Bria Lou Reviews

  This must have been a re-watch, but I had little to no memory of ever properly watching it before, so it felt like a first time viewing. I've not really been a huge fan of the Terminator movies. I know the second one is highly regarded, and I've seen it a few times, but I could never say I really liked it. And with this first one, I can't even remember seeing it, let alone liking it. So it was a complete surprise to me that, not only did I like the film, I loved it! I feel like I missed a trick not seeing this one earlier, because how did I not know this film was so good?? I loved everything. The writing and direction were great. And especially for the time, the effects were done really really well. The acting was obviously great. Everyone knows these films as Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, so I thought he would be the best thing about the movie. But the relationship between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese was what got me hooked and kept me invested. I've since re-watched ...

Marianne and Connell are complete opposites. But when they start talking one day, a connection forms that changes both of their lives forever. I watched the TV adaptation of this book for the first time last month. And though there were things I liked and didn't like about it, I really wanted to read the book to see if I liked it as much. The book ended up being so close to the TV show that I liked them both the same amount, and had the same problems with them both. Weirdly, I love both of the characters overall, but I didn't actually find them likeable. I think they were well-written, interesting and are fundamentally good people. But throughout the book, their actions and some of their conversations highlighted that I wouldn't enjoy being friends with them in real life. I wouldn't want to be around either of them. Because of this, reading the book wasn't the most enjoyable experience I've ever had, though it probably isn't supposed to be. The reason I hadn...

Tensions arise when tennis player-turned-coach Tashi (Zendaya) and her grand slam champion husband Art (Mike Faist) find themselves playing a tournament against Patrick (Josh O'Connor), Art's former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend. It's been a while that a film has been on my Twitter feed as much as this one was in the run-up to its release. I wasn't particularly keen on the concept, but I wanted to see if it was as good as everyone said it was. Unfortunately, I didn't like the film that much, and don't really understand the hype. For a start, I'm not a huge tennis fan. And although the film is really about these three characters and their relationships, I feel like it would be more enjoyable to a tennis fan than to someone who finds the sport boring, as I do. None of the characters felt particularly memorable, in the sense that it would be hard to remember any meaningful things about them, outside of their relationship(s), after seeing the film...

This was a highly anticipated first-time watch! I had been wanting to see this film for years, but for some reason just hadn't got around to it. I didn't really know it was about, other than knowing how popular it was. Thankfully, I had a really really good time with this movie. It was so much fun! I love a romance, and I've complained a lot about the lack of romance movies on the Bucket List, so I was really happy to find out that this was one! I absolutely loved the characters. Holly Golightly is iconic, and Paul was such a lovely romantic interest. I loved watching them together and would have liked to see a lot more of them. Watching the film also made me go down a rabbit hole of looking at other older films in the same genre, and now I have a great list that I'm really excited to go through.   While it can be enjoyable to watch 3-hour-long intense dramas for the Bucket List, there's always been a place in my heart for movies that are just pure light entertainme...

The existence of a new threat to the human race forces enemies Godzilla and King Kong to come together to defeat it. I love these movies, so of course I saw this one as soon as I could! I really liked this film - what you see is what you get. If you've seen the trailer, you'll already know whether you're gonna like this film or not. There's no surprises, no hidden messages, it's literally just two creatures coming together to fight another creature and I love that! It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and it's easy to see why some wouldn't like it. For a start, there isn't really a plot. The filmmakers try to make the film sophisticated by grounding it in science and human emotion, but that never really worked for me. That's not what I was there for. And with that, my main gripe was that I didn't see enough of the creatures we're supposed to be following - especially Godzilla! There was too much focus on furthering the stor...

  Next up was American History X, another first-time watch! I'd probably heard of this film in passing, but had no idea what it was about and had had no desire to watch it before. I have mixed feelings about this one. I really liked the film, and thought Edward Norton was amazing in the role, but it was also a really hard watch. And while that makes sense given the subject matter, I feel like a lot of what happened was in the film for shock value, and didn't always add much to the story. For example, a lot of this film is based on Norton's character's past, subsequent jail time and then redemption. But I think there's an argument to be made that the events of his past made it hard to believe in his redemption. There's a lot of violence and hate throughout the film, so it can be hard to understand why the only character we're given to sympathise with is the character that spends over half the film committing heinous acts. But then, I loved the idea of the sto...

