What to watch: The Ke to our heart
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Love stories are cool and all, but nothing's better than a good comeback tale.
In the years between being a child star in the 1980s and winning an Oscar in 2023, we didn't see much of Ke Huy Quan. He's making up for lost time now, starring in his first lead role in the action comedy "Love Hurts." It's not the only Valentine's Day-themed flick out: Also in theaters is the slasher rom-com "Heart Eyes," or what I like to call "His Girl Friday the 13th." Make a date for those, though don't sleep on spending quality time streaming at home, like queuing up the new Netflix show "Apple Cider Vinegar." (Apropos of nothing, apple cider vinegar is quite tasty to have with crab. Just saying.)
Now that I've made myself hungry, on to the good stuff:
Enjoy Ke Huy Quan going full ninja on bad guys in 'Love Hurts'
Seeing "The Goonies" in theaters when I was 9 is one of my seminal moviegoing memories. Who didn't want to be like those kids going on adventures involving gangsters, pirate ships and best friends? Ke Huy Quan's role as Data in that, plus Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," were part of our formative cultural experience as 1980s kids, and it was a kick to get to chat with Quan for "Love Hurts." It's him doing all the kicking, though, playing a realtor whose hitman past catches up to him when an old friend (Ariana DeBose) comes to town.
Being the lead action hero in a major movie – like his early idols Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung – is a role 40 years in the making. It also involved a lot of Epsom salt baths after tussling onscreen with ex-NFL star Marshawn Lynch and others. "In order to make these fight scenes look real, you really have to go at it," says Quan, a former action choreographer who's also a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. "And getting a little hurt is a very common thing."
See the dawn of a new horror villain in 'Heart Eyes'
There are horror films for pretty much every holiday at this point – "Thanksgiving," anyone? – but the Valentine's Day ones have been a mixed bag. "Warm Bodies" and the original "My Bloody Valentine" are pretty good, but no one's putting "Valentine" or "My Bloody Valentine 3D" on any best-of lists. The new "Heart Eyes" is a solid entry into the canon, a nifty mix of gory slasher film and cheesy rom-com. (Peep my ★★★ review.)
The highlight? The Heart Eyes Killer, who terrorizes co-workers played by Olivia Holt and "Scream" veteran Mason Gooding, is a cool addition to a historical rogues gallery with fellow slashers like Jason, Freddy and Ghostface. After doing some dastardly business with a wine press, he's a memorable figure in a year full of horror movies.
Stream Netflix's wellness scammer drama 'Apple Cider Vinegar'
If you loved "Inventing Anna" and "scammer" stories of its ilk, then jump on Netflix's new true-life drama "Apple Cider Vinegar" (streaming now). Kaitlyn Dever stars as an Australian social-media influencer who fakes brain cancer and tries to sell people on her special diet "cure." In her ★★★ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler calls the six-episode series "a vital and shockingly relatable cautionary tale about the dangers of 'alternative medicine' and the experience of being a young woman navigating an uncaring health care system."
There's also the stranger-than-fiction real story behind the show. My colleague Erin Jensen talked with "Vinegar" creator Samantha Strauss for a deep dive on what happened, from the actual Belle Gibson's shenanigans, the journalists who took her down, and the character who Strauss feels most demonstrates “the real-world cost of what Belle did."
Even more goodness to check out!
- The Oscars are coming and we've got your hookup on all sorts of Academy Awards coolness, including a roundup of 10 classic movies that never won, a throwback piece about the very first Oscar ceremony, a rundown of stolen trophies through the years, plus a look at how much an Oscar statue is worth.
- The first trailer for Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" dropped this week. Vanessa Kirby is about to be a thing (and the Thing rules).
- Tim Allen talks about his latest sitcom "Shifting Gears" and why, after a hugely successful TV career, "this probably will be the end of it."
- Awwww! Country music queen Reba McEntire left a sweet letter for new "The Voice" judge Kelsea Ballerini.
- Get ready for the documentary about Luigi Mangione by watching this exclusive trailer.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.