Bria Lou Reviews

  Next up for the bucket list was a first time watch. I'd heard of this film before but I'd never really looked into what it was about or had any desire to watch it. It was one of the most intimidating ones on the list, which is probably why I didn't watch it sooner. But once I knew what it was about I was really interested in it. And thankfully, it wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be. The story is an incredible one, and I didn't know it was true until I was sitting down to watch the film. Everything about it is really well done - the direction, the writing, the acting, not only does it feel authentic, but it feels like everyone involved was really passionate about the story. It was really thought-provoking to watch this after seeing 'The Pianist' and looking at two stories set in similar times and circumstances through different points of view. It's not an easy watch, but it's definitely worth seeing. I'm really glad it was on the li...

  Estranged sisters Katie (Carrie Coon), Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) reunite to care for their dying father. I was looking forward to this film when I first heard about it. The premise seemed interesting and I'm a fan of the actors involved so I knew at the very least I'd like it. And while I did like it, I had kind of hoped I would love it, but my feelings about it ended up being quite neutral. One thing I did love was the dialogue. It was written so well and felt like a play, and after reading that it was a loose reimagining of King Lear (my favourite Shakespeare play), that made sense. The screenplay for this film is great! With this, it's worth noting that the film is very dialogue-heavy and takes place in pretty much one location, so if that's not your thing, you probably won't love this one. But for me that was one of the things that made it enjoyable. The acting was amazing - Coon, Olsen and Lyonne play off each other really well a...

Next up was a highly anticipated re-watch! This is one of the films on the bucket list that I waited to watch because I love it so much and didn't want to complete it too quickly. This is one of my absolute favourite horror movies, and for very good reason - it's probably the most iconic horror movie to ever exist! As far as Hitchcock movies go, Vertigo was on the list and when I wrote a post on it, I mentioned that there were other Hitchcock movies I would have preferred to watch. And while I would have loved Rear Window or The Birds to be on the list too, Psycho is the best of the best. If there was only one horror movie on the list, it should be this one. It's iconic for so many reasons but one that stood out to me immediately during this re-watch was the score. The use of sound is amazing here - the way it's used to manipulate the audience's feelings, to set the tone and to highlight important moments. The use of sound during the shower scene, for example, is ic...

My next watch for the Bucket List was another first-timer! I had never really heard of this film before seeing it on the list, I had no idea what it was about, and the only thing about it that appealed to me was the short runtime.  I kind of knew immediately that this wouldn't be one I'd particularly enjoy. While there are things about it to appreciate, like the cinematography, the originality and the acting, for my personal tastes it just wasn't something I vibed with. My favourite thing about this bucket list challenge is getting to experience films that I otherwise never would have watched, and this is definitely one of those. Because there are so many genres that I never really think about watching unless they're nominated in the current Oscars cycle, so it's been really nice to experience watching a whole bunch of films that never would have crossed my path otherwise. But again, as much as I appreciate the film being on the list, and as glad as I am that I'...

  Next up for the Bucket List was a first-time watch. This is one of the films that I've been meaning to watch for a really long time but never got around to it, so I'm really glad it was on the list. Despite it being a classic, I didn't really know what it was about, so I was glad that the plot was actually really interesting and engaging, especially because the film seems kind of geared towards a younger audience. I really really enjoyed the film. I can really see why it's beloved by so many people - I can imagine how much fun it would have been to watch as a kid. Because more than anything, the film is so much fun. Whether you're a kid or an adult there's something there for you to enjoy. The acting was great - the young actors played their parts really well and made the film what it was. They were amazing! I've heard that there might be a sequel, and as much as I don't think it's needed, if they bring back the original cast I'd definitely be ...

After chess destroyed her family four years earlier, Mallory Greenleaf decided to never play again. But when helping out a friend in a charity tournament, she wins against Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion. And suddenly Mallory finds her chess skills in demand - in exchange for desperately needed cash prizes. But can she keep her family separate from the game she vowed never to play again? I'm a big fan of Ali Hazelwood's books. Even when I'm going through a romance slump, I always know that I'll like whatever she writes. So while I didn't love the plot of this one, I knew that I'd probably still like it. And that's true for this book. I liked it, but because I didn't love the plot, it definitely wasn't one of my favourites of Hazelwood's. The book gives us a good first impression of Mallory. We like her instantly which makes her a good protagonist to follow throughout the story. It took a while to really get into the story. There was a lo...

