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callmebrycelee · 1 year

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9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for the season 4, sixth episode "This Is Not a Drill" which originally aired on February 28, 2023. THis episode was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson and directed by Michael Medico. Spoilers ahead!

***LAST TIME ON 9-1-1: LONE STAR***

Marjan discovers she is the reason the 126 has been brought under review by the Austin Fire Department Internal Affairs due to her calling a woman she was rescuing a "crazy lady". The woman and her former ex-husband ask Marjan to publicly apologize as well as paste a link to their GoFundMe on her Instagram. Marjan refuses to be extorted and ends up resigning from the 126. Meanwhile, Grace investigates the concerning phone calls she has been receiving from a little boy. She enlists the help of her husband and Tommy to come to the boy's (and his mother's) rescue.

Now that we're all caught up, let's talk about episode six - THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

We begin the episode with an actual drill. The 126, sans Marjan Marwani, enter a building with bomb gear on. Owen leads the team up a set of stairs and they find a young boy and his father. Owen tells the little boy to evacuate while Tommy tends to his father. The little boy tells Owen that his two sisters are in the room next door. Owen and the others go to the next room, open the door, and BOOM! Pink mist! The lights come on and a very official-looking woman with a clipboard in her hand comes out and tells them they're all dead. Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK are all upset by their failure at the drill. Nancy suggests that she is merely maimed and not dead since she isn't as covered in pink mist as the others. Paul makes a reference to the Kobayashi Maru (an unwinnable test) and my heart is filled with joy. My boy Paul is a Trekkie! It was fun to hear them banter back and forth but judging by the look on Captain Strand's face, he was not having it.

Title card!

Back at the house, Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK are in a jovial mood. They all take a selfie together to send to Marjan. Owen snaps on all of them and tells them to think about all of the first responders who went on calls where they didn't come back alive. I mean Owen does have a point but he's also being a major buzzkill. The others feel like poo after his outburst. Tommy gives Judd a look that says, hey, you got this one. Judd, our second in command, sighs and goes to talk to the captain.

Judd goes to Owen's office and tells him that the others - Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK - haven't been through what they have. They don't know what it's like to lose someone on the job. Judd also reminds Captain Strand that the drills are designed for them to fail. Owen goes to close the door to his office. He tells Judd he believes something big is coming. He then tells Judd that the Honor Dogs are on the FBI's domestic terror watch list and that a truckload of ammonium nitrate was stolen. Judd asks him how he has all of this information and Owen confesses he's been working with the FBI. Judd asks if the Feds have any clue as to what the Honor Dogs are planning and Owen tells him that they won't even return his phone calls. Owen says he's tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen so he tells Judd he's acting captain until he returns.

Owen goes off, alone, in one of the Austin Fire Department pickups, to the Honor Dogs' clubhouse and is met with an icy reception. He tells Red (Dan Sanders-Joyce) he wants to have a chat with him. Red asks if he's wearing a wire this time and Owen says he's not and tells Red he can "check his junk". Red says that he doesn't talk to Feds or the friends of Feds and threatens to drag Owen out of the bar. Owen reminds him he's a fire captain and tells him he can have the bar shutdown due to several fire hazards. Red asks him what he wants and Owen reveals that he knows about the ANFO (ammonium nitrate) and suggests that he can make a deal with Red if he gives everything up. Red is unmoved by Owen's words and claims he doesn't know anything. Owen is inclined to believe him just as the FBI raid the place. Owen is escorted outside by Special Agent Chuck Biondi (Rob Parks). Owen tells Biondi that he believes the Honor Dogs don't know anything about the stolen ANFO but Biondi is skeptical. He goes to put handcuffs on Owen right as the clubhouse explodes.

The rest of the 126 responds to the emergency and we find out there were nine FBI agents, including Special Agent Rose Casey (Amanda Schull), and who knows how many bikers inside the clubhouse when the bomb detonated. Paul and Judd notice an Austin Fire Department vehicle already on the scene. Judd gives out marching orders while Tommy, Nancy, and TK set start to set up triage. Owen carries Special Agent Casey out of the bar and she is taken by ambulance to the hospital with Owen riding with her. Special Agent Casey tells Owen she's scared and for a brief moment I wondered if this was a sign of a potential romance between the two. During the ambulance she asks him to call her "Rose" right before she dies.

Sergeant Ty O'Brien (Neal McDonough) arrives at the hospital at Owen's request. Owen fills him in on everything that's happened. Nine FBI agents, including Special Agent Casey, and several members of the Honor Dogs (we are told the number is in the double digits) are dead. However, Red is still alive but in surgery. The working theory regarding the explosion is someone 'accidentally' detonated the ammonium nitrate which was being housed at the bar. Neither Owen nor O'Brien believe this. Special Agent Biondi joins them and tells them that the case is closed since the prime suspect (Red) is in custody. Owen tells him that Red is not the man they are looking for and the explosion at the bar didn't even account for half of the stolen ammonium nitrate. Special Agent Biondi tells Owen that Red is refusing to talk. Owen suggests that he and O'Brien can try talking to Red.

