Oliver Stone has set up his first narrative film in a decade, called ‘White Lies’.
Josh Hartnett will star.
Leila George is also in the cast.
After an absence from narrative filmmaking for a decade (though he has been busy with documentaries and being his usual, outspoken self), ‘Platoon’ and ‘JFK’ filmmaker Oliver Stone is back, and targeting something a little different from some of his past work –– a dysfunctional family drama.
We say “finally” because this is a project Stone has been trying to make for a couple of years now, with a previous incarnation falling apart despite Benicio del Toro aboard to star.
The movie follows Jack Freeman (Hartnett), a child of divorce now repeating his parents’ mistakes in his own marriage and with his own children.
Feeling trapped, he embarks on a lust-filled journey to free himself — only to find himself more lost than before. When he meets a woman, whose life is the opposite of his own, he begins an unexpected journey of rediscovery.
“After nearly 10 years away from features, I feel really like I’m starting again, as when I made ‘Platoon’ and ‘Salvador’ in 1986. ‘White Lies’ will find its natural home because it’s an eternal story of love.”
And here’s Hartnett on his feelings about the collaboration:
“Oliver explores a universe in ‘White Lies’ that feels personal and entirely new material from a filmmaker I have long admired and am excited to work with.”
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto in ‘The Bear’ Season 4. Photo: FX.
‘The Bear’ Season 4 receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Released via FX on Hulu with its entire 10-episode fourth season on June 25th, ‘The Bear’ returns us to the world of Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his attempts to blend fine dining with the chaotic world of his extended Chicago family.
It’s no secret that after a sleeper hit first season, a critically acclaimed, award-winning and much-watched second, culinary drama ‘The Bear’ went off the boil somewhat in its third. The ingredients were the same –– great performances, visually stylish and one of the better collections of needle drops on TV –– but somehow the script and the pace let it down.
The big question going forward is whether Season 4 sees the blend back in balance.
Early reports had the fourth season shot back to back with the third, but aside from a couple of small elements, this was not the case. But the overarching feeling, even in a meta sense, is of the series almost apologizing for past stumbles.
That’s perhaps not all that surprising in a show where the main characters are all a work in progress in terms of their own careers and healing journeys, dealing with a soup of past trauma, self-esteem issues and other psychological problems. The character of Carmy in particular realizes the damage he has inflicted on those around him and (mostly) aims to make good.
Unlike the last season, this is handled in compelling fashion by the narrative, which finds a better mix of the tone of the show and moving its story alone.
There are still lingering problems with pace in some scenes, it’s as if everyone decided that certain moments didn’t need to be edited and could instead play out way beyond their useful time scale. And while the show’s long sequences of food preparation largely remain compelling, some still come across as filler.
‘The Bear’s visual style remains excellent, making good use of Chicago locations and keeping us close to the characters when the emotional flames are high.
Even the humor level is raised this year –– even if the series really shouldn’t be competing in the comedy categories.
He remains the main character and focus of the show, but Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy is still dialed down a little bit this year. The actor’s mournful face and low-key performance work for the role, and he plays well against almost anyone, particular Edebiri and Moss-Bachrach.
As Syd, Ayo Edebiri continues to rank among the series most valuable performers, and co-wrote her own showcase episode this year, which saw her taking a day away from the restaurant to ponder a tempting job opportunity elsewhere while she’s getting her hair done by a cousin (there are so many cousins in this show, it’s almost hard to keep track). She’s typically great as the genius cook with the almighty crisis of confidence.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach is likewise a star of the show, an actor who has proved he can steal scenes no matter the genre or material. Richie is a particularly juicy part, a screw-up who is committed to turning his life around and has found his calling running the dining experience at in-show restaurant The Bear. His turbulent personal life –– his ex-wife is getting re-married and he wonders about his connection to his young daughter –– is also fuel for superb performances.
Liza Colón-Zayas’ Tina isn’t in the spotlight quite as much last season (when she got her own showcase episode), but she’s still a welcome presence, struggling with the timing on a new pasta dish. She’s also a welcome sprinkling of spice in other scenes, such as when she’s encouraging Carmy on his own journey.
Around the main cast is a variety of excellent supporting performers, ‘The Bear’ always working best as a stew of people and personalities rather than just Carmy’s obsessions. Episode 7, ‘Bears’ is the true highlight of the season, an hourlong entry set at the wedding of Richie’s ex-wife Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs) to Frank (Josh Hartnett).
It features the return of top-caliber recurring performers such as Jamie Lee Curtis (as Carmy and Natalie’s troubled mother Donna), Bob Odenkirk as “Uncle” Lee Lane (Donna’s occasional boyfriend), and the welcome addition of –– spoiler alert in case you don’t want to know about new guest stars –– Brie Larson, who fits perfectly as one of the sprawling Fak family.
