Review of HOME ALONG DA RILES, DA REUNION: The Cosmes in Conflict and Conciliation

June 18, 2026

The children of the late Kevin Cosme (Dolphy) still regularly eat together in their old house along the railroad tracks. Kevin's long-time love Azon (Nova Villa), whom the kids called their Tita Nanay, lived nearby. Her adopted daughter Maybe (Maybelyn dela Cruz) is now a barangay official prepping the residents for an impending demolition of their neighborhood.

Eldest son Bill (Smokey Manaloto), an office worker, is still single. Second son is Bob (Gio Alvarez), a motorcycle driver, married to Lorie (Aurora Halili), and living with his rich mother-in-law Bridge (Ces Quesada). The youngest son is Baldo (Vandolph Quizon), married to Jenny (Jenny Quizon) with sons Vito (Vito Quizon) and Baldolito (Ahmad Aboukowick). Adopted son Estong (Boy2 Quizon) was still inseparable from Baldo, partners in a food stall business. 

The only rose in the Cosme brood is Bing (Claudine Barretto), third in line. Now 45 years old, she surprised her brothers when she announced that she was about to get married to a boyfriend whom she had been keeping a secret for 6 years. Hurt, the brothers tried to foil the engagement when the guy, Baby Boy (Pepe Herrera), finally came to meet them. 

The original TV series "Home Along the Riles" ran on ABS-CBN for more than 20 years, from December 1992 to August 2003. While I do have a general idea about the show and its actors, but somehow, I never really got to see a single full episode of it. I also did not watch the two previous feature films about the series, released in 1993 and 1997. Honestly, I was not sure if this reunion movie directed by Boy2 Quizon will have something for me or not. 

From the beginning, we already see the arc of Nova Villa's Azon for the whole film -- missing her one and only love Kevin. She expressed a couple of times that she's just waiting for him to fetch her, even seeing "him" and hearing him sing "Gaano Kita Kamahal." Her comedy moments had to do with waking up from dreaming about Kevin. They gave her a weird episode of getting a massage in a spa, which would later get raided -- not funny.

Claudine Barretto mainly played the straight guy here. It was her sudden surprise announcement of her coming wedding incited the main conflict of the film. While it was clear why she did not want her brothers to know, it was difficult to explain why she did not confide this with her Tita Nanay -- in fact, they did not even try to make a plausible reason. Her one moment of spontaneity came after the priest asked "You may or may not kiss the bride." 

The interaction of Bing's immature brothers among each other and to Baby Boy was in the vein of typical 90s style of naughty comedy. I do not know how these boys used to quarrel on TV, but the climactic violent argument they had seemed very out of character. Those words said, especially those very hurtful insults coming from Bill, came out so randomly from out of the blue, and were not the type that can easily be forgiven as it happened. 

Also returning is Dang Cruz as Azon's inimitable househelp Roxanne, who stole her scenes with her crazy antics. We also see cameos from Kevin's former officemates like Cita Astals (Ma'am Hillary), Joymee Lim (Linggit) and Sherilyn Reyes (Sheryl), as well as unexpected guest appearances like Gardo Versoza, Zanjoe Marudo, Small Laude, the whole Creamline volleyball team, and most surprisingly, Claudine's ex Mark Anthony Fernandez. 

The chaos of the wedding and the demolition all led to one profound moment of sincere family reconciliation in a church. If you are expecting a certain someone to make an appearance from beyond, you'd be right. The production really set aside budget for that one important special effect that should not be carelessly done. Even if you are not familiar with the Cosme family at all, this final heartwarming moment will make you care about them. 6/10 

Review of TOY STORY 5: Trouble with Technology

June 16, 2026

Bonnie (Scarlet Spears) was feeling lonely because she found it difficult to make friends with the kids in her neighborhood. When Jessie (Joan Cusack) went next door to investigate, she discovered that the other kids were all stuck in their own rooms playing video games on a gadget. Jessie was alarmed when Bonnie's parents (Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez) bought Bonnie her own gadget -- a green tablet with a frog design named Lilypad (Greta Lee). 

