Trap

2024 Warner Brothers Pictures

Rated: PG-13

Length: 1 hr 45min

Drama ~ Horror ~ Thriller

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Alison Pill.

“This whole concert? It’s a trap. They’re watching all the exits, checking everyone that leaves. There’s no way to get out of here.”

Movie Synopsis from Netflix Tudum:

To celebrate her good grades, Philadelphia firefighter Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to see her favorite pop star, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), in concert. But when they arrive at the event, Cooper notices that security is on extra-high alert. He watches as, one by one, guards remove other dads accompanying their daughters from the show, and realizes that every exit is blocked off by police. An employee at the arena tells Cooper that the FBI has reason to believe a notorious serial killer known as The Butcher is attending the concert, and they’re using the event to try to ensnare and arrest him. With the entire arena under surveillance, and thousands of armed police officers ready to sniff out the killer, The Butcher will have to find his way out without drawing attention to himself — or his daughter.

Movie Backstory from Netflix Tudum:

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Watchers, After Earth), Trap isn’t directly based on a true story, but the plot was partially inspired by a real-life sting operation known as Operation Flagship. In 1985, the US Marshals Service and the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department sent out more than 3,000 invitations by mail to fugitives with outstanding warrants living in the DC area. The invitations, which were sent using the name of the fictitious television company Flagship International Sports TV, stated that the individuals had been selected to receive free tickets to a Dec. 15 NFL game between the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders) and the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl XX in New Orleans.

When the fugitives arrived to retrieve their tickets at what they were led to believe was the network’s headquarters, they were greeted by undercover marshals and police officers posing as ushers, cheerleaders, mascots, and other event staff. Operation Flagship resulted in the arrest of 101 people. Speaking about the inspiration behind Trap, Shyamalan told BBC News that he heard about Operation Flagship as a kid. “I thought it was totally absurdist, that this actually happened … This was real-life criminals, FBI and police,” he said, “They dressed up as cheerleaders and mascots and were dancing around with them and goofing around with them.”

What I thought about Trap:

What a Trap! I couldn’t resist, it was too easy. It was a little cheesy, a little campy. If I was a young teenage girl I might be really drawn in by Saleka’s character, but otherwise it just wasn’t that good. It really was kinda silly and implausible and I didn’t think Saleka is that good an actor. After the fact I started thinking you know…that seemed like M. Night Shyamalan was trying to showcase his daughter’s talents.

So I googled that and that is exactly what Trap is. A showcase by M. Night Shyamalan to showcase his daughter’s music and acting aspirations. “Daddy…….can you make me a star? Please daddy…” I just don’t think she was that good on either front. Teenage girls might think otherwise, I don’t know. Kind of a letdown for an M. Night Shyamalan movie. I expect more after his track record of really good thrillers.

That’s a no for me Dog……

Oppenheimer

2023 Universal Pictures

Rated: R

Length: 3 hr

Biography ~ Drama ~ History ~ True Story

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Jason Clarke and Kenneth Branagh.

“Prometheus stole fire from the Gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity.”

Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a Theoretical Physicist in charge of The Los Alamos project and one of the pioneers of the first atomic bombs built during World War II. It follows his life and education leading up to chairing the project to create the world’s first atomic bomb, and his life and career following the first Atomic bomb test. It also chronicles his personal battles dealing with the responsibility of being the man that changed the world with an atomic weapon, and his guilt that he may have ultimately laid the foundation for the destruction of our world.

The movie starts with the 1954 security hearing orchestrated by The Atomic Energy Chairman Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr). It was a kangaroo court orchestrated by Strauss with the express purpose of destroying Oppenheimer’s reputation and credibility, mainly due to Strauss’s jealousy and paranoia regarding Oppenheimer. There is a scene where Oppenheimer is having a conversation with Albert Einstein within eyeshot of Strauss, and Strauss is convinced that Oppenheimer is bad mouthing him to Einstein. But in reality Oppenheimer was discussing with Einstein his fear that in creating the atomic bomb he might have started a chain reaction that could destroy the world.

The movie centers on the 1954 hearing and the 1959 Senate Confirmation Hearing for Strauss where it is revealed how Strauss tried to undermine Oppenheimer and his work. It flashes back and forth between the hearings and the events in Oppenheimer’s life that led up to the first atomic bomb test (which is quite impressively depicted in the movie), and the events after as he grapples with the fallout personal guilt he has. There are a lot of stories going on here and it can be a little difficult to understand and follow. Especially as it flashes back and forth to different times and events, some being in black and white.

