Bria Lou Reviews

  Another month, another Round-Up post. July was quite a busy month for me off the blog, which meant less posts than usual, but there's still a few to go through. Not Finishing Books - My first post of July was the result of me deciding not to finish a book that I wasn't enjoying reading, and the fact that I've decided to feel less guilty about not finishing books. I have since gone back and finished the book, and while I'm glad I've finished, it definitely wasn't worth feeling guilty about. Fatherhood | Film Review -  This is a Netflix movie that came out less than a month before I wrote the review. I ended up really liking it, which I didn't expect. Review #86: Trust Me by T.M. Logan - My 86th book review was on 'Trust Me', by one of my favourite authors. I loved the book and definitely recommend it. Don't Let Go | Film Review - I knew about this film for a while before finally watching it, and like Fatherhood, it was a pleasant surprise. O...

  I had to watch this film twice before I felt like I could review it. I am a huge fan of the Conjuring Franchise - it's easily one of my favourite franchises, including all the spin-offs, so I was really excited to see this. But I wanted to be 100% sure of my thoughts before I wrote them down. Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) take on a case like no other. When Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor) commits a murder, he enlists the help of the Warrens to prove that he was possessed by a demon. For me, this was the weakest of the Conjuring Franchise. It was an okay movie, but it wasn't as good as what we've come to expect from a Conjuring movie. Having said that, I loved the opening scene. It sets the tone of the entire film really well, and does a really great job of opening up the wider story. It didn't really feel like a Conjuring movie. Particularly because of the existence of the trial, which brought the work that Ed and Lorraine do into the real w...

  I knew nothing about this film before seeing the premise, but the premise was cute and intriguing, so I decided to watch it straight away. When Lori (Aya Cash) and Doug (William Jackson Harper) break up before Lori's sister's wedding, they decide to pretend that they're still together until the wedding is over. I thought this was going to be a cute, funny rom-com, but it wasn't what I expected, and to be honest I didn't really like it. The main couple have a lot of obvious chemistry. Even from their first moments on screen you believe that they're a couple. These characters are also really endearing and s weet, particularly Doug. It felt like the break-up was only used as a plot device. There  was no reason for it, and because  w e don't get to kno w the characters at the beginning of the film , the break-up  felt like it came completely out of the blue. The story outside of the main couple, primarily focused on the  wedding, wasn't that interesting...

  I saw the trailer for this movie ages ago, and was really intrigued by both the premise and the actors involved. Thankfully it's a Sky Cinema original, so I could see it as soon as it came out. After the death of a patient, a therapist's (Casey Affleck) life is turned upside down when he introduces his deceased patient's brother (Sam Claflin) to his family.  I saw this film a little while ago and I still have questions - mainly, what was the point of this film, and why was it made? As I said, I really liked the premise. It was interesting, could go in a variety of different directions, and had a good enough cast to see it through. Unfortunately, it went in a weird direction really quickly. For a start, it was really unrealistic and far-fetched. You can't really work out where the story's going because it doesn't make sense - particularly in relation to Sam Claflin's character James. Why did the family allow this stranger into their lives, and what is his g...

  'Saw' is one of my absolute favourite movie franchises, so I was really excited to see this new take on it.  Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) and his partner Detective William Schenk (Max Minghella) are the lead investigators on a series of murders reminiscent of Jigsaw's games. But is there more to the case than meets the eye? I really wanted to love this movie, but I was left really disappointed. I loved the opening scene. It stays true to what we love about the Saw movies, which tend to use the opening scenes to show you exactly what's to come from the rest of the movie. This opening scene is one of the best things about the film. Zeke, the detective, is given a lot of backstory. It's not unusual for a Saw movie to focus on the detective investigating the crimes, but in this film it felt too much. I was way more interested in the murders and victims than the fact that the detective was divorced, or living in the shadow of his father. I didn't care that muc...

  This film came out recently on Amazon Prime Video. I liked the premise, but what really made me want to watch it was the negative comments that it has received. I wanted to see if it was as bad as a lot of people seemed to think it was. Former lovers, Sara (Allison Williams) and Jackson (Alexander Dreymon) are the only passengers on a single-engine plane, when their pilot suddenly dies in mid-air. With no way to land the plane, and a storm moving towards them, will Sara and Jackson find a way to survive? This film wasn't great. I can't really disagree with the negative reviews. For a start, the first 20 minutes felt completely pointless, particularly when the film is only an hour and a half long. We spend a lot of time watching Sara travelling with no clue as to how this links to the wider story. As I said, I liked the premise. It felt unique, and it could have taken a few different paths. When the main plot actually starts, the film picks up a bit, and you start paying atten...

