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Reviews
Winner (2024)
Well-Directed with a Great Lead, But An Unpolished Script
Winner (2024) has an interesting base concept, really good technical direction, and the lead actress is fantastic. The problems come from the little details of the plot, with some things happening ridiculously quickly, others way too slowly, and almost every other character outside of Chloe being such an extreme exaggeration.
Alex (Emille Lacsa) has absolutely no nuance; whatever the worst thing the character can say is, that's what he says. The same goes for the mother (Corinne Kelly) who seems just as emotionally abusive towards Chloe as Alex. The movie so exaggerates the two's negative qualities that eventually they become caricatures instead of real characters.
The main plot is pretty melodramatic. There's not only blackmail, but also a snake venom threat, which is straight out of an old pulp mystery novel. I really liked the overall concept, but not every piece of the puzzle fits together. It's mostly little things - like the pacing and the way no one seems to think the blackmailer's methods are strange - but there's enough of them that the movie just feels jumbled.
Having said all of that, Koko Marshall is electric to watch as Chloe. She's the most naturalistic of the entire cast and even when she has bizarre dialogue, it comes out sounding believable. The technical production was also great; editing, sound, lighting, camera angles, all of it felt polished. The whole movie takes place mostly in one small room, so it could have quickly become visually stale if the production team hadn't known what they were doing, but they definitely did.
Basically, it's a well-directed movie with a very talented lead, but the script is not as developed as I'd have liked.
Walker: The Quiet (2024)
A Cozy Start With Hints of A Lot of Tension To Come
Season 4 of Walker launches five months after the season 3 finale with a steamy moment between Jared Padalecki's titular Cordell Walker and his now-official girlfriend, Geri (Odette Annable). It's a light-hearted opening that sets the tone for the rest of the episode, with family and friends getting ready to celebrate Walker's birthday.
But the birthday plan goes awry when Cassie Perez (Ashley Reyes) suddenly returns from the FBI. She's debating on returning to the Rangers, but first she needs help on a case. She needs help bringing down fentanyl-running Frank Delmonico (Colton Tapp) and his brother, Enzo (Santo Andrew Panzarella).
The operation to catch the Delmonico brothers provides the conflict and action scenes Walker needs to stay entertainingly tense. But the side plot still matches the humorous tone of the rest of the episode, with the actual arrest operation interrupting Walker's attempts to finish an 80-oz. Steak as part of his birthday celebration. Frank and Enzo are charming during their limited screentime, sharing wry looks and banter with Cassie. And then they turn on each other after Cassie reveals that Frank has been sleeping with Enzo's girlfriend.
Despite this light-hearted part of the show, though, there's still some darkness to this episode. Walker and Trey (Jeff Pierre) discover that The Jackal may be back, and they want to finally close the case without James (Coby Bell) finding out. And Walker's daughter, Stella (Violet Brinson), is struggling with the trauma of the break-in and shooting in which she was involved at the end of last season.
It's a promising start to season 4, and long-time fans of the show will likely enjoy the soft start before things potentially get serious for the Walker family again.
Target List (2023)
More Comedy Than Action
Target List may not be a big budget Hollywood movie, but it does feel like everyone involved was giving it their all, from the actors to the director and everyone behind the camera. It looked good from scene to scene and about as well-shot and edited as a movie from a larger studio might be. The chemistry between the two leads, Rachel Alig and Justin Ray, is very charming. They have a kind of bumbling, comedic energy of two people way too deep in a situation they don't know anything about. It actually reminded me a little of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I just wish that had been the vibe from the get-go.
It's marketed as a crime/action movie but there really isn't a lot of action. The beginning really sets it up as a more serious action kind of movie, but there are a few gunshots here and there, a couple of pretty short chases, and that's about it. And not all of the dramatic plot points hold water under scrutiny. Then, once Donna (Alig) and Clyde (Ray) get together on the run, it clearly goes for laughs rather than tension or even logic.
All in all, I wish that either the comedy had hit harder throughout the whole movie, or that the action elements had been bigger. Even so, it wasn't a bad time! It's not exactly high-octane action, and some of the logic falls flat, but for all that, it is still fun to watch the characters run around and get out of wild situations by a wing and a prayer. So, for a pretty fun time, go for Target List.