Bria Lou Reviews

Hey Guys x This isn't going to be a long post, but something that I've done for the last 2 years is to write out my 'Statistics' - the list of things that I keep track of over the year. And I especially wanted to do it because not only is it the end of the year, but the end of the Decade. So I want to remember my 2019 with these numbers. Movies Watched:  396 TV Shows Started:  34 TV Shows Finished:  24 Cinema Trips:  19 Books Read:  14 Fanfic Chapters Uploaded:  133 Blog Posts Written:  143 Looking back on last year, nearly every number (other than blog posts written and TV Shows) is lower, and as this is the first year that I've had a full-time job, I'm really happy with what I've done this year. But that's the end of 2019 on Lou's World, and I can't wait to see what next year has in store. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lou 

Hey Guys x I haven't done a Favourites post since August, and a big part of that had to do with the fact that only having one or two favourites a month doesn't really qualify for a full post - so I thought I'd save up my individual favourites and put them all into one big end-of-the-year post. And here it is! Favourite Movie (1): Joker This is my favourite film of the year without a doubt. I've already reviewed it, which you can read HERE , and I stand by everything I said in that review. It's a really smart, incredibly well-made movie and I hope it wins a plethora of awards in the new year because it deserves them all. (2): Avengers: Endgame You can read my review of this HERE , but this was hardly a surprise. This is a film that was 10 years and 21 films in the making, and for me it absolutely lived up to the hype that it created. (3): The Star Wars Saga Read my review of the first 8 movies HERE  and my review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker H...

Hey Guys x I remember seeing the trailer for this film at the cinema months ago and was so exited to watch it. Not only was the concept really intriguing and original, but it also seemed like one of those horror/thriller movies that has the potential to be scarier than the whole supernatural thing. So yeah, I was really excited! Grace (Samara Weaving) has just married Alex (Mark O'Brien) and is about to officially become one of the Le Domas family. However, before that can happen, she has to play a game. But when she sees the lengths that this family will go to just to win the game, Grace begins to wonder if she'll be able to survive the night. As I said, this is such an intriguing, original concept. I loved the idea of it before I ever saw it, and I'm pleased to say that the film really holds up! The first thing that I found really interesting (and whether this was intentional or not I don't know) is that every character in the film seems like a really fantas...

Hey Guys x Happy Christmas Eve! So this is the film that's ending Blogmas. To be honest, I ended up watching so many Christmas films that I didn't realise that this would be the last one until I actually checked the amount of reviews I'd written against the dates. So this may not be the best film to end on, but I'm really glad that I didn't dislike it as much as some of the others I've written! Mary (Erin Karpluk) decides to restore the lodge that she and her family spent a lot of time in growing up. But along the way, she discovers a love that she never expected to find. I'm kind of glad that I'm ending Blogmas on this one. While it isn't the most original Christmas film, it has a really nice feel that a lot of the others didn't have. Yes she found love, but to this girl the most important thing was her family, and they all helped her to restore this lodge. For some reason, her family being so involved made the film feel really sweet a...

