FILM REVIEWS:
BLIND LOVE (Taiwan 2025) ***
Directed by Julian Chou
Married Shu-yi (Ariel Lin) appears to lead an enviable life. Her husband is a rising star on his way to becoming president of a hospital, her younger son is an inquisitive child just beginning to explore the world, and her teenage son Han (Jim Liu, Disney’s American Born Chinese) is a gifted Go player, though one quietly rebelling against the pressure to follow his father’s footsteps. Behind this outwardly perfect image, Shu-yi silently holds the family together, her unhappiness carefully buried beneath the life she was told to desire. This is family drama in the making, and it all starts to play out in what can be considered to be a predictable first half hour,
To make things worse, everything shifts when Shu-yi unexpectedly reconnects with Xue-jin (Ke-xi Wu), an enigmatic photographer and ophthalmologist with whom she shares a long-suppressed history. Their reunion forces Shu-yi to confront long-buried memories, longing, and desires, threatening to unravel everything she has built. Yes, lesbian memories. Meanwhile, Han crosses paths with the same charismatic woman, finding in her a new energy and passion that awakens desires of his own, drawing both mother and son into a collision course neither could have anticipated. This, of course, calls for more family drama.
Taiwan is the first Asian country to allow same sex marriage. This is observed in one of the film’s scenes when a crowd of LGBTQ+ members celebrates Pride, surrounding their car. The husband remarks: “We already gave them same sex marriage, what else do they want?”
The film contains a few twists in the story, though one can predict how the film will unfold. This is one of the main flaws of the otherwise long and winding two and a half hour drama. From the way the emotions unfold, and the plot points revealed, it becomes clear that the resolution of the love relationships is not the issue, and would be left hanging, or how it ends up not mattering. The story focuses on the life choices that are taken and how to cope with regret, as changes in past life decisions are difficult to make.
Performances are all right, with Ariel Lin and Jim Liu as the stars and the son carrying the performances of the film. There are certain more interesting aspects of the story, mainly non-gay, like the relationship between the father and son. The father is depicted as a bigoted ladder climber, making him an easy target for the story. Otherwise, BLIND LOVE is an okay watch, with no overacting but still a bit of melodrama.
BLIND LOVE is a part of Film Movement+ Pride Month offering, premiering on the streaming service on June 19th 2026.
Trailer:
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD (USA 2026)**
Directed by Michael Sarnoski
Many years after his legendary exploits, Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) is no longer the youthful hero of folklore. He is an ageing, battle-scarred outlaw haunted by a lifetime of violence, theft, and killing. Jackman is hardly recognizable with his dishevelled beard and hair. The film presents a much darker version of the character than most previous adaptations. The darkness also transcends to the screen. The lighting is often poor, and one can hardly tell what is going on in many scenes.
The story begins after what Robin (Hugh Jackman) believes will be his final battle. The fight leaves him gravely wounded and near death. Alone and physically broken, he is taken in by a mysterious woman (Jodie Comer) who nurses him back from the brink of death.
Also dishevelled Little John (Bill Skarsgard, also hardly recognizable), whom the film claims Mohave then the identity of someone (Edward) he had killed, who is a good friend of Robin’s.
I am not one to champion changes in classic stories or even in the classic comics like the BATMAN movies. In the latter BATMAN films, Batman gets married, or his identity is known to many others, going against the DC comic universe. I cringe at the fact. So THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD IS a new Robin Hood movie stressing that the Robin Hood myth is a big lie and Robin is no hero but a brutal killer and villain. Unless you like your film dark and violent with a slow-moving, reflective, and character-driven plot that is focused on guilt, mortality, and redemption.
So, Robin and the film have only one way to go. What will Robin do now? Seek redemption or just live with his sordid past? Robin striving and getting his redemption at the very end is the only way this film can go.
Not that anyone cares in this really slow burn an, unwatchable film, one wonders what the filmmakers are thinking. Another film, THE BRIDE! that turned into a flop, is another such film that filmmakers make that nobody wants to pay to see.
Trailer:
HUSBANDS IN ACTION (South Korea 2026) ***½
Directed by Park Gyu-tae
One can usually tell from the first 10 minutes of a film’s opening how the film will play out. The beginning of the film shows a cool crook and drug king making tons of money using the latest techniques of the internet, not like the old days. Then, the film cuts to a cool cop, in contrast, making an arrest and getting applause from the bystanders. Then, out of the resin comes the old dough Lord who wants to reclaim his territory. He arranges to meet the new cool crook, only to be made fun of. It is an exciting beginning, but not really the premise of the film. The film is about HUSBANDS IN ACTION, the two husbands, current and previous, who have to work together to do a rescue mission reluctantly. Though the premise of unlikely partners is not uncommon in action-packed comedies, this Korean vacation is still fresh, with Korean-style humour, hilarity and solid action sequences.
