Deep Cuts Horror Hit List #11 “Heart Eyes”

Hey that folks. It is Tuesday, October the twenteenth first, and the next movie on our horror hit list. It could also be on our Valentine's Day movie countdown and with that, Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. We continue to count down our horror hit list, our favorite horror movies that maybe you haven't heard of as we get closer and closer to Valentine's Day. Is this We talked about The Blackening. It's earlier on the list, but this movie has to be the funnest one on the list.

I loved this movie so much.

Also, I went into it with really.

High expectations because I thought, finally someone has made the perfect date horror movie where you mix a rom com with a horror movie, and I just didn't believe it could be done well in both genres, and yet they nailed it.

Like It's an.

Absolute hilarious, fun, over the top rom com satirical, almost indefinitely satirical, and it's making fun of rom coms yet perfectly formulaic in the rom com family, and then also having amazing kills and horror and just a through line of a rampaging, murderous villain who's going after lovebirds on Valentine's Day?

Folks, this is for us at least. This is the perfect date movie. And we're talking about number eleven on our list. It is called Heart Eyes, and this one is only a few months old. We kind of hesitate robes. We don't like to put new movies too high on the lists because we don't want to be, you know, caught up in the moment or it's new or it's fresh. But this one came out February seventh of this year, around Valentine's Day, which was the exact time it should

It was my opportunity to step in where you did for the Blackening, for me, for rom com for you, because there are just things you expect when you're watching a rom com, and they even made There is a scene in the movie when you watch it, if you've seen it, where they brilliantly weave in nearly every line in every famous rom com movie in a scene in.

The car where I just died laughing.

And if you haven't watched all the rom coms from the nineties and up until now, you wouldn't even get what she was saying.

But this was the writing was so on like, it was just perfect.

You're right. I wouldn't have gotten that moment. Probably a year or even two years ago, I wouldn't have gotten the line, but once she did it, and I can't remember the young lady's name, but she was a supporting character who was fantastic. You're right that that was probably the moment of the movie. But you'll you'll see it if you watch this movie. But the synopsis here we have two different ones. I think neither one of them

Yes, the alternate was when two co workers have to survive the Hard Eyes killer on Valentine's Day.

The two have to find out who it is.

You know what, that's very simple, but we're gonna sell it much better than that. Now, I'll tell you about the box office here. It did pretty well, thirty million dollars domestically, another a few million internationally, but totally it made a only thirty three million dollars. Now. The cast here includes Olivia Holt and Gordana Brewster, a lot of people will be familiar with from the Fast and Furious movies. And another guy we have really fallen for.

Lately, Mason Gooding. And that is Cuba Gooding, Junior's son. Correct, And when you when you told me that, I actually didn't know it. I immediately saw the family resemblance.

He's so adorable, he's perfect.

In this role.

Charming, Well, yes, so charming.

You're actually like, it's so funny because I found myself oscillating between getting excited about the horror movie aspect of it, but then rooting for them and their love story, which was so hilariously formulaic, including the meat cute at the coffee shop.

See, I didn't know what a meat cute was, so about eight months ago what that means?

It?

Does everybody know what that means? A meat cute and a rom co? It's only a rom com.

Yes, I think every woman listening, I almost said, watching listening knows what a meat cute is?

Are there real life meet cute? Does this happen to people? In real life?

People will say, what was your meet cute?

When you meet someone's boyfriend, fiance, husband, what was your meat cute moment?

When did you guys have that moment?

You don't just say how'd you meet?

Well sometimes, but sometimes you might even joke if there's a story behind how you met, people could refer to it that way.

See why I struggle. This is why I struggle with this movie. Yeah, directed here by Josh Rubin. But the Rotten Tomato score and the audience score this is as close as we've seen any of them, seventy seven and seventy six percent. So the audience and the critics robes on this one seemed to be in agreement.

I think that's low.

If I were to give it, I would have given this a ninety percent. I just thought it just hit every mark. It definitely deserved in a in my like if you the grading system whatever, and I know that seventy seven is actually really good for a Rotten Tomato score, but I think it deserves better.

You haven't looked through these reviews. I pull these, and I'm cure. I can't remember right now what people's issue ended up being with the movie, But we're gonna get into that. Critic consensus here says, quote a exture of gory slasher and sweet rom com that in geniously nails both formulas. Hard Eye serves up a bloody Valentine that'll make the heart skip a beat.

That's perfect, that's pretty creative, that's pretty perfect.

