Love Lies Bleeding (Minor Spoilers)(2024)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Working as the manager at a local gym in New Mexico, Lou (Kristen Stewart) meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an aspiring bodybuilder. Lou finds happiness with Jackie during a rocky romantic relationship, but the sudden appearance of FBI agent O’Riley (Orion C. Carrington) disrupts Lou’s quiet lifestyle. Lou struggles to juggle murder, dead bodies, and tumultuous relationships with her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), her sister Beth (Jena Malone), her husband, JJ (Dave Franco), and a kooky woman named Daisy (Anna Baryshinkov).

My Thoughts- Kristen Stewart believably plays a quirky and awkward young woman, who’s dealing with a lot. You can tell she wants to distance herself from her family, but she loves Beth too much to ignore her abusive relationship with JJ. Stewart also brings an emotional side to Lou. The weight of working a dead end job in a small and hopeless town is clearly crushing Lou’s spirit. But Lou is still willing to help others, while she navigates a lot of tricky paths in her own life. The big test? Lou has to choose between her family, standing up to her father, and her relationship with Jackie. 

Jackie appears, and we’re not exactly sure what’s going on with her. Is she just a drifter and a shameless opportunist? Does she actually love Jackie? All the questions surrounding Jackie are definitively answered as the story progresses. Jackie is tough, she’s strong, and she doesn’t put up with bullshit. But you can also see someone, who’s hurting inside, because Jackie has a few vulnerable and emotional moments.

Katy O’Brian does an excellent job of portraying Jackie. She starts out as this happy and positive lady, who’s determined to chase her dreams. But she gets sucked into a whirlwind of chaos, as she struggles to hold herself together before she completely cracks. 

Jackie and Lou together? Well, there’s no denying it’s a toxic relationship. Jackie ran away from her hometown, chasing a new life. Lou is miserable. She hates her father, she misses her mother, and Lou knows there’s a low ceiling for her future, if she doesn’t leave New Mexico.

It’s love at first sight, when Jackie walks into the gym, but things go downhill quickly, when Lou gives Jackie steroids. Jackie quickly spirals out of control, but Lou NEVER gives up on her. The romance between Lou and Jackie is truly one of Love Lies Bleeding’s greatest strengths, filled with turbulent ups and downs. And kudos to Katy O’Brian for shifting gears to a more frazzled and angry version of Jackie during the ‘roid rage fits.

Ed Harris does it again with another good performance. Lou Sr. is a mean and crusty old bastard, a devious manipulator, who won’t stop until he gets what he wants. On top of all that, Lou Sr. is oddly fascinated with bugs. Harris plays a powerful man, but it’s hard to ignore the truth: Lou Sr. is a relic of the past. He’s an old man, who’s desperately clinging on to the power of being a big fish in a small pond, because without his status as a scary big shot, his life is empty. It’s kind of sad and pathetic, when you step back and look at the big picture.

Hats off to Dave Franco for his performance. JJ is scum. He’s a cheater, he beats his wife, and JJ is a sniveling coward. Franco does a fantastic job with JJ’s body language, his demeanor, and some good facial expressions. You can take one look at JJ, and you’ll instantly know this guy is a bad dude, with a cold and nasty mean streak.

It’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for Jena Malone’s Beth, a caring mother and a dedicated wife. She takes care of everything around the house, but she’s married to a monster. They don’t actually show JJ beating Beth, but the aftermath is equally horrifying. The scars, the bumps, the bruises, and Beth lying in a hospital bed with that huge knot on her face is an unpleasant sight. Also, the dinner date scene with JJ, Beth, Lou, and Jackie is genuinely uncomfortable to watch. You can feel the awkward tension at the table, and the situation reaches a boiling point, when JJ overreacts after Beth accidentally drops food on his lap.

Anna Baryshinkov could’ve stole the show here with more screen time. Daisy is a nutty and obsessive stalker. The lovey-dovey feelings she has for Lou are not reciprocated. She loves Lou, she’s willing to do anything to have a relationship with her, but Lou can’t stand Daisy. The mere sight of Daisy annoys Lou to the point, where it’s easy to believe she disgusts Lou. To top it off, Daisy’s story has an unfortunate ending before the credits start rolling.

