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Trap. Or "Why does M. Knight Shyamalan keep getting allowed to make movies?"

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WBT

WBT 20128

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Split was good.  Glass wasn't quite as good but still alright and the last actual Bruce Willis performance I'll see.

Old was good until the ending.

Knock at the Cabin was good.

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Parliament

Parliament 13978

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12 hours ago, WBT said:

Split was good.  Glass wasn't quite as good but still alright and the last actual Bruce Willis performance I'll see.

I love his take on the grounded superhero.  Shoulda built it as a franchise with an origin story every 2 years or so then a team up/Avengers finale.  As it is, waiting over a decade for one sequel was just too long.

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wutang75

wutang75 430

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The plot of this is intriguing because it aligns perfectly with the concert experience for so many girl Dads.

It seems like M. Night is working on 3-4 projects at any given time. Knock at the Cabin just came out last year, Trap, and then he’s Producer on his kid’s movie “Watcher” and “Vanishing at Caddo Lake” coming soon.

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wutang75

wutang75 430

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I’m happy to live in a world where MNS keeps plugging away. Once in a while it pays off. The Visit and Split were good.

Split is great.

The Visit! Forgot about that. Kind of a modern day Hansel and Gretel. Seems people either love it or hate it but I’m a big fan. My kids liked it so much they bought the blu-ray for me for Christmas a few years back.
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Neonmoon

Neonmoon 38126

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6th Sense

Unbreakable 

Signs

Split

(Gap)

The Village

Glass

Knock at Cabin

Old 

The Visit 

After Earth

(Unwatchable garbage below)

Lady in the Water

The Happening

The Last Airbender 

 

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mr. sunshine

mr. sunshine 2819

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Saw it today mostly because there wasn't much else released this weekend, if anything. Naturally it being a M. Night Shammalammadingdong production it sets up for sequel(s).

Just a couple of several beefs...

Spoiler

Once the serial killer gouges your cop buddy's eyes out, feel free to cease the tasering and blow his fucking brains out. I'm pretty sure you won't get indicted, even in Philadelphia.

Also once said serial killer is apprehended don't let him walk freely around his yard and remove a bike spoke so that he can later undo his handcuffs with it. I would hope they covered this stuff on the first day of cop school 

 

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futureman

futureman 22310

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1 hour ago, mr. sunshine said:

Saw it today mostly because there wasn't much else released this weekend, if anything. Naturally it being a M. Night Shammalammadingdong production it sets up for sequel(s).

Just a couple of several beefs...

  Hide contents

Once the serial killer gouges your cop buddy's eyes out, feel free to cease the tasering and blow his fucking brains out. I'm pretty sure you won't get indicted, even in Philadelphia.

Also once said serial killer is apprehended don't let him walk freely around his yard and remove a bike spoke so that he can later undo his handcuffs with it. I would hope they covered this stuff on the first day of cop school 

 

is it entertaining enough to justify the cost of the ticket?  or wait until streaming?  or pass altogether?

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mr. sunshine

mr. sunshine 2819

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9 hours ago, futureman said:

is it entertaining enough to justify the cost of the ticket?  or wait until streaming?  or pass altogether?

My lady friend and I got the Alamo season passes so I think it cost a whopping $4 after the "convenience fee."

Don't know if I'd pay retail though

54 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Heard the movie just turns into a long ad for his daughter’s singing career.

Yep

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MrBig

MrBig 5096

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13 hours ago, futureman said:

did the trailer reveal as much as it seemed to?  or was there a twist. 

was josh hartnett not the killer?

Saw the movie. Answers to your questions with spoilers below.

Spoiler

Trailer revealed the whole movie. Josh Hartnett was the killer and had his victim locked up somewhere. The only big “twist” was that his wife found one of his suspected crime scenes and left the receipt for the concert there so the cops would find him. He uses the spoke of a bicycle wheel hidden in his sleeve to get out of his handcuffs in the end and that’s where the movie ends. 

The movie has a LOT of concert scenes like a showcase for the daughter’s singing career. It was pretty excessive but her acting was decent enough to help the cops catch him as the killer.

And Ms. Bliss from Saved by the Bell is the FBI profiler who is trying to find him at the concert. 

I’m pretty surprised there wasn’t a bigger twist like most of Shyamalan’s other movies where something just comes out of left field and changed the whole dynamic of the movie. Nothing like that happens in this movie other than the wife suspecting Josh was the killer and leaving a clue for the cops to find him. 