We walked out saying that exact thing. It's hard to get both of these formulas right, and they did it another. The audience consensus now says, with a mask, excuse me, with a killer mashup of romance, cheese, horror, and comedy. This Valentine release may lack a compelling plot, but it's surely a feast for the heart and eyes love.

What they did with that too, But momp, I actually think that's really true because it is cheesy, but it's perfect, perfectly cheesy, because romance rom coms are cheesy. Yes, they have cheesy lines. Yes, we know how it's gonna end. We know there's going to be a false ending. We know all of these things.

See, I didn't know that until very recently. And I still haven't watched a lot of rom coms with you, but you talk about them quite a bit, so I do. I guess we should.

We should watch some more, just you know, for research purposes, Babe.

What are we researching so you.

Can have a better understanding of the next time a rom com horror movie comes up?

And you'll be like, I get it.

I tell you what, Why don't we do a Valentine's Day list? Could you imagine how this would go if I'm sitting here reviewing that. Actually, it'll be a disaster.

No, I think you'll actually enjoy it because you'll hate it so much you'll love it.

But no, it wouldn't come off right, I couldn't.

I think you could speak for the men out there who are forced to watch these with.

We're of course, we do it voluntarily. We don't know I'm saying. We don't choose. We don't say, hey, sweetie, let's go see it. But we have no problem. Okay, you want to watch a rom com, let's do it.

Okay, I say we do a Valentine's Day rom com. The top ten rom coms.

I'm gonna struggle with.

That list, but you get to add to you get to decide.

I can't name one. I'll help you. Told me the other day that Coming to America was a rom com, and I got pissed at you.

It is, though it's not.

It's maybe it's a calm ram, but it's maybe a more comedy forward, but it's still.

A rom com. It don't start making up word cam ram is not a thing. Nobody repeat that. We don't want it to catch on some of the sample critic reviews here. Hard Eyes has a winning formula, but maybe don't expect it to sweep you off your feet. That's fair, that's fine. However, we were swept another one here is Hard Eyes is the kind of movie that has something for everyone except the kids. Don't bring children, get a jump on Valentine's Day and go see this scream.

Ans I love that scream and screams.

Another here of fun and breezy good time, maniacally twirling at the crosswords of slasher and rom com. Don't you always feel vindicated? Yes, when you see that the critics agree with the exact thing.

That's exactly how we felt.

They call this when another one said, it's a fun movie that's perfect for a couple light humor. References to rom coms and slashes allow it to explore the cliches we all know from a self aware perspective. That's a good way to put it.

You were in on it.

Yes, they treated audience with intelligence. Yes, like we know you know, so let's just all enjoy this together.

That one ended with the line, the murderers are funny. That sounds ridiculous, But if you watch oh the horror enough, there are some hilarious Now I have several. Now we usually don't put this many negative ones in, but I wanted you to see these ropes. One says maybe the first ever horror rom com. The only problem with Hard Eyes was that it couldn't quite deliver on any of those elements horror, romance, or comedy.

I just so disagree because I think look no offense to the critic who wrote that, But sometimes maybe you have to ask yourself.

Am I taking my opinions too seriously?

Maybe this movie was exactly what it set out to be and it wasn't for anyone to take it too seriously.

Yes, another here tries its hardest to mix comedy with horror, but ultimately the comedy overshadows the horror and just becomes plain ridiculous. I agree that it becomes ridiculous. I embrace that. I agree that the horror does get overshadowed by the comedy. I'm okay with that.

To name this one did not keep me up at night.

I watched Hard Eyes and I slept just fine. If I was in a hotel room by myself, which is usually the place where I am most scared when I've watched a horror movie, would this movie make me concerned? No, So it's not something set out to scare you.

It's about an overall enjoyment.

You know, the idea we talking about how ridiculous. You have to embrace how ridiculous it is. It's called heart Eyes. There's literally a killer with a mask on in the shape of hearts.

Yes, that tells you all you need to know.

And they light up. Yes, right, okay, so clear, Please don't come into this too seriously. Another one here says trying to scare your audience is fundamentally at odds with repeatedly telling them that nothing they're watching is to be taken seriously.

I think that's fine, but they're taking issue with it. That's my point.

I think they have an issue with not understanding the assignment, which is that this wasn't a serious like hardcore for horror fans who only like their horror in a certain way. No, this is about it being an entertaining movie that mashed up some genres in a really funny, effective way entertaining.

This might be the most entertaining on the list. This is a really really like you have fun this whole movie. One more here In the end, The Hard Eyes ends up being another rather generic slasher that didn't do nearly enough to stand out from the multitudes.

Just like it it stood out so much to me.