Rose Glass’ work behind the camera is just phenomenal. Love Lies Bleeding looks and feels like a hypnotic fever dream. So many shots with great details, and the small New Mexico town is a perfect setting for this one. Lou’s hometown is a desolate and quiet hellhole out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a dreary and depressing place that kills any hopes and dreams. Escape is the only way to make it, because it’s a town that’s populated by too many people, who are stubbornly stuck in their own ways, and the bad guys hold too much power.

I’m also glad they didn’t lean into 80’s nostalgia too much. It’s a more subtle approach with the wardrobes, the hairstyles, the cars, and the phones. I can clearly see the movie is set in the 80’s, without constant in-your-face reminders in every scene, or every other scene. That’s enough for me.

Love Lies Bleeding fires on all cylinders. It works as a crime drama, it works as a thriller, and there’s some good black humor during the final moments of the movie. The overall cast is excellent. Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian share great chemistry as two people, who are willing to do anything for each other, no matter how risky the consequences are after the smoke clears. 

A bloody and strange fairy tale filled with violence and some gruesome gore, Love Lies Bleeding lives up to its title by delivering a wild and chaotic love story. Lots of bumpy ups and downs for Lou and Jackie, setbacks that should’ve marked the point of no return for both women. 

Going with the happy ending was the right move. Why? Because after all the bloodshed, the betrayals, and dealing with messy family drama, it’s safe to say Lou and Jackie truly earned their freedom from Lou Sr., a man who’s clearly hell-bent on being a tyrant and a nasty control freak. And there’s always a chance Jackie will get another shot at entering a different bodybuilding competition! 

Rating- 9/10

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Working as the manager at a local gym in New Mexico, Lou (Kristen Stewart) meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an aspiring bodybuilder. Lou finds happiness with Jackie during a rocky romantic relationship, but the sudden appearance of FBI agent O’Riley (Orion C. Carrington) disrupts Lou’s quiet lifestyle. Lou struggles to juggle murder, dead bodies, and tumultuous relationships with her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), her sister Beth (Jena Malone), her husband, JJ (Dave Franco), and a kooky woman named Daisy (Anna Baryshinkov).

My Thoughts- Kristen Stewart believably plays a quirky and awkward young woman, who’s dealing with a lot. You can tell she wants to distance herself from her family, but she loves Beth too much to ignore her abusive relationship with JJ. Stewart also brings an emotional side to Lou. The weight of working a dead end job in a small and hopeless town is clearly crushing Lou’s spirit. But Lou is still willing to help others, while she navigates a lot of tricky paths in her own life. The big test? Lou has to choose between her family, standing up to her father, and her relationship with Jackie. 

Jackie appears, and we’re not exactly sure what’s going on with her. Is she just a drifter and a shameless opportunist? Does she actually love Jackie? All the questions surrounding Jackie are definitively answered as the story progresses. Jackie is tough, she’s strong, and she doesn’t put up with bullshit. But you can also see someone, who’s hurting inside, because Jackie has a few vulnerable and emotional moments.

Katy O’Brian does an excellent job of portraying Jackie. She starts out as this happy and positive lady, who’s determined to chase her dreams. But she gets sucked into a whirlwind of chaos, as she struggles to hold herself together before she completely cracks. 

Jackie and Lou together? Well, there’s no denying it’s a toxic relationship. Jackie ran away from her hometown, chasing a new life. Lou is miserable. She hates her father, she misses her mother, and Lou knows there’s a low ceiling for her future, if she doesn’t leave New Mexico.

It’s love at first sight, when Jackie walks into the gym, but things go downhill quickly, when Lou gives Jackie steroids. Jackie quickly spirals out of control, but Lou NEVER gives up on her. The romance between Lou and Jackie is truly one of Love Lies Bleeding’s greatest strengths, filled with turbulent ups and downs. And kudos to Katy O’Brian for shifting gears to a more frazzled and angry version of Jackie during the ‘roid rage fits.