 

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Herpa Derpa

Herpa Derpa 6084

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Insulting trash like all of his oeuvre. This one just had the added bonus of wretched nepotism.

IMHO, Sixth Sense is overrated simply because the twist was good and unexpected.  But if you didn't pick up the obvious clues with the first viewing, the second watch is a spot the clue exercise with no further viewings needed. Truly great movies can be watched on a loop. His movies are shallow and predictable. Like watching a generic sitcom episode. A one trick pony with a stale trick that doesn't fool anyone anymore.

I can't consider someone a master storyteller when his stories only work in a world of semi-functional regards. His films may look polished and professional, but they're still just shiny turds a half-step above a Tommy Wiseau joint.

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hookemATL

hookemATL 11488

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You see the little girl left the cups of water laying around because it helped defeat the aliens (who, despite this critical weakness came to a planet covered in water), and not because she WOULDNT PUT THEM IN THE FUCKING DISHWASHER LIKE I ASKED THREE GODDAMN TIMES. 

My dad despises his films (refers to him as m night shamalamadingdong) BUT he was pleasantly surprised by 6th Sense only bc Bruce Willis was dead the whole time (another entertainer he irrationally despises). 
 

The Happening should have been prosecuted in The Hague as a war crime. 

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14058

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Posted (edited)
On 5/12/2024 at 12:03 PM, Neonmoon said:

 

(Unwatchable garbage below)

The Happening

 

2 hours ago, hookemATL said:

The Happening should have been prosecuted in The Hague as a war crime. 

 

IMG_1470.gif

Edited by DDD Dad
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ajax

ajax 2541

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I'm speechless. Certain aspects are competent or even good, like the editing and cinematography, but the writing and the basic story are awful. The plot holes and the characters acting like absolute morons, wth.

His daughter is in serious need of acting classes. 

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MrBig

MrBig 5096

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6 hours ago, ajax said:

I'm speechless. Certain aspects are competent or even good, like the editing and cinematography, but the writing and the basic story are awful. The plot holes and the characters acting like absolute morons, wth.

His daughter is in serious need of acting classes. 

I actually thought Shyamalan’s daughter was a decent actress because she was just doing a portrayal of a Gen Z character. But I’m biased since I think Gen Z is full of no talent hacks who can’t act or sing. 

And I thought Josh Hartnett’s daughter looked just like Mimi-Siku from Jungle 2 Jungle. 

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Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18315

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It was no doubt terrible and stupid. To say it had plot holes is an insult to plot holes. I did think Josh Harnett was good and the production value was fine. There was probably a decent  film in there somewhere or maybe it would have worked as a spoof with some third wall breaking? 

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ajax

ajax 2541

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Thinking back on this movie and there are so, so, so many dumb things in it. The mom/wife might be the dumbest character in the history of cinema.

But the thing I keep thinking about is that M Night Shlamadingdong never learned about Chekhov's asthma inhaler in film school.

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ajax

ajax 2541

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1 hour ago, futureman said:

nor did I.  what’s the deal there?

Screenshot_20240807-0942562.thumb.png.d6b2db9ac0ea4402ef5cadf7aee0ee39.png

 

There's a scene where the killer ominously looks on as the pop star is standing backstage and she pulls out an asthma inhaler and takes a puff. 

After that, neither the inhaler or the singer's asthma is referenced again.

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Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 5906

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It's out on Showtime.  I've been one of M. Knight's last holdouts because I try to view his movies as long Twilight Zone episodes.  Some of my favorite TZ episodes require quite a bit of belief suspension.  For example, Time Enough at Last.  The guy walks aboveground after a nuclear war.  No radiation, no fires, no people; just some destruction and the books survived.  In this sense, I really did like Signs due to not thinking too much about it.

All that being said, this movie is absolutely horrible.  

Spoiler

I could probably write a thesis on all the mistakes, but just a few...

  • Supposedly, the FBI is going to profile a killer, then somehow pick him out of a crowd of over 3,000 based on asking a few questions when everyone is leaving?
  • (Mentioned above).  I don't think SWAT is a "let's see if the tasers work first" group.
  • I don't think SWAT would allow a serial killer that just maimed one of their own to stop and mess with a bicycle.  Plus, somehow he pulls off the spoke with about 50 people staring at him.
  • And, I definitely doubt SWAT allows physical family farewells.  You've murdered scores, you just maimed an officer, why don't you go hug your daughter goodbye.
  • Also, throughout the movie, he just seemingly disappears and reappears with no explanation.  

