#trap review

[agentnico]

Trap (2024) review

M. Night Shyamalan seems like a nice dad.

Plot: In M. Night Shyamalan's latest outing, everyone in a large city is in a frenzy. Why? That's because they're up and ready to watch a concert performed by famous pop star Lady Raven. Two of her fans, a man named Cooper and his daughter Riley, attend the concert with high spirits, but things slowly begin to change their tune. Amongst the screams of adoration and sounds of applause, the concert itself has a hidden identity: a front to fish out an infamous serial killer known as The Butcher. With security cameras rigged, armies of policemen with weapons at the ready, and police vehicles surrounding the venue, will anyone survive their concert experience or is there more to The Butcher than meets the eye?

I bloody love M. Night Shyamalan! As a director that is, not as a person as I’ve never met the guy. He could be a real stuck snob for all I know. But as a creative voice in the movie industry I absolutely adore him, as this is someone who to this day has not let the Hollywood machine change or mould him and has stayed true to himself and his style of art form. Granted he does make a lot of crap, from the fascinating beach-that-turns-you-old concept stuck in a goofy and stupidly executed Old to The Happening where he somehow managed to make a tree be the ominous bad guy. And even then I cannot hate the guy as he’s evidently so batshit crazy that I have no choice but to love it. As even at his worst he still manages to come with such unique and outrageous concepts, and of course is also well known for his ridiculous third act plot twists, so even his worst film can still offer some level of entertainment. Except for After Earth. F*** that movie and also f*** Jaeden Smith ya tosser!! Mind you, I’ve never seen After Earth.

Trap is so silly. Like on every level, from each scene featuring a thousands plot-holes, characters talking like unreal people as if they are in some alien reality, random crap occurring for the sake of it…. It’s all absolutely absurd. Josh Hartnett is the glue that holds it all together, as his unhinged performance of a psychopath trying his best to act like a happy fun loving guy only to seem even more like a serial killer was truly hilarious. Also, I found myself kind of rooting for the serial killer? Like what kind of weird Dexter crap is this, Shyamalamadingdong?? I’ve been Stockholm syndromed into liking the bad guy! But anyway, Hartnett is a hoot and honestly he needs to be in more films! Saleka as the pop singer is alright. Her songs aren’t that great nor is her acting, though I do find it super endearing that Shyamalan made this entire film just to give his daughter her big ‘Eras Tour’ concert moment break and to boost her music career. What a sweet papa.

This movie very much is reliant on how willing you are to suspend your sense of disbelief, and on what level are you able to stick with Shyamalan’s shenanigans. This isn’t a particularly good movie, nor is it a bad one, but it’s extremely entertaining from beginning to end, even if the ending does get a little too off the rails. That being said one aspect that was actually phenomenal was the cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who’s a frequent collaborator of Luca Guadagnino’s. There are so many ludicrously delicious frames here, and I admired how each conversation was shot, as tight and intimate as possible while capturing every foolish and panic-induced character response.

Also shout out to Kid Cudi who rocks up for less than 5 minutes of screen time to drop the mic, eye-fuck Josh Hartnett for no other reason other than it’s Josh Hartnett and then drop the best line of the whole damn movie - “I specifically said I wanted honeysuckle sour kombucha, bitch!!”

Overall score: 6/10

[ohyoubringmejoy]

Trap (2024): REVIEW | Danixinhahhh

[majorbaby]

[mayorofloserville69]

She liked saw IV!!!

Not so much V tho :(

[thesoftboiledegg]

"The Jerrick Trap" was a clever twist on the body-swapping concept. I had trouble following it at first because they both sounded like Rick, to the point that I wondered if Jerry's half went in hiding. A lightbulb went off in my head when they clarified that they're both Rick and Jerry.

I've seen two people merged into one being ("Tuvix" from Star Trek: Voyager) but two consciousnesses sharing half of each person is something I've never watched before. And Rick and Jerry's personalities merged surprisingly well. Rick and Beth struggle to get along because they're so similar, but Jerry complements Rick perfectly--if only Rick would get his head out of his ass and accept it!

I wasn't a fan of the cold open, thinking "...OK, seriously? Rick 'hates' Jerry so much that he kills himself when he's stuck in his mind?" Others pointed out that maybe Rick just couldn't handle being in a brain without his coping mechanisms, which is a better idea. Still, it's hard to shake off your initial interpretation. I hoped that the episode would elaborate on that, but it never did.

And boy, Jerricky almost ruined the episode for me. Rick and Morty is full of silly, stupid humor--"The Old Man and the Seat" is an episode about Rick sitting on a toilet, for one--but that human-centipede creature was too bizarre. I won't say it was objectively bad, but I might skip that part during rewatches.

