Bria Lou Reviews

It's my first favourites post of the year! It feels like such a long time since I've done a Favourites post, and I've missed them. I don't have a huge amount in this list, but there are definitely some amazing things that I want to talk about! Favourite Film (1): tick, tick... BOOM! I reviewed this film HERE  and made no secret of the fact that I absolutely loved it. I've seen it a few times since writing that review and I still love it immensely. I'm going to talk about the soundtrack later in the post, but the film in and of itself is great - definitely worth watching if you haven't yet! Favourite Movie (2): Free Guy This a late favourite. I only watched it for the first time last night, so haven't had the chance to review it yet, but I can't remember the last time I loved a film so much, especially on the first viewing. I'll write a full review, but this is without a doubt my favourite film of the year so far! Favourite TV Show (1): The Foster...

  Here's another round-up post, and hopefully I'm able to upload it before April! Please check out any posts you missed. The Father | Film Review - This was my first review of the month. I hadn't known much about the film before watching it, but I thought it was so good! Spider-Man: No Way Home | Film Review  - This was my most highly anticipated film last month, and it was better than I ever expected. My Son | Film Review - This film had a really interesting concept, but I didn't love the execution. Book Review #99: The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory  - This was my third of Guillory's books, and while I love the series, this one was my least favourite. Mass | Film Review  - This was a really interesting film, though it might have worked better in the format of a play. Supernova | Film Review  - This was another highly anticipated film, but unfortunately it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. January Post Round-Up | 2022  - My January posts. Cruella |...

The only thing I had really heard about this film before seeing it was that so many people absolutely hated it. I am a fan of M. Night Shyamalan, so despite the negative reviews, I had somewhat naïve high hopes. A group of people on a secluded beach discover that they have begun to age rapidly. If they do not find a way off the island, they will not survive another day. This was interesting. I didn't hate it, but I can definitely acknowledge that there are flaws. The concept is really intriguing. I didn't know much about the premise before seeing it, and the film gives nothing away for a really long time. Although the film is heavily plot-driven, and therefore the characters don't matter as much, I found the characters interesting to watch. Having said that, it was really frustrating to wait for the characters to figure out what was going on. Even when the signs of ageing are obvious, the film dragged out the process of them figuring out what had happened. This in turn drag...

This movie came out on Netflix a few weeks ago, and while Leighton Meester was a definite draw, I was genuinely intrigued by the story, which seemed like something I'd really enjoy. While on holiday in Croatia, Beth's (Leighton Meester) best friend disappears. As Beth searches, she uncovers clues that lead to devastating secrets. This film could have been a lot better. I didn't hate it, but it also wasn't that good. From the first scenes, the characters immediately arouse suspicion. We never really get to know them, and so once we view them as suspicious, we don't ever really lose that feeling. It's easy to be invested in the story, particularly at the beginning. As more is revealed, you are interested in knowing how it will end. All of the relationships that existed prior to the film should have been established more. At times, it feels like they don't actually know each other. And this could be because of the way the characters are written, or it could be ...

I saw this film on Disney+, and while I'd never heard of it before, I am familiar with a few of the actors. The plot seemed like it had a lot of potential, so I wanted to see how it held up. While on vacation, Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) meet carefree couple Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner), and have a wild week of fun and adventure. However, everything changes when, months later, Ron and Kyla show up uninvited to their wedding. This film is what you expect it to be. It was an interesting watch, but didn't blow me away. I loved all four of the main characters. Ron and Kyla got a bit over-the-top after a while, but all four were fun to watch. This is partly because the actors are naturally funny, and therefore are able to keep you engaged when the plot starts to lag. In addition, the four main characters have good chemistry and work well together. In fact, these four characters are what makes the film feel original. When you look past the characters...

