Bria Lou Reviews

I can't believe this is my last post of 2023! It feels like every year just goes quicker and quicker. It's been a good blogging year for me, but I definitely have plans to make 2024 better - including a year-long movie challenge! But before the year ends, here are my yearly stats: Movies Watched: 451 New TV Shows Started:  10 TV Seasons Finished:  12 Books Read:  20 Blog Posts Written:  127 This year I've started a few less shows, but have focused on finishing the current shows I'm watching, and have got through a lot more limited series, which has been fun. This is maybe the most movies I've watched in a year ever, and I'm hoping to increase those numbers next year, but I'll see how it goes! I'd also really like to read more books next year. 20 was my goal and I reached that by mid-December, so hopefully next year I'll be able to fit a few more in! And the last thing I always forget to do: If you're a book person, you can find me on StoryGraph @...

I can't believe this is my second-to-last post of the year!  Here are my 2023 favourites! Favourite Movie (1): Barbarian I reviewed this film HERE  at the beginning of the year, and in that post I said it was an early contender for film of the year. Well it is absolutely my favourite film of the year. I've seen it at least four times and each time I love it more than the time before. I loved the creativity, the originality, the acting, everything. A truly great horror movie. Favourite Movie (2): Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves I reviewed this HERE  and it's on this list because, not only was it great, but it was one of my biggest surprises of the year. I had no idea how I'd feel about it, not being familiar with the game or the world, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did! Favourite Movie (3): The Blackening I reviewed this HERE  and unlike Dungeons & Dragons, I knew I would like this movie, I just didn't know how much. There were so many ...

This is supposed to be a short favourites post, as I'll be uploading a 2023 favourites post tomorrow, but I didn't know how many things I'd have to talk about in this one, so it definitely won't be short! Favourite Film (1): Saltburn This is one of a couple of films I'm mentioning in this post that I'll be reviewing in the new year, so I won't say much about it now, but I absolutely loved it! It wasn't what I expected at all and that just made me love it more. Favourite Movie (2): Quiz Lady This is another that I'll be reviewing in the new year, but I was so surprised that no one has been talking about it because it's so good! Definitely check it out on hulu/Disney+! Favourite Movie (3): Killers of the Flower Moon I reviewed this movie HERE  and made no secret of the fact that I think it's a really good movie. It definitely deserves the awards probably coming its way, and is worth a watch even if you don't think it'll be your kind of ...

  I haven't done any round-up posts this year, but I really want to keep doing them for Blogmas. So here are all the movies I watched for Blogmas 2023! A Christmas Duet | Blogmas Day 1 - A great start to Blogmas 2023. Merry & Gay | Blogmas Day 2 - Loved the title, wish the movie was more merry and gay and less generic. Mistletoe Match | Blogmas Day 3 - Interesting premise and good characters. A Fiancé for Christmas | Blogmas Day 4 - My first favourite and still one of the best this year! Christmas Everlasting | Blogmas Day 5 - Explores loss well, but not particularly festive. Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas | Blogmas Day 6 - Biggest Blogmas surprise - loved it! A Christmas Masquerade | Blogmas Day 7 - There are better masquerade movies out there. EXmas | Blogmas Day 8 - Fun premise, engaging and enjoyable. Best. Christmas. Ever! | Blogmas Day 9 - Unique plot and likeable characters. Reindeer Games Homecoming | Blogmas Day 10 - Unfortunately not for me. Christmas on ...

  It's Blogmas day 24! Christmas Eve! I have to admit, I picked this film entirely for the name. The premise was fine, and I like the two main actors, but the only thing that stood out to me was how much I loved the title! Noel (Paulina Chávez) helps her grieving father (Mario Lopez) find his Christmas spirit through online dating. I really liked this film. It's a lot better than the premise suggests! The relationship between father and daughter is really sweet, and the actors have good chemistry, which is true for most of the actors and their characters in the film. I really liked all the characters, and David (Lopez) and Sophie (AnnaLynne McCord) were really fun to watch. They worked really well together. A lot of Christmas movies that deal with loss or grief tend to do it in a superficial way, with a throwaway comment here or there. This one deals with the topic really well. I was engaged throughout and definitely think this is one of the most compelling Blogmas movies this ...

It's Blogmas day 23! I loved 'Your Christmas or Mine?' so much last year! So when I heard that a second movie was coming out, I immediately had to add it to the list for Blogmas. When Hayley (Cora Kirk) and James' (Asa Butterfield) families decide to spend Christmas together, a mix-up at the airport is just the start of events that test the couple's relationship. This was okay, but definitely not as good as the first one. I was actually a bit disappointed by the end. But having said that, the chemistry between the main actors is still there, and it's still great! They're a really believable couple and I love watching them. The best thing about the first film was how loveable and fun the supporting characters were, and this is still the case. They're just as fun this time around! We got to see the main characters spend more time together in this one, which I liked in comparison to the first. But the first film had a much more enjoyable story, and a really...

It's Blogmas day 22! This is a new film that came out on Disney+. I didn't know much about the premise, but because it was new, I definitely had to watch it. Eddie (Ludacris) no longer believes in the magic of Christmas. While spending the evening with his daughter (Madison Skye Validum), they meet a mysterious man claiming to be Santa Claus (Lil Rel Howery). This was okay. It was fun in places, particularly at the beginning, but it definitely lost its way a bit as it continued. From the beginning, it feels really modern and unique. It's funny, but some of the humour was a bit over-the-top at best, and cringey at worst. Once the novelty wears off everything becomes a lot less fun. It's really sweet, but the story isn't as interesting as it could be. Once the audience understand the premise, there are many options the film could take, and it ends up just being Eddie and his daughter running around town following 'Santa'. It doesn't particularly seem geare...

