Bria Lou Reviews

Hey Guys x This is a movie that I haven't really heard many people talking about, but it's on Netflix, so if you feel like watching it after my review, give it a try! Teacher, Mr. Butler (Kent Osborne), has a job that he likes, a possible promotion in sight, a wife that he loves, and a new baby. However, when he meets straight-A student Lucas Ward (Dylan Sprouse), he finds his seemingly perfect life spiralling out of control. I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would. It was sinister from the offset. You know that something strange is going to happen the second you set eyes on Lucas, and this works to the film's advantage. You can never quite trust him, even when you have every reason to. The story-line is predictable in the sense that 'smart kid will do anything to get into a good college' has been done many times before, but this is an original take on that trope, and it's done really well because you know that he really will go to any...

Hey Guys x I'm sure that you've probably heard of this book. Or at least, you've seen other people talking about it on various social networking sites. This was actually how I came across it. I saw it in a bookstore once, thought the premise was original, but had no intention of actually buying it (I have way too many books to get through!), but after hearing about it one too many times on twitter, I decided that I needed to buy it, just to see what all the fuss was about. As the tagline says, Tiffy and Leon share a bed (and a flat) even though they've never met. But when you're sharing a living space with someone, it's impossible for their life not to bleed into yours. And suddenly, Tiffy and Leon find themselves sharing more of themselves than they thought possible. But can you really connect with someone that you've never met in person? I loved this book! In terms of the plot, it starts off as exactly what it says on the tin - Tiffy and Leon are...

Hey Guys x This has had a few different names. I think it was originally called 'Arrivals', and on Netflix (UK Netflix, anyway) it's called 'Departures' - so be aware of that if you want to watch it! It's about a boy who make friends with a terminally ill girl, and together they try to help each other get the most out of life. I didn't love this film, at all, for a few different reasons. For a start, some things about it are extremely predictable. Every rom-com has that moment where the main characters discover something about each other, or something stupid happens, and rather than communicating, they break-up, even though we all know that they're getting back together by the end. While this doesn't happen in the way that you expect in this film, as soon as the main boy says (or doesn't say) something, you know exactly that this is the thing that will break them up, and just waiting for it to happen was eye-roll inducing because you al...

Hey Guys x I ended up seeing this on opening day, and I wasn't feeling anything about it one way or the other, but I'm glad that I finally got to see it. We all know this story, right? Lion cub Simba (JD McCray) knows that one day, he will inherit the kingdom from his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones). When tragedy befalls Pride Rock, Simba leaves his home, and his family, behind. But as time passes, can a new adult Simba (Donald Glover) find his way back home? I have to say, I wasn't excited to see this film. In fact, if my sister hadn't wanted to see it, I would have waited for the DVD. Nothing about it really appealed to me at all. And after seeing it, I feel the same way. Nonchalant. Some things about the film were great. First of all, the child versions of Simba and Nala (Shahadi Wright Joseph) were fantastic. Honestly it was kind of disappointing when the characters grew up because I thought that the child actors did a phenomenal job. Other people who ...

Hey Guys x I think this came out sometime last week, and it was immediately on my radar. Mainly because I'm a huge fan of Anthony Mackie and would basically watch anything he does. But thankfully, this had a really intriguing description, so I watched it as soon as I could. It's about an ER nurse (Anthony Mackie) who is forced to team up with a criminal (Frank Grillo) when the lives of his wife (Teyonah Parris) and unborn baby are put in danger. I really enjoyed this movie, which surprised me because, based on the description, it seems like a really generic action movie that's been made a thousand times before. I think it's a remake of an older film, but I haven't seen the other version so I can't really compare. However, from the first scene it feels really original and interesting. You want to know what's going to happen to these characters before you really know who they are. It's really nice to have a protagonist whose side you're on ...

Hey Guys x The Conjuring universe is my second favourite franchise of all time, so of course there was no way that I was going to miss the third 'Annabelle' movie, especially since I loved the first two a lot. After the events of 'Annabelle' (or rather, after the very beginning scene of 'The Conjuring') Ed (Partick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren have taken the Annabelle doll home, locking it away in a safe place that can contain all the evil within it. However, when they're away one night, their daughter Judy (McKenna Grace), babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and Mary Ellen's friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) find themselves trapped in a house full of evil entities. But is Annabelle really the cause of everything that's happening? And can they find her before it's too late? One of the reasons that I love the Conjuring universe so much is that, yes the movies are scary, and I love to be scared. But it never feels like the stor...