I thought this was such a distinctive movie, and I applaud the creativity. I applaud the singularity of it and the fact that, yes, of course they borrowed from genres that we all know and love, but that was the whole point. It felt the whole point of rom coms, which we and it's funny. I've learned more about the genre, explaining why I love it and why it's such a beloved genre to you who didn't ever really get it, and that it is like chicken liddle soup.

It's comfort food. It's comfort food for the soul.

You know what you're getting. You know what's gonna happen. You know you're in good hands because it's gonna all end. Okay, but you put in death and a masked killer, it makes it funny error Like rom coms are funny anyway.

But I just felt like this was such a good movie.

You know what you just said something about rom COM's the formula. You know it's always gonna end, Okay, you don't always know that in a horror movie. We were just watching one of the other I mean, was it This Morning where the two leads ended up dying in the end. It doesn't work out. So to actually put those two things in a mashup was fun. There was safety almost in watching a horror movie because it was also a rom com, Like, okay, I know it's going bad now, but it's gonna work out.

And even when the people who died died, you kind of were okay with who died.

I'm sorry that made it also coming.

Please keep that in context. Do not pluck out that sound by roads that you're okay with these people dying. One thing I noticed before I let I only put in one audience critic review. Something I noticed I don't have. I didn't do full research, but I noticed a difference in reviews between women and men. Oh wow, it seemed like so much of the more positive reviews and some of the stronger language on the negative were coming from different sexites.

That makes sense.

The women seem to get this, and again I don't have hard evidence, just in general looking at the reviews, the women had a different take or different appreciation or recognition, it even seemed, and some of the guys were harsher than I thought was necessary and didn't seem to get it.

Well, I think think about it. If you want to go see this just with a bunch of dudes thinking it was going to be a fun slasher on romantic couples.

Yeah, it probably wouldn't have gotten.

A lot of the jokes or a lot of the whole points of the movie, which was to make fun of, yet honor rom coms.

So there is the setup to this review. Robes. I've been waiting to give you this one from an audience member, and this was a woman quote. If you don't like this movie, it's probably just not for you. Hard Eyes was actually great, especially if you have a creative taste. I'd pay twenty dollars a person to see a sequel. I've never rated anything on Rotten Tomatoes before, but after this I downloaded the app happened, made an account just to review it. This movie shines if you're in a

Oh what, I didn't even think about that if you were single, maybe MC a lot of times.

Yes, rom coms aren't.

For people who are ending a relationship or in a bad place in their lives. You don't want it makes you feel even worse about your situation than you already did. So add maybe a murderous villain to it, and you don't want to see love shine or love win in the end, it's just annoying to you.

Their result in the wound, salt in the womb they're in. They're rooting for the killer. Kill them, kill them. But I thought that was interesting, and I did start to see that difference in some of the reviews. And again I get that Robes, there are there are just unmistakable moments of rom common here, Like take there is a segment of it when you don't see a killing and the killer's not being talked about. This is nothing but a pure rom con.

Oh.

Yes, the two leads, how they look, how they act, their ages, the goofiness, the cuteness, it's a complete rom cong It's awesome, and it's awesome all right. So who is this for? Who is not four wys on our list? And as always, now you're looking forward to what Robes said is the food and drink pairing for this movie? Stay here we got all that for you.

Continuing our conversation about number eleven on our Halloween Horror hit list, Heart Eyes the perfect rom com horror movie. I mean when we even heard about this concept, when we first saw the trailers, I was already excited because to put together my two favorite types of movie, which seems unthinkable because they truly are on opposite ends of the spectrum, was just like a match made of heaven. And it could have gone actually one of two ways. Either it was gonna be really good or it was

Oh, this movie start to finish was brilliant. I mean some of this writing is brilliant. To do it. What's the other one? We had, Blackening on our list as well. That's probably the other funniest or funniest one on the list. It wasn't nearly. It didn't nail the horror nearly as well as this one did.

Yes, this one had some really gruesome, really good killings, like final Destination style creative killing, so the genre mash up.

They pulled off both of them.

That's why it made our list, which I just thought was a feat in and of itself. And as you pointed out, TJ, the romcom elements are incredible and for someone who's new to the genre, I think maybe you were even more in tune with picking them out.

Yeah, because it was a ridiculous moment where they're ordering the exact same complicated coffee order or something like that. Obviously that would never happen. And I'm looking over to that, this is so stupid. Well I don't think.

That any that's the point.

But that's the point. See I got that moment now instead of looking at that thinking this would never happen, this is still gret Of course, this is ridiculous. It was supposed to be.