I love the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, particularly the older ones when the concept was still new. When I found out that another movie was being released, I was sceptical (I didn't love the last film, 'Leatherface'), but ultimately, I was excited to see the most recent take. After 50 years, Leatherface returns to terrorise a group of friends trying to bring life to an abandoned Texas town. This definitely wasn't the best of the franchise. For a start, I couldn't really tell when the film was supposed to be set. Even though it is advertised as being modern, the characters look and feel really old-fashioned, as did the world around them. If some of the language had been changed, the film could have been set 50 years ago with not much being changed. There is a lot of time where nothing is happening. But because the film is so short (80 minutes), it doesn't make sense for nothing to be happening for periods of time. This film felt really disconnected from the pr...

  I absolutely love the Scream movies (and most slasher movies in general), so I was really excited to finally see the newest instalment of the Scream franchise. Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders, a new masked killer is back to terrorize a group of high school students. But as secrets from the past come to light, this group find out that they're more connected to the original murders than they ever thought possible. This film sits right in the middle of the Scream movies, for me. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst. I loved the opening scene. While it was obviously inspired by the opening scene of the first Scream movie, it also felt very modern. The ties to the original movie were really interesting. I liked that the film felt connected to the first in so many ways. It was really nice to see the old characters (and actors) come back. As a fan of these movies, even if you don't like the plot, it's fun to see them on screen together again...

  I didn't know anything about this film before it came out, but the fact that it stars Charlie Day meant that I was going to watch it no matter what it was about, because I'm such a huge fan of him and his style of comedy. Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) have both been dumped. When they meet and realise that they are both suffering from a broken heart, they decide to work together to get their exes out of their new relationships. I liked the concept of this more than the execution. Having said that, the film has a great cast. As well as Charlie Day and Jenny Slate, it also stars Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo and Gina Rodriguez, and they all play their roles really well. Day and Slate have good chemistry, and are fun to watch. The story is somewhat interesting, but it does feel like we have seen multiple variations of it before. However, the way that the characters are written makes the film feel more original than it otherwise would be. They are witty, ...

  I hadn't heard much about this film before it premiered as a Sky Original movie, but I loved the premise, so I couldn't wait to watch it. Author Henry (Sam Claflin) travels to Mexico to promote his new book, unaware that his book's translator (Veronica Echegui) has rewritten his story as an erotic novel. As stated, I love the premise. It's a unique and interesting way to tell a love story. I loved the characters, both Henry and Maria (Echegui), and the other supporting characters that make up this story. They're all well-written and interesting in their own right, but they also serve the story of Henry and Maria really well. Speaking of Henry and Maria, their dynamic is a really interesting one. The story isn't quite 'enemies to lovers', but there is an animosity between them that makes them easy to root for. It is fun to watch the way that their relationship changes throughout the story, and ultimately, it is fun to watch them fall in love. The dialog...

I loved the first movie, 'The Hitman's Bodyguard', and while I didn't feel like it necessarily needed a sequel, I was excited to see how the story would continue. Darius Kincade (Samuel L. Jackson) and Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) are no longer in contact. But when Darius is kidnapped by mobsters, his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) persuades Michael to help. But soon the unlikely trio has to work together to save Europe from a madman. My overall conclusion is that the first film really didn't need a sequel. I was happy to be seeing more of Salma Hayek's character this time around. I loved her character in the first film and wanted to see more of her. This film plays on the chemistry of Jackson and Reynolds, and hopes that this can make the film hold up. Unfortunately, while the chemistry is still there, many of the jokes fall flat, and even the ones that work don't land as well as you'd expect. None of the characters were really developed that well. The backg...

It's crazy to think that this is my 100th book review! Next up on my reading list was 'We Were Liars', a book that I had seen a lot of really positive and really negative comments about. I really wanted to find out why the book was so polarising. This story centres around Cadence Sinclair Eastman and the rest of the 'perfect' Sinclair family who spend every summer together on their own private island. One summer, something happens. Something that Cadence can't remember. Two summers later Cadence comes back to the island - but is she ready to remember what really happened? So, this book wasn't for me at all. I wouldn't say I hated it, but I didn't really enjoy reading it. My first impression of the book was that the voice of the main character, Cadence, was really off-putting. I hated being in her head. The book is written in a very specific style. It uses short sentences, run-on sentences and paragraphs, some parts are written like poetry, other part...