Bria Lou Reviews

This has been a really full-on year, and it feels so quick to be writing my last post. As I'm writing this, it's not even Christmas yet so being in the headspace of the last day of the year feels so strange! It's been my best year in so many areas of the stats below, I've beaten so many goals and it's been so much fun! Movies Watched: 483 New TV Shows Started:  18 TV Shows Finished:  11 Books Read:  22 Blog Posts Written: 235 First of all, the movies. Because of the 100 Movies Bucket List, I ended up watching more movies than usual, and the range of movies I've been watching is so much wider than what I usually watch. I've seen some amazing movies, new and old, and it's also great that some of the best movies I've seen this year are movies that I'm not even reviewing until 2025 - it makes me feel like next year will be another great year for film. I've started more TV than last year, and I think the quality of TV I've watched this year ha...

This post feels like it comes around quicker and quicker every year and I love writing it - especially because I've loved so many things this year. So here are my 2024 Favourites! Favourite Film (1): Deadpool and Wolverine I reviewed this film HERE . At the beginning of the year, I never expected that this would be my favourite film. I have enjoyed the Deadpool movies and the X-Men movies, but I've never had a cinema experience as fun as this one. And thankfully the film is still just as good watching from home. I've now seen it 3 or 4 times since it was released on Disney+ and I love it more and more each time. Definitely my film of the year! Favourite Film (2): Blink Twice I reviewed this one HERE  and this was probably the biggest surprise, in that I didn't really like it at the beginning and by the end I was completely in love with it. And after watching it again and completely understanding why everything happens the way it does, I think this is a really fantastic ...

It was really hard this year to decide what's going into this short Favourites post, and what's going into tomorrow's 2024 Favourites post. I have so many great things to write about this year! Favourite Movie (1): Juror #2 I finished watching this movie about 10 minutes ago and immediately knew it had to go on this list. I'll review it in the new year but it's such an amazing film, definitely worth watching if you get the chance. Favourite Movie (2): The Substance This is another one that I'll be reviewing in the new year, so I won't say too much about it here, but all the positive reviews and hype is completely founded - this was a wild ride in the best way! Favourite Movie (3): Unicorns And another one that I'll be reviewing in the new year, but I absolutely loved this film. It's currently on Netflix in the UK and is absolutely worth a watch! Favourite Movie (4): Woman of the Hour I reviewed this film HERE  and made no secret of how much I loved ...

  As always, here are the films I've watched and reviews I've written this Blogmas! Meet Me Next Christmas | Blogmas Day 1 - This was a cute way to start the Christmas season! Christmas Lucky Charm | Blogmas Day 2 - I loved this one, especially the character of Jessica. Destined at Christmas | Blogmas Day 3 - This one was disappointing because the characters never spent any time together. The Christmas Checklist | Blogmas Day 4 - This one explored grief in an interesting way. Hot Chocolate Holiday | Blogmas Day 5 - Worth it just for the Christmas treats! No Sleep 'Til Christmas | Blogmas Day 6 - Original and so much chemistry between the (real life) couple! A Christmas of Wonders | Blogmas Day 7 - Generic, basic Christmas movie. Snowmance | Blogmas Day 8 - The first of two snowmen coming to life! A Show-Stopping Christmas | Blogmas Day 9 - Cute, but Riley was a much better character than Sam. The Christmas Retreat | Blogmas Day 10 - Loved the banter between the co...

  It's Christmas Eve! After a disastrous break-up, exes Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) are forced to spend Christmas together when they discover that their new significant others are siblings. Last up on the Blogmas list was the 4th of 4 new Netflix Christmas movies. Of the four this was the most highly anticipated, so it only made sense to put it in the Christmas Eve slot. And this was a great movie to end on. Not only was it one of the most original, but it was as much com as rom, which is rare in Christmas movies! It had a really great opening scene. It was gripping, and we get to know the characters right away so we can be excited about where it goes. But what was also great was the opening credits. Probably the most creative way I've ever seen to show the passage of time! The chemistry between the main characters was great, but both of them had absolutely no chemistry with the people they're supposed to be spending Christmas with. After getting into the ...

  It's Blogmas day 23! Sienna's (Tia Mowry) preparation for Atlanta's Tinsel Ball gets derailed when she meets Lawrence (RonReaco Lee), whose company is sponsoring the ball. This is the newest pick of Blogmas, and I'll admit the only reason I picked it was to see the reunion of Mowry and Lee, who played a couple on 'Sister, Sister' back in the day. It wasn't originally on my list but after seeing the trailer, I had to include it! I liked this one, but unfortunately didn't love it. From the start the first thing that jumped out at me was how authentic all the characters felt. It was well written and everything felt real. I loved that the supporting characters had their own storylines. They didn't steal the show from the main characters but we still got the chance to get to know them. This may not have been the best romance of Blogmas, but it definitely had the best decorations! Just looking at the backgrounds alone makes you feel really festive and Ch...