Hey Guys x I am so late to seeing this, but I'm really glad that I have now. I always knew that it would be a fun addition to the DCEU, but because it's something that they've never done before, I had no idea if it would be a good fun movie, or a cheesy attempt at comedy - which is why I was keen to see it for myself. Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a 14 year old kid who bounces from foster home to foster home while searching for his mother. However, after saving his foster brother from bullies, Billy meets a mysterious stranger and becomes Shazam (Zachary Levi), an adult superhero with powers that he couldn't even dream of. But soon, Billy realises that being an adult superhero comes with adult-sized responsibilities. Will he continue to be the fun-loving hero with no responsibilities? Or will he use his powers, and his family, to become the Shazam that he was always meant to be? I really enjoyed this movie. It definitely wasn't a 'cheesy attempt at comed...

Hey Guys x I've had this saved in my to-watch list ever since it came out on Netflix, but it was only last week that I actually sat down to watch it. I definitely should have watched it sooner! It's about Charlotte (Allison Williams), a music prodigy that was forced to leave a prestigious music school in Boston years before the movie takes place. Returning, she meets and befriends the school's new star pupil Lizzie (Logan Browning) - but is everything as it seems? I found writing the description really hard because there are so many things that can be given away so easily when talking about this film. Also, if you're planning to watch it - DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER! The first feeling I got from the film was the coldness and detachment I felt. Not only did I feel detached from both the story itself and the characters, but the characters themselves start off extremely cold and unapproachable. The film is not at all what you think it will be. Be aware that if...

Hey Guys x I remember David Tennant talking about this film on a UK morning talk-show over a year ago and I thought that it had a really interesting, unique plot. I have no idea if it had a cinema release or not, but when it came out on the Sky Premiere channel, I had to watch it. Olivia (Lucy Punch) and Alex (Faye Marsay) are a couple - but while Olivia is ready to start a family, Alex would be more than happy to avoid the conversation for as long as possible. So when Olivia decides to begin the process anyway, in her anger, Alex sleeps with their neighbour John (David Tennant). Suddenly, both women find themselves pregnant, and their awkward 'threesome' becomes increasingly complicated. My thoughts about the film changed pretty drastically from the beginning to the end. From the start, there are frustratingly clear communication issues between the couple. You don't have to know anything about them to know that if they spoke to each other more, they would not hav...

Hey Guys x Next up for my 'Spotlight On' series - Jake Gyllenhaal! Jake's been on my radar for a while, but I didn't decide to properly watch his filmography until earlier this year, and I can't believe that I waited so long! It's only while I was going back through his films to choose which ones to include that I realised how many completely amazing movies he's been in. So of course, I had to include him in the series! Favourite Movies: Southpaw, Nocturnal Animals, Prisoners I really really tried to pick just one, but there were so many more that I wanted to include, so even whittling it down to these three was really hard, but these are the three that I've chosen because not only are they all amazing in their own right, but they're all so vastly different. Southpaw is about a boxer who, after winning a huge fight, hits rock bottom and loses everything that mattered to him - but can he get his life back? Nocturnal Animals (which I...

Hey Guys x Happy Favourites day! Tell me your own favourites in the comments. Favourite Movie (1): Murder Mystery I've already done a review of this film, which you can read HERE ! Now, this isn't a film that's going to change your life, and a lot of people don't like it for reasons that I totally and completely understand - after all, there's a lot wrong with it. But for me, these murder mystery 'whodunnit' movies are a genre that I love, and I can't imagine not liking a film that allows me to guess who the killer will be, then pulls the rug out from under my feet at the end. Favourite Movie (2): Tropic Thunder I've had this on in the background a few times while doing other things, but this month was the first time that I actually sat down and watched it closely from beginning to end, and I just think that it's an amazing movie. A lot of the time, especially nowadays, comedies fall a bit flat because you can tell when a bunch of p...