Review: ‘Trap” (2024), starring Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Alison Pill

August 1, 2024

by Carla Hay

Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue in “Trap” (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Trap” (2024)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Culture Representation: Taking place in the Philadelphia area, the dramatic thriller “Trap” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some African Americans and Asians) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A serial killer takes his daughter to a pop star’s arena concert and tries to evade law enforcement who have set a trap for him at the concert. 

Culture Audience: “Trap” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, star Josh Hartnett, and crime thrillers, but the movie has plot twists that are too ridiculous to take.

Saleka Shyamalan in “Trap” (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Trap” is an apt title for yet another M. Night Shyamalan movie that traps viewers into a “bait and switch” plot that takes a disappointing detour into stupidity. This is not a horror movie. This is a half-baked thriller and nepotism project. That’s because Saleka Shyamalan (one of M. Night Shyamalan’s children) is in this movie which seems to be an excuse to try and launch her music career.

Saleka Shyamalan portays a Lady Gaga type of pop star named Lady Raven in “Trap.” Saleka Shyamalan does her own singing on the several generic pop songs that she co-wrote for the movie. In the production notes for “Trap,” M. Night Shyamalan says, “Although we set out to create Lady Raven, a fictional pop star, it started with letting Saleka write, produce and record an album.” Let’s just say that Saleka Shyamalan’s singing is better than her acting. She’s also in the movie a lot more than what’s shown in the “Trap” trailers.

M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed “Trap,” which takes place in the Philadelphia area, his hometown area. Clips from the best scenes in “Trap” are in the movie’s trailers. A devoted husband and father named Cooper (played by Josh Hartnett), who works as a firefighter (although “Trap” never shows him at his firefighter job), has a secret life as a serial killer.

This murderer, who dismembers his victims, has the nickname the Butcher. He doesn’t seem to have a particular type of person he targets, but it’s revealed at one point in “Trap” that Cooper had an abusive mother, so he has “mother issues.” Cooper sometimes hallucinates seeing his mother (played by Marcia Bennett) in random places. She doesn’t really do anything in these visions, but seeing her still unnerves Cooper.

“Trap” begins by showing that Cooper has taken his teenage daughter Riley (played by Ariel Donoghue) to the fictional Tanaka Arena to see an afternoon concert by Lady Raven. Why is this concert being held in the afternoon? It’s hastily explained in the beginning of the movie that Lady Raven’s evening concert was sold out the night before, so she added an afternoon concert for the next day, due to popular demand.

While he’s at the concert, Cooper uses his phone’s webcam to secretly keep track of a young man named Spencer Gordon (played by Mark Bacolcol), who has been kidnapped by Cooper and is chained up in what looks like a basement or a garage. It’s implied that Cooper plans to kill Spencer later. At one point in the movie, it’s mentioned that the Butcher uses various houses to murder his victims. Later in the movie, Cooper explains how and why he has access to numerous houses.

Cooper notices that there’s an unusually large number of uniformed law enforcement officers at this concert (the “Trap” poster says 300 cops are on the scene), which makes Cooper very nervous. Inside the arena, Cooper soon finds out from a talkative merchandise vendor named Jamie (played by Jonathan Langdon) that law enforcement found out that the Butcher will be at this concert, so the entire concert is a trap for the Butcher. Somehow, the law enforcement officials plan to do surveillance on all the men who might fit the Butcher’s psychological profile.

As he does in all of his movies, M. Night Shyamalan has a cameo as an actor. In “Trap,” he portrays Lady Raven’s uncle/employee, who does a favor for manipulative Cooper, who tells a lie in order to get this favor. Cooper lies by saying Riley is recovering from leukemia. Considering that Cooper lies and steals to get security access from people who are working at the arena, it’s very easy to predict what he has in mind.

A psychological profiler named Dr. Josephine Grant (played by Hayley Mills) wanders around the arena and tells her law enforcement colleagues on walkie talkie what the Butcher is all about, what he probably looks like (a white male in his 30s or 40s), and what he is most likely to try to leave the arena undetected. And yet somehow, Dr. Grant can’t identify him as a person of interest when Cooper is standing right in front of her and is sometimes looking suspicious in several scenes. “Trap” also wants viewers to believe Cooper has extraordinary hearing abilities because he can somehow hear conversations that are several feet away in this crowded and noisy arena. Yes, the movie really is this idiotic.