Owen and O'Brien go into Red's room and find him bandaged up with several burns all over his body. The way he turned over in bed gave me Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Dark Knight vibes. Red calls them both snitches which made me laugh. Owen informs him that eleven of his brothers are dead as a result of the explosion, including Turner (Scott Peat). Owen also tells him the FBI believes he is responsible due to his politics and their belief that he is a terrorist. Red doesn't seem too surprised by this information but he insists that he is not the one responsible. Owen mentions that prior to him arriving at the clubhouse the Honor Dogs in attendance looked like they were meeting about something. He asks if Red called the meeting. Red tells him that he didn't call the meeting but the invite came from his phone number. He suggests that someone 'spoofed' his phone number and he believes that someone is Andy - the person they kicked out due to his extreme views. Damn, how extreme do your views have to be if the Honor Dogs think they're too extreme?

The FBI raid Andy's house and find it empty. O'Brien tells Special Agent Biondi he hasn't heard from his niece (Andy's wife) in two days. Another FBI agent informs Owen, O'Brien, and Special Agent Biondi that a neighbor says they saw Andy's wife and son leave the house two days ago with an unidentified male. We then see Andy spray-painting a van. We also see two giant barrels of ANFO. Dun-dun-dunnnn!

Back at Andy's home, Owen asks O'Brien. Let me just say, I love their budding friendship. I feel like O'Brien brings out the best in Owen. He just seems more level-headed and people like Owen Strand need to be surrounded by people like Sergeant Ty O'Brien. Special Agent Biondi tells them three days ago someone blew up a school bus. Traces of ANFO were found at the scene along with a dead hiker. The school bus was traced back to a salvage yard where the owner identified Andy as the one who purchased it. Yikes! Things are not looking good for O'Brien's nephew. Special Agent Biondi asks O'Brien if he knows of where Andy may be. O'Brien doesn't know. Owen suggests Andy is living at The Farm which is where he and O'Brien found the ANFO. The FBI initially believed that Red and the other Honor Dogs moved the ANFO before the FBI raid, however Owen believes Andy is the one who moved it. Special Agent Biondi prepares to go to The Farm and O'Brien insists that he go with them. Special Agent Biondi seems reluctant to have him tag-along but Owen reminds him that he's already lost a lot of his team. Special Agent Biondi agrees to have O'Brien join them.

Owen heads back over to the 126 and comes clean to his team about his involvement with the FBI. He tells them that another terrorist plot is imminent and that he needs their help. Meanwhile, the FBI along with O'Brien and Carlos arrive at The Farm. I have to admit, Carlos looked pretty badass with a rifle in hand. We see Grace get a call at the 9-1-1 dispatch and then we see the alarm go off at the 126. Several houses are called into action. It's time for battle!

Back at The Farm, there's no trace of Andy. O'Brien speculates that someone is working with Andy and believes that person is still on the premises. Special Agent Biondi tells his team they need to head over to the capitol because he just got notice that an anonymous bomb threat has been called in. O'Brien thinks that they should continue searching the grounds, especially the surrounding woods. Special Agent Biondi tells him he can stay but they are leaving. Carlos offers to remain with O'Brien. Oooh, an O'Brien and Carlos team-up! I am definitely here for this!

Over at the capitol, the 126 are helping with evaculations. We see Owen inside of a van working with the bomb squad. They are trying to locate a bomb inside the capitol. Using a robot, they locate several metal drums possibly filled with ANFO. The funniest part of this scene is that Owen Strand, captain of the 126, appears to be running the whole operation. No one is a bigger Owen Strand-defender than I am. People often complain about how he gets too much to do in this show and my response is, Owen Strand is the main character on the show. Of course he gets more to do than anyone else. I don't see Lone Star as the ensemble show that the original 9-1-1 is. The original show has several big names attached to it (Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Connie Britton, and Jennifer Love Hewitt) while outside of Rob Lowe, Live Tyler, and Gina Torres, Lone Star is mostly composed of actors who don't have a lot of heft to their iMDB pages. Anywho, with that said, I find it a wee bit ridiculous that a fire captain is having such a major environment in a bomb situation. And I know the writers are really pushing the narrative that Owen was at the Twin Towers during 9/11 but this is Austin, not New York City. Okay, back to the story.

The guy operating the robot asks how someone was able to get all of those explosives into the building without being noticed by security. Owen immediately leaves the van against orders and walks right into the capitol building. When TK sees him, he shakes his head and has a look on his face that says, dad's gonna dad. I feel like if this happened two seasons ago, TK would be freaking out. It just goes to show, after so many instances of Owen just walking into volatile situations, all willy nilly, everyone around him is just like, that's what he does. The guys in the van ask Owen what he's doing repeatedly over the radio and he assures them he will be out in a minute ... one way or another. Owen locates the metal drums and for some reason decides to open one against the orders of the bomb squad captain. Well, it turns out the drum is empty along with the others. Outside of the capitol, Andy pulls up in an EMS van (the same van we saw him spray-painting) and he starts the countdown on the bomb that is in the back of the van. We have 10 minutes! Yikes!