Back to what I enjoyed. I loved seeing the reappearance of Rick's favorite thing: crystals. The writers gave Rick's crow phase a shoutout, which is MY favorite thing. I'm surprised the comics never explored that period. I don't read the comics, but I would consider buying that issue.

The backgrounds were stunning, too. Rick and Morty's artists create dazzling environments with their color theory expertise. Rick and Jerry's Miami Vice adventures blew me away in every scene, making me want to live in that tropical city.

As for Memory Rick, he was a surprise. I was wondering today if he ever escaped Rick's mind, so I guess that was a premonition. He'll probably have an important role later on.

Anyway, Jerry admitting that Rick is the closest thing he has to a friend surprised me, but it's true when I think about it. Who else does he talk to? Space Beth can't stand him, his marriage is strained and his kids aren't his friends. His parents rarely show up.

Rick's the only person in his life who isn't obligated to hang out with him because they're related. He's also the only fellow adult male. As much as their lives diverge, Rick can relate to him in a way that no one else can.

Morty says at the end "I think it's clear that you both love each other more than you're willing to admit." Of course, Rick denies it, but his and Jerry's bickering at the table is their weird way of saying "I love you." If they didn't, they'd just leave the table instead of frantically overcompensating.

And their minds wouldn't have fused together so well, either. Otherwise, both halves of Rick would've just killed himself again, or grabbed the gun while Jerry's halves tried to fight him off.

"The Jerrick Trap": a visual masterpiece, a feast for the Jerrick shippers and insight into what's really going on in Rick and Jerry's minds when they argue.

[vronskies]

the parent trap (1998)

[antagames]

If you enjoyed Trapped with Jester, don't forget to leave a review on Steam!

[guybitesatgames]

[swishing TMAGP 005 around in a glass] Mmm, yes, the Beholding terroir is undeniable, but I'm sensing faint notes of Terminus, and with hints of TMA 110 and 136 I must wonder if it was bottled by The Mother Of Spiders? An interesting bouquet, nonetheless.

[pricelessreviews]

[vanillaa-sky]

Real reason R!Ciel died :/

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Upon a second watch of the trap and analyzing it from a psychological perspective (not taking into account the silly direction and at times nonsensical plot holes and character choices) and not a horny perspective, I think it’s so facilitating. Gonna leave my in depth thoughts below.

I think it’s fascinating how cooper just bullshited his way through the entirety of the concert. He didn’t know what the fuck was happening but he adapted to his surroundings and manipulated every single person he encountered in such a clever and cold way. He smiled in people’s faces as he listened to the police radio, he sneaked into a swat meeting and was even like “wow! You guys are huge!” (Which like lol no baby YOU are with your 6’3 mf ass). And his switch of body language as soon as he stepped out. He just seemed to know exactly what to say and what to do, and if it didn’t work, he thought of something else. I also want to note I find amusing that he almost thought of it as a game, in typical sociopath fashion (which yes ik is an outdated term but saying APD seems a little too clinical for my horny blog), he kinda enjoyed the chase and was even making faces at the description of himself (he also laughed at lady raven when she was like “you’re such a good boy”). He was very unbothered and collected up until he realized his perfect life was ruined, that the perfect image his family had of him was gone (the two lives mixed). Which is very on par with his antisocial personality traits.

Though I will acknowledge the fact that man actually was being dumb asf going back to the house knowing Rachel was the one that ratted him out (yes ig he didn’t know for sure but he suspected it, and let’s be real, he’s smart enough to piece it together without Rachel telling him verbatim). Unless maybe he wanted to get caught? It just seemed like very impulsive thing to do, which doesn’t seem on character for his more cold and calculating personality. His survival was the most important to him (other than his perfect dad of the year and upstanding member of society persona) and I don’t think it made sense for him to go back to the house and top of that eat something from Rachel when he suspected her, but then again maybe he wanted to get caught (or this is just bad character choice).

I also think it was incredibly dumb on his part to straight up tell lady raven he was the butcher. When this happened my expectation was that he’d kill her before she told everyone? I mean I can see why logically that’d be complicated but I expected a better outcome. It didn’t sit right with me that suddenly the focus was shifted to her and in the process they made him panic and make impulsive decisions (i.e run after her and pound on the bathroom door in front of his family, try to kidnap her instead). For someone who was shown to be incredibly smart and calculating and was described to never panic, this seemed like a very rash choice. Like what did you think was going to happen? But this movie does have character flaws and plot issues so I can’t be too critical.