One of the main stories of this movie is the power struggle between Oppenheimer and Strauss as Strauss seeks to undermine his influence with the Atomic Energy Commission. Christopher Nolan, the director, uses color and black and white to differentiate between the two men. The Black and white scenes are used to show Strauss’s point of view and thinking, while color was used to represent Oppenheimer’s. That alone is a fascinating viewing if you know that and view the movie with that knowledge.

There is a lot of star power in this movie:

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s Wife kitty
Robert Downey Jr. as Atomic Energy Chairman Lewis Strauss
Matt Damon as US Army Colonel Leslie Groves who oversaw The Los Alamos Project
Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist, Communist Party USA member, and Robert Oppenheimer’s romantic interest
Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, a Nobel-winning nuclear physicist who worked with Oppenheimer at the University of California, Berkeley
Casey Affleck as Boris Pash, a US Army military intelligence officer and commander of the Alsos Mission
Kenneth Branagh as as Niels Bohr, a Nobel-winning Danish physicist, philosopher and Oppenheimer’s personal idol
Rami Malek as David L. Hill, a nuclear physicist at the Metallurgical Laboratory.
Jason Clarke as Roger Robb, an attorney and future US circuit judge who served as special counsel to the AEC at Oppenheimer’s security hearing.

It is a fascinating look at the man and his accomplishments, his relationships and his guilt at having orchestrated the potential demise of the world. I’ve watched it three times mainly because it took two to fully understand all the stories going on, and then a third to appreciate it with the knowledge and understanding of everything going on. It is well acted by everyone involved, and the cinematography is outstanding.

Some fun facts:

It grossed over 976 million worldwide, the third highest of 2023
It won 7 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography and Best original Score
And 5 Golden Globe Awards
And 7 British Academy Awards
And was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the American Film Institute

An excellent movie obviously but it is a long one coming in at three hours.

But it is a fascinating three hours.

Two Thumbs Up!!

Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre

2023 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 1hr 54 min

Action ~ Comedy ~ Thriller

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone and Hugh Grant.

“Our secure facility in Johannesburg was ambushed and some well guarded cargo is missing. I need you to retrieve it, find out who the seller is, who the buyer is and what it is. I need this to be an unorthodox mission, Ruse De Guerre, led by your main man Orson Fortune.”

Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes), a private spy contractor, is hired by the British Government to retrieve stolen merchandise known only as “The Handle”. He assembles a team led by his main spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham), Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza), newly acquired from Nathan’s competition and JJ Davies(Bugzy Malone). The team flies to Madrid to intercept the courier carrying a hard drive with the data from “The Handle”.

They quickly realize that there is another contractor’s team led by Mike, Nathan’s competition in the spy business, after the same courier. They manage to get the drive and copy the contents, before Mike gets the hard drive from them, and discovers that the arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant) has “The Handle” and plans to auction it off to the highest bidder.

Sarah is an expert hacker and digs up dirt on Greg Simmonds’ favorite actor, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) and blackmails him into going to a fundraiser hosted by Greg aboard his yacht in Cannes France. Sarah poses as Danny’s girlfriend and Orson as his Manager in a ruse to get closer to Gregg to ascertain the whereabouts of “The Handle” and who the buyers are.

Which is where the action really starts. It is the same spy story plot of, bad guy stole the goods and unless we get it back the world is in peril, retrieve at whatever cost. There is lots of action, fighting, killing, guns, knives, missiles, car chases, helicopters and backstabbing amongst everyone trying to get their hands on “The Handle”. There is a lot of witty banter between Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza, Jason and Bugsy Malone, Josh Hartnett and Hugh Grant.

I really like Hugh Grant in this role, similar to his role in The Gentlemen, another Guy Ritchie Movie. Bugzy Malone was in that as well, have to re-watch that. It also reminds me of another guy Ritchie movie, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, another good spy caper film I really like. I like Aubrey Plaza in this, thought she and Jason had good chemistry. I’m not familiar with her but see that she is in Emily The Criminal. Have to watch that one tonight! And I am a big Jason Statham fan, he can’t hardly do any wrong as far as I am concerned.

Clichéd story but with a twist. I liked it.

Good Clean Fun, this one.

Two Thumbs Up!