There is also the welcome return of Will Poulter as Chef Luca, bringing a humble, funny energy to the kitchen.
It might not be simmering back at the level of the first or second seasons, but ‘The Bear’ has certainly found a better mix for its various elements for a more satisfying final dish this time.
While the finale leaves some plot threads dangling, if the cast’s increasingly busy schedule makes future seasons challenging, this would work to put a lid on the show.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Bear’ Season 4?
Season 4 of ‘The Bear’ sees Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) grappling with the restaurant’s success and his own future, leading to a dramatic shift in his role and the restaurant’s leadership structure.
The season explores themes of family, trauma, and the relentless pursuit of perfection within the high-pressure environment of a fine-dining restaurant. Sydney faces her own career crossroads, while Richie continues his journey of self-discovery and leadership.
Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
‘Fight or Flight’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters May 9th is ‘Fight or Flight,’ the new action comedy which sees Josh Hartnett playing a scruffy American agent roped into tracking down and keeping a high-value asset safe.
Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
An action movie with a line of dark, often bloody humor that puts an anti-hero with a crisis of confidence in an enclosed location where he must track something down with assassins all around him?
Based on that basic premise, you might suspect that we were talking about 2022’s ‘Bullet Train,’ which saw Brad Pitt in a similar position.
Here, in place of Pitt we have Josh Hartnett, and in the director’s chair is James Madigan, who came up as a second unit director and visual effects supervisor. He’s worked on the TV likes of Marvel’s ‘Runaways,’ but here makes a solid debut as the one calling the shots (and punches, and death-by-food tray) for a movie.
Script and Direction
(Right) Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
The screenplay, from ‘How it Ends’ writer Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, who has mostly had acting jobs in movies such as ‘Shazam!’ on his resume, certainly sets out its intentions early, digging right into liberal swearing and a darkly comic tone while also rolling out some of the better-used tropes of action movies such as this.
It certainly does enough work to sketch out a world like this, and the smart choice to set the movie within the cramped environs of the plane amps up the tension, even as the jokes look to subvert that at every turn.
(L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
Nothing here is likely to win awards, and it doesn’t have the polish of more mainstream action comedies, but it’s not really looking to model itself after those, preferring the wilder beats of something along the lines of 2006’s ‘Crank.’
As a filmmaker, Madigan clearly knows his way around a set-piece, and he brings the fight scenes to life with appropriate zeal, even if the look of the movie, lensed by Matt Flannery, tends to have a fairly basic sheen. And while Madigan throws a lot into the stunts, the actors themselves are usually left with more perfunctory material, the basic threads that string the clashes together.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
Josh Hartnett is clearly in his “go crazy and have fun” era and between this and M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap,’ it’s certainly an entertaining one so far. Throwing vanity and caution to the wind as the bleached blond, frequently drunken and often in trouble burnout Lucas Reyes, he can also bring (and accept) the pain when called upon.
Reyes, a former Secret Service agent with a dark backstory (albeit one also with a big conscience), is an entertaining character for him to play, and Hartnett throws himself into the role with gusto.
Charithra Chandran as Isha in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
Charithra Chandran is absolutely on his level (and sometimes better) as flight attendant Isha, who discovers that her latest journey is going to be more eventful than a passenger demanding snacks. She’s got some winning chemistry with Hartnett –– never so dull as to be romantic –– and can also handle herself when the moment arises.
Likewise Danny Ashok, who is appealingly nervy as her fellow staff member Royce, called upon to deal with the dead bodies that start to stack up.
(L to R) Katee Sackhoff as Katherine Brunt and Marko Zaror as Chayenne in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
Katee Sackhoff doesn’t have enough to do as the mysterious and ice cold Katherine Brunt, but she certainly seems to be having fun in the part, delivering lines with the requisite level of calm demeanor and no-nonsense vitriol.
Around them, the likes of JuJu Chan Szeto and Hughie O’Donnell add flavor to the movie in relatively small roles.
Final Thoughts
Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
‘Fight or Flight’ seems destined to be compared to the work of Leitch and his old ‘Wick’ collaborator Chad Stahelski, not to mention the movies they’ve produced such as ‘Nobody’ and ‘Love Hurts,’ which saw unexpected action types thrown into challenging situations.
For all the weird tics he’s allowed, Hartnett is a more conventional hero and despite some more ridiculous action moments (one sequence near the end seems to be channeling the ‘Evil Dead’ movies, and stretches even this movie’s flexible believability to breaking point), he’s never going to compete with the likes of Keanu Reeves.