Ed Harris does it again with another good performance. Lou Sr. is a mean and crusty old bastard, a devious manipulator, who won’t stop until he gets what he wants. On top of all that, Lou Sr. is oddly fascinated with bugs. Harris plays a powerful man, but it’s hard to ignore the truth: Lou Sr. is a relic of the past. He’s an old man, who’s desperately clinging on to the power of being a big fish in a small pond, because without his status as a scary big shot, his life is empty. It’s kind of sad and pathetic, when you step back and look at the big picture.

Hats off to Dave Franco for his performance. JJ is scum. He’s a cheater, he beats his wife, JJ is a sniveling coward, AND it’s revealed he’s an informant for the FBI. Franco does a fantastic job with JJ’s body language, his demeanor, and some good facial expressions. You can take one look at JJ, and you’ll instantly know this guy is a bad dude, with a cold and nasty mean streak.

It’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for Jena Malone’s Beth, a caring mother and a dedicated wife. She takes care of everything around the house, but she’s married to a monster. They don’t actually show JJ beating Beth, but the aftermath is equally horrifying. The scars, the bumps, the bruises, and Beth lying in a hospital bed with that huge knot on her face is an unpleasant sight. Also, the dinner date scene with JJ, Beth, Lou, and Jackie is genuinely uncomfortable to watch. You can feel the awkward tension at the table, and the situation reaches a boiling point, when JJ overreacts after Beth accidentally drops food on his lap.

Anna Baryshinkov could’ve stole the show here with more screen time. Daisy is a nutty and obsessive stalker. The lovey-dovey feelings she has for Lou are not reciprocated. She loves Lou, she’s willing to do anything to have a relationship with her, but Lou can’t stand Daisy. The mere sight of Daisy annoys Lou to the point, where it’s easy to believe she disgusts Lou. To top it off, Daisy’s story has an unfortunate ending before the credits start rolling.

Jackie, as a GIANT, pulverizes Lou Sr.! It’s a bizarre ending. Yes, Lou Sr. got what he deserved, and I’m glad Lou didn’t pull the trigger. She obviously wanted her father to rot in prison, because killing him would’ve been too easy. A small part of me was hoping for a more serious tone during Lou Sr.’s beat down. Lou Sr. was truly an evil man. He deserved to suffer, but Giant Jackie playing around with Lou Sr., while Lou watches with a smile on her face crossed the line for being too silly for me. 

Although, I guess you have to look at the ending through Lou’s eyes. She deeply loves Jackie, and it’s obvious Lou admires her. For Lou, Jackie is someone, who’s larger than life itself, so it makes sense that she sees Jackie as a giant, who’s beating the crap out of her father, a man, who’s directly responsible for a lot of heartache in Lou’s life. 

To add to that, I have to believe steroids played a big part in Jackie’s hallucinogenic transformations. Going back to the scene, where Jackie brutally murders JJ, you’ll notice Jackie is taller, towering over JJ’s mangled corpse.

Rose Glass’ work behind the camera is just phenomenal. Love Lies Bleeding looks and feels like a hypnotic fever dream. So many shots with great details, and the small New Mexico town is a perfect setting for this one. Lou’s hometown is a desolate and quiet hellhole out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a dreary and depressing place that kills any hopes and dreams. Escape is the only way to make it, because it’s a town that’s populated by too many people, who are stubbornly stuck in their own ways, and the bad guys hold too much power.

I’m also glad they didn’t lean into 80’s nostalgia too much. It’s a more subtle approach with the wardrobes, the hairstyles, the cars, and the phones. I can clearly see the movie is set in the 80’s, without constant in-your-face reminders in every scene, or every other scene. That’s enough for me.

Love Lies Bleeding fires on all cylinders. It works as a crime drama, it works as a thriller, and there’s some good black humor during the final moments of the movie. The overall cast is excellent. Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian share great chemistry as two people, who are willing to do anything for each other, no matter how risky the consequences are after the smoke clears. 

