Bria Lou Reviews

  Another late post round-up! Book Review #104: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid  - My first post of July was a book review. I had heard a lot about this book before reading it, but I felt a bit disappointed by it. Halloween Kills | Film Review  - My first film review of July, a pointless sequel to an otherwise great franchise. Four Good Days | Film Review  - I enjoyed this film - an interesting plot with great characters and actors. Definitely worth watching! Jurassic World Dominion | Film Review  - Another film that I enjoyed, though it definitely wasn't the best in the franchise. My Fake Boyfriend | Film Review  - The last film I reviewed in July was one that I didn't love, and probably won't be watching again. And that was my really short, late, July round-up! Please check out any posts you missed!

  I hadn't heard much about this film before seeing it, but I knew the basic premise, and that it was a horror movie, so I was interested to see where it would go (and how scary it would be). Amanda's (Sandra Oh) isolated life is turned upside down when her estranged mother's remains arrive from Korea. I enjoyed this movie. This is quite a short film (1hr 23mins), so it was surprising how long it took for anything significant to happen. The story takes a little while to get into. I loved the way the film showed the relationship between Amanda and her daughter, Chrissy (Fivel Stewart). You understand their dynamic and how much they love each other instantly, and they are the emotional heart of the film. The concept in itself is really original. There are a lot of layers to this film - I would describe it as a psychological thriller rather than a straight horror, but it is so much more than that. It explores themes of family, love, loneliness, identity and duty in a really in...

  Next on my reading list was 'The Lucky Ones'. The premise of this book really intrigued me, not only because there was nothing else on my reading list like it, but I read a book with a similar loose theme last year ('Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult) and absolutely loved it, so I wanted to give this a try. After being the sole survivor of the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May is feeling anger, guilt and loneliness. Zach felt like he lost his life when his lawyer mother decided to defend the shooter. When May and Zach meet, their feelings collide, but when they found out who the other really is, will they allow new feelings to develop? This was a somewhat enjoyable read, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. I started the book loving, and rooting for, both of the main characters. They were well-written and had distinct voices. The story is so complex and nuanced, and is told in a really interesting way. This is a quick and easy read. It does...

  This is an Amazon Prime Video movie that I was initially attracted to because I'm a fan of John Cho. But thankfully the premise was a really interesting one, and I was excited to see how emotionally invested I would become in these characters. When a single father (John Cho) learns his devastating diagnosis, he takes his daughter (Mia Isaac) on a road trip to find the mother who abandoned her. I enjoyed this movie... until the end. John Cho and Mia Isaac have great chemistry. They work really well together and were completely believable as father and daughter. Their dynamic was realistic and enjoyable to watch. The film includes important messages and themes of love and family, told in a way that makes you think about your own life. It is heartbreaking to see this film from Max's (Cho) point of view, knowing what his end goal is. Having knowledge that Wally (Isaac) doesn't have makes the audience feel like we are involved in this film, and in on a secret, which made me fe...

  This is a film that came out on Amazon Prime Video a couple of months ago. I didn't fully understand the premise, but it was definitely intriguing enough to watch. After an accident, Laura (Clara Rugaard-Larsen) uses a time-travelling mixtape to save the love of her life. This film is okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was a long time before anything actually happened. I had to re-read the description 20 minutes in just to make sure I was actually watching the right film. The characters never strike me as a particularly strong couple, let alone the love of each other's lives. If anything, I wish the first 20 minutes/half an hour had been spent establishing and authenticating the relationship.  Once we actually get into what the film is about (which was an interesting concept) the film becomes an intriguing and interesting watch. For a film that relies so heavily on music, the song choices never felt particularly significant. I understand that the ...

  As much as I love Marvel and the MCU, I haven't really kept up to date with the movies and series that make up Phase 4 - and the ones that I have seen, I haven't really loved yet. This film wasn't high on my list to see, but I was interested to see how certain characters' stories would continue. When Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) meets America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a girl who can travel across the multiverse, they team up to take on multiple threats. I was quite underwhelmed by this film. I didn't expect to love it, but I wish I had. I liked the direction that the film took certain characters in, such as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who gets a continuation of her story in Wandavision. It was interesting to revisit the character. The story itself is interesting, but I never really felt invested in any of the characters - even the ones that I had already seen in multiple movies prior.  Doctor Strange, as a character, is probably the least interesting ...

  Here's my (extremely late) June round-up post. Book Review #103: The Curfew by T. M. Logan  - My first post of June was a book review. I didn't love this book, which is a shame because I'm a huge fan of the author. The Tender Bar | Film Review  - My first film review of June. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. False Positive | Film Review - This film had an interesting premise, but overall it wasn't great. April Post Round-Up | 2022  - A very late round-up. Here Today | Film Review - I started off disliking this film and ended up falling in love with it. The second half is definitely better than the first The Bubble | Film Review - Despite all of the negative reviews, I completely loved this film! I haven't re-watched it yet, but I can't wait to. The Last Duel | Film Review - I had been putting off watching this film for a while, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. May Post Round-Up | 2022 - Another round-up. 3 Month Favourites ...

  This film came out on Netflix recently. I didn't know anything about it, but I had some spare time and it had an interesting concept, so I thought I'd check it out. When Claire (Talia Ryder) and Aidan (Jordan Fisher) get together, they make a pact - to break up before going their separate ways to college. But when the time comes for them to have one final date and say goodbye, will they be able to go through with it? I liked the idea of this film (which was originally a book) more than the execution of it. I took an instant liking to both of these characters. Not only did I like them individually, but I liked them as a couple, and really believed in their relationship, which is essential for a story like this to work. You understand both of the characters' points of view. The film's outcome is interesting because both of these characters are valid in their thought processes, and there are genuinely a few different ways the film can go. My problem with the film is that...

After reading 'The Guest List', by Foley, a few years ago, I instantly became a fan. So when I heard that she had a new book coming out, I pre-ordered it so that I could read it as soon as possible. When Jess goes to stay with her brother Ben in his apartment in Paris, she finds that the apartment is empty and Ben is nowhere to be found. As Jess looks further into her brother's disappearance, she discovers that all of his neighbours seem to have something to hide. I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. For a start, it didn't need to build suspense so much so quickly. Every second chapter at the beginning of the book for quite a long time ends with a resident saying that they don't like Ben. After a while it feels like 'we get it, let's move onto something else', and it took too long to do so.  Particularly at the beginning of the story, there are so many characters that it can be hard to keep track of who's who. Because there are quite a...