  Adam (Anthony Mackie) and Jane (Zoe Chao) are 3 years into a space mission that has gone wrong, leaving them drifting through space with no way home. When the subject of relationships comes up, the two discuss the merits of spending their last days as something more than just friends. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie, so I'm really glad it's finally available to watch in the UK! I absolutely loved this movie. I haven't watched a good rom-com in a while and this definitely reminded me what I'm missing! For a start, the visuals were really unique and creative, which made the film a really fun watch even if you weren't loving the characters or plot. Thankfully, the characters and actors completely carry the story, in the best way. They were 3-dimensional realistic characters with great chemistry. I loved watching them together. The dialogue between them was also great. It felt natural and real, and I loved that everything felt quite grounded even whe...

  My next watch for the Bucket List was a re-watch. I feel like this film was a classic throughout my childhood but I've only seen it a couple of times. I've always liked it, but never loved it. However, what I have always loved was the concept. The premise of this film is so original and intriguing that it almost feels like it wouldn't work. If you tried to remake this, it wouldn't feel as authentic and real. And that is largely down to Jim Carrey's performance as Truman, which not only made the whole idea of the film feel realistic, but made Truman a character anyone watching could root for. It's also a really interesting mix of genres in that it's listed as a psychological comedy. Because as comedic as the performances are, the idea of this actually happening could be quite terrifying. And in this way, it's a really interesting parallel to the world today, where we often see children featured in family vlog channels on YouTube. However you feel about ...

  Next up for the Bucket List was another first-time watch! I had heard of this movie once or twice in passing but never knew anything about it. And even when I started watching it I didn't really know what it was about. But because of that, I went in completely blind with practically no expectations. And even then, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the film. When I first started it, I didn't expect it to be as engaging as it was. And while I can't say I was completely engaged the whole way through, the story as a whole is an interesting one, and you want to see how it ends. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz among a group of great actors who all played their roles really well and made the film as enjoyable to watch as it was. But in saying that, as this is a Scorsese film, compared to his other movies, this one wasn't my favourite. In fact, it wasn't even on par with my favourite of his movies. So while I enjoyed the movie, I d...

  When Louise (Mackenzie Davis), Ben (Scoot McNairy) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) spend the weekend with a family they meet on holiday, they soon find themselves in grave danger. This film was on my radar for a while, as a huge fan of James McAvoy, so I couldn't wait to see it! I didn't know it was a remake until the promotion started, but after seeing this one I really want to watch the original too! I really really liked this movie.  For a start, I really liked how simple the premise was. The basic idea of a family visiting another family that they don't know very well could go in so many different directions, and would probably work well in a comedic or dramatic genre. But it's also the perfect plot for horror. Tension is created expertly throughout the film. From the first scene to the last, you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. But as great as the film's atmosphere is, the pacing was a bit off, particularly in ...

Next up for the Bucket List was a first-time watch. And not one that I was particularly looking forward to.  I had heard of this film in passing but never really knew what it was about. But when I looked it up, the plot didn't really appeal to me. This was mainly because I'm not a huge lover of films set in or around war. And that's not to say I've never enjoyed a war film, because I definitely have. But it's not a genre I'm ever really excited to watch. And when it comes to this movie, I thought it was okay. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, I didn't really have any feelings towards it one way or the other. I thought the acting was great - the film stars a lot of recognisable, highly revered actors who played their roles really well. But other than that, the story didn't particularly interest me the whole way through - there were definitely some parts that were more interesting than others. So while I'm not surprised this was on a list of ...

  Working the late shift at an amusement arcade, Alex (Sophie McIntosh) is surprised by her friends for her 21st birthday. But the night quickly goes downhill when a killer dressed as Mickey Mouse starts picking the friends off one by one. Now I have to be completely honest, I went into this knowing that it would be bad. Sometimes I just really love watching bad horror movies, so I definitely didn't have high hopes. So this was a weird situation in that the film wasn't good at all, but I did enjoy watching it. Even though my review is pretty much all negative, I did have a good time! For a start, the characters are quite one-dimensional. None of them have real personalities and even the main characters we follow aren't particularly significant. But more than this, the chemistry between this friend group was non-existent. Never has a group of 'friends' felt more like strangers. It was clear these people had never spent any significant time together and didn't rea...

Next up for the Bucket List was a first time watch, I've never seen an Indiana Jones film, I've never been interested in them, so this wasn't one that I was particularly looking forward to. But because I'd never seen one and never knew what they were really about, I was intrigued. I liked the film. I didn't love it, I'm not particularly interesting in watching it again, or watching any of the sequels, but I had a good time with it. For a start, as an avid Family Guy watcher, watching the films on the Bucket List has given me so much background on so many of the references in the show! And this is no exception.  It was like every 10 minutes there was a quote or a scene that I already knew from an old Family Guy episode, and that made watching it really fun! Another thing I liked, which I've discovered in quite a few of these classic movies, is the secret love story within them. The most prominent example I can think of is the first 'Terminator' movie,...

