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Anybody who knows my taste in movies knows I’m a massive fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For over a decade, there’s been at least one MCU film at or near the top of my best-of list every single year, so naturally, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest installment, Captain America: Brave New World. Granted, I didn't love the idea of Steve Rogers handing the mantle of Captain America over to someone else, but I was willing to judge the movie on its own merits rather than on my own preconceived ideas of what should or shouldn't happen. I bought a ticket for opening night as soon as I got the chance, and now that I've finally seen the film, I'm happy to report that it does not disappoint.
Captain America: Brave New World was directed and co-written by Julius Onah, and it stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. In the movie, Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, gets invited to a special event at the White House along with two of his closest allies: Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon, and an old super soldier named Isaiah Bradley. At the event, Bradley tries to kill President Thaddeus Ross, but soon afterwards, he has no memory of ever doing it. It seems like he was somehow being controlled or possessed, and that sets off a huge red flag for Sam. To make matters worse, the assassination attempt kick-starts a chain reaction that just might cause World War III, and when Sam investigates these shady goings-on, he uncovers a dark web of secrecy, deceit, and sci-fi tech only an unfathomable genius could create. As you can might be able to guess from that plot synopsis, Captain America: Brave New World is a relatively grounded (by MCU standards, that is) action thriller that eschews aliens, the multiverse, and magic in favor of political intrigue, and it works wonderfully…well, mostly. From the moment Isaiah Bradley got out of his chair and shot at the president, I was all in. The mystery surrounding his actions had me on the edge of my seat, and as the film added more layers to this already captivating puzzle, I became more and more hooked. I couldn’t wait to find out who was behind it all, but unfortunately, when the big reveal finally comes, it’s a bit of a letdown. I can’t get into specifics without spoiling the movie’s secrets, but I can tell you that the villain’s motives are pretty underwhelming. They don’t fit the grand scale of his evil schemes, and that mismatch almost makes him come across as petty. It’s a weird way to feel about a supervillain, so it takes a bit of the wind out of the film’s sails. There are also a number of smaller issues I could nitpick about all day, but thankfully, none of these problems ruin the entire experience. There’s still enough fun to be had with the political intrigue that the good in it handily outweighs the bad, and the great characters and awesome action decisively tip the scales in the movie’s favor. In particular, Captain America: Brave New World revolves primarily around three major players, and they’re all fantastic. Let’s start with Thaddeus Ross. He’s brought to life by Harrison Ford, and he’s exactly what you’d expect. Ford imbues the president with just enough of his signature curmudgeonliness to be fun, but he also hits all the emotional beats the role requires. As you might remember from The Incredible Hulk, Ross is estranged from his daughter Betty, and when the topic comes up in conversation, Ford makes you believe that he desperately wants to see her again. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we have Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon. He’s a young up-and-comer who loves what he does, and actor Danny Ramirez is perfect in the role. He just oozes the kind of youthful, almost flippant exuberance you’d expect from a guy living his dream life, and that joy is pretty contagious. He quickly became one of my favorite characters in the movie, so I can’t wait to see this guy again in future MCU projects. Next, we have to talk about the titular hero, Sam Wilson. He’s been a highlight of the MCU ever since he was first introduced as a secondary character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and now that he’s the star of the show, he ups his game tremendously. Actor Anthony Mackie plays the part with enough charm to make the character an absolute joy to watch whenever he’s on screen, but when things get serious, he also has the gravitas to make you believe he’ll get the job done. On top of all that, Sam also exhibits the strength of character that made Steve Rogers such an important part of the MCU. Steve often functioned as the Avengers’ moral compass, and Captain America: Brave New World made me believe that Sam can (and probably will) have a similar role in future movies. Again, I can’t say much without spoiling some key plot points, but I can say that Sam upholds human dignity in a way that would make his predecessor proud, so I walked out of the theater with a newfound respect for the character. Last but not least, I have to say a few words about the action in Captain America: Brave New World. It doesn’t reach the heights of the previous two Captain America films, but it’s pretty good. Anthony Mackie proves himself to be a legit action star, and when Sam and Joaquin take to the sky, their aerial fights are genuinely thrilling. It’s a great combination of (relatively) grounded hand-to-hand combat and outlandish sci-fi fun, and it puts the icing on the cake of this awesome new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sure, Captain America: Brave New World isn’t top-tier Marvel, but it did what it needed to do. The movie made me accept Sam Wilson as Captain America, it thrilled me and entertained me, and it added a dash of moral substance into the mix as well, and when you put that all together, you get another solid entry in this long-running franchise.