Meanwhile, my new favorite dynamic duo/buddy-cop pairing, O'Brien and Carlos, strike out into the woods where they find tiny white pellets littering the ground. O'Brien picks one of them up and determines its ammonium nitrate. O'Brien posits this is where the bomb was built. The two of them stumble upon a shed. O'Brien sees tire marks on the ground. He tells Carlos he will go inside and sweep the place and will holler if he needs him. O'Brien goes inside and sees evidence of where someone has been living. He continues to do a sweep of the premises and finds his niece, Joanne (Stevie Lynn Jones) and his great-nephew, Jack (Kayden Alexander Koshelev) in a cell. He opens the cell to release them but is shot by Mikey (Richard Meehan). It turns out Mikey is the same young guy we saw getting branded the night Owen and Judd went to the Honor Dog's clubhouse a few episodes ago. Thankfully, O'Brien is wearing a bulletproof vest. When Mikey goes to shoot him in the head, Carlos shoots him. Hey writers! This is the Carlos we need! Give me more badass Carlos! Oh, and please make him a detective. At this point, he's doing more than the average cop.

Owen exits the capitol and radios to Judd that everyone needs to go back inside the building. Judd asks if this is an all-clear and Owen tells him the safest place for everyone to be is behind the building's granite walls. Now, I'm not an expert on explosives but are we supposed to believe the same ammonium nitrate that can take out most of Austin is no match for the capitol building? Then again, who am I, a mere writer who likes to react to episodes of the TV shows I enjoy, to question the authority of Captain Owen Strand? Anywho, Judd thanks everyone for participating in the drill and tells them to head back inside. Owen debriefs with the bomb squad captain, Captain Jenkins (Bob Stephenson) and Tommy. He believes the reason the bomber wanted them to evacuate the building is because the bomb is outside the capitol, not inside. Captain Jenkins tells him that his team has secured the perimeter. Owen tells him he believes the bomb is in an emergency vehicle since they have clearance and access to the scene. Tommy suggests the bomb is inside an ambulance which seems like a leap to me in logic but, then again, an ambulance has more space in it to keep the explosives so perhaps that's her logic. She also mentions she saw a unit pull onto the scene shortly before the all-clear was given. She gives the unit number to Captain Jenkins and leaves to inform his team.

Owen gets a call from O'Brien and the latter catches him up on what he and Carlos have been up to. O'Brien tells Owen that Mikey is the one running the operation, not Andy. I get that this changes things a bit about the situation but I still don't see a scenario where Andy doesn't end up going to jail. Owen hangs up with his bestie and then we get a huge product placement for Verizon, one of the worst, if not the worst, cell phone carriers in the country. The bomb squad uses a drone (sponsored by Verizon) to locate Andy and the ambulance he's in. Special Agent Biondi arrives and tells Owen that when they find Andy, they're going to take him out. Yikes! Owen walks away and tells Special Agent Biondi he will find Andy himself. Owen sheds his gear and goes looking for O'Brien's nephew. He locates Andy and the ambulance and tells him that he knows that he's O'Brien's nephew. Andy tells Owen that Mikey's going to kill his family if he doesn't go through with their plan but Owen holds up a phone so that he can hear his wife. Joanne tells Andy that Mikey's been arrested and that they are safe. Owen tells him to get out of the vehicle and get his hand off the detonator but Andy tells him it's too late. There's less than 3 minutes left. Owen tells him to step out and do whatever the FBI says. While the FBI subdues Andy, Owen climbs in the ambulance and drives off.

Owen calls 9-1-1 and gets Grace on the line because, of course! Grace directs Owen to drive the ambulance into the river and make sure it's completely submerged underwater. Owen jumps out of the ambulance right before it drives into the water. In a funny scene, the ambulance stops just short of the water but thankfully, Judd, Paul, and Mateo arrive and finish pushing the ambulance into the water before it explodes. The underwater explosion isn't as big as I was expecting and all I kept thinking is, all of the poor wildlife! Also, what happens to the water supply in Austin if the river now has ammonium nitrate in it? Are we going to have a Flint, Michigan-level crisis in Austin because of this? Anywho, the day is saved by Owen, Grace, and the 126 so yay!

We then get a flashback to last summer. We see Andy get kicked out of the Honor Dogs due to his extreme views. Mikey finds him and the manipulation begins. Back in the present day, Andy tells the FBI he was really angry. He says he should've just walked away from Mikey but instead he got pulled into the madness. We learn Mikey's the one who stole all of the ANFO. Mikey is clearly psychotic. Sensing Andy's reluctance, Mikey threatens to kill Andy's wife and son and when he saw Mikey take out the hiker, he knew the threat was real. I'm so relieved that it wasn't Andy who killed the hiker. The last thing he needs is murder added to his growing list of concerns. Andy says that Mikey forced him to go through with building the bomb. He apologizes to his wife, Joanne. Andy thanks everyone, including Owen, for saving his family and all of the people.

We see Andy say goodbye to his wife before he is taken to jail while Owen and O'Brien watch. O'Brien says that the worst part of all of this is that now Andy will have to watch his son grow up from behind bars where he'll be for 20 years. O'Brien looks so defeated. I'm sure he probably blames himself for getting Andy involved with the Honor Dogs in the first place. O'Brien worries that Jack will grow up without a father just like Andy did. The cycle continues. O'Brien feels like he fails but Owen tells him that he hasn't. Andy's alive and that's what matters at the moment. O'Brien thanks Owen for being a pain in his ass. I hope we get to see more of these two.