“Trap” takes some tentative steps toward being a dark comedy, including an intentionally amusing cameo from Scott Mescudi (also known as rapper Kid Cudi), who portrays an androgynous hip-hop artist named The Listener making a guest appearance at this Lady Raven concert. Cooper also makes some wry comments that are supposed to bring some laughs to people watching this movie. However, the dark comedy in “Trap” doesn’t hit its full stride and ends up sidestepping that dark comedic tone to stumble around during the dull and dreary last 20 minutes of the film.

What does “Trap” get right? The concert scenes on stage are very accurate. The casting of Donoghue is also perfect, since she is the principal cast member who is the most authentic in her teenage role as bubbly but somewhat insecure Riley. (“Trap” has an extraneous subplot about Cooper trying to cheer up Riley, who was recently rejected by two former friends, who are both at the concert.) Alison Pill, who is too talented to be in this substandard movie, portrays Cooper’s wife Rachel in a thankless and limited role where she still excels.

Viewers of “Trap” who are familiar with law enforcement procedures will be cringing at all the things that “Trap” gets wrong. For example, law enforcement officials allow key witnesses to leave a major crime scene without questioning them. Cooper evades capture on at least one occasion because of what can only be described as the movie cheating in its film editing.

“Trap” is effective in building suspense only during the scenes that take place during the concert. But even then, this suspense is built with repetitive scenarios. Cooper tries several times to find ways out of the arena without being seen by police or arena security, but all he ends up doing is call more attention to himself to the police and security people on duty. In his role as Cooper, Harnett gives an often-smirking performance that seems to be leaning into the dark comedy, but it sometimes doesn’t land very well because the movie plays it too safe and never really shows Cooper to be a fearsome murderer.

Almost an hour into the 105-minute “Trap,” the movie takes a ludicrous turn and goes off the rails completely. It’s enough to say that this shift in the plot is because of what happens when certain characters leave the arena. “Trap” might’ve intended to have some dark comedy, but the movie is more memorable for its unintentional comedy because of how often “Trap” is laughably bad.

Warner Bros. Pictures will release “Trap” in U.S. cinemas on August 2, 2024.

Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin,’ starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint

February 1, 2023

by Carla Hay

Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, Jonathan Groff and Dave Bautista in “Knock at the Cabin” (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

“Knock at the Cabin”

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in an unnamed city in Pennsylvania, the horror film “Knock at the Cabin” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, Asian and African American) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: Two husbands and their 7-year-old adopted daughter are held hostage in a remote cabin by four strangers, who tell them that one of the family members must choose to kill another family member, or else there will be an apocalypse that will kill everyone on Earth except the three family members. 

Culture Audience: “Knock at the Cabin” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and horror movies with apocalyptic themes.

Abby Quinn, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint in “Knock at the Cabin” (Photo by PhoByMo/Universal Pictures)

The apocalyptic horror film “Knock at the Cabin” has a more predictable story than the novel on which it is based, but the movie still delivers many tension-filled scenes and memorable characters. The cast members, particularly Ben Aldridge and Kristen Cui, elevate the film with their credible performances. “Knock at the Cabin” is one of those movies where you can figure out from watching the trailers how everything is probably going to end. It’s one of the few movies from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan that does not have a shocking twist.

Shyamalan directed “Knock at the Cabin” and co-wrote the movie’s screenplay with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman. The movie’s screenplay is adapted from Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel “The Cabin at the End of the World,” which has a very different turn of events than the movie version of this book. It’s easy to see why the filmmakers chose to make these changes, because there are many things in the book that would not be as “crowd-pleasing” to movie audiences.

Even though “Knock at the Cabin” plays it very safe in how the movie was adapted from the book, there’s still enough in the movie that brings a level of gripping suspense, thanks to skilled editing and capable acting performances. Except for flashbacks and scenes showing events on TV news, “Knock at the Cabin” takes place primarily in a remote area in an unnamed city in Pennsylvania. The filmmakers of “Knock at the Cabin” wisely chose not to clutter up the movie with extraneous characters and locations that are not in “The Cabin at the End of the World.”

“Knock at the Cabin” begins with showing a kind and intelligent 7-year-old girl named Wen (played by Cui) collecting grasshoppers in an open field and putting them in a bottle. Wen is an aspiring veterinarian—she says she wants to be “take care of animals” when she grows up. She is cataloguing the statistics of the grasshoppers that she has collected, and she has even named the grasshoppers. Wen (who is an only child) and her two gay fathers Andrew (played by Aldridge) and Eric (played by Jonathan Groff) are on a vacation trip in this isolated wooded area of Pennsylvania, where the family is staying at a cabin.