Sheriff Jessie had designated Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to be her deputy. However, this time, she called Woody (Tom Hanks) to ask for his help how to address the Lily problem. In her efforts to protect Bonnie from bad friends, Jessie and her horse Bullseye got transported back to the house of her old owner Emily. There was a new family there with a girl named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), whom Jessie felt would be a perfect friend for Bonnie. 

The first Toy Story (1995) made history as the first feature-length film to use computer-generated imagery only. It introduced us to Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who were the two favorite toys of Andy. They met Jessie in TS2(1999). As Andy went to college in TS3 (2010), the toys were brought to a daycare, where first they met Bonnie. In TS4 (2019), Bonnie made a toy from a spork she named Forky, while Woody gets reunited with BoPeep (Annie Potts).

After TS3, we all thought that they already had the perfect heartwarming ending. When TS4 came, a lot of us thought that Pixar should not have done this anymore. However, it proved us wrong again by coming with yet another emotional ending. This TS5 again played around with previous themes of old toys being abandoned by their owners as they grew up, but here, it tackled the high incidence of children glued to the screens of gadgets. 

In order to make it possible for Woody, Buzz and Jessie to achieve their elaborate plans, director Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kenna Harris, came up with a random side-story of a platoon of high-tech Buzz Lightyear toys marching to Star Command. Blaze also just so happened to own some old abandoned electronic toys (which just so happened to have working AAA batteries) and shelves of doll horses that she collected. 

Jessie was the main toy character of this story, with her own learning arc, and female-empowerment moments to boot. Multiple units of Buzz opened and closed this one, with a climactic action highlight, plus a romantic subplot. Woody was basically a special guest this time, with the recurring joke about his bald spot as his most memorable gag. The rest of Andy's old toys were still fun to watch in the limited screen time they had. We will all recognize how gadgets like Lilypad dominate our time these days. 

The Pixar artwork, with the vibrant colors and innovative designs, was as topnotch as ever, with a special style to depict the girls' whimsical play fantasies. The screenplay was both nostalgic and funny as we expect from this franchise. The jokes (even Smarty Pants' toilet humor) and the aww moments still connected well with both adults and kids in the audience with us. Stanton was still able to squeeze out an emotional ending this time, we can feel the stretch of the story in this one. But overall, I liked this one better than TS4. 8/10

Review of DISCLOSURE DAY: Extraterrestrial Exposé

June 11, 2026

Cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) is being hunted down by a covert agency called Wardex, led by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Kellner had stolen a set of files which he had to deliver to Hugo (Colman Domingo), and Wardex wants them back. Wardex had technology which allowed Scanlon to locate and talk to people remotely. Scanlon cannot connect with Daniel, so he instead connected with Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson). 

In the meantime, Kansas City TV weather girl Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) was having breakfast when a cardinal flew into their apartment and stared at her for sometime, until it was shooed away by her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell). After this, Margaret suddenly had the ability to speak in different foreign languages and to connect emotionally with people she never met. During her weather report on TV, she began talking in a strange clicking sound. 

In his 50 years of making movies, Steven Spielberg has films about his fascination with alien lifeforms, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Spielberg returns to this genre after 20 years, coming up with the story that David Koepp crafted into a screenplay and directing it with his signature engaging storytelling style and cinematic flair, though this one had no children and less heartwarming drama.

The main cast was A-list, among the busiest actors these days. Blunt's Margaret was initially light and comic, but she eventually became the heart of the story. O'Connor was relatively lower key but convincingly committed to his cause. Think what you may of Hugo's intentions, but Domingo played him like a saint. Firth gave Oscar-grade gravitas to the antagonist role. We needed more background on Hugo and Noah to understand their motives more. 

This film was about people who believed that everyone in the world should know that extraterrestrials exist going up against people who wanted to hide the existence of extraterrestrial life on Earth. As Jane used to be a nun, a Catholic perspective was added into the mix, including a verse from Genesis that I had not heard quoted that way before. It presents a thought-provoking dilemma to us in terms of morality and ethics. 