I really could list about 20 more things if I cared.  

 

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Chips O'Toole

Chips O'Toole 1293

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I watched it on Max. 

It was utter nonsense, and Hartnett's performance was so incredibly off-the-mark, but it was so stupid that I enjoyed watching this piece of shit trainwreck unfold.  But I also really enjoyed the Happening in the same way. 

The edible was certainly helping with the enjoyment. Raw dogging it is probably a bad idea. 

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UncleSonny

UncleSonny 6455

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11 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:
  Reveal hidden contents

I could probably write a thesis on all the mistakes, but just a few...

  • Supposedly, the FBI is going to profile a killer, then somehow pick him out of a crowd of over 3,000 based on asking a few questions when everyone is leaving?
  • (Mentioned above).  I don't think SWAT is a "let's see if the tasers work first" group.
  • I don't think SWAT would allow a serial killer that just maimed one of their own to stop and mess with a bicycle.  Plus, somehow he pulls off the spoke with about 50 people staring at him.
  • And, I definitely doubt SWAT allows physical family farewells.  You've murdered scores, you just maimed an officer, why don't you go hug your daughter goodbye.
  • Also, throughout the movie, he just seemingly disappears and reappears with no explanation.  

I really could list about 20 more things if I cared.  

 

Everything you said here is 100% true, but I’m going to zag here on the consensus opinion on the movie. I kind of loved it. So stupid, but hilarious to the point where I actually think M. Knight was in on the joke. This movie reminded me of those solid “B-“ 90s movies that you’d watch on tv all the time. 

Great acting (minus his kid) and it looks better than 90% of current movies. Complete nonsense but it’s fun about it 

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Gene Parmesan

Gene Parmesan 3947

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Posted

Started it on Max last night.  Based on the trailer, at first I thought the premise was a serial killer going around offing people at the concert.  Instead it was actually a police trap to catch the killer based off a profile.  I got bored and pressed pause and I realized I am not even half way through, then I turned it off.

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kingkoopa6

kingkoopa6 8262

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7 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Am I crazy or 

  Hide contents

did the FBI profiler actually tell the cops that the killer might have a tattoo of animal on his wrist?  She didn't have any prior knowledge, right?  If not, that's the stupidest thing I may have ever seen in a movie.

 

Spoiler

The cake maker prolly gave her the details of body ink

 

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MissingInAction

MissingInAction 24252

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On 8/4/2024 at 7:45 AM, hookemATL said:

You see the little girl left the cups of water laying around because it helped defeat the aliens (who, despite this critical weakness came to a planet covered in water), and not because she WOULDNT PUT THEM IN THE FUCKING DISHWASHER LIKE I ASKED THREE GODDAMN TIMES. 

My dad despises his films (refers to him as m night shamalamadingdong) BUT he was pleasantly surprised by 6th Sense only bc Bruce Willis was dead the whole time (another entertainer he irrationally despises). 
 

The Happening should have been prosecuted in The Hague as a war crime. 

Son?

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CurlyDumps

CurlyDumps 4396

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Posted (edited)

@Knoxtnhorn lets keep the list going.

SPOILER WARNING!

Set aside for a moment how stupid the trap plan is. If the FBI really wanted to set a trap, they would go in UNDERCOVER. They actually do this at press conferences for murder investigations in case the offender shows up. I can guarantee they dont run around in FBI jackets and bring in the SWAT team and give a presentation to the venue staff beforehand.

If the wife wanted her husband looked into, why not just, uh, anonymously report him? Why concoct this convoluted receipt planting thing?

Why did Hartnett do ANYTHING? How the fuck were they actually going to catch him with their terribly conceived "trap?" Here's a profile: a psychopath would remain calm and cool until backed into a corner. The drastic, desperate move he pulls that involves kidnapping a celebrity AND confessing his crimes to her is hilarious. 

I thought the acting all around was weirdly bad. Off chemistry between characters. Shots lingering a beat too long. Just a sloppy, rushed feel. I think M. Night's daughter wanted to cosplay a popstar and this was the best plot vehicle he could build for her. 

 

 

Edited by CurlyDumps
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