Suddenly, a hulking man named Leonard (played by Dave Bautista) emerges from the woods. He approaches Wen and makes small talk with her. At first Wen is wary of this stranger, but she starts to warm up to him when he shows an interest in her grasshopper collection by helping her get a grasshopper and asking her about the collection. Wen says she will turn 8 years old in six days. Leonard tells Wen that he wants to be her friend and he needs to go inside the home where her parents are.

Leonard is not alone. He has three companions with him, who all have the same intentions. Redmond (played by Rupert Grint) has an angry personality. Sabrina (played by Nikki Amuka-Bird) has a calm personality. Adriane (played by Abby Quinn) has a cheerful personality. Leonard is their leader, and he has a “take charge” personality. All four of these strangers are armed and dangerous.

As already shown in the movie’s trailers, all four of these strangers break into the cabin and take Andrew, Eric and Wen hostage. Andrew and Eric put up a fight in self-defense. Eric gets into a losing brawl with Sabrina, and he gets a concussion from being knocked to the ground. Andrew and Eric are then tied to chairs, although (as the movie trailer already reveals) Wen is not tied up, and she briefly escapes.

Leonard tells this captured family that they have to make a choice: someone in the family has to voluntarily kill someone else in the family, or else there will be an apocalypse where everyone on Earth except this family of three will be killed. Every time someone in the family refuses to kill someone else in the family, a plague will descend on Earth until the world-ending apocalypse will happen.

Andrew (the more outspoken and more assertive husband) is immediately skeptical and thinks that these four strangers are mentally ill. Andrew mentions later in the movie that he’s a human rights attorney, which goes a long way in explaining why Andrew thinks he can argue his way out of this horrible situation. At first, Andrew and Eric also think that this home invasion is a hate crime because Andrew and Eric are a gay couple. But Leonard denies it and says that he and his three cohorts did not know in advance that the targeted family would have a same-sex couple.

Andrew and Eric refuse to kill anyone in their family. As already shown in the movie’s trailer, as a result, a plague happens that kills numerous people near the Pacific Ocean. (Shyamalan continues his tradition of appearing in small roles as an actor in the movies that he directs. In “Knock at the Cabin,” he briefly appears on the cabin’s TV set as a co-host of an infomercial that is interrupted by breaking news.) Leonard shows the family the TV news to prove that this plague happening.

Andrew is convinced that the four strangers knew in advance that this catastrophe was going to happen. Leonard insists that he, Sabrina, Leonard and Adriane were all strangers with the same visions who found each other through the Internet. Leonard also says that several families over time have had to make the same decision. And he emphatically states that he, Sabrina, Leonard and Adriane are “heartbroken” that they have to force Andrew and Eric to make this life-changing decision.

In order to make themselves relatable, Leonard and the rest of the home invaders tells the captured family more about themselves. Leonard says he’s from Chicago and has two jobs: He’s an elementary schoolteacher who runs an after-school program for second graders, and he’s a bartender.

Sabrina is a hospital nurse who works at an intensive-care unit in Southern California. She says she feel guilty about Eric getting injured in their fight, so she tends to Eric’s head wounds. Sabrina also says that the rules are that Eric must be thinking clearly when making his decision with Andrew. But who exactly is making these “rules”?

Adriane says she’s a line cook at a Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C. “I love to feed people,” she adds. Later in the movie, Adriane says she has a pre-teen son named Charlie, and she begs the hostage family to not let the apocalypse happen, or else her son is going to die.

Redmond is an ex-con who works at a gas company in Medford, Massachusetts. He mentions coming from an abusive family where “my father used to beat the shit out of me.” Later, Andrew is convinced that he knows Redmond from a traumatic event that happened in Andrew’s past.

As the tension builds over what decision will be made, “Knock at the Cabin” shows flashbacks of Andrew and Eric’s life together before this home invasion. Viewers will find out that Andrew’s parents (played by McKenna Kerrigan and Ian Merrill Peakes) disapprove of him being gay, while Eric’s mother (who is never seen in the movie) is accepting of Eric’s sexuality. Andrew and Eric also went to China to adopt Wen when she was a baby, but Andrew had to pretend to be the brother of Eric’s non-existent wife, in order to avoid any homophobic restrictions that would prevent them from adopting Wen.

