survive the vampire attacks. Cut off from the outside world with no help, Eben leads and commands the team of Stella, Jake, Beau Brower (Mark Boone Junior), Barrow’s rowdy snowplow driver, who uses his snowplow machine to help in the fight, and the remaining townspeople in Barrow against the vampires.

But after their cover is blown in the attic of an abandoned house, Eben and the other survivors realize they won’t be able to just hide and wait it out for the first sunrise in thirty days. No, they’ll have to fight back for survival, and risk their lives to outlast the darkness.

Hartnett is a competent leading man, and he’s a believable fearless leader. Melissa George delivers the second best performance as Stella. During the early stages of the movie, Stella is someone, who comes off as whiny and unlikable, but as Eben and Stella start working together again, George’s character becomes someone, who you can root for. Sad to say, but Boone Junior’s Beau is the only character, who has some real life here. Boone Junior is entertaining as the angry old man, who’s not afraid of any danger, but the rest of Barrow’s survivors (including Jake) aren’t given enough of a personality to stand out amongst each other.

The vampires? Eh, I can hardly say anything about them. The vampires in 30 Days Of Night are feral cannibals, who just growl and yell a lot. Danny Huston is the only one, who actually speaks, but subtitles are attached to his dialogue, because Marlow speaks an ancient vampire language. Although, Marlow speaks one line of English in the film. When a young woman is begging for her life, she asks for God to help her. Marlow responds by saying “God? God……no God” before allowing his pack to torture and kill the young woman.

Director David Slade (I still can’t believe this guy directed a Twilight film) deserves a lot of credit for creating the perfect eerie, hopeless, and spooky atmosphere. When the vampires aren’t yelling or growling, there’s a chilling silence in the dark streets of Barrow, as the remaining survivors tiptoe to the next safe house. 30 Days Of Night gets some bonus points from me for confining the protagonists in a desolate death trap, that favors the antagonists with no means of escape. It feels like a refreshing change, because 30 Days isn’t hampered by a plot that involves vampires trying to secretly take over the world, inconspicuously living in the shadows, or one vampire antagonist or more stalking a victim or victims, who discovered their secret.

Unfortunately, 30 Days Of Night will bore you with dull and one-dimensional characters. As I said before, Boone Junior’s Beau is the only character with a real spark. Yeah, I understand everyone is terrified for their lives and the safety of their loved ones, and because they’re facing a life or death threat, everyone has a break through revelation. Eben and Stella slowly start to trust each other again, and Eben realizes he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life without Stella. Jake realizes he has to grow up and be a man, because he was spending most of his time at his grandmother’s house growing and smoking weed. And some of the elderly survivors would rather die, so they willingly sacrifice themselves, because they feel like they’ve reached the end of the line. That’s all well and good, but personality wise, it’s hard to pick out an individual amongst the survivors, because the VAST majority of the cast never rises above “OH NO! VAMPIRES! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!” reactions. Foster’s creepy and eccentric Stranger character had a chance to stand out. He had the perfect look as, this deranged and filthy homeless man, but his character doesn’t last too long.

Although, I have mixed feelings for the characters in 30 Days Of Night. Yes. They are boring and dull, but I still root for their survival. Unless the protagonists reach extreme unlikable levels (this doesn‘t apply to anyone in 30 Days), you can always rally behind the group of unlikely heroes and underdogs, who come together to fight and stop a seemingly invincible evil power. It’s a timeless formula, and more often than not, you can plug this formula into any genre of film, and it still works today. 

But I hate the stupid ending for this film. So with one day left before sunrise, Eben and the group make a run for a utilidor, because they believe it’ll be a perfect stronghold to ride out the attack until sunrise. But as they’re making a run for it, Stella separates herself from the group to rescue a petrified survivor wandering around in the streets. Stella and the survivor hide underneath a wrecked car, but the vampires decide to drench the streets in oil, and they start a fire to burn the entire town to the ground, so everyone else will assume the attack was nothing more than a tragic accident. The streets are burning, Stella is trapped under the car, so Eben comes up with the bright idea to turn himself into a vampire, so he can fight Marlow for a distraction, giving Stella and the survivor time to escape. Eben injects himself with the blood of a turned friend, fights and kills Marlow, and he burns to death in Stella’s arms, as they watch the sunrise the very next morning (Eben promised Stella they would watch the sunrise no matter what).