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What’s the plot of ‘Fight or Flight’?
Exiled American agent Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) is given one last chance to redeem himself –– the assignment is to track down and identify a mysterious, international high-value asset known only as The Ghost on a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco.
Complicating matters, the plane is filled with assassins from around the world who are assigned to kill them both. The pair must work together in a fight for their lives. At 37,000 feet, the stakes have never been higher.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Hartnett about his work on ‘Fight or Flight’, his first reaction to the screenplay, the tone and style of the film, and shooting the movie’s intense action sequences.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Hartnett, Charithra Chandran, Katee Sackhoff, and director James Madigan.
Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and did the tone and style of the movie read on the page?
Josh Hartnett: We worked a lot on the tone and the style after I read it. It was amazing. I thought the conceit of it was fantastic. The production company that sent it to me wanted me to do all my own stunts. I thought that would be an amazing challenge and opportunity at the age of 45, because you don’t get that. People don’t ask you to do your own stunts at 45 very often. Then finding the right tone was a lot of work for Jim and I. We knew what our references were going to be, what films we really liked and wanted to emulate, but also what films we didn’t want to emulate. We knew that we wanted this to be unique within the marketplace. So, the comedy had to be front-and-center and the action sequences had to be on point and it needed to all blend together in a seamless way and not feel canned. So, we knew that we had to shoot long sequences. We had to see that I was doing it all and it had to be at the same time funny and surprising. So, we added the drug stuff and a lot of the injuries because Jim really wanted to feel my character getting injured repeatedly so that you had this sense of jeopardy with the character the whole time. You didn’t feel like there was an inevitable win at the end of this. Ultimately, he needs other people to help him to win the day. So, it’s just a pure fun piece, but it also is, I think unique. I think audiences hopefully will respond to it.
(Right) Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Finally, what was it like shooting the film’s intense action sequences with director James Madigan?
JH: I mean, we had an amazing stunt team, and I had a great stunt double who helped work out all the scenes while I was off shooting other scenes. So, we basically had time at the beginning, a couple of weeks to rehearse all the sequences, but they weren’t all finished by the time we got to filming. We only had five weeks to shoot it. So, I had to go and shoot, and my stunt guy would work out the scenes with the with stunt choreographers. Then I would come after work and insert myself into it and try to learn them as we had no extra time. There was no room for error, and we got incredibly lucky. We had such amazing people working on it. Jim was able to get everything he needed to put it together like this and I think we achieved a unique tone. I don’t know if we could have done it any other way. If we’d had more time, we might have ruined it. You know what I mean? It was something that came together because necessity is the mother of invention. We had to do a lot of stuff that was very handheld and very old school. Like when the body is ripped up with the chainsaw, that was just a dummy from an old costume factory or something that they pulled apart physically as I was sawing through it and it’s just shooting it at the right angle. We had a great DP. So, it just required an incredible amount of ingenuity. I’m very proud the whole team that put this together. I was very lucky.
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What is the plot of ‘Fight or Flight’?
A mercenary (Josh Hartnett) is tasked with a job on an airplane flight.
(L to R) Shawn Hatosy, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Clea DuVall and Elijah Wood in 1996’s ‘The Faculty’. Photo: Miramax Films.
Preview:
A new take on Robert Rodriguez’ ‘The Faculty’ is in the works.
Rodriguez and ‘Barbarian’s Zach Cregger are producing this remake.
The original starred Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett and more.
Are you ready to go back to school?
No, we don’t mean the depressing return to campuses after a holiday –– Miramax is looking to revisit 1998 sci-fi thriller ‘The Faculty,’ in which a group of highschoolers discover that something is very wrong with their teachers and other staff.
In what is a rarity for those involved in the legacy title, Rodriguez will be an active part of the behind-the-scenes team on the remake, as Variety reports that he’s on board as producer.
But he’s not alone: Zach Cregger, who broke out big with his own genre offering, 2022’s horror thriller ‘Barbarian,’ is also producing.
Cregger is teaming up with Drew Hancock, the writer/director behind new thriller ‘Companion,’ (which Cregger produced), and Hancock will write the screenplay for the new ‘Faculty.’
We can certainly see some rich material for a new version of the story, since social media is much more rampant among highschoolers (and, er, everyone else), and that could play a big part.
Robert Patrick in 1996’s ‘The Faculty’. Photo: Miramax Films.
The storyline for the original movie is a take on the tension between highschoolers and their teachers.
When some very creepy things start happening around school, the kids at Herrington High make a chilling discovery that confirms their worst suspicions: their teachers really are from another planet.