There are also flashbacks to happy family times with Andrew, Eric and Wen, such as when they’re driving in their car while K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s 1975 hit song “Boogie Shoes” is playing. Andrew, Eric and Wen love this song so much, they sing loudly and joyfully move to the beat of the song. “Boogie Shoes” will be used again later in the movie in an emotionally powerful scene.

Because “Knock at the Cabin” is a horror movie, not everyone will make it out alive. At a certain point, it becomes very obvious which of the husbands will be more open to the idea of killing someone in the family, in order to save the world. But will that husband be able to convince his spouse?

There are no real surprises in “Knock at the Cabin,” except for how much the movie removed some of the risk-taking plot developments from “The Cabin at the End of the World.” With a total running time of 100 minutes, “Knock at the Cabin” is a taut thriller that doesn’t drag on for longer than the story needed, although some parts of the movie get a little repetitive. Knock at the Cabin” is a very Hollywood movie version of the book, but it’s ultimately satisfactory entertainment for horror fans who don’t want to see anything too disturbing on screen.

Universal Pictures will release “Knock at the Cabin” in U.S. cinemas on February 3, 2023.

2021 Tribeca Film Festival: Tribeca Talks lineup announced

May 10, 2021

The following is a press release from the Tribeca Film Festival:

The Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, today announced its lineup of Talks and Reunion Screenings with the stars and directors from iconic films, and conversations with the driving forces behind film, television, music, business and politics. These once-in-a-lifetime conversations will be part of the 20th Anniversary Festival celebration taking place city-wide June 9-20, the first major film festival to host in person events.

Tribeca Talks: Storytellers celebrates groundbreaking creators working across multiple mediums. This year’s multi-talented group includes: Mike Jackson and John Legend of Get Lifted Film Company; Oscar-nominated actor and director Bradley Cooper in conversation with Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro; comedian and actress Amy Schumer in conversation with Emily Ratajkowski; screenwriter Scott Z. Burns in conversation with Emmy Award-winning actor Matthew RhysShira Haas, the breakout star of Unorthodox and Tribeca Festival Best Actress-winner for ASIA with actress and comedian Ali Wentworth; and Debbie HarryClem Burke and Chris Stein of the legendary punk band Blondie

Tribeca Talks: Directors Series features intimate conversations with renowned directors who will share memorable moments from their prestigious careers. This year’s participating directors include Doug LimanM. Night Shyamalan and Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Additional Tribeca Talks events include Scott Rechler, CEO and Chairman of RXR Realty, recording two new episodes of his podcast, Recalibrate Reality: The Future of NY, and conversations with Jason Hirschhorn, CEO of REDEF, about the business of entertainment and the future of podcasting.

The 2021 Tribeca Festival will also celebrate milestone anniversaries of some of Hollywood’s most iconic films. Director Joel Cohen will be joined in conversation with stars Frances McDormand and Steve Buscemi to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning Fargo; the 30th anniversary of the critically acclaimed The Five Heartbeats will reunite stars Robert TownsendJohn TerrellTico WellsLeon RobinsonHarry LennixMichael Wright and Hawthorne James; the 20th anniversary of the classic The Royal Tenenbaums, features stars Alec BaldwinGwyneth PaltrowLuke WilsonOwen WilsonAnjelica HustonDanny Glover, and director Wes AndersonRobert De Niro teams up with director Martin Scorsese to discuss creating one of cinema’s eternal masterpieces, Raging Bull; and finally, Tribeca will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s first feature-length film, The Kid, with a special screening event. 

“Each year the Tribeca Festival gathers the most esteemed names in film and entertainment for conversations that shine a light on the creative process,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises and the Tribeca Festival. “This year we are particularly proud that we can once again convene these talented names for in-person conversations as we discuss new ways our world and business is being reshaped and reimagined.”

“This year’s Tribeca Talks will have timely conversations about real world issues and how they affect film, television, politics and business,” said Paula Weinstein, Chief Content Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “Tribeca Talks and Reunion screenings are always a big fan favorite, and we look forward to the illuminating conversations that will take place during this milestone 20th Festival.”

Beginning today at 11AM EST, tickets to in-person screenings and events are available for advance reservation at https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets.

TRIBECA TALKS: DIRECTORS SERIES
This conversation series showcases the careers of influential filmmakers. 

  • M. Night Shyamalan 
  • Doug Liman in conversation with Jason Hirschhorn
  • Gina Prince-Bythewood in conversation with Sanaa Lathan

TRIBECA TALKS: STORYTELLERS
Sponsored by Montefiore-Einstein

This series celebrates the illustrious careers of today’s most innovative creators, who have broken from traditional roles and pioneered their own forms of storytelling.