  This book has been on my TBR for a really long time, always in the middle of the pile. Not something I was rushing to read, but also not something I was dreading. But eventually the premise hooked me in enough to move it to the top of the list. Alicia Berenson has a seemingly perfect life - until the day she shoots her husband in the face five times. Since that day, she hasn't spoken a word. But why did Alicia kill her husband? And can anyone make her talk? I'm not sure how I feel about this book as a whole. I liked the overall concept, and I liked the twist that came with the ending, but I didn't love the book while I was actually reading it. For a start, I really struggled with the main character, Theo. Because while this is Alicia's story, it is told by psychotherapist Theo Faber, who is trying to get her to speak. I couldn't work out how I felt about him, or what his intentions were. It was not enjoyable being in his head. And now that I have had some time awa...

  I'm a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I was always going to review this movie. Black Widow has never been my absolute favourite Avenger, but I'm really glad that she finally has her solo movie - it's long overdue! In the wake of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is on the run. While in hiding, she becomes embroiled in a conspiracy linked to the darkest parts of her life. Now Natasha must reconnect with the people who she once knew as her family, to defeat a long-time enemy.  I loved this movie. I was actually surprised by how much I loved it, because Natasha has never been my favourite character, but this film made me love her so much more than I did before. The opening scene of the film is great. It's exciting, powerful and sets up the character of Natasha, both throughout the MCU and in this film, really well. I loved the dynamic between Natasha and Yelena (Florence Pugh). They were the heart of the film and completely c...

  Here are my reviews for Fear Street Part One , and Part Two . And now we have the third part of the Fear Street Trilogy, which finally gives us the truth about what happened in 1666, and the conclusion of what's happening in 1994. In 1666, a town is in the midst of a witch hunt that will have 300 years of repercussions for the 1994 town of Shadyside, who try to finally put an end to their town's curse. I loved this film. I would go so far as to say that it's my favourite of the trilogy, particularly because of the way that it connects to the first film. The 1666 version of the film uses the same actors to tell the story, and I couldn't work out whether this was too confusing or a stroke of genius. I'm leaning towards the latter, but it definitely takes some getting used to at first. Even if this movie was a standalone, the story that it goes into is great. Ignoring the 1994 section, I never thought that I would be as invested in a story set in 1666 as I was. The ...

  I posted my review of the first Fear Street film yesterday, and you can read it HERE . This is the second part to the Fear Street Trilogy, where we learn more backstory about the events of the first film. The kids at Camp Nightwing are terrorised by a mysterious killer in the cursed town of Shadyside. I really enjoyed this film. I didn't like it as much as the first one, but it's definitely a solid sequel. I really liked the way that the two stories were connected. You thought you knew what would happen based on the first film, but there were definitely some surprises. The sequel introduces new ideas and a new set of characters that are as fleshed-out and real as the characters in the first film. I found that the campground was a really interesting setting. The writers and director did a good job of letting the environment completely shape these characters. The premise of the sequel is just as interesting as the first film, but I found it less captivating. These characters ar...

  This is the first in a trilogy of Netflix films that came out over the last few weeks. I ended up watching all the movies in one day, but because they're all feature-length movies with different (though linked) plots, I decided to review them individually. After a series of murders, a group of friends try to defeat the evil that has plagued their town, Shadyside, for centuries. I loved this movie. I didn't really know what the expect, but it was so much better than I thought it would be. For a start, it had a great opening. It got straight into the story and didn't mess around at all. One of my favourite things about the film was the group of characters involved. They are really interesting, fleshed-out, and it is really easy to like them and root for them. And even though they did make bad decisions at times, it felt really refreshing to have a group of horror movie characters who are actually smart and think things through.  This is the kind of film where no one is safe...

  I think the first time I heard about this book was in an Instagram Story from Carrie Hope Fletcher (who provides one of the cover quotes). Since I liked the idea of the premise, I looked it up and saw that it had a lot of good reviews, so I moved it to the top of my to-read list. When Amy's boyfriend of two years plans a surprise holiday, she thinks that she's finally getting the proposal she's been waiting for. However, Amy soon discovers the truth - she has been dumped on live television, on a reality show called 'The Shelf'. There, Amy and five other women must compete to be crowned 'The Keeper'.  I could not stop reading this book, but at the same time, I'm not sure if I loved it. It took me quite a while to get into the narrative voice. While I prefer reading books written in the first person, I don't mind the third person. However, I found the narrative voice in this story really jarring, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had bee...