Trap ; M Night Shyamalan's (2024)

Released August 2nd in the US.

Filmed entirely in Canada.

The story: Doting father Cooper is escorting his young daughter Riley to a concert this evening by her most favorite musical artist, Lady Raven.

Riley could not be more excited about the whole thing, and Cooper is thrilled to get to spend that quality time with her.

After entering the venue, Cooper notices an overwhelming amount of law enforcement around.

At first, this isn't much of a concern, but while the concert is going on, he notices what seems like men with their children being taken out of their seats and out of the arena.

This clearly worries Cooper, and for good reason. He happens to be quite the notorious serial killer....

Cooper thinks quickly and begins moving about the venue, checking things out.

When Riley wants to buy a t-shirt, Cooper gets the scoop on what all the law enforcement around is about.

He begins understanding that law enforcement is onto him being there, but they just don't know exactly who they are looking for.

Cooper must stay calm and clever to get himself out of the arena and not completely found out.

Stars Josh Hartnett , Ariel Donoghue , Saleka Shyamalan , Jonathan Langdon , Mark Bacolol , Marnie McPhail , Kid Cudi , Russ , Hayley Mills , Marcia Bennett , M Night Shyamalan , Alison Pill 

Directed by (& story written) M Night Shyamalan

Rated PG13

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Trial by Fire (2018)

Released May 17th in the US.

Filmed in Georgia.

Based on truths.

The story: In Corsicana, Texas, on December 23, 1991, at 9:04AM, a fire broke out in the home of Cameron Todd Willingham and his wife Stacy.

Inside the house were the couple's three daughters, all under 3 years old.

Stacy was not at home. Todd escaped the fire, but none of their children did...

Right from the beginning, the police did not believe Cameron's story.

During the investigation, evidence of a liquid accelerant was found in the home.

At the police station, while talking to Cameron and Stacy about what was going on at the time, the police asked why they should believe Cameron's claims of innocence now, considering he has been guilty of many crimes in the past that he had not been so honest about.

But Cameron never failed to claim his innocence about the fire and his daughter's deaths.

Very soon after, Cameron was arrested for the murder of his children.

During his trial, witnesses stepped up with claims that Cameron was guilty, which were considered all lies by Cameron and his wife.

Stacy's testimony never once indicated that she believed in his guilt, knowing that he truly loved his children.

Cameron Todd Willingham only wanted a fair trial, with no explanation of why anyone would lie about him or what really happened.

On January 8, 1992, Willingham was convicted of the murder of his three daughters.

He was offered a life sentence in exchange for his guilty plea, but he refused to plead guilty, so in the end, he was sentenced to death.

Prison life with a murder conviction was hard for Cameron. He wrote to Stacy, but she refused to visit or even write back.

Now, he was really all alone. Living on death row, never knowing when anyone's time there would be up.

After a long seven years, just one day, life for Cameron began taking new light.

Stars Lena Levings , Katie McClellan , Jack OConnell , Emily Meade , Jeff Perry , Chris Coy , David Wilson Barnes , Darren Pettie , Carlos Gomez , Blake Scott Lewis , McKinley Belcher , Laura Dern

Directed by Edward Zwick

Rated R
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA

Get Low (2009)

Released April 27 , 2010, in the US.

Filmed in Georgia.

The story: Felix Bush is a hermit who has been living alone for the last 30 years.

One day, while out working on his land, Felix is approached by someone he doesn't know and told that someone that he does know has passed.

This gets Felix thinking. He would like to arrange a funeral for himself.
He travels to the friend's funeral to pay his respects and afterwards finds himself at the church in town.

After Felix takes care of an unforeseen situation, he makes his way back home.

The very next day, the town's two funeral directors make their way to Felix's place, the younger of the two having to be the one who approaches him for practice.

When Felix realizes why the men are there, he sits down for some arranging.

Felix asks how the funeral would go, meaning who would attend and what would be said.

The young funeral director explains that it would be people who know him.

But not many people know Felix, and he knows this. But he also realizes that many people have heard stories about him.

Whether they are true or not, no one really knows.

So Felix comes up with the idea that anyone who has a story to tell about Felix should be invited to his funeral and tell that story.

Although he wants the after party before his funeral so he is able to attend.

All of this seems really out of the ordinary for the funeral directors, but they are willing to uphold his wishes.

What no one learns until after all the arrangements have been made, though, is that Felix has a secret that he wants out, and this is the only step towards that happening.

Stars Robert Duvall , Gerald McRainey , Lucas Black , Lori Beth Sikes , Bill Murray , Bill Cooper , Linds Edwards , Andrea Powell , Chandler Riggs , Danny Vinson , Sissy Spacek , Bill Cobbs

Directed by Aaron Schneider

Rated PG13

DRAMA/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Talk To Me (2022)

Released July 28, 2023 in the US.

Filmed entirely in Australia.

The story: Mia is a young woman battling with the memory of her mother's suicide last year.

Instead of taking comfort in staying with her father, she has taken up short-term residency with friend Jade, her little brother Riley, and their mother.
Mia cannot get over her mother's passing no matter how much she tries, and today marks its anniversary, which doesn't help.

Attempting to get Mia out of her slump, Jade gets her to go to a party.

Mia agrees to take Riley along as well, although Jade doesn't agree with the decision.

At the party, a group of people decide they want to try their hand at an out-of-this-world game.

The game involves an embalmed hand and conjuring spirits...

While said lone player plays along, the rest of the group watches while recording what happens with their phone.

Jade isn't all about the game, but Mia is and decides she will be the one who plays for the group.

What everyone sees is terrifying but equally exciting. 

After so many seconds, the conjuring of the spirit is ended, and life goes on without any hitches.

But the people who play become obsessed with playing and decide they need to play more and more, each one involved taking their turn as the sole player.

When Mia plays again, she believes she sees her mother, which makes her crave playing.

After 14-year-old Riley sits in on two of these events, he wants to play as well, although Jade forbids him to play.

Riley whines that he isn't allowed to be involved in playing until Mia gives in to his pleas.

What ends up happening, no one would have ever guessed, and it's just the beginning of a very dangerous end.

Stars Ari McCarthy , Sunny Johnson , Sophie Wilde , Alexandra Jensen , Joe Bird , Miranda Otto , Cookie the dog , Hamish Phillips , Kit Erhart Bruce , Jayden Davison , Marcus Johnson , Kidaan Zelleke , James Oliver , Jett Gazley , Zoe Terkes , Jude Turner , Helene Philippou

Directed by (& story partly written) Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou

Rated R
HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Polytechnique (2009)

Released February 6th in the US.

Filmed in Canada.

Based on truths.

The story: In 1989, Marc Lepine was an extremely tormented 25-year-old man.

After being rejected for entry into the Canadian Forces, he began multiple different college studies from 1982 until 1988.

None of which interested him, nor did he believe he was good at any of them.

He applied for entry into the engineering school Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in Canada twice, but he wasn't accepted due to not having the correct training.

At this point in Lepine's life, there was one thing he certainly believed.

He hated women, whom he considered feminists, because the way he seen things,  the government was easy on them and gave them so-called handouts when men always had to work much harder for the same result.

This was a long time coming for Lepine.

Lepine blamed almost all that had gone wrong in the last 7 years of his life on feminists, and now he was at the end of his rope over it.

On the afternoon of December 6, 1989, Lepine entered Ecole Polytechnique and accomplished the unthinkable...

Stars (voice) Martin Watier , Adam Kosh , Maxim Gaudette , Sebastien Huberdeau , Karine Vanasse , Evelyne Brochu , Pierre Yves Cardinal , Pierre Leblanc , Francesca Barcenas , Eve Duranceau , Mathieu Ledoux , Larissa Corriveau , Manon Lapointe , Kim Lavack Paquin , Johanne Marie Tremblay

Directed by (& story partly written) Denis Villeneuve

Not Rated

B&W

HISTORY/DRAMA

"In Memoriam 

Genevieve Bergeron , Helene Colgan , Nathalie Croteau , Barbara Daigneault , Anne-Marie Edward , Maud Haviernick , Maryse Laganiere , Maryse Leclair , Anne-Marie Lemay , Sonia Pelletier , Michele Richard , Annie St-Arneault , Annie Turcotte , Barbara Maria Klucznik-Widajewicz , Sarto Blais 

This film is also dedicated to the families of the victims and the students, faculty and staff of the Montreal's Polytechnique School."