Bria Lou Reviews

Next up was a re-watch that I really wasn't looking forward to!  This film is definitely in at least the top 10 of highly revered films on the List. I studied it back in university, so I wasn't surprised that it was on there. I'm pretty sure it's the film that I was least looking forward to watching. I didn't like it when I studied it, and I didn't like it this time around either. The reason for this is mostly that I just find it really boring. I didn't care about the character, so watching the whole film going over every aspect of his life to find out the significance of his last word just isn't appealing at all. Now that's not to say that I don't recognise the good things about the film. For the time it was made, it was really innovative, and probably permanently changed the way films are made. The performances were also great, both for the time and now. So while I don't feel like the film is a masterpiece, and am definitely not in any rush

  Next up was another first-time watch! I had never heard of this film before seeing it on the Bucket List, but after looking up what it was about, I was intrigued by it. I really really like it.  The premise in and of itself was a really interesting one, but the thing that makes it work so well is definitely the performances.  Jean Reno as Léon was amazing, but Natalie Portman completely steals the show as Mathilda. She was incredible, and the fact that she was 13 when she played the part just makes it all the more amazing. The dialogue between the main characters and the way they played off each other was the best thing about the film. No matter what else happens, you are compelled by the unique relationship between these two characters, shown in both the acting and the writing. Considering how highly revered the film is, I was surprised I hadn't heard of it before. But it's a great film, and definitely earns its place on the List!

When podcaster Alix meets her 'Birthday Twin' Josie in a pub, she can't resist the temptation of digging into this woman's life. But before she knows it, not only is she buried in Josie's life, but Josie is buried in hers. Does she know who this strange woman really is? And can she find out before it's too late? I had a rule not to buy any new books this year - unfortunately this book broke that rule! Walking around a bookshop one day, the premise just looked so intriguing that I had to pick it up! Unfortunately, as good as the premise is, the book itself doesn't completely live up to it. But having said that, it started really well! At the beginning you don't really have any idea where the story is going, so all you have to keep you watching is the characters of Alix and Josie. And they're both great, interesting, really intriguing characters. Things are teased out really well. Because of the nature of the story you have no idea what's important

  As Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) tries to deal with the events of the first film, Winnie-the-Pooh (Ryan Oliva), Piglet (Eddie MacKenzie), Owl (Marcus Massey) and Tigger (Lewis Santer) bring their rage to the town of Ashdown. I reviewed the first movie HERE , and while I only gave it 3 stars, I didn't hate it as much as the general population. So when I heard that the second was a lot better than the first, I was really excited to see it! And yes, this one is a lot better than the first! For a start, my major issue with the first was that Christopher Robin was not the main character and the audience didn't get to follow his story. This was completely rectified in this film. Christopher Robin was the main character, we followed the entire film from his point of view and really got to know him as a character. Because of this, the story is a lot better. We can actually understand what's happening! However, in saying that, I still didn't care about the characters as m

  Next up for the Bucket List was Rocky! I was really excited to watch this one again. I've been a Creed fan since the first film came out, and I'm a fan of boxing movies in general.  About two years ago, I decided to watch all the Rocky movies back to back over a few days, and I completely fell in love with the franchise. So when I saw that this was on the list I was really excited about it! I love Rocky as a character. He was one of my absolute favourite parts of the first two Creed films, so seeing his origin was always going to be interesting. I think my favourite thing about the movie, which also happened to be my favourite thing about 'The Terminator', is that underneath the main plot, there's a really sweet love story. Because Rocky's relationship with Adrian defines him almost as much as boxing does, so to see where that all began was really lovely. There's a great story behind the film in the way Sylvester Stallone wrote it and was able to get it ma

Roy (Russell Crowe), a former police detective suffering with memory problems, tries to solve a murder that he can't remember. The premise of this film was one that could go either way - it could either be really great or really bad. But because of the great cast attached, I was hopeful for the former! Unfortunately, while I wouldn't say the film was really bad, it could have been so much better! I found the present-day story so much more interesting than the past story told in flashbacks. Of course these flashbacks were necessary to fully explain the secrets behind the murder, but for me they didn't work because the film never really made us care about the backstory. In addition to that, some of the flashback portions were way too long, especially considering the film is less than 2 hours long.  The story itself is slow and can get a bit boring at times, especially if you don't care about the characters from the offset. There's a lot you can do with an amnesiac pro

  This was another first-time watch. This film was one of the more intimidating ones on the list. I knew it won a few Oscars and was really highly revered, but it had always seemed like it would be quite an intense watch, so it wasn't something I was particularly looking forward to. So because of that, the film ended up surprising me! I can't say it was enjoyable, as a film with these themes can't really be described that way, but I engaged with it a lot more than I thought I would. I thought the film was great. It was a really hard watch, as you'd expect. It's set during WWII and there are a lot of scenes that are upsetting. In other words, it's not the kind of thing you'd watch if you're looking to have fun. But that being said, I'm really really glad it was on the Bucket List, and that I've now seen it. It's a really important film and feels truly authentic. The acting was amazing, as was the writing. It's engaging and interesting, and

  Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) have been best friends forever. But when both of their lives begin to change, they find their friendship tested. I was surprised that I'd never heard of this film before. I had no idea what it was about, but the premise was vague enough to be intriguing. I liked this film, but it definitely could have been better. The opening scene was great. We get to know the characters immediately, but we also got to understand the dynamics of their friendship and how close they are.  As the film is majorly about their friendship, it's important the audience believe it, and we definitely do. The characters started off being really interesting and likeable, but for me this started to wain a bit as the film went on. I found myself liking them less and less. It wasn't as engaging as it needed to be, especially considering there isn't a whole lot to hold onto. When you stop caring about the characters, as I did, it feels like nothing is re