Going back to the positives, another thing I found fascinating is once again his ability to manipulate every situation to his favor. Realistically speaking, in no sane world would a bunch of swat officers allow a suspected serial killer to grab something, they’d be dragging him to the van. But they allowed him to fix the bike. And the reason why I think Cooper knew this would work was because he already knew they knew he had OCD, so they knew if he had a “compulsion” he had to do it or else he would potentially lash out or get violent (this is typical when a compulsion can’t be accomplished there is a lot of anxiety that may lead to aggressive behavior or some type of breakdown). The thing was, this wasn’t a compulsion. He didn’t need to fix the bike. But the cops didn’t know this. Hence why (in my in movie understanding, regardless of logic) he was able to get the metal thing. But what’s funny about this is that you can see it in his face as he’s undoing the cuffs he’s like ooh and he laughs. I think cause he realized that he actually got away with that, that he manipulated everyone to his advantage once again, even when he was supposed to be “under control” and “subjected”. Even in cuffs he manages to be in control of the situation by coming up with ways to manipulate people to benefit his survival.

And I think that’s wonderful. I often enjoy seeing sociopaths actually be sociopaths (from a scientific standpoint as a psychology major) Like the level of manipulation and calculating cleverness (Dexter is my biggest example of this). Regardless if this movie is good or bad (I think it’s alright but it does fall apart after the concert), I think Josh (my hubby) did a fantastic job with what he was given. His mannerisms and facial expressions were so on point you could tell when he was being himself and when he was putting on the act. It was fantastic.

Anyway Josh I love you and everything you do, you’re so perfect you made this nonsensical silly movie enjoyable <3

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: Trap

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Never let the two lives touch.

Trap is a film about identity. Its narrative revolves around the masks that we wear in public, the “true” faces that we reveal in our most private moments, and the reconciliation between these conflicting personae—finding one’s “authentic” self somewhere in the synthesis.

Protagonist Cooper—alias The Butcher, a.k.a. “that freakin’ nutjob that goes around chopping people up”—is both a doting father and a sadistic serial killer. While it’s tempting to dismiss his awkward pantomime of domestic bliss as a mere charade, however, his love for his family is just as genuine as his obsession with his macabre “hobby.” Thus, when he finds himself in the middle of an elaborate sting operation (“This whole concert is a trap!”), he must choose which half of his fractured psyche he values more: would he rather embrace his violent compulsions… or enjoy some quality time with his daughter?

Josh Hartnett excels in the lead role, effortlessly conveying the complex, contradictory facets of his character’s personality—from his cold, calculating cruelty as he seizes control of the chaotic situation to his increasing desperation and irrationality as the metaphorical noose tightens around his neck to his repressed guilt and self-loathing when his sins are finally exposed. M. Night Shyamalan’s direction is equally superb, utilizing split diopter lenses, disorienting Dutch angles, and unnervingly intimate P.O.V. shots (even during basic scene coverage) to craft an atmosphere that is simultaneously spectacularly maximalist and suffocatingly claustrophobic. The early sequence in which Cooper slowly realizes that he’s inadvertently blundered straight into a veritable spider’s web of police officers and federal agents is a particularly impressive marriage of performance and visual storytelling.

Trap is far from perfect: the tone is goofy as hell (which is at least partially intentional), the plot is built on a tenuous foundation of contrivance and coincidence, and the dialogue is often unwieldy and unnatural. When the movie is firing on all cylinders, though, it’s difficult to care about such superficial flaws. Lean, efficiently crafted, and immaculately structured, it evokes the trashy thrillers of the mid-2000s—and honestly, the scariest thing about it is that it makes me nostalgic for that caliber of cinematic quality.

[mayorofloserville69]

She went through the 5 stages of grief

[jenniecaipirinha]

semaninha letterboxd gurizada

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

This year for movies has been incredibly weird. So far, the movies I expected to be good (Megalopolis, Cuckoo, Trap) ended up being either flops or disappointments. Meanwhile, the movies I expected to crash and burn (Twisters, Speak No Evil, Alien Romulus) turned out to be pretty good.

What the heck is happening. I think taking the bar exam ruined my movie senses lol.

[s-bean200]

Select Out of Context Quotes from the NQD Lore Doc of Madness to Tempt You

You should listen to NQD!! Not sure about starting? Here are just a few select quotes from my master lore doc of madness I made just to showcase just how maddening and wonderful this show is!! These are in no particular order and I've bleeped out some names to avoid spoilery bits lol. Please enjoy my madness! (P.S. if you'd like access to the doc, DM me!)

"is *REDACTED* do more lie???????????????????????"

"*BLANK* and *BLANKS*'s relationship: ????????"

"how??????" followed soon by "why?????????"

"The order of events is unclear but it’s important whatever it is lol"

"What is????/"

"Could it still function??????"

"...but then what????"

"I have no clue lol"

"What exactly was he doing?"

"They met, they’ve fucked but like what else???????"

"his body is doing something????"

"...may have done sooooomething?"

"maybe it works a bit funky???????"

"This never gets mentioned again but I think.." followed by at least 100 words of raving and 5 different scientific articles linked

"How??"