The first two hours had Daniel and Margaret running around Midwest states avoiding Wardex, with car chases and train crashes along the way. All this action built up momentum for a riveting climactic 30 minutes, capped by a wheelchair scene that can polarize the audience if Spielberg was being profound, or melodramatic. However after all that, Spielberg still forgot to tell us where the cardinal came from, its source of power and its selection criteria. 8/10 

Mini-Reviews of OBSESSION and BACKROOMS: Yield to Young YouTubers!

June 9, 2026

In the last two weeks, there had been a couple of horror movies that are making a lot of news. Both of them have been directed by young directors who had their start releasing their original content on YouTube. The first one was written and directed by Curry Barker, 26 years old. The second one was directed by Kane Parsons, 20 years old. What is more remarkable now is that their two low-budget films have now grossed more than $200M worldwide at the box office. 

1. OBSESSSION

Director: Curry Barker

Writer: Curry Barker

Bear (Michael Johnston) worked with his friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Sarah (Megan Lawless) and Nikki (Inde Navarrette) at a music store. He had a big crush on Nikki but was very shy to tell her. Bear saw an item in a crystal shop called "One Wish Willow," a stick that claimed it can fulfill one wish of the person who broke it into two. When he dropped Nikki at her home one night, Bear broke the stick and wished for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. Right after, Nikki invited him into her house, then into bed with her. 

Curry Barker only spent $750,000 budget for this film so its multi-million fortunes now is most impressive. Michael Johnston may be too awkward (on purpose?) as Bear, but Inde Navarrette impressed as her poor unhinged Nikki broke us emotionally. Curry's concept of the "One Wish Willow" carried the film through, showing the horrible consequences of causing love to happen by unnatural means. There are scenes of violence here that startle and shock, so fasten your seatbelts as this horror-romcom does not hold back. 8/10

2. BACKROOMS

Director: Kane Parsons

Writer: Will Soodik 

Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) owned a furniture store called  Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire, which was not doing very well. Aside from this, he was also having issues with alcoholism and his divorce for which he was seeing a therapist Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve). One day while investigating electrical disturbances in his store, he saw a glowing slit in one of the walls of the basement. He fell right through that wall and wound up in a whole new wide space of maze-like corridors, lit up by bright overhead fluorescent lights with odd stuff scattered around.  

It started with a  dizzying 1990 video of a man that was stumbling around a strange maze of brightly-lit corridors which reminded me of the "Blair Witch Project," which really gave me a bad case of vertigo. Fortunately, "Backrooms" was not like this all the way through. To the end, it never really explained what was really going on, but it did try to connect the labyrinthine passageways to human psychology as we forge our way through the unknowns of our lives. Oscar-caliber Ejiofor and Reinsve and the unnerving production design elevated it.  7/10

Review of COLONY: Melding Minds into Monsters

June 2, 2026

One morning at the Doongwoori Building in Seoul, Chains Bio CEO Dr. Kang Woo-cheol (Kim Jeong-tae) gave an exciting presentation about his company's latest work about collective intelligence. After his talk, Kang was confronted by a disgruntled former employee Dr. Suh Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan). During their heated argument, Suh unexpectedly stuck a syringe into Kang's neck and injected a substance which quickly turned Kang into a zombie. 

From there, a zombie epidemic quickly broke out inside the Doongwoori Building which housed a very busy shopping mall. Among those caught in a store were scientists Prof. Kwon Se-Jeong (Gianna Jun) and her ex-husband Prof. Han Kyu-seong (Ko Soo), security guard Choi Hyun-Seok (Ji Chang-wook) and his wheelchair-bound sister Hyun-hee (Kim Shin-rok), and Officer Lee (Lee Joong-ok), a policeman who responded to Suh's bioterrorism threat.  