As mind-controlling parasites rapidly begin spreading from the faculty to the students’ bodies, it’s ultimately up to the few who are left, an unlikely collection of loners, leaders, nerds, and jocks to save the world from alien domination.
The original story was dreamt up by writers David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel, with the final production script crafted by ‘Scream’s Kevin Williamson.
It grossed an impressive $63.2 million and has developed a cult following in the subsequent decades.
Who appeared in the original movie?
(L to R) Shawn Hatosy, Josh Hartnett, Laura Harris, Clea DuVall and Elijah Wood in 1996’s ‘The Faculty’. Photo: Miramax Films.
Rodriguez, as usual, has a wealth of projects in development. He most recently directed ‘Spy Kids: Armageddon’ for Netflix, which was released in 2023.
He’s currently busy making TV series ‘El Gato,’ which focuses on Frank Guerrero, who discovers that his deceased father was the legendary, titular vigilante.
Returning to Mexico, Frank becomes embroiled in family power struggles while uncovering his father’s connections to a contemporary terror plot.
Beyond that, Rodriguez has long been developing a new version of animated series ‘The Jetsons.’
Cregger, meanwhile, is following ‘Barbarian’ with ‘Weapons,’ a multistory horror movie about the disappearance of high school students in a small town.
He’s also recently announced that he’s attached to write and direct a reboot of the ‘Resident Evil’ video game adaptations, just the latest to tackle the story of a virus that turns the population of a town (and beyond) into undead nightmares.
When will this remake of ‘The Faculty’ be in theaters?
Elijah Wood in 1996’s ‘The Faculty’. Photo: Miramax Films.
Miramax, which released the original, is backing the new one, but has yet to announce a release date for this one.
And with no director in place yet, chances are it’ll be a while before we see too much movement.
While we’re doubtful that the likes of ‘No Country for Old Men’ would get remade (though little surprises us these days), a new ‘Scary Movie’ is headed our way, with the Wayans brothers returning to craft the film for Paramount. It’ll be scaring up business in cinemas next year.
Josh Hartnett in 1996’s ‘The Faculty’. Photo: Miramax Films.
Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan stages an intriguing and entertaining thriller that unfortunately unravels as the film moves towards its conclusion. The movie gives away too much too early and has no big surprises or twists to offer in the third act. However, the compelling story and Shyamalan’s unique direction, particularly with the concert sequences, will keep your attention throughout. While Josh Hartnett’s performance is telegraphed and doesn’t completely work, Saleka Shyamalan is excellent in her feature film debut.
If you watched the trailer for ‘Trap’, which did an excellent job of explaining the story and building suspense, then you probably already know the plot of the film. But in case you haven’t seen it, the film follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a dad taking his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert featuring her favorite popstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). However, Cooper soon realizes that the concert is really a trap for a notorious serial killer called “The Butcher,” and the trailer leads us to believe that Cooper is none other than the Butcher himself.
While I won’t confirm if that is true or not, I can say that the identity of the Butcher is revealed rather early in the film, and that is part of the problem. Because the mystery is solved in the first act, it leads you to believe that there will be another twist coming in the third act and there really isn’t. It also doesn’t help that any movie with Shyamalan’s name attached comes with certain audience expectations, but more on that later.
With that said, the movie’s premise and Shyamalan’s excellent direction continues to keep your attention throughout, even if it rings a bit hollow by the end. Shyamalan’s direction is most impressive in the concert sequences, which are sprawling and very realistic. He also orchestrates scenes in and around the arena well, building suspense at every turn.
Here’s the issue, Shyamalan has spent his career making mind-blowing films with surprise endings like ‘The Sixth Sense’ or ‘The Village’ and because of that, audiences have a certain expectation when they go to see a M. Night Shyamalan film. It seems that in recent years the director is trying to subvert those expectations by making movies that seem like they will have a twist, and then the twist is: that there isn’t a twist.
‘Knock at the Cabin’ is a great example of that. The premise was that four strangers claiming to be the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse offer a family a chance to avoid the impending doom. Most of the film is spent asking the central question: Are they telling the truth? While many audience members were expecting some big Shyamalan twist, the real twist was that there was no twist. They were exactly who they said they were.
I only bring this up to illustrate the point that it seems like Shyamalan’s signature twists have been replaced by fake out twists. Meaning that because audience members are expecting a Shyamalan twist, having no twist at all is the new twist, which might be exactly what the director wants. Without spoiling anything, that is also the case with ‘Trap’. I spent most of the movie waiting for the next big surprise, which unfortunately never came. Much like ‘Knock at the Cabin’, ‘Trap’ is exactly what it seems to be on the surface, which in the end left me disappointed.