Hey Guys x This is another movie that's on Amazon Prime and again, it stars Lacey Chabert, who now seems to be proficient in making Christmas Hallmark movies! When Darcy (Lacey Chabert) goes home for Christmas, she reconnects with her family and her old rival Luke (Brendan Penny). When they decide to plan a charity event together, Darcy discovers the true meaning of Christmas, and exactly why this town is still so important to her. I didn't really like this movie at all. For a start, the name of the movie is instantly cheesy, which isn't that unusual for a Christmas movie from the Hallmark channel, but it has absolutely nothing to do with what the movie is about. This isn't a story that instantly grabs you. But what's good about it is that it's vaguely interesting enough to keep you watching - or more likely, to keep on in the background without missing what's going on. Darcy and Luke are the obvious couple of the movie, but that doesn't me...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 22! On the Sky Premiere channels, this film is called 'The Christmas Swap, so that's what I've called it even though it's generally called 'A Christmas Switch'. But to be honest, it doesn't matter what I've called it because I doubt anyone's actually gonna want to watch it. When a singer and a record executive accidentally switch places (Freaky Friday style), the two women race to switch back before Christmas. However, over the Christmas season they learn more about themselves than they ever thought possible. As you can tell, this isn't a new or original story, though it is somewhat modernised if you're looking at it from a Freaky Friday angle. It doesn't start in the most entertaining way, and it takes a long time to get interesting - if it even does at all. Neither of these characters are interesting in any way. There's never a point where you can think 'I really care about what happ...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 21! I heard about this movie ages ago but never had a particular desire to see it, even thought I had heard how good it was. So Blogmas seemed like the perfect opportunity! When a glitch means that one girl won't receive her present from Santa (Bill Nighty), Santa's son Arthur (James McAvoy) decides to take it upon himself to deliver the present before it's too late. I really liked this film, which isn't a surprise given it's reputation! For a start, it's the first and only cartoon in my Blogmas/Christmas movies list - why aren't more Christmas films cartoons? I feel like the two themes blend really well together. It is such an original story, and I really loved that because it could have become cliche, but it didn't at any moment. It is so much more of a family/Christmas Spirit movie than anything else, and that's exactly what a Christmas movie is supposed to be. All of the characters are three dimensi...

Hey Guys x I can't even put into words how excited I was to see this film. I was sitting at work watching the seconds tick by so that I could rush out of there and make it on time. I'm a relatively new Star Wars fan, but a huge one nonetheless, and this finale was so long awaited! And I know that a lot of people have been waiting, so I'm gonna keep this review as spoiler free as possible. I wrote this right after seeing the film, and spent the majority of today remembering things and having to add to it, so sorry if this review is a bit all over the place! The surviving members of the Resistance face off against the First Order for the last time. As these beloved characters come back for one final showdown, they encounter a threat that they never expected to face. I have mixed feelings about the film, in that I liked it, but there were also things about it that I really didn't like. For a start, the beginning of the film (and I'm talking the first 40 minu...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas Day 20! I saw this film on Netflix, like so many others this Blogmas, and thought that it might be a good one to review. Edmund (Andra Fuller) is a businessman who doesn't like Christmas. But when he meets Leslie (Brely Evans), a decorator who loves the festive season, he begins to open his eyes to a lot of things that he's been fighting. Okay, so this isn't a great film at all. Which unfortunately isn't that surprising given the quality of Netflix's Christmas movies. It's connected to the film 'Miss Me This Christmas' that I reviewed maybe last week or the week before. And if you read that review, you'll know that I didn't like that film. And while this one was a bit better, it still wasn't anything special. It's very Christmassy - it hits you over the head with Christmas. There is practically a Christmas Tree/wreath/fairy lights in the background of every single shot. I really loved the fact t...