The best-regarded South Korean zombie movie is "Train to Busan" (2016). Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, and written by Park Joo-suk, this had a touching father-daughter story in the heart of the zombie chaos on a train. Four years later, Yeon wrote and directed "Peninsula" (2020), billed as the sequel to "Train to Busan," this time about a soldier tasked to retrieve a truck of money in zombie-infested South Korea. This was a disappointing follow-up for sure.

This year, Yeon is back again, writing and directing yet another zombie film. This new movie features a new type of "tech-based" zombies. These zombies were described in jargon to be exchanging information by way of organic semi-conductors in slime. The way the zombies were acting in synchrony as if being conducted remotely was an interesting concept, and their eerie choreography was well-executed, especially that mesmerizing "ant mill" scene.

It was great to see Gianna Jin, iconic star of "My Sassy Girl" (2001), back on the big screen again after a 10-year hiatus. Koo Kyo-hwan, star of box-office romance hit "Once We Were Us" (2025), made for an intimidating antagonist. Ji Chang-wook showed off both fighting skills as he plowed through the zombie horde with a kitchen knife, as well as his dramatic chops in his scenes with Kim Shin-rok playing his disabled I.T. sister. 

There were thought-provoking dilemmas presented to create more conflict -- are the zombies patients or as monsters? is the immune perpetrator the villain or the vaccine? That "imperfect communication is the main source of tragedy" makes for a profound basis for drama. While uniting all the minds in the world sounds like an altruistic goal, putting them under the vision and control of one deranged person is obviously not a good idea. 7/10

Review of TAYO SA WAKAS: Darker Depths for DonBelle

 May 25, 2026

Francisco "Cisco" Serrano (Donny Pangilinan) was the eldest but illegitimate son of his rich father Francisco "Kiko" Jacinto (Matthew Mendoza). He worked for the Guinto group of companies, and  was responsible for developing the production house arm dubbed as "G-Spot" for its CEO Mr. G (Epy Quizon). He was involved in creating concepts for their advertising clients, pitching the ad proposal to them, and directing their video shoots. 

Francisca "Cheska" Alegre (Belle Mariano) with her parents (Yayo Aguila and Alan Paule) in a low-income community, where their neighbors could hear their frequent marital quarrels. She was just the newest recruit in G-Spot, under the mentorship of Cisco. The two called each other "Tuks," short for "tukayo," a term used to indicate the similarity of their names. Soon, their close professional relationship soon blossomed into romance. 

"Tayo sa Wakas" is the third feature film of the Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano (or "DonBelle") love team after "Love is Color Blind" (John Leo Garcia, 2021) and "An Inconvenient Love" (Petersen Vargas, 2022), both big commercial hits. Like the second film, this new film was once again used the rich boy-poor girl romance-comedy trope, so the formula felt familiar right from the awkward meet-cute at the office pantry. 

The screenplay by Vanessa R. Valdez tackled darker themes than expected here about professional jealousy and toxicity. It was clear from the get-go that their sailing was not going to be smooth, so there was no real suspense in the flashbacks. Aside from DonBelle, the supporting actors were mainly stock BFF tropes. Epy Quizon does well as the compassionate boss. Jaime Fabregas had a strong impact as Don Frank, Cisco's imperious grandfather.   

The chemistry between Pangilinan and Mariano is very strong, which is why we felt bad as Cisco and Cheska drifted apart. Things were going so badly between them, we wanted to see a brave, realistic resolution of their problem. Unfortunately for us, Valdez and director Cathy Garcia-Sampana opted for an annoying cop-out of a climax -- a sudden 11th hour twist that rendered everything after it unnecessarily melodramatic and ultimately unsatisfying. 5/10 

Netflix: Review of REMARKABLY BRILLIANT CREATURES: Omniscient Octopus

May 25, 202

Tova (Sally Field) was an elderly woman who lived in Sowell Bay in Washington state. Ever since her son Erik and her husband passed away, she preferred to live and work alone. She worked as a night-shift janitor at the town aquarium. While working, she shared her thoughts to Marcellus (voice by Alfred Molina), an old octopus who kept trying to escape his tank and go back to the sea. One day, Tova had a fall and sprained her ankle. 