In the final scene of the episode, we see Owen arrive at TK and Carlos' place with Chinese food. TK is pleasantly surprised by his father's presence and invites him inside. Owen tells TK he's proud of him. TK thanks him and asks what brought all of this up. Owen says throughout all of their ups and downs, he is grateful that TK has never decided to blow up a government building. Owen mentions the wedding and tells them he has thoughts. We then see the three of them through a window right before everything fades to black.

Okay, my thoughts on the episode? I really, really enjoyed it. I love that we got the culmination to a plot introduced at the beginning of the season. My initial concern was that we would drag this storyline out for most of the season. It was fun watching Owen save the day with the 126's help, of course, but I look forward to episodes where Owen isn't the main focus. At this point, I think the fandom will revolt if we don't focus on Paul or Nancy or Mateo. It does look like next episode we will get to see more of Tommy and her blossoming romance with Trevor (D.B. Woodside). So, until next time ...

#911 lone star reaction #tv reaction #tv reaction 2023 #911 lone star reaction 2023 #911 lone star #fox 911 lone star #blw reactions #blw reactions 2023 #911 ls 4x06 #911 ls s4 #rob lowe #neal mcdonough #sierra mcclain #gina torres #brian michael smith #brennan keel cook #jim parrack

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rookie-critic · 1 year

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The Pale Blue Eye (2022, dir. Scott Cooper) - review by Rookie-Critic

The Pale Blue Eye sees Christian Bale giving a masterclass in acting in a movie that, otherwise, is just fine. I'm big fan of writer/director Scott Cooper, having seen and loved 2 of his earlier films, Out of the Furnace and Crazy Heart, but his last couple of films, while not bad, necessarily, have been disappointing. His last film, Antlers, felt content to idle its way through its story until it just, kind of, ends; never seeking to dive too deep into any of its very interesting characters enough to develop any true impact on the audience. The Pale Blue Eye also has this issue. A lot of the film isn't terribly interesting. That's not to say that the central mystery isn't interesting, because it very much is, which makes it all the more surprising that none of the investigation or surrounding story was very awe-inspiring or gripping. It had its moments of "oohs" and "aahs," but they were fleeting. I was concerned with how the story would resolve itself, but never too concerned to be more than passively invested. I will say the sets and production design of the film are top notch, and for a period piece (which I confess aren't necessarily always my cup of tea) I found the movie very visually engaging when the script and storytelling were lacking. The story also suffers from from a structuring problem. It feels terribly disjointed, and again, that meandering pace makes it feel like it drags in certain areas, but the biggest confusion comes in the form a very unexpected fourth act.

Our mystery gets solved at about the 90-minute mark. The whodunnit is resolved and we reach what anyone would conceivably call a final scene. Then the film decides that no, it's not over, but in fact still has 38 minutes left of its runtime. It's jarring at first; you really are stuck thinking "what could we possibly be using 38 more minutes for? Is this really necessary?" While I do think the movie's true finale feels a little out of place with the rest of the film, and the buildup to this moment is almost non-existent, I have to say that is also, by far, the best section of the entire film. The absolutely legendary performances given by both Christian Bale and Harry Melling (who is playing a very young, very green, and very Virginian Edgar Allan Poe) in this final sequence is genuinely more awe-inspiring than the entire rest of this movie and all of Antlers put together. Bale is in peak form, and every inch of his face is crawling with anger, remorse, regret, sorrow, and maybe even gratitude. Melling gives an incredible monologue and proves himself capable of keeping up with Bale, and the fact that Melling is taking up so much of the linguistic space of the scene makes Bale's performance even more impressive because he is somehow still the center of your attention, without even saying much for a lot of that final bit. There's one shot in particular (keeping it spoiler-free here) where the camera just lingers for close to 10 seconds on Bale's face as he looks forward past the camera, and his expression grows from complete disbelief slowly to sorrowful acceptance. I've had this issue with the last few movies I've seen of Bale's. He was practically the only good thing of note in Thor: Love and Thunder, and he was also the clear standout of Amsterdam, a movie that I would describe as "good, but not great." I love that he is the kind of actor that, no matter what he's in, he is going to crush it. I know I'm in safe hands with Bale even if the film itself is lacking, but I hope that soon he starts to fight in his own weight class again, because Christian Bale with a solid script is honestly something truly wondrous.

As it stands for this movie and its script, I'd say that The Pale Blue Eye is perfectly serviceable, but flawed, even without that final sequence. However, if the entire film had been as riveting as that fourth act, this may have been an easy 10, but I can't justifiably give it an amazing score like that based purely off of one sequence. Instead, I'll settle on a score of "could have been better" and patiently away Cooper's next film in hopes that it is as good as I know he is capable of.