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas Day 19 - how quickly has that gone?! This film comes courtesy of Amazon Prime. I mainly chose it because I recognised the main actress in it (from Two and a Half Men, where she played Kate) and, though it seemed generic and plain, I thought it would be a nice simple movie to watch while doing other things. Ellie (Brooke D'Orsay) works in her local bakery, and loves her job. But when she meets businessman Nick Carlingson (Daniel Lissing), who wants to replace the humans in the bakery with machines, can she convince Nick to see the heart in the bakery, and in her small town? It was exactly what I expected it to be, and it'll be exactly what you expect, too. The beginning of the film is so cliche that you actually feel like you've seen it before, because you've seen the same situations happen in 90% of Hallmark movies. It actually feels like the film throws desserts and men at the audience to distract us from how cliche and bad the...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 18! Our second visit to Vanessa Hudgens this Blogmas! This time it comes in the form of 'The Princess Switch', which I had heard of but knew nothing about until I actually sat down to watch it. When Duchess Margaret Delacourt (Vanessa Hudgens) meets Stacy DeNovo (Vanessa Hudgens) and sees how alike they look, she has a brilliant idea - they should switch places over the Christmas holidays. But when they spend time as each other, the discover exactly what the other has been missing out on. I loved this movie. It's serious a contender for Blogmas film of the year, I really really enjoyed it. And of course, that doesn't mean it's perfect, but who cares? For a start, the premise of the film is so ridiculous that it's actually really entertaining. Like, it would never ever happen in real life, but it makes you want to know what happens next. There was great chemistry between all four of the main characters - including the...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 17! I have no idea if this is supposed to be in the original 'Cinderella Story' franchise, but I loved the original, and haven't seen any of the others aside from this one. But as it's a Christmas film, and it's on Netflix, I decided to see if it was any good. Kat (Laura Marano) is a singer... or she wants to be. Currently she works as an elf, which allows her to live out her dreams until she can actually become who she wants to be. But with her stepmother and step-sisters standing in her way, this seems impossible. Until, that is, she meets Dominic Wintergarden (Gregg Sulkin). I liked this film more than I thought I would, given that it follows the standard 'Cinderella' story-line that's been done since the dawn of time. Now I will say that, from the opening scene, you do not feel like this will be a good movie. It's just embarrassing for everyone involved. And on top of that, 'A Cinderella Story...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 16! I've seen this movie before, but I decided to include it in this list because I remember really liking it when I first saw it, but hadn't seen it since that first time. And if you also want to watch it, it's on Amazon Prime! Best friends Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have decided to conclude their tradition of spending Christmas Eve together - but not before one last blowout, which becomes a night that none of them will ever forget. As I said, I really liked this movie when I first saw it, and I really liked it the second time. It wasn't a perfect Christmas movie, but compared to everything else I've seen so far this month, it does a really good job. There's really great chemistry between the three leads - it seems like they've actually known each other for as long as their characters have. This could be due to the fact that Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have ...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 15! It was my birthday on Thursday, so I decided to go to the cinema on Saturday to celebrate. Not only is this one of the newest films out, but it's also a horror film, which of course, I love. So this was my choice, and I really hoped it would be good. Even when there was no one else in the cinema, even when the person we bought the tickets from said that he didn't even know it was out, I still had high hopes. Students are leaving Hawthorne College for the holidays. But the girls staying behind soon find themselves in danger when they start getting picked off one-by-one by a mysterious stalker. I seriously think this film, for me, is a contender for 'worst film of the year'. And I say that knowing that I've seen some bad films this year! And I have to warn that there will be a few spoilers in this review, but hopefully by the time you read this you won't want to see it anyway - there will also be mentions of rape, as t...