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If you’ve read my reviews before, you most likely know I’m a huge horror fan, but what you might not know is that slashers don’t generally do much for me. Sure, there are some exceptions, like the Scream franchise and the fantastic 2006 slasher parody Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, but by and large, a bare-bones slasher doesn’t excite me the same way that, say, a bare-bones haunted house flick does. So unsurprisingly, when I first heard about Heart Eyes, I didn’t plan on seeing it. But then something happened. The film started to get rave reviews, so I had to check it out for myself. I bought a ticket for opening weekend and hoped for the best, and now that I’ve finally seen the movie, I’m happy to report that it deserves every bit of praise it gets.
Heart Eyes was directed by Josh Ruben, and it stars Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster. In the film, a mysterious murderer known as the Heart Eyes Killer has terrorized the nation for the past few years. Every Valentine's Day, he chooses a different city and massacres couples unlucky enough to cross his path, and now that his favorite holiday has come again, the entire country is on high alert as they wait to hear where (or even if!) this homicidal maniac will strike again. This year, the HEK has chosen Seattle as his target, and he seems especially intent on killing Ally and Jay, a pair of new coworkers who have undeniable romantic chemistry. They’re not quite a couple yet, but apparently they’re close enough, so once they find themselves in the villain’s crosshairs, they have to do everything possible to stay alive until Valentine’s Day is over. On the surface, that may sound like little more than a holiday veneer put over the same generic slasher plot we’ve seen countless times before, but I can assure you that it’s not. At its core, Heart Eyes is actually a romantic comedy, and after the customary opening kill sequence, the horror takes a back seat until around the forty-minute mark or so. In the mean time, the movie focuses on the characters of Ally and Jay and their budding relationship, and they’re an utter joy to watch. Lead stars Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt have amazing chemistry together, so you won’t just believe their attraction. You’ll root for them to find true love together, and you’ll enjoy seeing their young relationship blossom before your eyes. In particular, I have to give special props to Mason Gooding. His work in the two most recent Scream films already put him on the map, but he was always a secondary character in those movies. Fans weren’t sure if he could carry an entire feature on his own, but after seeing him in Heart Eyes, I’m happy to report that the answer is a resounding yes. His characteristic smooth charm makes him immediately likable, and it doesn’t wear off until the credits begin to roll. He’s just one of those people you can’t help but love, so he’s perfect for a role like this. He seems like he was made to lead a romantic comedy, and when the horror comes to the fore, you desperately want him to defeat the killer and make it out alive. On top of all that, Gooding and Holt also work really well together as a comedic duo. They perfectly play up the hilarity that can ensue when a couple is first getting to know each other, and that humor adds yet another layer to what could’ve easily been just a cliched, paint-by-numbers genre flick. All of that great romantic comedy carries Heart Eyes until the killer makes his presence known again, and when that happens, the film doesn’t lose any steam. Like I said, I’m not a huge slasher fan, but even I enjoyed the horror in this one. Unlike some of his slasher peers, this murderer doesn’t waste time crafting ridiculously elaborate kills. He carries out his work quickly and efficiently, so the movie generally avoids lingering on the deaths longer than it has to. Along similar lines, I also found the gore in Heart Eyes to be surprisingly restrained. Sure, the film features a decent amount of blood and guts, but this isn’t Terrifier 3. For the most part, there’s just enough gore to make the deaths realistic, so again, apart from a couple of exceptions, the movie never feels like it’s reveling in its gruesome special effects. Instead, Heart Eyes keeps the focus firmly on Ally and Jay, and it allows the Heart Eyes Killer to be an obstacle they have to overcome, not the star of the show. In other words, this film does what the best slashers often do. It tells a simple good vs. evil story with a villain who happens to be a homicidal maniac, and if you enjoy that kind of horror, I think you’re going to have a great time with this movie. Last but not least, I want to say a few words about the way this story wraps up. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I will tell you that the final scene highlights the value of marriage in a great way. It’s not often that a Hollywood film emphasizes the importance of getting married rather than simply cohabiting, so when I saw that ending, I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s the cherry on top of this awesome experience, so Heart Eyes more than earns its status as an exception to my general dislike of slashers. I can’t say I’ve ever been a big fan of Valentine’s Day, but I love movies based around holidays. Whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any other special day, I simply can’t resist a good film about a well-known holiday, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. So naturally, when I first got wind of Love Hurts, I was instantly intrigued. This movie seemed to have it all: amazing action, fun comedy, and one of my absolute favorite actors in the world, and on top of all that, it’s based on a holiday. If you ask me, that combination is pretty hard to beat, so when tickets finally went on sale, I bought one for opening weekend as soon as I got the chance.
Love Hurts was directed by Jonathan Eusebio, and it stars Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch, Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, and André Eriksen. In the film, Marvin Gable is a successful real estate agent with a dark past. He used to be an assassin for his brother Alvin, but he’s put that life behind him. Now he helps people find their dream homes, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Unfortunately, this peaceful existence doesn’t last forever. Soon after the movie begins, an old colleague named Rose resurfaces and pulls him back into his former life, and the pair find that they have targets on their backs. Alvin is out to get them, so Marvin and Rose have to do everything in their power to fight back against the deadly mob boss and his cronies. On paper, that sounds like it could be a super fun riff on the now familiar John Wick blueprint, but unfortunately, Love Hurts fails to live up to its awesome potential. Granted, it’s not nearly as bad as its abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score (as of this writing, it’s at 19%) might suggest, but it’s not particularly good either. It’s a mixed bag at best, so let’s start with what this film gets right. I said before that Love Hurts features one of my favorite actors in the world, and as you might’ve guessed, that guy is Ke Huy Quan. Like most people, I first saw him in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, and I’ve loved him ever since. He exudes a wholesome charm that’s nearly impossible to resist, so whenever I hear his name attached to a project, it immediately catches my attention. You just know he’s going to be an absolute joy to watch, and to the surprise of no one, he knocks it out of the part in this role as well. Quan plays Marvin, and he absolutely nails both sides of the character. As the unassuming realtor, he looks and acts like the epitome of middle-class normality, and he makes you believe that he really does enjoy his job and his peaceful life. You almost forget that his character is a world-class fighter, but when he has to unleash the assassin buried deep inside, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Ke Huy Quan is a fantastic martial artist, and he pulls off his moves with an effortless grace that’s almost mesmerizing at times. He executes his kicks and punches with perfect form and timing, so if you’re a fan of martial arts action, you’re going to enjoy most of the fights in Love Hurts. They’re often beautiful works of art in their own right, but even here, the movie leaves a bit to be desired at times. Most notably, there are a couple of scenes where the actors focus so much on each individual step in the choreography that the whole thing looks a bit stiff. These brawls feel more like pre-planned dances than naturally flowing fights, so they diminish the authenticity of the experience. There are also a few moments when you can tell the actors are holding back so they don’t hurt each other, but thankfully, all of these issues disappear in the most important fight of all. The final battle between Marvin and Alvin’s goons takes up the last ten minutes or so of the film, and for my money, it’s the best part of the entire movie. It’s almost nonstop action once Marvin steps into the frame, and it’s executed flawlessly. It ensures that your impression of the fights in Love Hurts ends up being pretty positive, but unfortunately, that’s all I can say about it. See, as much as I love great action, a film can’t get by on fight scenes alone. The story has to be good as well, but Love Hurts stumbles pretty badly on that front. To be fair, the basic plot of an elite assassin being pulled back into his former life isn’t bad, but the movie tries to add some love stories on top of that bare-bones premise. And sadly, they don’t work. At all. For example, there’s a character who falls head over heels for one of Alvin’s cronies after reading his poetry, and if you ask me, that whole concept is just ludicrous. Similarly, Marvin himself gets a love interest–Rose, the woman who kickstarts this entire plot–and their relationship is equally unconvincing. The characters simply don’t have enough chemistry to fuel a budding romance, so every time the movie brings it up, their relationship feels forced and unnatural. Unfortunately, those love stories (especially Marvin and Rose’s) are the real heart and soul of Love Hurts. Everything else about the film is meant to feed into that ineffective garbage, so as fun as the action is, I can’t say that I enjoyed this movie overall. The bad ends up outweighing the good by a significant margin, so unless you just want to see a bunch of cool action and you don’t care about the rest of the film, I suggest giving this one a pass. |
Jp Nunezis a longtime film buff and theology nerd with master's degrees in theology and philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville. His favorite movie genres are horror, superheroes, and giant monsters. Archives
May 2025
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