Score: 7/10

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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milliondollarbaby87 · 1 year

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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) Review

In 1830, retired detective Augustus Landor is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet, his progress is stalled by the cadets’ code of silence and must try and get at least one of them to help unravel the case. That man being Cadet Edgar Allan Poe. ⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Untitled

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wornoutspines · 1 year

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The Pale Blue Eye (Movie Review) | Haunting and Beautiful Yet not much of a Mystery

#ThePaleBlueEye is a beautiful gothic thriller with a captivating performance by #HarryMelling but the mystery.... #Netflix #ChristianBale #GillianAnderson

One of the weird things about this movie is, that its director Scott Cooper, is one whose name I didn’t know but I’d heard of his movies. He’s adaptating here’s Louis Bayard‘s 2003 book of the same name. What drew me to this movie is the ensemble cast, namely Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lucy Boynton, Timothy Spall, Simon McBurney, Harry…

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moviesandmania · 2 years

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TAKE THE NIGHT (2022) Preview of kidnapping crime thriller [trailer]

‘Their crypto fortune is at stake’ Take the Night is a 2022 American crime thriller about a surprise birthday stunt that turns into a real-life kidnapping. Written, directed, co-produced by and starring Seth McTigue (shorts: Mans Best; Rem; Blueprint; Mom; Trekkie Loves Becky), making his feature directorial debut. Produced by Julien P. Bourgon, Mark Heidelberger, Todd McTigue and Franco…

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#2022 #Brennan Keel Cook #crime thriller #kidnapping #Roy Huang #Sam Song Li #Seth McTigue #Shomari Love #Take the Night #trailer

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ephyz-universe · 14 days

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Take the Night movie 2022

Family over Fortune; Their Crypto Fortune is at Stake When a resentful brother organizes a prank kidnapping, he unwittingly hires career criminals who have plans of their own.

Genre: Crime, Thriller elease Date: Jul 8, 2022 (United States) Stars: Seth McTigue, Ashwin Gore, Brennan Keel Cook Source: Take.the.Night.2022.1080p.WEBRip.DD5.1.x264-NOGRP Language: English Subtitle Language: English Take the Night movie 2022 MP4 Download Read the full article

#2022Movies #Hollywood

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deadlinecom · 2 years

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fantastica-daily · 2 years

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Take the Night Movie Review

Sibling rivalry is as old as Cain and Abel but it still provides fertile ground for storytellers and the most recent example is the twisty drama, Take the Night.

William Chang (Roy Huang) is a spoiled rich brat who is secretly furious that his younger brother Robert (Sam Song Li) has been chosen to succeed their late father in the high-stakes, financially-driven family business. So he decides to celebrate his sibling’s 25th birthday by having him abducted by a gang of goons… just to scare Robert and bring him down a peg. But William’s wicked trick goes awry when the criminals turn the tables and hold Robert for ransom.

Writer-director Seth McTigue takes on a role as one of the bad guys, Chad, who isn’t bad so much as desperate. He’s a war vet afflicted with PTSD and saddled with his own brotherly burden. Todd (Brennan Keel Cook) is immature and impulsive and, as fate would have it, it’s fallen to Chad to watch over him because their father has recently passed away.

At the heart of the drama is a desperate woman, Melissa (Grace Serrano), who works for the Changs but is friends with the other brothers and two members of their criminal enterprise. She is mourning the loss of her young son (who may or may not be dead… we find out only as the threads of the story come together in the end) and she has her own reasons for wanting to bring the Chang empire down.

Take the Night is a solid indie thriller that’s well-made and well-acted. It feels sort of like a gritty ’80s noir crime flick but it’s not as bloody or profane as movies from that era—whether it is limitations of budget or just a matter of taste, Take the Night reins back the violence and lets the drama take center stage. As such, it works well and keeps your attention throughout.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

#Take the Night Movie Review

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ramascreen · 2 years

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Official Trailer For TAKE THE NIGHT

Saban Films has released this official trailer for TAKE THE NIGHT In Theaters July 12, 2022 On Demand and Digital July 12, 2022 Starring: Seth McTigue, Roy Huang, Brennan Keel Cook, Sam Li, Shomari Love, Antonio Aaron, and Grace Serrano Directed By: Seth McTigue Written By: Seth McTigue An inventive, edgy crime thriller, TAKE THE NIGHT is a twisted tale of sibling rivalry and family secrets. An…

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#Take The Night

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scenesandscreens · 2 years

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Encounter (2021)

Director - Michael Pearce, Cinematography - Benjamin Kracun

"You think dad's gonna be ok? Jay?"

#scenesandscreens #encounter #michael pearce #Benjamin Kracun #riz ahmed #octavia spencer #rory cochrane #janina gavankar #lucian river chauhan #Aditya Geddada #misha collins #shane mcrae #Antonio Jaramillo #keith szarabajka #Brennan Keel Cook #Bill Dawes #Stefan S. Sims

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callmebrycelee · 1 year

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9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for the season 4, fifth episode "Human Resources" which originally aired February 21, 2023. This episode was written by Molly Green and James Leffler and directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá. Spoilers ahead!

***LAST TIME ON 9-1-1: LONE STAR***Carlos finds held captive by a serial killer and his mother. TK and Gabriel join forces and investigate his sudden disappearance. Carlos almost dies after he is injected with a lethal dose of morphine. TK revives him and the serial killer and his mother are taken away by the cops. Meanwhile, Owen meets up with Sgt. O'Brien and he learns he is indeed one of the good guys. The two of them are kicked out of the Honor Dogs and the FBI no longer has use for either of them. We end the episode with a hooded figure, presumably Andy, building a bomb using the stolen ammonium nitrate.

Now that we're all caught up, let's discuss episode five - HUMAN RESOURCES.