Hey Guys x As promised, the much-awaited third film in the 'Christmas Prince' trilogy - The Royal Baby! Queen Amber (Rose McIver) and King Richard (Ben Lamb) are preparing for the birth of their first child, while also hosting royal allies to sign a sacred treaty. But when the treaty is stolen, allies become enemies, a curse threatens the royal couple, and everyone is a suspect. I loved this movie almost as much as I loved the first one! First of all, I have to say that I know this isn't what the film is about, but the romance between Simon (Theo Devaney) and Melissa (Tahirah Sharif) is the best thing about all three of these movies, and if the fourth movie isn't about them then what's the point? The makers use any excuse to bring drama back to Aldovia, knowing that they have an audience who will eat up whatever they put in front of us. The drama could have been about baby names and we would have lapped it up. In all honesty, I have no idea what the poin...

Hey Guys x As promised, here is the second 'A Christmas Prince' review. And as you can tell from the title, this one is about a wedding! A year after the events of the last film, Amber (Rose McIver) and King Richard (Ben Lamb) are preparing for their wedding. But with Amber second-guessing whether or not she can be the queen of Aldovia, and a financial scandal about to rock the kingdom, will these two make it down the aisle? As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I love the entire trilogy. However, for me, this one was the least enjoyable. The best thing about a sequel is that you don't have to spend time getting to know these characters because you've already watched the first movie. You can get right into the story. However, with this film that is a bit of a problem because the story this time around is a lot less interesting than the first - particularly the side-story about the kingdom's finances. There is also a lot less chemistry between Amber a...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 12! This is a trilogy of films on Netflix that I had heard of before, but had no real desire to watch until I started doing Blogmas. The following two films will be reviewed over the next two days. Aspiring journalist Amber (Rose McIver) is sent to Aldovia to get an exclusive story about the prince who is about to become king. But when she meets Prince Richard (Ben Lamb) and the rest of the royal family, she discovers that there's more for her in Aldovia than just a story. I didn't expect to like this film, but I ended up falling in love with it, and by extension the whole trilogy! It had the most cliche beginning, but even though you know exactly where it's going, and pretty much what's going to happen throughout, it's still entertaining enough to keep you engaged. It felt a bit like watching reality TV, you know that what you're watching has no real substance to it, but you can't stop watching and falling in lo...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 11! This is another Christmas movie that comes from Netflix, but from the poster it's actually a Hallmark movie, which makes a lot of sense! A princess (Briana Evigan) decides to shirk her royal Christmas duties in favour of being shown the 'real' New York by a handsome stranger (Paul Campbell). I'm a sucker for movies like this, so I went in expecting to like it and I certainly wasn't disappointed! For a start, I liked the fact that the term 'princess' was treated as a job description rather than an enviable position in society. The protagonists have such immediate chemistry that none of their backstories even matter prior to their meeting, because all you care about is the scenes that they have together. One of my favourite things about the movie was that, usually in these Christmas movies the love interest is either the typical businessman, or he literally looks like a model. In this movie, the love interest...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 10! Of most of the movies I've watched for Blogmas, this film seemed the most like a cliche Christmas movie, and I was totally prepared for that. Sara (Lacey Chabert) is meek and timid at work, until her boss steals her big Christmas-based proposal. She makes a Christmas wish for courage and suddenly finds herself speaking up when she never would have before. But will her newfound confidence help her to open her mind (and her heart) to love? Yes, it is as cliche as it sounds, and yes, it's also as bad as it sounds. Not that I expected this film to be a cinematic masterpiece, but I expected to at least get some enjoyment out of it, rather than just finding criticisms, which is what happened. For a start, the film doesn't really understand what 'courage' is. The film sets it up that Sara's wish gives her courage, but this 'wish' really acts more like a mix of truth serum, assertiveness and guilt tripping. None of...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 9! I am a huge fan of Ben Affleck, and before Blogmas I didn't know that he was in a Christmas movie, so I got really excited to see it! Then I saw the Rotten Tomatoes rating, and other reviews, and I got less excited... Drew (Ben Affleck) is a wealthy man with no friends or family. When he discovers that he'll be spending Christmas alone, he decides to pay a family to spend the holiday with him. But can money ever buy you happiness? OK, so this film wasn't good. It wasn't the worst Christmas film I've ever seen, but... it was definitely up there. For a start, it completely hits you over the head with Christmas. It forces it down your throat as a way of saying 'This isn't bad. This isn't unrealistic. This makes sense. It's Christmas!', and none of these things are actually true, so it just doesn't work. Speaking of being unrealistic... it's honestly the most unrealistic plot that I've ever...

Hey Guys x It's Blogmas day 8! This is a film that I found on Netflix, and I decided to add it to my Blogmas because it looked so different from the usual Christmas movies that I've reviewed so far. Regina (Erica Ash) and Franklin (Redaric Williams) are a couple in the process of finalising their divorce. But when they learn that their divorce will be finalised on Christmas day, the couple take some time apart in order to truly see what they're losing. But are they really ready to divorce? Despite the fact that this is an original-sounding movie... that doesn't actually make it good. Which is a shame because I really hoped it would be. The first thing that struck me about this movie was that everything that the actors said sounded fake, like they didn't even believe it themselves. There wasn't one character who sounded genuine or believable, and that just took me out of the entire movie before I even had a real chance to get into it. As well as bei...