HUSBANDS IN ACTIO is a buddy action-comedy in which two rival husbands become unlikely partners on a high-stakes rescue mission.
Rather than focusing on a married couple, the title highlights the odd-couple pairing of these two men: Choong-sik is a seasoned narcotics detective and the woman's former husband, and Min-seok, who is her current husband, a veterinarian with no action-hero experience.
When Choong-sik's ex-wife Si-nae and her daughter are kidnapped by a criminal organization, the two men must reluctantly work together to save them.
The title works on several levels:
"Husbands" emphasizes that the central relationship is not between hero and villain, but between two men who have both been married to the same woman. "In Action" signals that this is an action-comedy rather than a domestic comedy. Their emotional rivalry is played out in the solid action set-pieces amid car chases, fights, cliff-climbing, and rescue sequences across multiple locations.
HUSBANDS IN ACTION opens for streaming on Netflix on Friday, June 19th.
Trailer:
LITTLE BROTHER (USA 2026)
(to be posted next week)
Trailer:
MADDIE’S SECRET (USA 2025) ***
Directed by John Early
The premise behind the new gourmet comedy MADDIE’S SECRET is the secret itself, which is not explained till half way through the film. MADDIE’S SECRET is that she has been living with bulimia, an eating disorder marked by cycles of binge eating followed by purging. She has concealed the illness from almost everyone around her, including her husband Jake, while presenting an image of cheerful success, till her best friend presses Maddie to tell her what is going on.
The film is written, directed, and starring John Early as Maddie. Early performs the role totally in drag, which is noticeable as he still maintains his male features. This does not pose a problem but makes more of a fun feature, especially seeing someone in drag act out all the typical female roles.
In Maddie’s Secret, essential alt-comedian cum director John Early plays the titular Maddie Ralph, a major foodie who works as a dishwasher at a trendy Los Angeles food content creation company. While her life seems picturesque — perfect hubby (Eric Rahill), wild lesbian bestie (Kate Berlant), and a cupboard full of women-owned, ethically-sourced chilli crisp to boot — she simultaneously conceals a dark past with a severe eating disorder. Knowing her history of self-harm conflicts with the perfect image she puts forth to her followers, she continues to hide her bulimic tendencies from friends and family, even when she begins to relapse. With stunning satire and a pitch-perfect read of the cultural room, Early’s debut is the announcement of a lively and inventive directorial voice.
The film’s best segment is the dance aerobics, where Maddie, while not feeling too well, goes through all the choreographed moves, demonstrating poise, effort, and pain. Early has Maddie show off a superb performance of acting in motion.
Director Early pushes the limits of the film a few times. He pushes the limits of credibility so that Maddie’s husband, Jake, could believe that Maddie was pregnant all along without much question. And Jake is also shown not as the typical hunk husband, but a slightly overweight and hairy husband, often sweaty after a workout, and wanting to hug his wife. It is good here that things go against the stereotype, that someone as husky as Jake could also be the perfect loving husband, and not too perfect for the story. Director Early also adds an escape from the medical institution, housing Maddie for a few thrills to divert the story from being monotonous. All these things are done for the sake of entertainment and for good fun. For a film that covers a lot of serious material like bulimia, climbing up the corporate ladder, mother/daughter estranged relationship, and best friends relationship, the film manages to be light and entertaining. The cast composition of more LGBTQ+ than straight people also adds a queer and exciting element to the mix.
MADDIE’S SECRET had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 4, 2025. In October 2025, Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film, which opens on June 19, 2026, at the TIFF Lightbox, just in time for Pride in Toronto.
Trailer:
OPERATION HADAL (China 2026) ***
Directed by Dante Lam
Operation Hadal or Operation Leviathan is a 2025 action war film. It is the follow-up to the 2018 film Operation Red Sea. Differing from the previous film's above-water action set-pieces, this film is about a nuclear submarine and features mainly underwater action.
In the near future, the Chinese Navy intercepts critical intelligence—an advanced super-submarine is secretly plotting a top-secret military operation against cities along China's southeastern coast. In response, China deploys its latest submarine, Longjing, to coordinate with the elite Jiaolong Squad in a high-stakes mission. The battlefield beneath the ocean is fraught with danger as the squad faces relentless traps, and the submarine engages in a series of intense confrontations with the enemy. As they manoeuvre through ambushes, they venture deep into the vast abyss filled with undersea volcanoes.
