Trap

My View:  Trap  (2024)  PG-13 A father (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attend the concert of a lifetime. However, not everything is as it seems, and something dark and sinister is about to make its appearance at this concert. So it’s not much of a spoiler since it’s in the trailer and kind of on the poster: the father is a serial killer, and a trap has been set to catch him with every cop/FBI agent in the tri-state area in attendance. It's the idea that when you are at a large-attended event, you have no idea what the people around you are capable of. So why not have a serial killer at a pop concert filled with teenage girls? Critics had hoped that filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan had turned the corner and started producing watchable films again. Instead, we get a film that feels like it was written solely to showcase his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, who sings what has to be at least ten songs in the movie as she plays Lady Raven, the pop star giving the concert. The film crashes to a halt as the plot holes get larger and larger. The film is so out of touch with what happens at a must-see concert, including the fact that it seems most people at this concert leave their seats to wander in the hallways as their favorite artist is performing on stage. The suspense of whether the guy is going to be caught never builds in the film because the security force is idiotic. I loved the notion that if the killer turns on the fire alarm, the FBI agent in charge (played by Hayley Mills) tells her team they will let all the women and teens out of the building but not the men. Yeah, that’s not a recipe for mass hysteria. The last thirty minutes keep getting sillier as M. Night gives his daughter even more screen time. And the final scenes feel as if they were written by a first-year college film major, not by a man who was nominated for two Academy Awards. This is one concert you will want to miss.  My Rating: Cable Trap Website Now playing in theaters.

Familyfaire:  Harold and the Purple Crayon  (2024)  PG  Harold and the Purple Crayon is about Harold (Zachary Levi), who has a magic purple crayon that allows him to create anything he can imagine. Harold has grown up and has now drawn himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world. Is the world ready for Harold and his magical crayon? Harold and the Purple Crayon is a film that only the five-year-old and younger crowd will enjoy. Making Harold an adult, along with Moose and Porcupine, is a little creepy. It doesn’t help that most of Harold’s creations aren’t very imaginative. The film thinks it's funnier and cuter than it actually is. Although the film is safe for children of all ages and has a good heart, most will be bored by the beginning of the second act. I wish they had adapted the book instead of making a sequel of sorts. It just doesn't have the charm or creativity of the beloved book, and that's a shame. In fact, it's almost a crime that they use the title of the book to fool people into thinking it's an adaptation, instead of a whole new story. There is a short bonus scene after the first portion of credits to find out what happens to one of the characters in the film.  My Rating: Cable   Harold and the Purple Crayon Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Kneecap  (2024)  R Kneecap starts on that fateful day in West Belfast when a disillusioned music teacher JJ met two self-confessed ‘low life scum’ and decide to create a band. That band, Kneecap, will change the sound of Irish music forever. The first glimpses of this film give you a sense that this is not an ordinary bio-pic. Instead, you discover very quickly that you are in for an in-your-face, funny, and bold piece of filmmaking, all the while feeling that sometimes you are taking the same drugs the guys in the band are. If big-time Hollywood tried to sell you on this film’s plot, you would go, ‘It never could happen.’ What’s fantastic is that it did, and this hip-hop group, using Irish lyrics instead of English to show their independence and creativity, became a success. Even more impressive is that the three leads are portraying themselves. They bring such energy and honesty to the film that it makes the film flow (though with a whole lot of profanity). Naoise (Móglaí Bap) is dealing with a mother who hasn’t left the house since her husband, presumed-dead IRA operative, disappeared years ago. His best mate since childhood is Liam (MO Chara), who is up for anything. Then, you have JJ, the music teacher (portrayed by DJ Próvai), who became part of the band but must hide his identity on stage to keep his job and his relationship with his girlfriend. Added to the mix is that almost everyone, including the local police and a local political underground gang, wants the guys to stop making music. Adding a mysterious and infamous father (portrayed by the always amazing Michael Fassbender), you have a movie with just about everything, including a rousing end. Turn up the volume and prepare to crowd surf with Kneecap. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to speak some Irish by the end of the film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Kneecap Website Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Accidents Happen  (2009)  R  Billy (Harrison Gilbertson) and his family have the worst luck. Accidents seem to follow them around like a puppy. The family is a mess. After an accident killed one of his siblings and made another a permanent resident of a hospital. Billy’s father has left and filed for divorce, and Billy’s mom (Gena Davis) is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Billy is just trying to survive, but those accidents keep happening, even when he tries to stop them. Accidents Happen is a black comedy that doesn’t always work but is worth watching for the performance of Gena Davis as the mom who throws out sayings and jabs at a moment’s notice, sometimes to make fun of things and other times to hurt. Some of the accidents are funny, but some are also tragic, sometimes bringing the film to a halt. Still, Davis is remarkable in her role.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Accidents Happen Info    The film is available on most online services. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Trap: Set Dec Trackers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Blink Twice  (2024) R  When Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess ( Alia Shawkat) sneak into a big fundraiser party for tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), never in their wilder dreams did they think they would be invited to Slater’s private island to party with his friends. What follows is a dream of wild nights and sun-soaked days that slowly reveals itself to be a nightmare. Zoë Kravitz directs the film and has a cast that includes Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, and Geena Davis. Blink Twice Website In theatres on Friday, August 23, 2024.

Until Next Time!