A bloody and strange fairy tale filled with violence and some gruesome gore, Love Lies Bleeding lives up to its title by delivering a wild and chaotic love story. Lots of bumpy ups and downs for Lou and Jackie, setbacks that should’ve marked the point of no return for both women. 

Going with the happy ending was the right move. Why? Because after all the bloodshed, the betrayals, and dealing with messy family drama, it’s safe to say Lou and Jackie truly earned their freedom from Lou Sr., a man who’s clearly hell-bent on being a tyrant and a nasty control freak. And there’s always a chance Jackie will get another shot at entering a different bodybuilding competition! 

Rating- 9/10

Coming Attractions- Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

 

Director- Ruben Fleischer

Release Date- November 14, 2025

The Now You See Me films are strange. Fun and exciting storylines, and excellent casting all around, because everyone perfectly fits their characters, especially Morgan Freeman. Daniel Radcliffe played a solid antagonist in the previous film, as the snotty and entitled brat. But I’ve always had the feeling something was off or missing from Now You See Me (2013) and Now You See Me 2? Maybe it’s just me, but movies about world-class magicians pulling off impossible heists should have a stronger spark, or at least have the feeling of a big must-see event.

A slick and flashy trailer for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and there’s some strong potential for Rosamund Pike as the villain. Also, there’s a possibility they’re planting some seeds for the future. Jesse Eisenberg is training a younger team, and plans are already in place for another sequel. 

Nerve (2016)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Living in Staten Island, Vee (Emma Roberts) wants to take a risk and step outside of her comfort zone, so she decides to join Nerve, an online game where players take their chances with dangerous challenges to win money. Vee quickly outshines her best friend, Sydney (Emily Meade) as one of Nerve’s popular players, while her friend Tommy (Miles Heizer) and Vee’s mother, Nancy (Juliette Lewis) worry about her safety.

Another player named Ian (Dave Franco) forms a duo with Vee, as the dares become more dangerous. Nerve’s watchers throw their support behind Ian and Vee as the flavor of the night. But the it team will have to deal with Ty (Machine Gun Kelly), Nerve’s most dedicated and fearless player, if they want win and escape the game. 

My Thoughts- Vee is a simple and relatable character. She’s young, she’s scared about going out into the world on her own, and Vee doesn’t want to leave her single mother alone after her brother’s death. Vee is at that stage in her life, where it’s time to take that big leap into the real world. Emma Roberts delivers a believable performance, as a nerdy kid, who’s still stuck in her shell, going through the growing pains of transitioning into adulthood.

The friendship and dynamic between Vee and Sydney is one of the bigger storylines in Nerve. Vee is frustrated with being Sydney’s sidekick. Sydney is noticeably jealous, as Vee’s popularity continues to rise. Sydney resents Vee, because Sydney craves attention and validation. Vee is stealing her spotlight, but Vee doesn’t see it that way. She’s just trying to have fun, breaking away from her usual safe and predictable lifestyle. 

Of course, you know at some point there’s going to be a big argument between Vee and Sydney. They’ll angrily hurl deeply personal insults at each other, and that’s exactly what happens at the party. It’s a predictable step by step process, leading up to the moment where Vee and Sydney decide to bury the hatchet.

Emily Meade really nailed Sydney’s outbursts at the party. You can buy into the anger and heartbreak, as she’s tearing into Vee, because she’s upset her best friend vented to someone else (Ian), who’s basically a complete stranger. Solid execution for playing out the drama between Sydney and Vee, but as soon as Vee decides to join Nerve, and you see Sydney’s reaction to it, it’s easy to see where everything is going. 

Dave Franco delivers a solid performance as Ian. He’s charming and ambitious, and Ian is someone Vee can trust. Franco and Roberts share good chemistry as a duo, with Ian being the guy, who helps bring Vee out of her comfort zone. 