The bottom line of the story! Though set in a fictitious futuristic world, the story contains frightening parallels with what is occurring in the world today. In the film, it is the white caucasians agains the Chinese, who speak Mandarin. So, it is likely that China is under attack by the U.S. for world dominance. It is a scary game that puts entire countries at risk, in this case, the Chinese mainland, all for the sake of who can become number one, like kids playing King of the Castle. In this film, it is good to see the Chinese as the good guys and the Americans (not named Americans, but obviously so, from the accents) as the bad guys. Right now, the U.S. is claiming dominance over several countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Canada and Greenland. The oddest thing is that Americans do not realise what their President is doing, and that is making them the most hated country in the world, for their arrogance and dominance. One thing that is also for sure is that OPERATION HADAL, which costs about $150 million, puts a lot of Hollywood action blockbusters to shame.
Director Lam’s action set-pieces are very technical and involve both fighting above ground in enclosed spaces or underwater, often involving pyrotechnics, and hand-to-hand combat. The landing of troops on the oil platforms in the beginning action sequence is indeed impressive. But despite the action, the film suffers from weak character development and a weak plot and narrative.
The human Jailing team includes Meng Chuang, who leads the commandos. He is experienced but emotionally burdened by previous combat losses. Han Xiao is a younger commando eager to prove himself. At the same time, Zhao Qihang commands the submarine Longjing and becomes the calm strategic centre of the story. Nothing too impressive, as many military action films like this one spend time establishing camaraderie among the soldiers before placing them into increasingly impossible situations.
“Hadal” refers to the hadal zone — the deepest region of the ocean, usually depths below about 6,000 metres (20,000 feet), including ocean trenches such as the Mariana Trench.
The word comes from “Hades,” the Greek underworld, and in oceanography, the hadal zone is considered an extreme, dark, high-pressure environment.
On the international festival circuit, OPERATION HADAL won a special jury award, the Golden Deer, at the Changchun Film Festival, Xuan Huang won the Golden Lotus Award as Best Actor at the Macau International Movie Festival (where the film was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director & Best Cinematography), and the film took home the Golden Angel Award for Outstanding Film as the Chinese American Film Festival (C.A.F.F.).
OPERATION HADAL debuts on Digital June 16 from Well Go USA Entertainment. It is the third entry (alongside Operation Mekong & Operation Red Sea) in award-winning filmmaker Dante Lam’s epic war series. OPERATION HADAL will also land on Blu-ray™ and DVD exclusively through Amazon® on September 29.
Trailer:
SHOOT THE PEOPLE (USA 2025) ***½
Directed by Andy Mundy-Castle
SHOOT THE PEOPLE is a doc that follows a traveller documenting global activists fighting for equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. The doc gains insights into their challenges and strategies for change through interviews and frontline photography.
SHOOT THE PEOPLE celebrates this traveller, Misan Harriman.
“When I take a picture, and I put it on the internet, and I see millions of people deeply moved by it, that to me is something I am very proud.”m These are the words of British photographer celebrity Harriman.
Misan Harriman (born 15 December 1977) is a Nigerian-born British photographer, entrepreneur and social activist. As well as being one of the most widely shared photographers of the Black Lives Matter movement, Harriman is the first Black man to shoot a cover for British Vogue in the magazine's 104-year history. In July 2021, Harriman commenced his appointment as Chair of the board of trustees for Southbank Centre, London. In October 2025, he was named as one of the UK's most influential black people in the 2026 Powerlist.
A struggle without documentation is no struggle at all. These are very powerful and truthful words uttered by a photographer when protestors told him initially to film them. They then changed their minds after his words.
The film focuses on Harriman's efforts to capture major social justice movements through photography, especially the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd was killed by police officers, and pro-Palestinian activism. Through his travels, he meets grassroots organisers, civil rights advocates, and ordinary people fighting for equality and political change.
Rather than being a traditional biography, though the film sneaks Harriman’s life in it, the documentary uses Harriman's photographs as a way to explore broader themes of protest and resistance, civil rights and racial justice, digital activism and social media and the important role of photography in shaping public opinion.
The film also highlights the year 2023, when Harriman made his directorial debut with THE AFTER, a short film about a man who lost his family in a stabbing spree, starring David Oyelowo. The film, produced by Nicky Bentham for Netflix, was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. THE AFTER did not win, which is a shame, after the director spends a lot of time with Harriman and his wife preparing for the Oscar ceremony. No one cares about the Academy Awards, says Harriman, not the trees nor my dog. As director Mundy-Castle sneaks Harriman’s life into the doc, the audience sees Harriman and his dog, a beautiful male Rhodesian Ridgeback, running in the woods.
The film’s definitely anti-Trump, with President Trump shown at the beginning of the doc, preaching away.
SHOOT THE PEOPLE is about people, their right to protest and how the protests, whether calm or violent, become a change that will improve society. This is the doc’s message, which comes through in flying colours. SHOOT THE PEOPLE is also a tribute to a photographer who uses his wealth to spread kindness instead of separation and wickedness.