  • Bradley Cooper and Guillermo del Toro 
  • Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski 
  • Scott Z. Burns and Matthew Rhys
  • Shira Haas and Ali Wentworth
  • Get Lifted’s John Legend and Mike Jackson
  • Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Clem Burke and Chris Stein

TRIBECA TALKS

  • Scott Rechler – “Recalibrate Reality: The Future of NY”
  • Jason Hirschhorn – “The Business of Entertainment” and “The Future of Podcasting”

REUNIONS & RESTORATIONS

The Royal Tenenbaums – 20th Anniversary
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), had three children — Chas, Margot, and Richie — and then they separated. Chas (Ben Stiller) started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright and received a Braverman Grant of $50,000 in the ninth grade. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. The Royal Tenenbaums is a hilarious, touching, and brilliantly stylized study of melancholy and redemption.

  • After the Screening: A live-streamed conversation with  Wes Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson,  Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, and Danny Glover.

Fargo – 25th Anniversary
Things go terribly awry when small-time Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife so he can collect ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. Once people start dying, the very chipper and very pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) takes the case.  Is she up for this challenge? You betcha.

  • After the Screening: An-in person conversation Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, and Steve Buscemi

The Five Heartbeats – 30th Anniversary
Five friends leave their neighborhood and head for a new type of music – Motown. Coming in on the tail end of a rhythm and blues singing group explosion, The Five Heartbeats (Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells), rise and fall within the space of seven years. Along the way, the group deals with all manner of fame and fortune distractions — jealousy, greed, too much womanizing and drugs all take a toll.

  • After the Screening: An in-person conversation with Robert Townsend, John Terrell, Tico Wells, Leon Robinson, James Hawthorne, Harry Lennix, Michael Wright moderated by Loren Hammonds.

The Kid – 100th Anniversary
Charlie Chaplin was already an international star when he decided to break out of the short-film format and make his first full-length feature. The Kid doesn’t merely show Chaplin at a turning point, when he proved that he was a serious film director—it remains an expressive masterwork of silent cinema. In it, he stars as his lovable Tramp character, this time raising an orphan (a remarkable young Jackie Coogan) he has rescued from the streets. Chaplin and Coogan make a miraculous pair in this nimble marriage of sentiment and slapstick, a film that is, as its opening title card states, “a picture with a smile—and perhaps, a tear.”

Raging Bull – Restoration
Robert De Niro teams up with director Martin Scorsese to create one of cinema’s eternal masterpieces. Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director, this contemporary classic is “ambitious, violent, poetic and lyrical” (The New York Times). De Niro turns in a powerful, Best Actor Oscar®-winning performance as Jake La Motta, a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty co-star.

  • Director Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro discuss the film’s lasting legacy in a pre-recorded conversation.

About the Tribeca Festival
The Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, games, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Tribeca will celebrate its 20th year June 9 – 20, 2021 www.tribecafilm.com/festival

In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, a private investment company with locations in New York and Mumbai, bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.

About the 2021 Tribeca Festival Partners:
The 2021 Tribeca Festival is presented by AT&T and with the support of our corporate partners: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Audible, Bloomberg Philanthropies, CHANEL, City National Bank, CNN Films, Diageo, DoorDash, FreshDirect, Hudson Yards, Indeed, Montefiore-Einstein, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, P&G, PwC, Roku, Spring Studios New York.

Apple announces Apple TV+ with Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and more

March 25, 2019

The following is a press release from Apple:

Apple today announced Apple TV+, the new home for the world’s most creative storytellers featuring exclusive original shows, movies and documentaries, coming this fall. Apple TV+, Apple’s original video subscription service, will feature a brand new slate of programming from the world’s most celebrated creative artists, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more. On the Apple TV app, subscribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic stories with emotional depth and compelling characters from all walks of life, ad-free and on demand.

“We’re honored that the absolute best lineup of storytellers in the world – both in front of and behind the camera – are coming to Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re thrilled to give viewers a sneak peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for them to tune in starting this fall. Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet.”

Additionally, Apple debuted the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May 2019. The all-new Apple TV app brings together the different ways to discover and watch shows, movies, sports, news and more in one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices. Users can subscribe to and watch new Apple TV channels – paying for only services they want, like HBO, SHOWTIME and Starz – all on demand, available on and offline, with incredible picture quality and sound; enjoy sports, news and network TV from cable and satellite providers as well as purchase or rent iTunes movies and TV shows all within the new, personalized Apple TV app.