We begin the episode at a remote location where we see several department store mannequins positioned around a parked yellow school bus. Our hooded, bomb-building, wannabe terrorist from last episode uses a detonator to blow up the bus while Mozart's "Lacrimosa" plays ominously. A hiker (Nick Hope) happens upon the scene and is immediately shot dead.

Title card!

We next head over to the 126 where we see Owen trying to convince a man named Mitch (Jamison Webb) to purchase his motorcycle. Mateo pipes up and tells Mitch that motorcycles are called donor cycles due to the high mortality rate of their owners. This dissuades Mitch from making the purchase and he walks away much to Owen's disappointment. Marjan asks him why he's selling the bike considering he's only had it for three weeks. Owen tells her that he's ready for a new challenge. Hopefully his next challenge doesn't involve a white supremacist group or terrorism.

Owen says he has another potential buyer stopping by and tells Mateo to keep his mouth shut. A young woman walks up and comments on his fine-looking machine. Owen tells her that she would look smoking hot on his bobber. The woman (Amanda Payton) introduces herself as Asha Fulton - the department advocate from the Professional Standards Division of the Austin Fire Department Internal Affairs. Also known as Human Resources. HR. Yikes! It's not a good look sexually harassing the person who is coming to investigate a recent complaint lodged against the 126, Owen! Asha tells Owen she wants to speak with him privately.

At the 9-1-1 dispatch, Grace receives a call from a little boy named Linus (Mason Bloomberg) who is struggling to get through his homework. In an absolutely adorable scene, Grace teaches him a mnemonic device to help him remember his multiplication tables. We get to hear Grace sing and I must say she has a lovely voice which is not entirely surprising since Sierra McClain comes from a family of singers. Linus thanks Grace for her help and the call comes to an end.

Meanwhile, Asha sits down with Captain Strand and asks him about the culture at the 126. Owen tells her that he maintains a professional, diverse, and inclusive environment and challenges her to take a look forself. Asha then brings up the 126's reputation for having a 'cowboy culture'. Owen thinks she's referring to Pearce Risher (Andy Favreau) - former paramedic at the 126. What follows is a hilarious montage featuring each of the 126 firefighters and paramedics being questioned by Asha. The scene is very reminiscent of the police interrogation scene in the 9-1-1 episode "Ocean's 9-1-1". Tommy refers to Pearce as a "disgruntled prima donna whose departure was mutual". Owen calls Pearce a 'coward' and Judd refers to him as a 'jerk'. Asha asks if name-calling is part of the culture at the 126 and Nancy asks if she's referring to 'lard-ass' which is a reference to the episode "Impulse Control" (season 3, episode 14) where a character named Al (Larry Joe Campbell) got stuck in a drive-thru window and the 126 used pig fat (lard) to pull him out.

During the line of questioning, Asha asks Paul if they know each other and Paul says he doesn't believe so. Asha asks Owen if there are any other instances where an insult or slur was directed at someone in the field. Mateo mentions a call where Owen called someone a "woman-beater cuck". This is a reference to the episode "Spring Cleaning" (season 3, episode 17) where a woman and her kids were accosted by her abusive ex-husband. There's a pretty funny moment where Nancy attempts to explain what a cuck is and then Tommy comes behind her and says that Owen only called the man that because he was trying to goad him into punching him so the cops would have an excuse to arrest him. Poor Asha! She must be so overwhelmed by hearing all of this information! TK then says that Owen would never do anything that stupid again.

When Asha asks if there is anything else she should know about, Marjan talks about how Owen has rebuilt the 126 twice and how he brings out the best in all of his firefighters and therefore if he has done something wrong, his intentions were good. Asha then drops the bomb that the inquiry is not about Captain Strand - it's about Marjan. Marjan, like myself, is confused as to why a complaint was filed against her. We are then reminded of the events of this season's second episode "The New Hot Mess" where in the opening scene, the 126 responds to an emergency involving a woman's mobile home being hijacked by her ex-husband. Marjan recounts the steps she took to rescue the woman. She talks about how she repelled out of a helicopter, crashed through the woman's ceiling and pulled her out. Asha reminds Marjan that while attempting to get the woman out of the trailer, she called her a "crazy lady. Asha asks Marjan why she felt the need to use language like that and Marjan says that she was trying to get her to move along so she could get her out of the trailer. Asha says the woman felt unsafe during the rescue. Marjan scoffs at this information and Asha reminds her that the term 'crazy' is a slur and that as a first responder she should be invested in the emotional well-being of the public just as much as the physical well-being. Asha tells Marjan that jeopardizing emotional and/or physical well-being is a serious offense. Marjan asks if she's in trouble but we don't get an answer right away.

Back at the 9-1-1 dispatch, Grace gets another call from Linus who is attempting to make macaroni and cheese but burns it. He is worried about getting in trouble because the casserole dish he is cooking in belonged to his great-grandmother. Grace asks if anything is on fire and Linus tells her that everything's okay aside from the burnt macaroni and cheese. Grace is relieved and tells him that he shouldn't be cooking by himself. Grace asks Linus if he has school today and he tells her that his mom stayed home because she has another headache. Linus's mother, Janet (Hayley Chase) comes into the kitchen and chastises him for calling 9-1-1 for a non-emergency. While speaking to him, her words are noticeably slurred and Grace picks up on this. Janet takes the phone from her son and apologizes to Grace on his behalf. Grace assures her that everything is okay. At the end of the call, Grace seems bothered by the interaction.