Cameron (Lewis Pullman) was a young man whose mother just passed away. Using the old van she bequeathed to him, Cameron drove to Sowell Bay to look for the unknown father he never met. Because he needed cash, he was recommended to take over Tova's work while she recovered from her injury. Tova noted that Cameron was not conscientious about his work, so she took it upon herself to teach him the right way to do things.

Ever since I have seen Sally Field play mothers in films like "Steel Magnolias" (1989) and "Forrest Gump" (1994), I have admired the sincerity she projected in her portrayal of her roles, and the effortlessness by which she was able to make us shed tears. As she portrayed another mother in this one, she again delivered her lines in that unique voice and speaking style of hers that inspires trust, connects emotionally and elevates the whole film. 

Lewis Pullman is the son of veteran actor Bill Pullman, so he has to work harder to prove that he was not a mere nepo baby. While the resemblance is there, Lewis has a grittier, sterner countenance than the clean-cut all-American look his father built his career on. As Cameron had been an abandoned child and no clear direction in life, Pullman imbued him with plenty of internal angst that translated to rough language and careless actions. 

Director Olivia Newman co-wrote this screenplay with John Whittington, adapting the 2022 novel by Shelby Van Pelt. Having a wise octopus as narrator called to mind the 2020 Oscar-winning Netflix documentary "My Octopus Teacher," as Marcellus helped resolve a mystery that repaired the two damaged lead characters. The twist may feel a bit contrived, but Newman's homey direction and Field's moving portrayal overcame all that. 7/10

Review of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU: Bringing Bounty and Baby

May 19, 2026

"The Mandalorian" was the first live-action television series of the Star Wars franchise streamed on Disney+, with Jon Favreau as showrunner. it has run from 2019 to 2023, for three seasons so far. What was supposed to have been the fourth season of the series was instead turned by Lucasfilm into this film, under Favreau's direction. This is the first Star Wars franchise film in seven years after "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" (2019). 

Set five years after the rebels defeated the Galactic Empire in "The Return of the Jedi," the series followed the adventures of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pablo Pascal), a.k.a. Mando. In one of his missions, he was supposed to turn over a Child of a mysterious species with an innate connection to the Force. Out of compassion, Mando decided to rescue him instead, and treated him as his son. His real name Grogu was revealed in S2E5.

For this film, Mando and Grogu was sent on missions to capture the remaining Imperial Remnants by the Adelphi Rangers of the New Republic led by Col. Ward (Sigourney Weaver). To locate the target, Mondo needed the help of notorious crime lords, the Hutt twins. In exchange for their intel, they wanted Mando to first retrieve their nephew Rotta, son of their late cousin Jabba the Hutt, who had been kidnapped. 

As it had been on the TV series, Mando was always seen wearing his helmet in accordance to the way of the Mand'alor which did not allow him to show his face to others. The only time we saw Pedro Pascal's face was when Mando was shamed by bounty hunter Embo (Dave Filoni) by unmasking him. So, we are not really sure who we are seeing in those intense action and fight scenes, Pascal or his stunt doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder.  

Grogu was a delightful creation of animatronics, puppetry and visual effects. Still considered a child at 50 years old, Grogu was of the same species as jedi master Yoda, who died at the ripe old age of 900 in "Return of the Jedi." Grogu's very cute "baby Yoda" look made him the "E.T." for this generation.  Grogu would have the screen on his own when Mando was out of commission for a while, and he was truly adorable, especially that meditating scene. 

First seen as a baby in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008), Rotta the Hutt was warm and sympathetic, as voiced by Jeremy Allen White, unlike his slimy elders. Fans cheered when Lasat rebel soldier Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) came out to pilot Mando's new Razor Crest craft. Martin Scorsese voiced an Ardennian sandwich storekeeper whom Mando bribed for info. Sigourney Weaver graced yet another sci-fi franchise, after "Alien" and "Avatar."