Beginning in May, customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels à la carte and watch them in the Apple TV app, with no additional apps, accounts or passwords required. Apple TV channels include popular services such as HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, Smithsonian Channel, EPIX, Tastemade, Noggin and new services like MTV Hits, with more to be added over time around the world.

The new Apple TV app personalizes what viewers love to watch across their existing apps and services while developing a secure and comprehensive understanding of users’ viewing interests. The app will offer suggestions for shows and movies from over 150 streaming apps, including Amazon Prime and Hulu, as well as pay-TV services such as Canal+, Charter Spectrum, DIRECTV NOW and PlayStation Vue. Optimum and Suddenlink from Altice will be added later this year.*

Additionally, the Apple TV app will become the new home to the hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows currently available for purchase or rent in the iTunes Store.

Availability

Pricing and availability for the Apple TV+ video subscription service will be announced later this fall.

The all-new Apple TV app is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV customers in over 100 countries with a free software update this May, and to Mac this fall.

Through Family Sharing, users can share Apple TV+ and subscriptions to Apple TV channels.

The Apple TV app will be available on Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future.

Later this year, customers with eligible VIZIO, Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs will be able to effortlessly play videos and other content from their iPhone or iPad directly to their smart TVs with AirPlay 2 support.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms – iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS – provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Editor’s note: The shows on Apple TV+ include:

  • Steven Spielberg’s reboot of the “Amazing Stories” anthology
  • Oprah Winfrey projects, including a documentary titled “Toxic Labor” about workplace harassment; a documentary (title to be announced) about mental health; and a book club-oriented program whose title is to be announced.
  • “The Morning Show,” a drama series about morning television, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, with Aniston and Witherspoon among the executive producers
  • “See,” a post-apocalyptic drama series starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard
  • “Little Voice,” a musical drama series, executive produced by J.J. Abrams, with original songs written by Sara Bareilles
  • “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends,” starring Jennifer Garner and executive produced by J.J. Abrams
  • “Peanuts” content, based on the beloved comic-strip characters
  • “Swagger,” a drama series based on the life of basketball star Kevin Durant, with Durant executive producing the show with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer
  • “Defending Jacob,” a drama series starring and executive produced by Chris Evans, about a father whose teenage son is suspected of killing a classmate
  • “Pachinko,” a drama series based on Min Jin Lee’s book, with Soo Hugh as the showrunner
  • A comedy series (title to be announced) about video-game company, executive produced by “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” co-stars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day
  • “Are You Sleeping,” a drama series about how a podcast affects a cold murder case, starring Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan and Aaron Paul
  • “Dickinson,” a drama series about Emily Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld
  • “Bastards,” a drama series about war veterans, starring Richard Gere
  • A drama series (title to be announced) about CIA operative Amaryllis Fox, starring and executive produced by Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson
  • “Little America,” a comedy series about immigrants, executive produced by Oscar-nominated “The Big Sick” writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon
  • “Helpsters,” a children’s show from Sesame Workshop
  • “Calls,” an American remake of a French drama series that does reenactments of 911 calls
  • “For All Mankind,” a space drama series starring Joel Kinnaman
  • “Central Park,” an animated series from “Bob’s Burgers” creator Loren Bouchard, with a voice cast that includes Kristen Bell, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr. and Stanley Tucci.
  • “Homes,” a docuseries about unusual homes
  • “Losing Earth,” a possible drama or docuseries about climate change
  • “Shantaram,” a drama series about an escaped prisoner from Australia who’s hiding out in India, from executive producer/screenwriter Eric Warren Singer (“American Hustle”)
  • “Time Bandits,” a fantasy comedy series from executive producer/director Taika Waititi, based on Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film of the same title
  • A still-untitled drama/thriller series from executive producer M. Night Shyamalan, with a cast that includes Lauren Ambrose, Rupert Grint and Toby Kebbell [UPDATE: The series is titled “Servant.”]
  • A still-untitled drama series from Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle, with the show’s plot and cast to be announced
  • A still-untitled sci-fi series from executive producer Simon Kinberg, who has written several “X-Men” movies
  • A still-untitled mystery drama series from executive producer/director Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”), based on real-life pre-teen reporter Hilde Lysiak (played by Brooklynn Prince), with Jim Sturgess co-starring as her father

SOURCE: Variety

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