  It's Blogmas day 22! Sparks fly when single father Michael (Colin Lawrence) begins to fall for his daughter's dance teacher Olivia (AnnaLynne McCord). I mainly picked this one because I'm familiar with the main actress, but the premise was quite sweet so I was looking forward to it. This one was fine, not great but not bad either. The characters were instantly likeable, and the chemistry between them was great from their very first meeting. But it took a bit too long for the story to start because the pacing was weird - the characters spent too long on their individual storylines and then no time apart at all - nothing was gradual. There was almost no tension because the characters obviously liked each other and repeatedly vocalised this very early on. It made it hard to know what the point of the story actually was, because there was no 'will they, won't they' that these movies usually have. Considering that dancing is an important part of the film, the chara...

  It's Blogmas day 21! Former figure skater Courtney (Abigail Klein) teams up with former hockey player Noah (Ryan Cooper) to save the local ice skating rink from closing. I picked this one because it just seemed so quintessentially rom-com-y that I had no choice! And it also seemed like it would be really Christmassy, which is always important for a Christmas film. Unfortunately this one wasn't as romantic as it could have been. But I will say the Christmas part holds up - is there anything more Christmassy than ice skating?? My main gripe with the film is that I completely fell in love with a couple and was willing to spent all my time and energy on them. The only problem was, it wasn't the main couple! It was the side couple who were given no time! If the main couple of this film had been Beth (Caroline Portu) and Trevor (Matthew Grimaldi) this could have been a great Christmas movie. I really liked what little I saw of them and wanted so much more than the film gave us....

  It's Blogmas day 20! After getting dumped right before going home for the holidays, Katie (Christie Leverette) hires a man to pretend to be her boyfriend in front of her family. Finally a fake dating trope! A couple of the films this year have played with the theme, but this one really goes for it and I love that! But as much as I loved the premise, the film didn't really live up to it. However, one thing I loved as much as I loved the premise was Katie. Right from the beginning she was a character I could get behind and really root for. I also really loved Katie's roommate Sarah (Jeanne Lau) and I wish she had been given more to do, and more of a story. Why is she spending Christmas alone?? I tried not to look at the film from a point of realism, as this is a Christmas movie after all, but where was the sense of safety? The main couple are complete strangers at the start and it felt weird to see how quickly they trusted each other. And while I liked the characters intera...

  It's Blogmas day 19! When Holly (Jasmine Burke) uses her company's app to find a date to bring home for the holidays, a glitch in the app causes more than one date to turn up. This film had an interesting premise because it seemed really original, and it looked like there would be a lot of chances for fun and humour. I didn't end up liking it as much as I wanted to. But one thing I liked was how much more modern it felt than most of the other movies I've watched for Blogmas this year. Even just the idea of her finding her date(s) through an app is original for a Christmas film. It's nice that the movie was family-focused, but the family it focuses on aren't that interesting and can't really carry the story. The main couple have chemistry and it was fun to watch them interact, but I never really cared about them one way or the other. And if for some reason they didn't end up together, it wouldn't have mattered to me. It took about 40 minutes for the...

  It's Blogmas day 18! When sisters Cara (Emily Alatalo) and Amy (Vanessa Smythe) make a pact to find their soulmates, and a year later Amy is getting married, Cara sets out to find her true love. And she does... until she loses his number. This one had a fun premise. I'll admit I thought more of the film would be about the sisters finding love together, but either way I was looking forward to it. It ended up being a bit disappointing. As already mentioned, I really wish that it had been about two sisters who are both finding love. Dangling that in front of us, and then making it a generic one-couple love story with no attention on the sister at all was a weird choice. Speaking of the sisters, their relationship didn't feel as authentic as it needed to be, considering it was the catalyst of the story. I never really believed in, or cared about, the main couple. They did have nice chemistry, but it wasn't good enough to carry the film. I didn't really connect with an...

  It's Blogmas day 17! When Cathy (Lacey Chabert) accidentally brings a snowman to life, she discovers the magic Jack the snowman (Dustin Milligan) brings to the town of Hope Springs. This is the third of four highly anticipated Netflix Christmas originals this year that I'm including in Blogmas. And while it's not the most original story, I've always loved the idea of Jack Frost, so I was excited to see it. Thankfully I liked this one - though maybe not as much as I wanted to. I really liked the character of Cathy. Not only was she really likeable, but because we get to know her so quickly, we can really root for her. I also loved the tone of the film. It didn't take itself seriously at all and made it clear to the audience that we're just there to have fun. All of the actors, main and supporting, were great. They were so much fun to watch and all played their characters really well. The chemistry between Cathy and Jack is great! You really want to see them tog...

  It's Blogmas day 16! When Jason (Joshua T. Shipman) is forced to move for work, and his girlfriend cannot go with him because they are not married, he creates an elaborate plan to propose by Christmas. So apparently there are two films with the same name, made in the same year, and it looks like I picked the worst of the two! From the very beginning, the tone of the film is really odd. It was taking itself way too seriously for what is supposed to be a light Christmas movie. The plot didn't really make much sense. A few times throughout the film there was a point made that the character didn't want to be with his girlfriend, and had actually requested a be transferred to get away from her. So why are we watching him plan a proposal? Why is he planning a proposal in the first place? There were really weird moments throughout the film where the sound quality would drastically change when a character was speaking but not on camera, despite supposedly being in the same room. ...