As a film, this one can stand on its own, even for those who have not seen the series. The story was not that hard to follow, with relentless action and plenty of alien creatures -- the fun (Minions-like Anzellan droidsmiths), the scary (giant albino Dragonsnake) and the thrilling (the Mantellian savrip and other gladiator arena warriors).  However, serious Star Wars fanboys who can spot obscure deep-cuts and callbacks will likely enjoy it a lot more. 8/10

Review of MIDNIGHT GIRLS: Empathy with Entertainers

May 14, 2026

When 20 year-old Wanna (Loisa Andalio) arrived in Nagoya, Japan, she was welcomed by her mother's friend Vicky (Jodi Sta. Maria) who had already been working there for several years. Vicky brought Wanna to a nightclub run by fellow Filipina Mama Charry (Carmi Martin), where she worked as one of the girls who entertained male customers while they drink after work. Vicky introduced the newcomer to her two other friends Paris (Sanya Lopez) and Saki (Jane Oineza), who also advised Wanna about the new job she was about to embark on.

Despite their frequent Facetimes, Vicky had problems with her son Patrick (Zaijian Jaranilla), who was only three when he was left to the care of his grandmother (Shamaine Buencamino). Paris was rekindling her romance with her former boyfriend Genji (Genki Ito) who made a surprise return. Saki was facing issues about her own self-identity, even if she looked cool and confident on the outside. Wanna was adjusting very well to her very new world, until she gets an unexpected visit from her boyfriend back home Danny (Miggy Jimenez).

There is no argument that Jody Sta. Maria is an excellent actress, and she extends her streak of award-worthy portrayals here. Being the eldest sister of their group, Sta. Maria's Vicky projects maturity and responsibility. Her scenes with her regular customers Akio (Kouji Sueyoshi) and Hideo (Masakatsu Sumioku) revealed her caring nature which made them feel prioritized. Her best scenes were those with Zaijian Jaranilla giving an exceptionally moving performance even if he was only seen on the screen of a mobile phone.

Sanya Lopez was effortlessly beautiful with her winning smile and personality. Her best scene was that one when Paris finally realized where her affair with Genji was going. As the turmoil of Saki's conflict is internal, Jane Oineza gave a very nuanced and restrained portrayal. Her best scene was actually that transformative reveal at the park picnic towards the end. Loisa Andalio was good as Wanna, but her coming of age as a GRO was not given enough focus. Also, her tendency to deliver her lines too loud could have been reined in. 

"Midnight Girls" is further proof of Irene Emma Villamor's talent as a storyteller, a reputation which she had steadily built with film she both wrote and directed. Despite the fact that there had been plenty of films about Filipinos working abroad, Villamor was able to tell these intertwined stories of four female GROs working in Nagoya in a manner that still felt fresh, vibrant and engaging. Villamor's decision to include interviews of real women who did the same work in Japan made us realize the authenticity of the stories we had witnessed. 8/10

Review of THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL: Virulent Violence

May 13, 2026

The Punisher was a character who first appeared in a Marvel comic book in 1974, in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #129. Frank Castle was an ex-Marine who became a vigilante after his wife and two children were killed by Mafia gangsters. Using his skills in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship, Castle went on to fight against the bad guys. However, unlike the typical superhero, the Punisher was merciless, and did not hesitate to kill. 

Since then, this anti-hero character, along with that distinctive skull design that he wore, had already made his transition to films. Dolph Lundgren first played Castle in "The Punisher" (Mark Goldblatt, 1989). Thomas Jane had another go at the character in another film entitled "The Punisher" (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004).  Ray Stevenson played him in a reboot film, "Punisher: War Zone" (Lexi Alexander, 2008). Critics panned all three of these films.

After this, The Punisher franchise was rebooted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Bernthal introduced the character in the second season of Netflix series "Daredevil" (2016), as the ideological counterpoint to title character who was also a vigilante but did not kill his targets. "Punisher" had a spin-off series of his own also on Netflix from 2017–2019. He was brought back in the first season of "Daredevil: Born Again" (2025), streaming on Disney+. 