  Next up was 2001: A Space Odyssey! This was a first-time watch that I had heard about for years. I definitely wasn't surprised to find it on this classics list! I had never been interested in seeing it, and while I thought that I would probably end up watching it one day, it being on the List made me watch it a lot quicker than I otherwise would have. The reason that I wasn't interested in this movie was a specific one. I watch a lot of movies in a lot of genres, but there are a few genres that I really don't enjoy (though even then, there are some films within those genres that I still end up liking). But one of the genres that I haven't found love for is specifically movies about (or set in) space. I have no problem with hearing about space in real life, or watching highly fantastical space-ish movies like Star Trek, but in terms of moves rooted in reality, set in space, I haven't found any that I like. And I do keep trying with them. Space movies tend to be hig

After falling for neurosurgeon Ryle at the same time her first love, Atlas, comes back into her life, Lily finds herself in a relationship that mimics her childhood trauma. Most of the descriptions of this book don't mention anything about the character's trauma but I wanted to include it because otherwise, the book seems like an open-and-shut love story. But there's a lot more to it. I've owned this book for a while, but I only felt the urge to pick it up after seeing the trailer for the film adaptation, which has just come out. I really wanted to read it before seeing the film so I bumped it to the top of my list. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had heard a lot of bad things about Colleen Hoover books, and as this was the first of hers I'd read, I went into it sceptically. And while the book wasn't amazing, it was better than I expected it to be. I didn't immediately connect to any of the characters, particularly because the dialogue was cringey

After discovering she can see long-forgotten imaginary friends, Bea (Cailey Fleming) sets out on a quest to reunite the imaginary friends with their children. I initially wasn't going to review this film, just because I don't usually review children's movies. But after reading reviews and seeing it described as a film for adults as well as kids, I decided to watch and review it. I really really liked this movie.  I was extremely invested in the lives of the characters from the very beginning, particularly because of the relationship between Bea and her father (John Krasinski), which was so sweet! The acting is great, especially Fleming. She plays her part so well. The best thing about the film is the imaginary friends. Visually they're so unique and creative, and it's so interesting hearing all the recognisable voices. It's lovely to watch and spend time with the characters - real and imaginary. It was so much funnier than I thought it would be, but it was also

  Next up on the Bucket List was Oldboy! I had never heard of this film before, but the premise was really intriguing and I read that there was a good twist, so I was really looking forward to seeing it. And thankfully, it was really really good! Definitely one of the best Bucket List movies that I've gone into blind, but also one of the wildest! The dialogue and writing were amazing, but the performances stand out the most about this film.  Every actor played their part so well and made the film really engaging. The story, while wild, was so interesting! I had no idea where it was going all the way through and when the twist came, I didn't predict it at all! And while I wouldn't call this a fun film, because of the subject matters it deals with, I was really entertained by it. This is definitely one that I'd recommend, but it's easily triggering and won't be for everyone so go in with caution!

While backpacking through Australia, Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) take a temporary job at a bar and soon find themselves in a situation that spirals out of control. The description doesn't give much away but this film is a weird one to put into words. I didn't really have any expectations when I first put this on (and almost turned it off 5 minutes in), but I was really pleasantly surprised. I ended up liking it a lot! It was so much more engaging than I thought it would be. At the 5 minute mark everything was hectic and weird and I thought the film wouldn't be for me, but once the girls actually got to the bar I was locked in! The characters are likeable and the audience can relate to them as we are also (probably) unfamiliar with the environment that they find themselves in. And while this is true of the two main characters, the supporting characters were also really interesting to watch - even the more unsavoury ones.  There wasn't a point in this m

Next up was another first-time watch! This wasn't really one I was looking forward to, to be honest.  I've heard of it, and knew vaguely what it was about, but I never have much luck with Wes Anderson movies. For whatever reason, they don't seem to connect with me, so I was a bit apprehensive about going into this one. Especially because the premise didn't grab me. And unfortunately, as I'd expected, I didn't really gel with the film. Though I'll definitely say that I liked it more than I thought I was going to, just not enough to be able to say that I enjoyed it as a whole. For a start, there's a lot of humour in the film that is genuinely funny. Because of this, even when I wasn't loving the story, I was still able to have fun with it. There were also so many recognisable actors in it! Just when you think the cast list is done, another amazing actor jumps in. It was really fun seeing great actors join this world, and getting to know their character

  While living on a tropical island, Eve (Amanda Crew) encounters a woman who starts to take over her life. I hadn't heard of the film before putting it on, but it had a really interesting premise so I was hopeful! I ended up having mixed feelings about this one. There was a lot of potential but the film didn't really live up to it. The first half of the film had a great tense, sinister atmosphere. My first major problem was with Eve's husband Peter (Tom Felton). I couldn't work out if his odd behaviour was a plot point or just weird acting choices, and after finishing the movie, I still have no idea! It felt like the audience was thrown into the story with no context, and the context isn't provided the more you watch. In fact, the more you watch, the more confusing it gets. So while I was completely on board for the weird turns in the first half, in the second half it started to get a bit tedious. And then there was a point when the film started repeating itself, w