Bria Lou Reviews

  It's Blogmas Day 15! A newscaster's (B. J. Britt) life changes when he meets a single mother (Tamera Mowry-Housley) and her son ( Elijah-Justus Lewis) . I didn't know much about this one before picking it, but the little I got from the description interested me enough to add it to the list. I really liked this film. For a start, it finally gave me a single-parent story where the kid is not only the best part of the film, but a really good actor. He made the film as original and entertaining as it was. But I liked all the characters. They were fun, well-written and the actors worked well together. It took a while for the chemistry to develop between the love interests, but because I was already invested in the story from early on, I didn't mind having to wait before I could really buy these two as a couple. That being said, this allowed the chemistry to build slowly, which really made you believe that these two were falling in love. It was worth the wait to make things...

  It's Blogmas Day 14!  A ranch owner (Melissa Joan Hart) feels a connection with a single father (Duane Henry) and his children when they come to stay at her ranch for Christmas. This was a late addition to Blogmas, and I didn't know before watching this that I've now included two Melissa Joan Hart movies this Blogmas, so that's interesting! Unfortunately this wasn't one of the best ones. I knew instantly, pretty much as soon as I put the movie on, that I just wouldn't connect to these characters and I was right. There was just a disconnect, and it didn't change the whole way through. It's obvious that the filmmakers were trying to be original, and I appreciate that, but this setting just didn't work for a Christmas film. Maybe it's because no one made an effort to actually make it feel like Christmas. This could have taken place over the course of a week in July and it wouldn't have made a difference. There was never any chemistry between t...

  It's Blogmas Day 13! When a wreath maker (Kristin Wollett) gets injured at the busiest time of year for her business, her neighbour (Casey Elliott) steps in to help out. I picked this one because it had a really sweet premise. I'd been craving Christmas movies where the love interests actually spent time together and get the chance to build something realistic, and this definitely had that opportunity. But while the film was fine, the chemistry didn't build in the way I wanted it to. I did like the characters individually, though. For whatever reason they had slightly gender-bent vibes in terms of masculine vs feminine energy and I loved that, they didn't fall into the usual Christmas movie stereotypes. I actually think the plot is great. As mentioned, it's an idea that allows the characters to really become familiar with each other, and the audience can really get to know them.  Unfortunately, it was wasted because we don't find out much about the characters....

  It's Blogmas Day 12! Three famous brothers, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, rush to get home from touring in time for Christmas. Every year, I always try to pick a special film for day 12, and this year I was finding it really difficult. So when I found out that this film was coming out the choice was clear! I was a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers when I was young, so of course I had to include their Christmas movie in Blogmas, and this was the perfect day for it! This film was exactly what I wanted it to be. I loved the opening, it set a tone for what the film would be, and it was a stroke of genius for it to focus on Will Ferrell, who was brilliant in the role. I loved that they kept everything so real, not only are they all playing themselves, but they've included their real families which was great. As someone who used to watch 'Married to Jonas' and became such a huge fan of Kevin's wife Danielle, it was so nice to see her! There were so many unexpected actors in s...

It's Blogmas Day 11! Chef Josie (Kim Shaw) goes back to her hometown to help out with her mother's B&B, just as a food critic (Clayton James) arrives to review their food. This was a last-minute addition, and I mainly picked it because it seemed different to a lot of the other movies I've picked, including having no mention of Christmas! Unfortunately different doesn't always mean better! The best thing about the film was the relationship between the mother and daughter. Shaw and Cynthia Gibb had great chemistry and created a very believable relationship that I wanted to see more of. But in contrast with this, Josie and the love interest (James) didn't have much chemistry at all. He didn't have much of a personality outside of her and it showed in their interactions. They were quite bland on the whole. I actually preferred the character's chemistry with her ex - at least they had an established friendship and could have fun with each other. It was a sham...

It's Blogmas Day 10! When Molly (Alvina August) and Josh (Eion Bailey) keep running into each other while completing Christmas activities, they start to feel a spark. But when Molly becomes smitten with a mysterious customer of her bakery, she has to make a choice. This was a fun but extremely random pick. I didn't really know the premise beyond the main character being a baker so it was interesting to get to explore it. I liked this one, which was great because the plot was a surprise, but it definitely had its flaws. I loved the meet-cute! The characters had instant chemistry and I was rooting for them from their first scene together. But with this, one of the downfalls of the film is that they don't spend a lot of time together. In a way that makes things fun because you're anticipating their next meeting, but they don't get a chance to build a relationship the way they need to to make the audience feel like they'd work in the real world. I wanted to see more...