This year, "The Punisher" is back as the featured character in the third Marvel's Special Presentation, after "Werewolf by Night" (2022) and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday. Special" (2022). Jon Bernthal co-wrote and starred in this 45-minute film about the continuing internal torture Frank Castle had been experiencing since his family was killed by the gangsters of the Gnucci family, even after he had already exacted his revenge.

The grieving matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light in an unexpected role) wanted to exact her own revenge for the death of her husband and sons at Castle's hands. On the anniversary of the death of her beloved youngest son, she sent out a city-wide contract for the death of Castle, which sent criminals of all kinds rushing over to Castle's apartment building to try to kill him. The ensuing mayhem was relentless and soon spilled out into the streets outside.

Even if you did not know anything about "The Punisher" as a character, you can still appreciate this film. There would be haunting flashbacks to encapsulize the past trauma in Frank's life that drove him to do what he does. The main highlight was certainly the seamlessly-edited series of brutally violent action sequences as Frank fought his way out of the endless horde after him, killing of all of them in the process -- not for the faint of heart!

One main aim for this special presentation was to reintroduce Frank Castle, his Punisher persona and his current psychological state to a wider audience. This is in time for his coming appearance on the big screen in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" this July. How meaningful that The Punisher made his character debut in a Spider-Man comic book in 1974, and now, 52 years later, he is making his MCU feature film debut in a Spider-Man film. 8/10

Review of THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Offbeat Ovine Observers

May 10, 2026

Shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) owned a meadow outside the town of Denbrook, on which his flock of sheep were put out to pasture. Beyond feeding them, George also spent time reading detective crime mystery novels to his sheep. Among his favorites among his flock were the aloof loner Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), wise Merino sheep Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), the stately Sir Richfield (Patrick Stewart) and the smartest one of the group, Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The sheep would then discuss these cases when George went to bed. 

One night, a murder disturbed the peace in Hardy's farm, the first such case that the town's only policeman Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) had ever handled. A visiting journalist Ellliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) volunteered to help him. When Atty. Harbottle (Emma Thompson) arrived, the suspects were revealed -- the neighbor Caleb (Tosin Cole), the butcher Ham (Conleth Hill), the innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau), the priest Rev. Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), and George's estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon). 

The screenplay of "The Sheep Detectives" was written by Craig Mazin, creator of HBO series "Chernobyl" (2019) and "The Last of Us" (2023), adapted from the 2005 German novel "Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann. The film is the first live-action film (mixed with digital animation) directed by Kyle Balda, who is best known for animated films like "The Lorax" (2012) and "Minions" (2015), all for Illumination Studios. The big name actors (Jackman, Thompson) and voices (Louis-Dreyfus, Cranston) add prestige to this project.  

Watching the titular sheep detectives in action immediately called to mind the delightful 1995 movie "Babe," about a pig who wanted to be a sheepdog. That film was a commercial and critical success, even earning itself seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director for Chris Noonan. Its Oscar-winning visual effects team employed a mix of live animals (48 piglets had to be used to keep the size of Babe uniform), animatronics, and digital mouth manipulation to create the illusion of talking animals. 

The sophisticated visual effects we see in "The Sheep Detectives" shows the progress in this field for the past 30 years, as now all the animals are 100% photo-realistic computer-generated imagery. The photorealistic animals in "The Sheep Detectives" are more fully-realized, capable of expressively conveying human-like emotions. This is a positive progression from the grim, expressionless hyper-realistic CGI animals in "The Lion King" (2019) that garnered that older film a lot of negative criticism. 

Meanwhile, the film's detective story called to mind the Agatha Christie murder mysteries and the "Knives Out" films with the multiple suspects and wry humor. However, the big charming difference is that the human detective Tim Derry was so absurdly clueless, so the sheep needed to actively intervene in the investigation in the cutest, yet ingenious ways. Certain sheep beliefs, like ostracizing winter lambs, forgetting about bad things, and turning into clouds instead of dying, provided room for rich emotional tear-jerking moments. 9/10