This ending….didn’t make any sense. Just pay close attention. Stella had PLENTY of chances to escape without the vampires noticing her. Sunrise was hours away, and the vampires were focused on the fire. Eben transforms himself into a vampire, and yeah, he kills the leader. But what do the vampires do after the fight? They walk away, because they didn’t have enough time to do anything else. So in the grand scheme of things, his sacrifice and the melodramatic ending with Stella holding a dying and burning Eben didn’t make the least bit of sense, because everything leading up to this particular series of events was so unnecessary.

30 Days Of Night will satisfy true gore fiends, because this film is loaded with a lot of nasty and bloody gruesomeness, and some brutal beheadings. A few decent action sequences every now and then, and although I can’t stand the frustrating and nonsensical events leading up to it, the final fight between Marlow and a vampiric Eben was fun to watch. With the background of the burning town behind them, Eben fought with everything he had, and Eben slamming his fist through Marlow’s mouth and the back of his head for the kill at the same time is a memorable jaw-dropping moment, that’s capable of leaving you speechless. Personally, I would LOVE to go with a higher score, but deep down inside, I know 30 Days Of Night isn’t that good.

Rating: 7/10

The Faculty (1998)

As aliens take over their high school, a group of teens form an unlikely alliance. Casey (Elijah Wood), Stokely (Clea DuVall), Stan (Shawn Hatosy), Marybeth (Laura Harris), Delilah (Jordana Brewster), and Zeke (Josh Hartnett) team up to stop the alien invasion and save the world. Zeke’s Scat, a diuretic/hallucinogenic drug is the only surefire weapon capable of killing the amphibious aliens. But the teens run into some trouble, as they struggle to find the leader (or queen) of the alien invasion, and they’re forced to fight off the crafty alien football coach, Joe Willis (Robert Patrick) and the rest of the possessed staff at school.

The cast is full of high school sterotypes. Casey is the shy and soft-spoken nerd, Stokely is the gothic outcast, and Zeke is the bad boy. And you can’t forget about Delilah, the narcissistic bitch, Stan, the popular high school quarterback, and Marybeth, the cheery and friendly “new kid.” Although, to be fair, the Stan character wanted to erase his reputation as the glorified high school quarterback during the early stages of this film. But after the final battle with the aliens, the main characters realize their mistakes in life, and they change their personalities for the better, starting a new path.

Everyone provides the perfect parody performance for their characters. I’d give the edge to Hartnett and Wood for the stand-out stars in this cast, and Robert Patrick is hilarious as the hard-ass football coach. Plus, Famke Janssen (Miss Elizabeth) is spot on, as Zeke’s insecure and nervous punching bag, and they don’t last long, but Jon Stewart and Salma Hayek have a few funny moments. My only complaint from this cast is a young Usher Raymond. He’s just terrible, and his atrocious pretty boy act is painful to watch.

Desperado was my first Robert Rodriguez film, and From Dusk Till Dawn will always be my favorite Rodriguez film, but The Faculty still holds a special place in my heart as a childhood favorite. The special effects are kind of tacky, but Rodriguez provides a handful of genuine gross-out moments. The gore isn’t too tamed, and it’s not too gruesome, it’s just right. The gross-out moments are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you, and of course, Rodriguez takes a more extreme approach to blood and gore (i.e. Sin City, Planet Terror) in his films now a days.

The Faculty has a nice balance of humor and disgusting violence (or nauseating alien transformations), and each scene provides a good example of both:
                                    


                                  


                                  

The Faculty is a fun sci-fi/horror film, and I can’t believe it took me this long to buy it on DVD. Yes, the clichéd “group of unlikely allies banding together to destroy a great evil power” storyline isn’t something new, and the popular kids vs the outcasts is a recycled feud in many different forms of media. But The Faculty never strives for perfection, or the status of a groundbreaking entry in the sci-fi/horror genre. It’s a romp of stylish violence and cheesy comedy, and the cast (minus Usher) is just excellent.

Plus, I always enjoy the references to older sci-fi films ( The Thing, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, etc.), and The Faculty does a fantastic job of paying homage to the old school classics. Kevin Williamson’s (the writer for this film) screenplay has its moments as a “remember that?” wink to sci-fi/horror fans, and for me, The Faculty has an endless amount of rewatch value.

Final Rating: 8/10