Hey Guys x Happy Blogmas Day 7! We're a week into December and that feels really weird to say. It feels like December 2018 only just finished! Today's movie is about Lizzie Richfield (Danica McKellar), a house manager who is preparing a lavish mansion for sale, while dealing with the family members that still live there. But soon two brothers tear Lizzie's heart in completely different directions. Can she prepare the house and bring this fragmented family back together before Christmas? This isn't going to be a particularly long review, because even from the description it's clear that this film isn't a cinematic masterpiece... or even that good a Christmas film. For a start, it didn't need to take place at Christmas. It could take place at any time of year and work, practically nothing would have to be changed. However, the makers of the film definitely wanted you to know that it was Christmas, given the fact that the phrases 'came/come/bri...

Hey Guys x Happy Blogmas day 6! I gave this film a mini review in last year's Blogmas, but I liked it so much that I thought it deserved a full review this year. I think it's probably one of my favourite Netflix Christmas movies, if not my absolute favourite. Ellen Langford (Eliza Taylor) is about to inherit her father's business. But before she does, he gives her a mission - to deliver a box of Christmas cards to his former business partner, in his hometown of Snow Falls. But when her trip is extended, Ellen finds herself falling in love with the town of Snow Falls... and with one of its residents. As I mentioned, I love this movie. For a start, Ellen Langford is portrayed as a rude, entitled, spoiled girl, but even with all of that, she's a great main character because she's so endearing. She's a character that you root for even though you can't really relate to her extravagant lifestyle. The film takes the 'spoiled rich girl' cliche ...

Hey Guys x Happy Blogmas day 5! As you can see, the original name for this film is 'A Gift to Remember', but when I watched it on the Sky Christmas channel, it was called 'A Gift For Christmas', so that's what I'm going with. Darcy (Ali Liebert) works in a bookstore and is always hoping to get swept off her feet. However, she doesn't expect to sweep someone off their feet - which is exactly what happens when she crashes her bike into a man (Peter Porte), leaving him with a serious case of amnesia. But as she tries to help him piece his life together, will Darcy find herself falling for someone who doesn't even know who he really is? I didn't have high hopes for this film before going into it, but I actually really enjoyed it, in all of its cliche predictable-ness. The bookstore setting isn't that unusual in romance movies, and I've seen it used quite a few times in Christmas movies. So even though this might be seen as predictable...

Hey Guys x Happy Blogmas day 4! This is the first Christmas movie of Blogmas that's also basically a Hallmark movie - aka the kind of cliche love stories that my Blogmas will be filled with, with a little bit of snow and presents thrown in for good measure. Clara (Kaitlyn Leeb) isn't a fan of the celebrity chef, Shane (Scott Cavalheiro) who is set to become her new boss. But when their paths keep crossing, the pair realise that cooking isn't the only love they share. The only good thing I can say about this film is that the beginning of it really gets you in the Christmas spirit. However, even for a cliche Christmas film (with the most cliche meet-cute), this wasn't a great movie. And a lot of that stems from the male protagonist. Shane the celebrity chef begins as a really bland character whose whole personality is being a chef, which is kind of a Christmas cliche in and of itself. However, soon we see a slightly different side of his personality - fallin...

Hey Guys x Another non-Blogmas review for you, this time in the form of 'The Report', which is an Amazon Prime movie that came out a few days ago. I heard about it quite a while ago and couldn't wait to see it - I finally watched it yesterday. Daniel Jones (Adam Driver) is an FBI agent tasked with creating a Report based on the CIA's extreme new interrogation techniques used in the aftermath of 9/11 - aptly nicknamed 'The Torture Report'. I loved this film, and it feels really weird to say that because of the subject matter - the word 'loved' feels too trivial. But nevertheless, I have a lot of positive feelings towards the way that the film handled this subject matter. I was actually really surprised that this film hadn't been made before now - it seems like an amazing piece of source material that directors were probably clambering to tackle. Not only is it a true story, but it's a story that is so important to history. Whether you kn...