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Drop (2025) is a bit ponderous at the outset, then abruptly turns frantic, incoherent, and implausible in the third act. It seems familiar, with heavy reliance upon the anonymous text trope used in Carry-On (2024), Non-Stop (2014), and The Commuter (2018), sent by somebody with surveillance capabilities that put NSA and CIA to shame, but nevertheless feels compelled to maintain a threatening physical presence.

Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a single mother who works as a therapist with abused women, but has crippling psychological scars that have prevented her from pursuing a romantic relationship. She is younger and more attractive than the usual chick-flick heroine. She eventually agrees to a dinner date with a guy she met on a dating app, who turns out to be a handsome hunky empathetic guy who looks like he stepped off the cover of a romance novel and wants to meet a single mother, but is only interested in her and not her vulnerable child.

But this serendipitous pairing quickly turns into a nightmare that won't end. One might hope that Violet or her photographer date would use their professional skills and expertise to somehow survive and prevail, but the final act devolves into a series of generic action and horror tropes.

The film is watchable, but forgettable. Production values are good. Performances are limited by an unimaginative script.

G20 (2025) holds the promise of some decent action scenes, marred by a derivative script with an emphasis on liberal talking points. The action scenes are disappointing, on par technically with low-budget direct-to-video productions, disjointed, lacking continuity, but larger in scope. The social/political content is thicker and more clumsily applied than expected.

Viola Davis (American President Danielle Sutton) is horribly miscast. She fails to project the charisma of a politician. Other world leaders don't like or respect her; even her daughter doesn't much like her. She doesn't look the least bit like a fighter or an action hero, about twenty years older and twenty kilos heavier than in the promotional artwork, yet other characters tell her how great and stylish she looks. Rather than projecting energy and confidence, she seems world-weary and defeated, even when trying to motivate.

The far-left political narrative lacks self-awareness. The G20 summit takes place in South Africa, a nation currently in the throes of Marxist political upheaval and anti-white racism. While DOGE issues frequent reports of billions of dollars wasted in foreign-aid programs with inadequate accountability, Sutton advocates use of cryptocurrency which is notoriously difficult to track.

Cinematography is fairly decent. Performances are hampered by a weak script. Special effects and fight choreography are disappointing. The B-story is about family, rather than romance and a bit tepid. Sets are unconvincing. The feminist virtue signalling and misandry are laid on a bit thick, with an undertone of anti-white racism: all the villains are white, and with one exception, male. The one male character who seems especially intelligent and courageous suffers a hearing loss, possibly emblematic of the feminist contention that men don't listen. The film is devoid of sexiness: None of the females is stunningly gorgeous or seductively alluring. Costumes are sufficiently modest to avoid offending any Amish viewers. At least two sequences have deus ex machina resolutions.

Love Hurts (2025) feels like a cross between a Jackie Chan movie and a John Wick film. It stars Ke Huy Qua who looks like a trimmer nerdier 50-ish version of Jackie Chan, with the same haircut and professorial clothing to reinforce the impression. His martial arts choreography has many the same elements, employing props, clothing, long cuts, and switching weapons, with the same comedic flourishes, but with violence of films like Boss Level, Kill Bill, and Smokin' Aces.

Ke Huy Qua, the lead, played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and has worked extensively in fight choreography. The numerous fight scenes are expertly choreographed and executed with several talented martial artists playing the villains.

The story is tied together with a sort of dark romantic comedy which some may find touching, as it involves romances between awkward misfits. The filmmakers devote a fair amount of screentime trying to establish the attractions between these characters, but it doesn't seem authentic. It's easier to believe romantic and sexual attraction between characters who are physically attractive, as with Frank (Jason Statham) and Lai (Shu Qi) in The Transporter, or Ariella (Martha Higareda) and Finbar (Vinnie Jones) in Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball.

The throughline story of avarice, betrayal, and vengeance is adequate. The various romances may appeal to some viewers. The theme of personal growth seems a bit forced. The fight scenes are well worth the price of admission.