We head back over to the 126 and see the crew debrief after Asha's questioning. They all hope that Owen is not in trouble but Marjan tells them that she's the one who is in trouble. Marjan tells them about her calling the woman they rescued 'crazy' and the funniest part of this scene is that Nancy responds by saying 'that's crazy'. Judd asks Marjan what her punishment is. Marjan tells him that she won't know anything until the Internal Resources board has had a chance to review all of the facts. She tells them all that her punishment could be a slap on the wrist or something worse. Marjan starts to spiral a bit by saying that she had no right to call the woman 'crazy' since she is not a mental health expert. She's justifiably upset because she's worried that everything she worked for is about to be flushed down the toilet. Owen hears her going off and tells her he wants to have a word with her.

Owen tells Marjan she needs to be very careful about what she says because he doesn't want her to end up in even more trouble. It's weird hearing Owen say this considering most of the controversy surrounding the 126 is a result of something he has said or done. Owen tells her that he's been where she's been and has ended up in the crosshairs of HR before. Marjan points out that she called someone a mean name and Owen punched out the deputy fire chief - Billy (Billy Burke). Right on, Marjan! Owen tells Marjan there is good news and that good news is that they want to meet with her and him at headquarters to discuss the matter. Marjan wants to know how this is good news and Owen tells at least this means they're not going to drag the process out. Owen tells her that he has her back. When the alarm goes off, Owen tells Marjan to stay put at the firehouse. Marjan is angered by this but Owen tells her that he doesn't want anyone in the field whose head isn't completely in the game - which is understandable. I see where Owen is coming from but I also see Marjan's side as well. Before he hops on the firetruck, Owen tells her to be in her dress uniform at five o'clock. As the truck leaves, we see the guy from the beginning of the episode standing outside of the firehouse.

After the commercial break, the guy heads into the firehouse and asks Marjan if Captain Strand is around. She tells him that Owen is on a call and asks if there's anything she can help him with. He asks if she's Firefox and he tells her he's a big fan. He tells her that he started following her on Instagram shortly after the attack on the capital the previous year. He asks if the 126 was there and she says yes. He then comments that the 126 always seem to be involved in the big emergencies. He then tells her he's a veteran of the Army and that he wants to submit an application to the 126. Marjan tells him they don't have applications but she can get him an interest card. While she leaves to go get it, the guy takes one of the radios. Marjan hands him the information and he thanks her before leaving.

Back at the 9-1-1 dispatch, Grace goes to talk to her boss, Sara Ortiz (Michelle C. Bonilla). Grace tells her that Linus McKinley called back again. She tells Sara that Linus was not at school and that his mother was asleep in the other room while he was attempting to cook macaroni and cheese. Sara asks Grace what she's thinking. Grace plays the 9-1-1 call and points out that Linus's mother was slurring her words. Grace then tells Sara that she pulled Janet's file and saw that she had a DWI six years ago. Sara asks Grace what she thinks they should do. Grace suggests doing a wellness check but Sara points out that doing so could result in child services being called in which could then lead to a myriad of other trouble for Linus and his mother.

Marjan and Owen meet with Asha, Lila Geralds (Ashley Rae Spillers), and Lila's ex-husband, Mitch (Jamison Webb). Lila announces that she and Mitch have decided to reconcile and they are not interested in destroying Marjan's life. Owen is here to ask the important questions. He asks how Mitch is not in jail considering he kidnapped Lila and put the 126 and the general public in danger when he decided to drive their mobile home down a highway. Mitch says that he was given a fine. Marjan takes a moment to provide a heartfelt apology to the Geralds however they want her to make a public apology via her Instagram while also tagging their GoFundMe. Owen objects to this but Marjan tells them that she has zero issue with posting the apology on her Instagram. However, she does take issue with asking her followers (her 5 million followers) for money. The Geralds tell her that's okay but if she refuses to follow through with their demands, they have no problem continuing the legal process. I hate them!!!

Marjan looks at the video the Geralds have made for their GoFundMe and tells Paul, Mateo, and Nancy she feels conflicted. Paul and Mateo think she should just make the video and tag the GoFundMe but Nancy thinks she should take a stand. Paul and Mateo point out that Marjan was the one who drove to Owen during the snowpocalypse last year to shame him into signing the apology letter and how her situation is the same. Marjan points out that it's not the same because she's actually apologetic whereas Owen wasn't. Paul reminds her that the 126 needs her but Marjan tells him that her followers need her even more. She tells him that so many of her followers are young and they look up to her and they respect her for being exactly who she is. She's worried about compromising her integrity.

We head over to the Ryders' residence and see Grace, Judd, and Baby Charlie who is just so adorable. While Judd relays the story of how Marjan got in trouble, Grace seems distracted. Judd gets her to open up about what's bugging her. She tells him about the two calls she received from Linus and how his mother was slurring her words on the call. Grace wants to check in on him but is worried about child services getting involved. Like Marjan, Grace is trying to figure out if she should follow her intuition or follow protocol. Judd being the good husband he is, suggests that she follow her intuition. He tells her to go check on the son and if everything's okay, then it's no harm, no foul.