Rudy (Rudy Mancuso), a creator with synaesthesia navigates the pressures of love and family while facing an uncertain future. I'd heard a lot of great things about this movie before I saw it, so I went in with really high expectations! And while I liked the film, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. The idea was interesting and unique, and it had a lot of potential. I really liked watching the characters, but I never felt totally invested in them. I never really got to know the characters outside of Rudy, and I thought they could have been developed a bit more. But in saying that, my favourite thing about the characters was the chemistry. Rudy and Isabella (Camila Mendes) had really great, believable chemistry. It was fun watching them together. In fact, I liked the supporting characters a lot more than I liked Rudy. I didn't always know what to make of him, and there were definitely times when I felt like he didn't deserve to be with either of his love intere...

  This was a re-watch - one I was really excited for! I'd only seen the film once or twice years and years ago and always really liked it. I'd also seen the Family Guy parody countless times so I was always really familiar with it. So it wasn't a surprise at all that this is an amazing movie. I want to particularly highlight the writing, which is phenomenal. I actually think that this is probably the best written film I've ever seen. All of the characters have distinct personalities, the major plot points are teased out really well and each line of dialogue is obviously incredibly well thought-out. Speaking of the characters, the way their true feelings come out, one by one, slowly and carefully, was extraordinary. Just like everything else about the film, you can easily see how much thought went into every little thing. I also loved that the idea is seemingly such a simple one. Any other 12 jurors and there isn't really a story at all. Everything had to work togeth...

After 25 years, Silva (Pedro Pascal) and Jake (Ethan Hawke) reunite, before revealing the true reason they have come back together. I was really looking forward to this short film when it was first announced, so I'm glad I could finally see it! I liked the film, though not as much as I thought I was going to. The premise was really interesting. Not knowing much about the plot before watching, I assumed it was a love story, and in a way it is, but there's a lot more to it than that. In the beginning, I thought the actors had great chemistry, but after seeing the insane chemistry between the actors playing their younger selves (Jason Fernández and José Condessa), I started to believe in the older actors a lot less. It was very well-written. It doesn't take long for the audience to know who these characters are, even though there isn't time to learn more deeply about them. The short film format works really well for this story. I don't think I'd be interested in se...

Soon after moving into a new house with his wife and children, Adam finds a secret room behind a hidden door. Inside the room is a collection of items that leads Adam on a mission that quickly puts his family in grave danger. Every year I read and review the new T.M. Logan book. I've said many times on the blog that he's my favourite author and after reading this, he's still number 1! I loved this book! Yes, there were a couple of things I'd change, but overall it's one of my favourite of Logan's so far! But starting with things I'd change... the first three chapters. The first felt like a prologue - there was no information given, no character hints, and it just felt a bit weird. The second and third chapters are then used to tell the reader about the hidden room Adam finds. We didn't need three chapters to do that, especially when there's not much in the room at all. For example, there was a large paragraph explaining an older mobile phone (that I...

  Another first-time watch! I hadn't really heard of this film before, and definitely had no idea what it was about before I looked it up. But I loved the premise. And thankfully, the film was great! There were a lot of iconic scenes and phrases that I never would have thought came from a film as funny as this. Despite being on this classics list, this isn't a film I often hear about. I'm not sure if that's because comedy isn't as highly revered as drama, or because not enough people have seen this film, but I wish it was talked about more because I might have seen it sooner! It definitely deserves its place on this list. Not only is it funny, but it says a lot about working and office culture that I believe is still really relevant today. This is one of the most underrated movies on the list, so definitely check it out if you haven't seen it!

  A nice gesture leading to a series of dangerous incidents with a stalker forces Donny (Richard Gadd) to confront a hidden dark trauma. I can never decide if I'm going to review TV shows or not, but when a show like this comes along, it's a really easy decision. The trailer for the show was what originally made me want to watch it - it was really interesting. But there is so much more to the show than what the trailer (or description) tells you. It's so well written and acted, and everything is so authentic and realistic, which is probably helped by the fact that it's based on a true story. Tension is created perfectly - some of the episodes are so harrowing you can't look away from the screen. Each episode is more tense than the next! The characters were great, and written really well, particularly the characters of Donny and Martha (Jessica Gunning). Donny is a great protagonist. You feel sympathy and empathy for him while also being able to be frustrated with hi...

When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves her family into her own childhood home, her youngest stepdaughter finds an imaginary friend in a stuffed bear named Chauncey. But is the friend really imaginary? I was really looking forward to this film. It didn't look amazing or anything, but it looked like a fun, camp, cheesy horror, a genre that I absolutely love! Unfortunately, the film itself left a lot to be desired. For a start, there's been a trend recently of filmmakers making films really dark to add to the atmosphere. Well, this one was so dark I couldn't see what was going on, and it just wasn't fun. I have no idea why this started but can it please stop? There were some fun and imaginative jumpscares, but most of them didn't really move the plot forward. Luckily they did provide entertainment, so I had fun with them. Even though the film was really predictable, it was still enjoyable up to a point. The characters are fine, but they tend to make unrealistic, weird decis...