Another big problem I had with the film comes from Josh Hartnett’s performance, which did not work for me. He seems to be trying too hard to make Cooper the “fun dad,” while also playing with the idea of “Is he the Butcher, or not?” Hartnett’s performance betrays the suspense Shyamalan is trying to build, and his relationship with his daughter and wife are never really fleshed out.
On the other hand, Saleka Shyamalan gives an excellent debut performance as Lady Raven. She is completely believable as a Lady Gaga/Taylor Swift type performer, as she is a legitimate pop-star in her own right. But Lady Raven’s role is not limited just to the stage as the character has much more to do in the third act, and Saleka is completely believable in those scenes.
Ariel Donoghue is adequate as Cooper’s daughter Riley, but other than playing a concert viewer, does not have a lot to do. Alison Pill plays Cooper’s wife, and her role is also underdeveloped, which causes a problem heading into the finale. Veteran actress Hayley Mills makes an appearance as an FBI profiler hunting the Butcher, and while her role is small, she brings a lot of gravitas to the character and is a welcomed addition to the cast.
In the end, ‘Trap’ is an entertaining thriller that will keep your attention throughout but may leave you disappointed with its conclusion. Josh Hartnett’s performance seems confused and muted at times, but Saleka Shyamalan’s Lady Raven vividly comes alive on screen. M. Night Shyamalan crafts a suspenseful and intriguing premise but can’t quite get it over the finish line.
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‘Trap’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
What is the plot of ‘Trap’?
Cooper, a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, joins his daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.
Director M. Night Shyamalan talks ‘Trap,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
Moviefone recently had the honor of speaking with M. Night Shyamalan about his work on ‘Trap’, developing the screenplay, the audience’s expectations, working with Josh Hartnett, directing his daughter, and filming the concert sequences.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the screenplay and the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
M. Night Shyamalan: It was an unusual birthing process for the movie because it was more of a kind of a challenge, a conceit of Saleka, my daughter, and I talking about how to aim an album towards a narrative and making it more of a theatrical experience, because the concert experience and theatrical experience are similar and it’s an audience thing, and could we put those together? I was encouraged by seeing movies like ‘A Star is Born’ or other movies where I was engulfed in the music at moments, and say, could we do a whole movie like that and make it a thriller? So Saleka and I talked a lot about that and then I was like, “Let me think if there’s a plot I can think of.” Then we said, “Well, maybe let’s do it in one location, an arena where you hear an album that way, but the characters are listening to it as something else is going on.” So, it kind of started that way.
MF: There are certain expectations that come with an M. Night Shyamalan movie. At this point in your career, are you trying to subvert those expectations, or do you embrace them?
MNS: Well, I always find it fascinating because it’s not necessarily accurate. For example, if they go, “Oh, he makes scary movies,” and I go, “I do? ‘Unbreakable‘?” And they go, “Well, not ‘Unbreakable’.” Then you go, “Well, he does that,” so you have to keep on, and I can keep going like that. “Oh, he does this. He does that.” For me, being original and having certain aspects, let’s say like highest quality audience movies is what I want to make, and being proud and honored to make audience movies. Maybe other people might think of genre as a lesser art form. I don’t think of it that way. But we still want to go, we want to give you the best performances, the best cinematography, the best music, everything, all in service of the characters in the story, and I feel the audience feels all of that. So, for me, that’s what you should expect when you come to see my movie. Certainly not tone or movement or structure or anything like that. It’s going to be surprising in some way.
MF: Can you talk about working with Josh Hartnett and why he was the right actor for this role?
MNS: It was an amazing experience with Josh. We’re very similar and we’re very close. I think partly, it might be in some ways that we both had early success in our twenties and then chose to live outside of Hollywood and raise our families. We also coincidentally have three daughters. There’s a lot of interesting things that bond us, and the thing is the way I choose to make movies really excites him. I make them smaller with high risk and complicated characters and new tones, and you’re not going to be safe. There’s not a lot of frills when you make a movie with me. You’re coming and we’re all just going for it. I am going to be eating a sandwich on the set and that’s lunch, and let’s just keep thinking about how to do this. And make it as fun, almost like film school again, and he loves that. He’s only drawn when there’s high risk, and I’m the same way. For me, when I met him, I was looking for someone who could play a dad, who was incredibly charming. A handsome guy who no one would ever think could do anything wrong and would embrace the complexity of this other side of him, and struggle with it in the right way in front of the camera, and he was just perfect for it.