Yes, it's in fantasy world, and yes, the but we acting was phenomenal, The writing was phenomenal.

That is why it made the list.

Who this is for couples, Yes, absolutely, and I think girlfriends, girls who like rom comms, who all go together and watch, you know, Runaway Bride together and love watching all of those amazing Julia Roberts movies of the nineties. This is for you as well, as long as you can handle some gore. Some people cannot. But it is fun to mix it up a little.

But you thought it's strong enough in the rom com elements that it can stand, and you would recommend for women as.

Because you would get the comedy like you would get You can acknowledge how silly romcoms are. Actually when you're watching this movie, it becomes even more evident if you haven't really dissected some of your favorite rom coms, whether it be Overboard or Baby Boom like me, but if it's Pretty Woman, if it's you know, Nodding Hill, whatever.

Or anything else. Julia roberts was in.

The Holidays, in the Holiday, but she wasn't all the other ones. Yes, she was of them.

The ensemble not Holiday. It's like a whole big ensemble, superstar cast. It's a big.

Holiday holiday one.

Wait, now you maybe forget you should know this.

I own.

It's not the holiday that's you sure, No, it's.

It's not saying anything. That's another one of my favorite one.

It's the one where the guys outside with the signs do.

Not say anything. Oh yes, he is the movie boom Box. But the one you're talking.

About, that's a different movie. O, what is the one? So you're telling them that's two different movies, the one with Julia roberts and the ensemble cast versus the one with the guy standing from actually.

So love actually thinking. I don't know if Julia Robertson is not one.

The family Stone is another really good horror, not horror movie rom com.

No Love actually is Karen Knightley and a Thoms.

Julia Robins is not in love Actually.

Laura Lenny's in it. No, Julia Roberts is one of the few ones. She's not in one of the few all the other rom coms.

You're killing me. Okay, see this is how behind I am and trying to get.

Is another good There's so many that one.

No, Okay, we've gotten off track here.

But I'm telling you right now, just hearing us run through all of that, I can tell you that we absolutely have a rom com episode to come here, come Valentine's Day.

All right. We told you who it's for, for you in love folks out there, possibly possibly for women as well. This is not for anyone who is looking for a high brow horror experience. If you need some elevated thing to make sense. Now, this is some silliness, some foolishness. The killings are food and why is he using a crossbow? The opening scene as well, the engagement scene is absolutely hilarious.

I didn't mention this either. The score is so important to a rom com music.

Think about like Ladies, all the movies, all the the like nineties music you like, it's almost all the t if you did back to a rom com, So they start with Rascal Flats.

It's just hilarious.

The score of this movie is the score of any rom com. It's deliberate, it's amazing, it's something to appreciate. But yes, I don't think a lot of dudes might appreciate this on their own.

Yeah, there is no Okay, so we're this is turning guys off to it because we're talking about the rom com elements. This is an entertaining rom com horror movie. You are not sitting there thinking it's too much of this or that. So to your point about women watching, they won't think it's too much horror. If guys are watching, you won't think it's too much com.

Just take your highbrow horror hat.

Off and you'll be fine and you're gonna enjoy the movie.

What to pair with?

Duh?

Valentine's Day stuff?

So I would go with a sparkling rose, sparkling rose, Cremont champagne, just something you know, celebratory like that, and then chocolates.

What else do we love on Valentine's Day? Anything sweet?

Anything, just just something that represents love to you. Put it on your menu, put it on your coffee table, and just enjoy experience.

This one is one you can catch on Nextflix. They're streaming right now. I think folks can tell in our voices. I think this is when we desperately wanted to put in the top ten. And the only reason it's not is because it came out this year. We just didn't want to get caught up necessarily in the moment. But it is a favorite right now of ours, and we we'll probably watch it again. Just talking about it now, this is a great movie.

It makes me want to watch it again, like as soon as we're done with this, all right, yes, and you can watch it on Netflix, as you mentioned, so easy for everyone. Our next episode, our next movie, it'll be oh wow, we're into the top crack in the top ten. And actually the name is kind of ironic, but I won't give away too much other than this one was not well reviewed.

In fact, most.

Of the critics disagree with us on our love for this film and certainly would disagree with our decision to put it in the top.

Ten, but we are standing by our decision either way. You will hear us explain exactly why we took issue with the critics and why this movie is okay to enjoy and to love. And with that, folks, we always appreciate you hanging with us. I hope you're enjoying our fr hit list countdown. We're down to the top tens. We get ready for Halloween. So no matter what, there's some doozies in here. People are looking for movies. Pick