  Another first-time watch! The entire extent of my knowledge about this film is the songs that were covered on Glee. So while the music was familiar, I had no idea what the actual plot was about. I'm actually a bit disappointed that I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. For the time that it was made it was funny and progressive, it broke down barriers and was very ahead of its time. And yet, it was a bit too out there for me, which is strange because I'm sure I've seen weirder films. And that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did have a good time, but I couldn't get completely into it.  The music was great, and the way that it was used to build the characters was really smart and interesting. In fact, the music was probably the best thing about the film. But in saying that, the actors were incredible! They all completely gave themselves to their roles, and I couldn't get over how perfect Tim Curry was as Frank-N-Furter - the role was MADE for...

When Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson) starts to have visions of the future, she sets out to protect three teenage girls from a mysterious assailant. This movie has become a bit of a joke on the internet, supposedly for how bad it is. It wasn't really on my radar at all, and I wasn't planning to watch it until I saw all the negative reviews. But I had to know if it was as bad as everyone said! Surprisingly (to me), I didn't hate this film. It's not good, but it also wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. However, I will say that for the first 30 minutes, it was bad. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, what the film was about, or where it would be going. But once the three girls were introduced, I started to really get into it. I loved the idea of these girls being connected because of their futures, and I liked the way this was discovered. Cassie's visions were quite jarring at first, but the more they happened, the more it worked for me. The writing ...

  This was a first-time watch, and I had no idea what it was about. It was a bit surprising to me that there weren't a lot of comedies on the Bucket List, but then thinking about it more, comedies, romances and horrors are probably the least-valued genres in terms of critical acclaim, which is really unfortunate because there are some incredible movies in those categories. But because of that, I was really happy to see a comedy on the list, especially one that's widely known as being 'one of the 10 funniest movies ever made' according to the Paramount Plus description. So I had somewhat high hopes for it! I enjoyed the movie a lot.  The film was released in 1980, and while the humour works for that time period, I really believe it works for a modern audience too. The writing was great, but the acting is what makes the film stand out. You can tell the actors didn't take themselves too seriously, went in to have fun and all delivered such great performances. It's ...

Looking for a fresh start, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) take a road trip, unaware that their rented car contains an important package that a group of criminals will do anything to find. I remember seeing the trailer for this film a couple of months ago at the cinema, and while I wasn't itching to see it, it looked light and fun, so it was definitely on my radar. I loved this movie! It was so much better than I was expecting it to be! For a start, I loved the characters from their first seconds on screen. The main actresses have great chemistry and it's so fun watching them together. Not only did I enjoy the acting and the way the characters were written, but the dialogue was brilliant. You really enjoy just watching these people interact regardless of the situation they're in. A lot of the cast was unexpected, and I loved that. Other than the main characters (and one who's in the trailer), I didn't really know who was in the film, so t...

Technically the '100 Movies' in the Bucket List are really 106, because there are a couple of squares that contain trilogies that only count as one movie. This is one of them. I watched all the Star Wars movies a few years ago, and while I've re-watched the sequel trilogy quite a few times, I only watched the original trilogy once, so I was really glad I got to watch them again for this. I also watched them all in one day, back-to-back, so some of them definitely run into each other in my mind! I absolutely love these movies. Each one brings something different (but equally iconic) to the world of sci-fi, they're all classics in their own right, and they're genuinely really fun movies. The cast are amazing - Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill became household names off the back of these movies and with good reason, because they played these roles amazingly, and the characters are some of the most well-known and popular in the world. The way these films hav...

Doris (Nico Parker) spends her time helping her mother (Laura Linney) take care of her brother (Cree Kawa). Growing resentful, she begins to rebel, and strikes up a friendship with an activist (Woody Harrelson) protesting a landmark medical case. I didn't know anything about this film before watching it. All I knew was that it was new, and I like all three of the main actors, and that was enough for me to watch it! I really really liked this movie. The audience is able to take an instant liking to Doris because we take an almost instant disliking to her mother. Or at least, I did!  The actors are the strongest thing about the movie, and they are all amazing in their roles. Linney and Harrelson are great in everything, so that wasn't really a surprise, but Nico Parker absolutely carried the film and did such a good job with it. Before this I had only seen her in 'The Last of Us', so now I'm a huge fan! Doris is such a sweet, interesting character. One of the reasons ...