It's Blogmas day 21! This was another random one, picked pretty much at the last minute. But the premise was unique and looked fun so I definitely wanted to see it! When six friends reunite for a treasure hunt, sparks fly between Austin (Taylor Frey) and his former best friend Everett (Kyle Dean Massey). I really wish I'd liked this more, but unfortunately it wasn't that great. For a start, although it was advertised, there were way too many characters. Especially because at least three of them looked really similar and it took me a while to work out who was who. The thing that made this film original for me, outside of the reunion of friends, was the treasure hunt. But so little time was spent actually hunting for treasure! It was the only interesting thing about the movie and it was cut down way too much. None of the characters are really developed to the point of having real personalities. In addition to that, none of the couples really had chemistry, which is crazy beca...

 It's Blogmas day 20! This movie had a really cute premise, and I loved the title, so I was really looking forward to watching it! When Steph (Kathryn A Davis) creates 'Six Degrees of Santa', a Secret Santa gifting programme, she helps entrepreneur Jason (Steve Lund) find his Secret Santa to hide the fact that it's actually her. I loved this film. I also noticed while watching that the main actress in this is also the actress from 'Christmas on 5th Avenue', and I loved her in both. The characters are really sweet, and I loved watching them together. The romance starts off as 'enemies-to-lovers', and it does this quite well (or as well as a 90-minute Christmas movie can). All of the actors were great, and the main actors had good romantic chemistry. Overall, this was a really lovely, light, undeniably Christmas-based romance movie that I really enjoyed watching. Title - 7/10 Originality - 6/10 Christmas Spirit - 8/10 Christmas Music - 3/10 It's 5 days...

 It's Blogmas day 19! This was the most random pick of Blogmas. When I was due to watch a movie for day 19, I didn't like the look of anything of the options I had planned. So when I saw this on the Lifetime website, I picked it at random. When Dodie (Tia Mowry) finds a box of trinkets in her antique store, she sets out to find the rightful owner. This was okay. The premise sounded a bit unique but it does end up being a generic Christmas romance. The characters are sweet and fun to watch, but the story definitely lets them down. For most of the film, the primary theme isn't either romance or Christmas. This makes it a bit more original than some other Christmas romance movies, but it always makes it quite an unsuccessful Christmas romance movie. After a while, you realise that the characters don't really have discernible personalities, the investigation storyline is bland, and the whole film is a bit boring. And then there's the romance - it was cute at the beginni...

It's Blogmas day 18! This was a random one that I picked to fill out the Blogmas list. I didn't really know what it was about, and wasn't particularly looking forward to it. After a break-up, Cait (Jessy Holtermann)   goes home for Christmas and meets handyman Drew (James Liddell), who is helping her father fix their family bed-and-breakfast to be sold. But can Cait find a way to save the B&B? I didn't really feel anything about this movie. I wasn't disappointed by it, but I also didn't enjoy it, it was just meh. The characters, story and 'venue' (aka the B&B) were all a bit bland, and things mostly stayed that way throughout the entirety of the film. Because I didn't really know what this was about, I was surprised when the plot changed about 30 minutes in. I liked the change but felt disappointed that it didn't start earlier, given the movie was so short. The most endearing character was the one we're not supposed to like. Why was h...

  It's Blogmas day 17! This was a late addition to the Blogmas list, but as there is always a new Sky Original for Christmas, I definitely had to include it! Just when everything in his life is going wrong, Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) dusts off an old jewellery box and accidentally summons a genie (Melissa McCarthy). I had no expectations for this film whatsoever, so I'm so happy that I ended up completely loving it! It was so much better than I thought it would be. The main character, Bernard, is really likeable from the very beginning. The audience are rooting for him right away. Melissa McCarthy is amazing in the role of the genie. The role is similar in personality to most of the other characters she's played, but it works so well for a mythical creature! Bernard and the genie have great chemistry, they work really well together and are a pleasure to watch. Not only is the movie really fun, but it's also genuinely funny. I had such a good time watching it. Overall, this...

  It's Blogmas day 16! I always like to have a couple of musical Christmas movies on the list for Blogmas, and this one looked quite musical, so I added it straight away! Abby (Mya), once an aspiring singer-songwriter, now writes jingles. While home for the holidays, Abby helps a local music teacher put on a show to save the school's arts programme. I didn't like this as much as I wanted to - and it definitely wasn't as musical as I thought it would be. It took me a while to connect with the characters, and even when I started liking them more, I never felt like I really knew them. The story itself isn't particularly engaging. I was interested in one aspect of the plot, regarding Abby and a song she wrote, but this wasn't explored in great detail. Which is unfortunate as it was more interesting than the main story. It was enjoyable enough, but nothing really happened. The events were all quite run-of-the-mill. The main couple weren't the most likeable charac...

It's Blogmas day 15! I have to admit, I only picked this one because it stars Chad Michael Murray. I've reviewed his Christmas movies during Blogmas 2021 and 2022, so I wanted to keep the tradition alive! TV producer Maggie (Jessy Schram) decides to bring her boss's three sons home to her for the holidays. This was cute. I didn't really understand the premise fully before watching it, but it was better than I thought it would be. I really liked the couple. For the last two Chad Michael Murray Christmas movies I've reviewed, one of my criticisms has been the lack of chemistry, but this problem was definitely solved this time around! This will be what you expect - cute, classic Hallmark fare. I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters, but because they were fun to watch, it didn't matter too much that I didn't actually know anything about them. It definitely starts to lose its way a bit towards the middle, but it regained my attention by...