MNS: Well, I wrote Lady Raven, the character, as a version of Saleka, but as she would tell you, a more outgoing, extroverted version of herself. She would tell you I’m writing what I wish she was, that she would be more extroverted and be more relaxed and that kind of thing, but that’s not true. It’s a fictional character. I love Saleka the way she is. She’s such a pure artist, and so for me, directing human beings that are connected to their truth with no artifice, that’s the most important thing. That can be a world-class actor like Josh who’s learned to de-filter himself and be connected to his purity. It can be a child. It can be a human being like Saleka that has studied her art form of music to the point that she’s also unfiltered like Josh. So, I can just talk through the characters to these people, whether it’s a child or Saleka or Josh, and we just get rid of all those affectations. We can never reproduce it. That’s always the goal, I tell the actors. Let’s do something right now that we cannot reproduce, we couldn’t do it again. That’s because you’re so present and the audience feels that magic, so that’s always our goal. You and I couldn’t do this movie again. It just wouldn’t come out the same way.
MF: Finally, can you talk about shooting the concert sequences?
MNS: The concert stuff was incredible because I learned a different type of storytelling in that. Giving so much love to the element that’s behind the story is really rewarding and it really enriches everything and has ramifications that you foresee. Like say for example, the way we spent so much time on making this a real concert, the lighting, the movement and the way the audience is reacting and cheering around Josh. Or the light on his face, all that stuff, or his reaction or all the extras and the way they’re dazzled by what they’re watching because it’s a real concert, those all come to play out and is very similar to what you’re watching.
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What is the plot of ‘Trap’?
Cooper, a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, joins his daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending an event called “Summer of Shyamalan,” which included a screening of the new trailer from ‘Trap’ that dropped today and you can watch above. As well as screening 10 minutes of footage from the new movie by M. Night Shyamalan’s other daughter, filmmaker Ishana Night Shyamalan, entitled ‘The Watchers.’
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M. Night Shyamalan Introduces the ‘Trap’ Trailer
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Trap’ attends the “Summer of Shyamalan” event at Soho House on April 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
Before we screened the new trailer, the director explained the genesis of the project and developing it with his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan.
So, ‘Trap’ was this kind of very interesting genesis of each time out, I’m trying to do something, I think that fusion of genres a little bit. So just for me, it’s exciting. For 30 years I’ve been making movies now and the idea of that. You’ve got the comic that’s distinct and unique. I know sometimes the system doesn’t like that, that it’s completely original, completely different. But I think more and more that’s becoming a signature beacon that kind of pops out to the audience, and they’re so savvy, they can feel that. In this case, my oldest daughter, Saleka is an amazing musician that’s classically trained, a pianist and was going to go do that for her life and go to conservatory. Then she started to write and sing. Then she started touring and she signed to Columbia Records. We would follow her around the country and be backstage at Radio City Music Hall or wherever it was and got to see that life a bit. We started talking about the idea of the experience of seeing a concert and the experience of seeing a movie as these kinds of beautiful last experiences that we do together. We started talking and I said, “What if we did one together?” This is going to sound crazy after you see the trailer but, we’re huge fans of ‘Purple Rain.’ So, I was like, it’s a narrative structure, a diegetic where the song is part of the story and fusing these two worlds together. It doesn’t happen very often, if ever, as opposed to the U2 song playing over a montage or something like that. But the characters are experiencing that thing. So, me and her started talking about, “Hey, we should think of something because this is one house where you could write the album and we can make the movie.” So, one day I got this idea and I said, “Oh my gosh, I got this idea to do this, it takes place at a concert.” Then I thought for a bit, I didn’t know exactly the point of view of how to do it. Then one day I was like, “What if I did it from that angle?” I told her and she was like, “Oh my God, let’s do this.” So, this is two years later and here is that experiment.
What does the trailer reveal about the plot of ‘Trap?’
Josh Hartnett in ‘Trap’. Photo: Warner Bros.
The trailer reveals that ‘Trap’ is about a father, played by Josh Hartnett, who takes his daughter to a famous pop singer’s stadium concert. The musician is portrayed by Saleka Shyamalan and is clearly a Taylor Swift level performer.
Hartnett’s character soon discovers that the entire concert is really a trap set by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to capture a notorious serial killer. Shyamalan is best known for the surprising twists in his movies, and ‘Trap’ is no exception as the end of the trailer leads one to believe that Hartnett is really playing the killer who has been trapped.
But we’ll have to wait and see what other twists and turns Shyamalan has in store for us when ‘Trap’ hits theaters on August 9th.
M. Night Shyamalan Explains ‘Trap’
‘Trap’ director M. Night Shyamalan at CinemaCon 2024. Photo: Warner Bros.