Tommy having a crush on Vee is hinted at and teased, but ultimately Vee and Ian fall for each other. Roberts and Franco did a good job of playing off of each other, with their opposite personalities. Their relationship easily had more of a spark. Going the route of putting Vee and Tommy together would’ve been the more cliched and boring choice, because Vee and Ian were a more entertaining impromptu duo/couple.

My biggest problem with Nerve is, I never believed the main characters were in any real danger. Nerve is supposed to be this extremely dangerous game, where ANYTHING can happen. Sure, some of the dares are nail-biters. The ladder dare, and Ian needing to hit 60 mph on his bike blindfolded, while Vee guides him are a few good examples. Yeah, they showed a highlight reel of failed dares, and the one tragedy, where a player fell to his death during one of Ian’s old games. But Nerve leaned too heavily on the side of teasing that something bad could happen, instead of actually showing a truly disastrous outcome in the current storyline.

The final challenge? Ty shooting and “killing” Vee just wasn’t believable. Vee faking her death as a ruse to help shutdown Nerve for good was way too obvious. I get the idea behind Vee wanting to sacrifice herself to put a stop to Nerve, and scaring all the watchers into believing they’re accessories to murder. They tried to throw in another curveball, with Vee leaving Ian in the dark about her plans to make her death feel more realistic. I could’ve actually bought into Franco’s devastated reaction, if Nerve was more convincing about death being a serious possibility throughout the movie. 

Nerve was released in 2016, but the social commentary is still relevant today. I’d go as far as saying it’s more relevant today than it was eight years ago. Whether it’s TikTok, Twitter/X, or any other social media platform, the urge to go viral is something that continues to escalate. 

There’s definitely a lot of realism with people feeling the need to record themselves doing absolutely stupid things, hoping they’ll possibly turn their fifteen minutes of fame into a career. Add in the fact that Nerve players receive a bigger payout for bolder and more riskier dares, and you can easily see the connections to modern social media influencers or content creators.

Ty and Sydney are two perfect examples for real people that you would expect to play Nerve. Before she acknowledges her mistakes, Sydney is obsessed with the little bit of fame that comes from Nerve. She was willing to get suspended from school for flashing her butt, but Sydney didn’t care that much, because she gained more followers. Ty? He has the openly narcissistic and cocky personality that you’d expect from someone, who lives for the thrill of being watched and showing off.

There’s a happy ending all around, with Tommy and his hacker friend, Kween (Samira Wiley) working together to shutdown Nerve. Vee decides to go art school with her mother’s blessings, and Ian and Vee are officially together. 

New York was the right setting for Nerve. The bright lights, and the idea of the city that never sleeps, fits perfectly with Nerve’s non-stop and lively characteristics. There’s also a connection to Wu-Tang. Vee is a big fan of the legendary group. There’s a scene, where Vee raps along to C.R.E.A.M. as a distraction to help her get through the tattoo challenge, easily the perfect choice for a Wu-Tang song. 

Nerve is a vibrant and fun thriller, that moves at a fast pace. Roberts and Franco are two likable lead characters, and taking an interactive POV approach throughout the movie was a nice touch. It fits with Nerve’s theme to give you the impression that you’re apart of the game, or you’re at least watching everything unfold in real time. Some decent laughs every now and then, and there’s a handful of unanswered questions, but Nerve has a definitive ending, without any cheap cliffhangers.

Rating- 6/10

Coming Attractions- Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

 

Director- Rose Glass

Cast- Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Jenna Malone, Anna Baryshinikov, Dave Franco

Release Date- March 8, 2024

Everything about this trailer for Love Lies Bleeding is just perfect. The music, the scenes with Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian together, and you can see there’s a strong possibility for Ed Harris to deliver a show stealing performance. 

Yeah, the trailer shows a lot, and maybe they gave away too much. But it’s still the kind of trailer that’ll get you pumped up for the movie. You get the feeling there’s not going to be a happy ending, and Kristen Stewart’s Lou has already chosen Katy O’ Brian’s Jackie over her own family. High expectations for Love Lies Bleeding, a presumably brutal and violent love story featuring top notch acting.