Grace drives over to the McKinleys' house with Judd and Baby Charlie in tow and Linus answers the door. They hear Janet collapse in the other room and Grace goes to check on her. She finds Linus' mom unconscious on the floor so she calls the 9-1-1 and then calls Tommy. Tommy asks her to check to see if Janet's pupils are responsive. Grace turns on the flashlight on her phone and checks to see if Janet's pupils react to the light. The right eye is responsive but the left one is not, which is a sign of a stroke. Judd takes Janet to the car and the five of them, including Linus, drive to the nearest hospital. I have to say, it was interesting seeing Grace, who is usually cool as a cucumber during an emergency, panic. She even snaps at Tommy which is very out of character for our favorite Lone Star dispatcher.

At the hospital, we find out that Janet is going to be okay. They were able to remove a blood clot and restore blood flow before any permanent damage was done. The doctor tells Grace that she and Judd were able to get Janet there in the nick of time. If they had showed up 20 minutes later, it would have been a completely different story. Grace is relieved and she apologizes to Tommy for losing her cool. Tommy is such a good friend in this scene. She doesn't hold it against Grace because Grace is human and she was in a situation she typically would never be in.

We next see the creepy guy from earlier being given a tour of a renovated apartment. The building's owner (Aaron Coleman) asks him if he's married. The guy responds by saying he is married and has a son who is 6 years old. Putting two and two together, this has to be Sgt. O'Brien's nephew, Andy, who went missing after he joined up with the Honor Dogs. Andy (Brennan Keel Cook) tells the owner he's not interested in purchasing the space after all but he does manage to open one of the windows before he leaves. The 126 respond to a fire at the same apartment building where we last saw Andy. Marjan and Paul enter the building via the top floor and they find a man who is refusing to exit the building. His actions are very similar to Lila Gerald's which makes Marjan second-guess herself and her actions. Paul ends up knocking the guy out so they can carry out of the building. Hopefully he doesn't end up in HR! By the way, it should be noted that while the 126 was responding to the fire at the apartment building, Andy was watching the whole thing unfold from the safety of his car.

Speaking of Paul, he goes to see Asha to talk to her about Marjan. He tells her that Marjan is his best friend and that he is there to file a complaint. He tells her that what the department is demanding of Marjan is not an apology. It's extortion. He tells Asha that the Geralds are simply trying to make money off of Marjan's name. He says that Marjan is one of the best firefighters he has ever known. He begs her to do the right thing. Asha tells him that she's going to leave her tablet "unattended" while she leaves the room. Paul reads the confidential email Asha drafted in defense of Marjan. Asha tells him that five minutes after she hit send, the AFD called her to tell her they are not interested in a lawsuit from Lila and Mitch Gerald. So, either Marjan gives in to the Geralds' demands or else she will have to face dire consequences. Paul thanks Asha for going to bat for his dear friend.

Asha finally remembers where she knows Paul from. They were in the same sixth grade class. Back then, Paul knew her by her first name - Jasmine. When she moved to Texas she started going by her middle name, Asha. She said she had an identity thing which Paul says he can relate to. He asks her how she remembered him and she tells him she never forgets a smile. Asha tells him that he hasn't changed a bit and my, oh my can I feel the chemistry forming between these two! Hopefully we get to see Asha in the near future because my boy Paul needs some lovin'!

Marjan films her apology video for Instagram but rather than tag the Geralds' GoFundMe page, she calls them greedy opportunists. She goes on to say that she cannot work for a place that forces her to compromise her integrity. Her final statement in the video is that she is resigning from the Austin Fire Department. Marjan shows the video to Owen and he tells her that she shouldn't post it. She tells him it's too late. Owen tells her that he's mad at her but more than anything he's so proud of her.

In the final scene of the episode, we see that Marjan has purchased Owen's bike. He hands over the keys and we watch as the rest of the 126 says goodbye. Paul looks especially saddened to see her leave. Marjan tells TK that no matter what, she will be back for his and Carlos' wedding. Seeing Marjan hug Nancy was especially touching because it made me realize just how close these have gotten over the last few seasons. Paul tells Marjan that he loves her and she tells him that she loves him, too. Marjan puts on her helmet, gets on the bike, and drives off into the proverbial sunset.

This episode was a nice palate cleanser to all of the terrorism, kidnapping, and serial killer drama we got in the first four episodes. As much as I love Owen and TK and Carlos, it was nice to see them take a step back so we can focus on Marjan and Grace. I love the message of this episode. Sometimes in life we have to go with our gut, even if it means putting our reputation and livelihood on the line. Even though Marjan had to quit the fire department to follow her intuition, it was nice to see her family support her decision.

I don't know how long Marjan will be gone but I suspect she'll be back sooner rather than later. I hope they don't try to replace her like they did Chimney on the OG series. It would be nice if we got to see the others learn how to cope in her absence. Something tells me that Marjan will come back just in time for the culmination of the plot involving Andy and all of the ammonium nitrate he stole. Hopefully Marjan doesn't blame herself when she realizes that she invited him into the firehouse. I'm so anxious to see what happens next. The first third of the season has been wonderful. I hope the next two thirds will be just as great! Until next time ...

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