Moviefone had a chance to speak with M. Night Shyamalan after the screening to talk about his work on ‘Trap.’
Moviefone: Can you talk about coming up with the concept for ‘Trap’ and what were the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
M. Night Shyamalan: The idea was, how can we do diegetic music in a thriller that’s not fluff, that it’s really conveying the circumstances and the tone of the piece and is tied to characters very deeply. So, that thought pattern, because of the arenas and these concert venues that I’ve seen Saleka in and playing. I was like, “Wow, we should set it in there. It could be a larger version of one of my movies, like a house.” A lot of times, I have characters just trapped in a house. So, this is a larger version of that. So, having that conversation and talking with Saleka about that character and, as a real character, why do they sing what they sing? What did these songs mean to her fans?
MF: At this point in your career, audiences expect a certain kind of movie from you as a director, something in the horror genre. But ‘Trap’ seems more like a suspenseful thriller. Can you talk about the genre and subverting expectations with this film?
MNS: I love ‘Shadow of a Doubt.’ I have that poster up in the house and it has a wicked tone about it. The uncle that’s so sweet and it turns out he’s not so sweet. The young woman who’s his niece and all that stuff, that’s named after him/ and all of that. The humor of that movie. So, Hitchcock will forever be the teacher. Somewhere deep in my childhood the DNA is built in there about these archetypes of the bad guy you love.
(L to R) Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Trap’ and writer/director Ishana Shyamalan of ‘The Watchers’ attend the “Summer of Shyamalan” event at Soho House on April 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic was not only a box-office powerhouse but also delivered compelling performances and stunning visuals.
The film chronics J. Robert Oppenheimer‘s career from the beginning of his studies to his role in the Manhattan Project to the 1954 security hearing. The film used color to differentiate between Oppenheimer’s point of view and Lewis Strauss’ point of view – with color representing Oppenheimer and black and white for Strauss. The difference in color also depicts their personality, where Oppenheimer sees the world in bright colors, while Strauss sees it in black and white.
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The official synopsis for ‘Oppenheimer’ is below:
“During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘Oppenheimer’?
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
The film did not use any CGI or VFX to recreate the Trinity Test blast. As we saw with Nolan’s 2020 film ‘Tenet’, the director has always had a knack for creating realistic and explosive moments on film with practical effects. To recreate the atomic bomb detonation, Nolan worked with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema to capture the explosion on film.
Working closely with special effects supervisor Scott Fisher and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, they first ran tests by dropping silver particles in an aquarium.
“We built aquariums with powers in it. We dropped silver particles in it. We had molded metallic balloons which were lit up from the inside. We had things slamming and smashing into one another, such as ping-pong balls, or just had objects spinning,” said Van Hoytema.
The explosion was captured in in close-up at variable frame rates, combined with Van Joytema’s IMAX cinematography which filled the screen with an image that is both beautiful and deadly. When this moment is played in the theaters, the film goes silent as the detonation flashes before the deafening blast shakes and resonates in everyone’s core.
(L to R) Tom Conti is Albert Einstein and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
‘Oppenheimer’ held its world premiere on July 11, 2023, at Le Grand Rex in Paris. The film was released domestically on July 21 in formats such as IMAX 70mm, stand 70mm, and 35mm. The film was released simultaneously as Warner Bros.’s ‘Barbie’, creating the internet phenomenon known as “Barbieheimer.”
‘Oppenheimer’ earned over $82.4 million on its opening weekend and has since grossed over $322.4 million domestically and $933.8 million worldwide, making it the 2nd highest-grossing R-rated movie. ‘Oppenheimer’ has a total runtime of 3 hours.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Oppenheimer’ below:
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While some theaters are still playing the movie, options are limited as the film has passed its 45-day theatrical window. Currently, there is no word on when the historical biopic will be released on digital or streaming. ‘Barbie’, which was released at the same time as ‘Oppenheimer’, is already available on digital. However, it is possible the film remains in theater longer as Nolan requested a longer theatrical window.
If the film were to follow the release schedule of Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, arriving on its streaming service Peacock 120 days after its theatrical release. That could mean ‘Oppenheimer’ would be available on streaming by mid-November.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece with an epic historical biopic that is as captivating as it is compelling. What begins as a character study eventually unfolds into an intriguing political mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his career as the conflicted and complicated J. Robert Oppenheimer, while Robert Downey Jr. also gives one of his finest performances to date as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s eventual adversary.