Watermelon Pictures is releasing BAFTA-winner Andy-Mundy Castle’s SHOOT THE PEOPLE on June 19 in Toronto at TIFF Lightbox.
Trailer:
TOY STORY 5 (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Andrew Stanton
The first and arguably best TOY STORY (TOY STORY 3 was exceptionally good, too) was made 30 years ago, and nostalgia reigns. The first TOY STORY was directed byJohn Lasseter, and TOY STORY 5 is the latest in the franchise, with his name missing. Also noticeably missing is the first toy owner, Andy (John Morris), who is dearly missed but has now grown up and gone to college, as seen in the sequels. In number 5, the audience is left with Bonnie instead of Andy, just as films are now more female in the playing field. The toy hero is now Jessie, a cowgirl with Woody and Lightfoot reduced to supporting roles.
The budget for TOY STORY 5 is a whopping $250 million, but at least the production \shows. It is bigger with more spectacle and grandeur. But often, it is the little things that provide the wonder for a Disney or Pixar film, and these little things are noticeably missing in this sequel. This is not today that TOY STORY 5 is all bad, but the element of wonder must always be present in a movie.
The story’s also updated to current times.
The film begins with a cargo ship filled with a unit of high-tech edition Buzz Lightyear toys that crash-lands on a deserted island. Stuck in demo mode, the shipwrecked Buzzes escape the island and follow the North Star to return to "Star Command”. The film’s a STAR WARS/Marvel Superhero feel.
A now eight-year-old Bonnie receives a frog-themed tablet named Lilypad "Lily" from her parents in hopes of helping her socialize with children of her age. Bonnie soon becomes addicted to Lily and begins to neglect her toys. Jessie, having been appointed as the new sheriff of Bonnie's room since Woody's departure,[b] explains to Lily about Bonnie's need for a real friend, which Lily attempts to solve by sending a friend request to Chelsea, one of Bonnie's classmates, on social media.
Social media and the new iPad replace the traditional toy here. But the toys have to prove themselves; even the string-wound Jessie looks dated in the film.
TOY STORY 5 delivers, but it is a strained delivery, and one can see that the filmmakers are straining to put new ideas into the story. But TOY STORY 5 has its following, me included, and should make more than a tidy profit at the box office.
Trailer:
VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE (USA 2026) **
Directed by Leah McKendrick
Voicemails for Isabelle is a 2026 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Leah McKendrick. It stars Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Harry Shum Jr., Lukas Gage, and Nick Offerman.
From the film’s opening sequence, where screaming girls are followed by a girlband boy fight in which the female clobbers the male, the opening credits show the majority of the cast and crew, and females. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but for this thing, the female slant becomes too obvious and a bit too much.
The premise of this romantic comedy, a genre this reviewer likes the least, concerns Jill (Zoey Deutch), who is a talented young pastry chef living in San Francisco. She is devastated by the death of her younger sister, Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), who died after living with cystic fibrosis.
Unable to let go, Jill continues calling Isabelle's old cellphone and leaving long, deeply personal voicemail messages. Hence the film’s title. Speaking into the phone becomes her form of therapy; she tells Isabelle everything she cannot say to anyone else—her fears, disappointments, romantic disasters, memories of childhood, and guilt over surviving when Isabelle did not. So how does the romance come in?
The accidental listener, of course unknown to Jill and to be obviously her love interest, Isabelle's old phone number has been reassigned, and the new owner is Wes (Nick Robinson), a real estate agent from Austin. At first, he thinks the messages are simply wrong numbers, but instead of deleting them, he listens. The increasingly intimate voicemails fascinate him. Over weeks and months, he comes to know Jill almost entirely through her voice. And love blooms in this feminine fantasy that is almost impossible to watch.
This is director McKendrick’s debut feature, her background being in short films and pop musicals, and it is obvious from here that anything commercial. A lot of what can be seen in her film constitutes pop culture, like celebrity chef shows and influencer pop posts.
The serious emotional thread involves Jill’s dreams of becoming a successful baker,
and she's getting over her grief over Isabelle,
The film explores grief more than romance in its first half, which one needs patience to get over. The film is not funny in the least, and sitting through this film is like going to a club filled with screaming young girls stepping on your feet.
But this is another romantic comedy where a relationship is based on a lie. The secret
is that Wes never tells Jill that he has heard months of intensely private messages and that he knows details about Isabelle. He also knows Jill's fears and hopes, and that their first meeting wasn't entirely accidental. This deception becomes the film's central conflict. And the audience has to sit through all this!
The story concludes as an emotional reconciliation between Jill and Wes, the obstacle in this Harlequin-style romance, emphasising healing and new beginnings alongside Jill's enduring love for Isabelle. Yes, cliched territory, all the way!
VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE is a Netflix original romantic comedy that opens for streaming on Friday, June 19th.
Trailer:
