Heart Eyes (2025)

Christopher Landon has made a name for himself in the past few years by figuring out fun ways to blend slasher movie tropes with other sub-genres (e.g. timeloop movies, bodyswap films). He has written with Michael Kennedy before, and this time around both are joined by Phillip Murphy to deliver a film that places some bloody kill scenes in the middle of what is essentially a standard rom-com. Josh Ruben is in the director's chair, which means it's up to him to ensure that the dialogue and set-pieces are couched in something that comes close enough to that rom-com style, but can he manage to do that?

A killer is on the loose, the Heart Eyes Killer, and they're targeting couples. This has been happening for a couple of years now, every Valentine's Day, which makes it a big problem for those in a relationship. Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt) isn't in a relationship though, so she should be safe from the killer. Her biggest worry concerns trying to keep her job. In need of major guidance, and a way to overhaul her latest ad campaign that disastrously uses romantic tragedy at the heart of it, Ally ends up forced to work with Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding), a bit of a whizz drafted in to save the day. Ally and Jay need to spend some time together to brainstorm and plan, which leads to the Heart Eyes Killer viewing them as a couple, which leads to them being pursued, even as they try to explain to those around them that they really aren't a couple.

Heart Eyes works fairly well as a slasher. The pacing is decent for most of the runtime, aside from a third act that just has one or two scenes more than necessary, the kills are entertaining and bloody, and Holt and Gooding are very appealing leads. The most pleasant surprise, however, is just how well some of the rom-com moments work. There's a great meet-cute, a fun sense of external factors ensuring that our leads are destined to pair up, and stay paired up, some very fun cute klutziness that adds some non-lethal injuries to the onscreen catalogue of pain, and even the scenes of attempted murder often show a romance blossoming under unusually difficult circumstances. There are times when it tries to be too cute though, particularly when name-checking other movies and painfully winking at viewers, but nothing is bad enough to unbalance the whole thing.

Aside from Holt and Gooding, who are absolutely as enjoyable and likeable as they need to be in their roles, the cast also includes Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster as a pair of cops named . . . Hobbs and Shaw, Gigi Zumbado as the standard protective bestie, and Michaela Watkins as a demanding boss, as well as a number of people who make enough of an impression in their first few moments to make them plausible suspects as the killing spree starts to feel a bit more personal.

Despite the lighter touch, this is still a film aimed mainly at slasher movie fans. As long as you can enjoy the strange clash of sub-genres then you will be rewarded with some laughs, some entertaining bloodshed, and a killer working with some nicely-personalised deadly accessories.

7/10

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Mubi Monday: Sword Of Trust (2019)

Life is funny. One little extra bit of knowledge can completely reframe and recontextualise everything around you, from childhood incidents to relationships, from societal problems to art. I decided to watch Sword Of Trust because I am quite the big fan of Marc Maron nowadays, and have been a full-time listener to his podcast for a couple of years now. But checking the credits made me almost slap myself in the face for my ignorance. Maron has spent a lot of time on his podcast discussing the pain and grief he went through after the death of a loved one, Lynn Shelton. Despite being aware of her work over the years, I never did think of the Lynn Shelton that I'd seen in various acting and directing roles as THAT Lynn Shelton. Now I know better, and I also know that I am a fan of her work.

Shelton is the director and co-writer (with Michael Patrick O'Brien) here, as well as appearing onscreen in a small role, and what she delivers is a wonderful and gently amusing look at, well, how profitable it can be to cater to those who have chosen to believe in conspiracy theories, and how some people can be sold on conspiracy theories as they are fooled into thinking themselves smarter and more open-minded than others.

Maron plays Mel, a pawn shop owner who ends up heading down quite the rabbit hole when Cynthia (Jillian Bell) and Mary (Michaela Watkins) walk into his store. Cynthia has inherited a sword, and she's looking to sell it for a good price. In fact, she wants to sell it for a very good price, considering the fact that it seemingly proves a very different interpretation of American history. Mel smells a load of crap, of course, but decides he could work with Cynthia and Mary when it becomes clear that there are some sellers who are ready to believe in what the sword seems to represent. The main buyer (Dan Bakkedahl) starts the ball rolling via his middle-man, Hog Jaws (Toby Huss), but everyone will have to trust one another when it comes time to actually complete the negotiation.

You really should watch Sword Of Trust for the same reasons I watched it. Anyone who is aware of, and likes, Maron will enjoy this, particularly in the many moments when his character feels very close to the persona he has presented to the public for a number of decades now. It isn't just the Maron show though, and there's plenty of enjoyment to be had with the work of Bell, Watkins, Bakkedahl, Huss, Jon Bass (playing a shop assistant, Nathaniel, who seems to have been retained for the few times when he can help his boss with tech), and Al Elliott (as Jimmy, a friendly owner of a neighbouring business). Even the much smaller roles are cast well, guaranteeing that viewers are never more than a moment or two away from a chuckle.

Everyone is assisted by a great script, of course, and both Shelton and O'Brien do a fantastic job of taking their slight, and slightly ridiculous, central idea and turning it into something that allows for some great commentary mixed with great character moments. Shelton may have a simple and straightforward directorial style, through personal choice or budgetary necessity, but it works perfectly with the tone and pacing of the whole thing.

Although it was making a very specific point back when first released in 2019, Sword Of Trust manages to feel even more relevant and critical of the conversations and discourse happening all around us right now. That's a shame, in terms of how society has continued to slide further into decline, but it makes the film feel very close to essential viewing.

8/10

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Prime Time: Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)

The feature debut from writer-director Paul Downs Colaizzo, I would advise everyone against seeking out Brittany Runs A Marathon if they are seeking the big laughs and hilarity mentioned in some of the quotes used to sell it. It's not that funny. I'm not saying this in a dismissive way. It never really feels as if it's meant to be funny, beyond the obvious amusement to be had as viewers watch Brittany begin her journey with no small amount of anger and frustration.

Jillian Bell is Brittany, a woman living in New York who has settled into a pattern of drinking and having fun with her friends, not looking after herself too well, and becoming slightly overweight. This isn't a problem for Brittany, at least she doesn't think of it as a problem until a doctor tells her that she should aim to lose weight and work on some healthier lifestyle choices. That starts her thinking about just what her main role in life is. And it leads to her eventually joining a running club that she is invited to by her neighbour, Catherine (Michaela Watkins). She also befriends a fellow runner, Seth (Micah Stock), and gets a dog/house-sitting job, where she meets a strange free-spirited man named Jern (Utkarsh Ambudkar). All of those people, plus her brother-in-law (Demetrius, played by Lil Rel Howery), help Brittany to figure out her way forward through life. But the road ahead won't be easy, and won't always necessarily be without setbacks.

Inspired by a real person (Brittany O'Neill) who was a roommate of the writer-director (maybe still is, for all I know), Brittany Runs A Marathon works as well as it does because it feels quite honest when it counts most. I put off watching this for some time because I assumed it was going to be a gender-switched version of Run, Fat Boy, Run. That's simply not the case. Brittany setting her sights on a marathon goal is just one aspect of the way she starts to recalibrate her vision, and her self-image. The marathon is a huge deal, I'm not going to deny that, but it's also insignificant in comparison to what else Brittany starts to work on while getting herself in the kind of condition required to run such an event.

Bell gives a very good performance in the lead role, starting off with a performance similar to many others that she's given us before showing the slipping of the mask and fighting constantly against her guard being let down. Watkins and Stock lend her strong support, paralleling the characters they play in the movie. Ambudkar comes along at just the right time, livening up the film when it needs a small boost, and Howery is a shining beacon of goodness whenever he's onscreen (well . . . his character is, and he plays him well). It's also worth mentioning Alice Lee, who plays Gretchen, the kind of friend you only ever want as a friend when you don't realise that you're worth better friends. Lee is suitably inconsiderate and awful.

Fair play to Colaizzo for not taking the easy option here, as this could have just been a straightforward comedy vehicle for Bell. I'm sure that would have worked just as well for many people, but this way of treating the material allows for some more thought-provoking moments, which are more of a surprise after those opening scenes that help to welcome you into the story with some laughs. Because of that important decision, you may not get quite what you wanted from this, but you may get something even better.

7/10