Story and Direction
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
The three-hour long movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer from his early years studying physics in Germany, to eventually being recruited by the U.S. government to work on the Manhattan Project and the aftermath of the creation of the Atomic bomb. The story is mostly told in flashbacks from both Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss’ points of views. Oppenheimer is defending his actions following WWII in a secret government meeting, while Strauss is addressing a Senate committee as he has been appointed to a cabinet position. We see the events as they unfold as memories for both characters, with Strauss’ in black and white, and Oppenheimer’s depicted in color, which also represents the characters personalities as Strauss sees the world in black and white while Oppenheimer sees bright colors.
Christopher Nolan is unarguably one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation and is known for making twisty movies like ‘Memento’ and ‘Inception,’ as well as historical documents like ‘Dunkirk,’ but ‘Oppenheimer’ excels because it does both at the same time and embraces everything Nolan does well. Nolan’s script is smart, cutting back and forth between both Oppenheimer and Strauss’ hearings and their individual flashbacks, and using that to frame the story of creating the Atom bomb. But the movie is also a political thriller, and has a ‘Usual Suspects’ level twist towards the end that you won’t see coming.
Nolan sets an epic tone for the film, which is grand in scope and design, and he gets the very best out of his ensemble cast. Nolan’s use of cutaways to visual effects of atoms, molecules, fire and stars representing thoughts running through Oppenheimer’s head were interesting but thankfully used sparingly. While the film is long at just about three-hours, it goes fast and Nolan uses the most of his time setting the stakes for the drama and allowing his cast room to breathe. The movie also looks gorgeous, thanks to Nolan and the work of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is best known for playing the Scarecrow in Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movies and hasn’t really had the chance to show off his talents until now. As the title character Murphy delivers a strong and layered performance with authority that gives the movie a feeling of importance and urgency. Oppenheimer is driven, egotistical, brilliant, self-absorbed and conflicted, and Murphy conveys all of this with very little effort, giving a seamless performance. This is definitely the actors best work, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a lot of attention come awards season.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most popular actors of his generation, but after a decade of playing Iron Man, it’s easy to forget just how good a dramatic actor he is and this movie helps remind us of that. Despite the title, ‘Oppenheimer’ is almost as much Downey’s movie as it is Murphy’s, and the actor completely holds his own narrative well. While the two actors share few scenes together and Downey’s role is supporting, his character is pivotal to the story and the true antagonist of the film. In a career as impressive as Downey’s, it’s hard to say this is his best performance, but it’s certainly on the short list, and I’m starting the campaign now for Downey to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Supporting Cast
Matt Damon is Leslie Groves in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan has always assembled incredible casts of actors for his projects, but the abundance of riches here is a bit embarrassing. The movie stars a who’s who of talented actors, and I of course can’t mention all of them, but I will say Matt Damon stands out. Damon plays Leslie Groves, the General that recruited Oppenheimer. The actor plays the role with a bit of his signature charm, which fits the otherwise serious military figure well. Damon also has good chemistry with Murphy, and the two characters forge a nice friendship together.
Surprisingly, Josh Hartnett, who’s been away from the big screen for some time makes a fantastic comeback as Ernest Lawrence, one of Oppenheimer’s colleagues. Hartnett gives a really strong performance opposite Murphy and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Benny Safdie and David Krumholtz also play colleagues of Oppenheimer and both actors bring a lot to their characters as well.
Josh Hartnett is Ernest Lawrence in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Florence Pugh also stands out and gives a very daring performance as Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s first love. Pugh’s character is sweet and vulnerable, and you understand why he falls in love with her in the first place. But their story is also tragic, and Pugh’s tender performance gives her character a real voice in the movie.
Unfortunately, Emily Blunt’s performance as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, did not work for me. The character was not as well-defined in the script as Jean, and while Blunt is a great actress and did her best in the role, her performance falls flat with her limited screen time. The chemistry between Oppenheimer and Kitty never quite works, especially in comparison to his relationship with Jean, but perhaps that was the point.
Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
I would imagine that this film will be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars next year. I’d be surprised if Nolan doesn’t get nominated as well for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Depending on how the rest of the year shapes up, he’ll probably walk away with at least one of those awards. Nolan’s been nominated five times before and never won, and right now, this seems like the movie and the year where he might actually win.
I think Cillian Murphy has a great chance of being nominated for Best Actor, and certainly deserves it, but I’m really hoping that Robert Downey Jr. is rewarded for his incredible performance here, as well as his overall body of work. Florence Pugh also has a chance at a Best Supporting Actress nomination, but that will really rely on who the rest of the competition will be. I would also imagine the film will receive several technical nominations as well as cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Oppenheimer’ is another Christopher Nolan masterpiece. A movie that works both as a compelling historical biopic, and an intriguing political thriller with brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
‘Oppenheimer’ received 9.5 out of 10 stars
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