  Next up for the Bucket List was a highly anticipated rewatch! I watched this film on a whim a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I was actually really surprised that it was on the bucket list because it felt like a really underrated film that no one really watched or spoke about. Everything about this film is beautiful. For a start, it's visually beautiful. The animation is done so well, so uniquely and so creatively. It's lovely just to watch the characters move around even without the story surrounding it. But then as mentioned, there's the story itself, which is also really really beautiful. The film follows two characters who become pen-pals and unlikely friends, and the way their relationship grows and is explored throughout the film is just incredible. We as the audience get to know the characters as they get to know each other, we completely fall in love with them and really get to bond with them. The writing is also done so well. Everything feels extremely rea...

  When FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) takes on the unsolved case of hunting down a serial killer, she discovers a personal connection between the mysterious killer and her own past. The premise of this movie didn't particularly entice me, but what made me excited to see it was hearing all of the positive reviews. So I feel like my opinion is really controversial in that, I was really really disappointed with this film. For a start, I never cared about any of the characters. And because the film is so character-driven, I was never truly invested in the story. One reason I didn't really care about the characters is that I never connected with any of them. Because of this, I didn't really care what happened to them and ended up finding the events of the film (particularly in the first half) a bit boring. But that being said, the acting was great, and definitely the best thing about the film. Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, in particular, were great, but the whole cast play...

  On the day he gets released from prison, 10 years after being arrested for a crime he may or may not have committed, Oliver Marks is ready to tell the whole story. What actually happened all those years ago? In a group of theatre students, taking on Shakespeare's roles on and off stage, who was really to blame when a cast member ended up dead? I had heard such good things about this book that made me so excited to read it. Not only do I love a murder mystery, but as someone who has studied literature, a murder mystery surrounding theatre and Shakespeare sounded like it would be right up my street. So unfortunately, all of those positives made the book really really disappointing. Not that it was a bad book, just disappointing.  But it didn't start off that way. The story is told from Oliver's point of view, and I really liked being in his head. His storytelling reminded me a bit of the protagonist from 'The Fury', but a much better version. The book was captivatin...

My next pick for the bucket list was three movies that I'd never seen before! When I first looked at the bucket list at the end of last year, I thought that if there was any film square that would stop me from completing the challenge, it was this one. I have never been interested in The Lord of the Rings. I've never known anything about the movies, I've never wanted to watch them, I've never had any thoughts about them whatsoever. I'm also completely crazy because I watched all 3 3-hour long movies back to back in one day - so I spent 9 hours in a row watching these films! And honestly, I was really surprised. For a start, I was surprised by how much I knew about them, while thinking I knew nothing. A lot of that comes down to being a fan of 'The Big Bang Theory' and not always knowing what they were referencing. But even through general pop culture, I knew the names of characters and places without knowing I did. And because of that, everything felt iconic...

When Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are invited to spend time on a private island by billionare Slater King (Channing Tatum) they jump at the chance and have a great time partying in paradise. But when strange things start occurring, and the girls start questioning their feelings, they discover that they're in more danger than they ever realised. The trailer for this film was really vague, and with good reason! So while I was looking forward to seeing it, I had no idea what it would really be about. I did a complete 180 while watching this film. I went from bored, to disturbed, to completely loving the way this story was told. And now, having had time to sit with it, I absolutely love the film. But let's go through each of those emotions. The boredom. The first parts of the film feel really repetitive, there's a weird, off tone and you're just begging for something to happen because you have absolutely no idea what's going on or where it'...

This Favourites post feels like it came around really quickly - I can't believe it's October! Favourite Movie (1): Deadpool and Wolverine I reviewed this film HERE  and made no secret of how much I loved it, so of course it had to be the first one on this list. It's now out on digital and I can't wait to finally see it again! Favourite Film (2): Blink Twice My review for this one will be going up soon, but I started off being really unsure about this film and ended up loving it. I've only seen it once but it's been months and it has still really stuck with me. It's another one that I really can't wait to watch again. Favourite Film (3): Speak No Evil I'll be reviewing this one too so I won't say too much here, but I loved this movie. I've not seen the original version but now I really want to, especially because apparently the ending is completely different. But this one is definitely worth watching. Favourite TV Show: Presumed Innocent I hea...