Bria Lou Reviews

  Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) tries to keep her family together while piecing together the truth behind her husband Rubens' (Selton Mello) disappearance. This was the last Best Picture nominee I needed to see, so I went to see it without looking up what it was about, only knowing what it was nominated for and the fact that the acting was being very highly praised. I liked this film. The premise of it kind of took me by surprise. Because I didn't know what it was about I was locked in from the beginning to see where it would go. It was really engaging. The performances really were great. Torres is nominated for her performance and I'm glad because she did an amazing job with this character. Eunice is the heart of the film and the audience needs to be able to connect with her emotionally to truly care about this family, and it's really easy to do so. One of the best things about Torres' performance is her chemistry with Mello. The film did a really great job of sho...

  Elwood (Ethan Herisse) has a promising future when he is sentenced to brutal reformatory Nickel Academy. Once there he meets Turner (Brandon Wilson) and forms a friendship that becomes essential to his survival. This is one of the Best Picture nominees that I knew the least about, so because of that, it was also one of the ones that I went into with the least context. I loved this film. I was immediately gripped just by the unique way it was shot. From what I've seen online the first person pov is a bit hit or miss, but it really hit for me. It was so creative and interesting, and immediately allowed me to build a connection with the characters. It also made everything that happened much more powerful, being able to live in this world through Elwood and Turner's eyes was really impactful. The film was really reminiscent of the film 'Sleepers', not just in terms of the subject matter, but in the way it creates fear and tension, and how these feelings are passed on to t...

  Cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) tour Poland in honour of their grandmother, but as they explore their family history, they are forced to confront their complicated relationship. This was one of the films of Oscar season that I was most looking forward to seeing. I really liked the premise and had heard really good things. I really liked this movie. For a start, it was clear from the first 15 minutes why this film has been nominated for a screenplay Oscar. The film is written so well, captures and evokes so many complex emotions and really makes the audience pay attention to the characters. Speaking of which, I loved both of the characters almost instantly. They're so different, and their interactions are what the film is pretty much centred on, and why it works so well. The balance of comedy/humour and drama is done really well, which is down to the writing, direction and acting. I didn't know until the credits rolled that Eisenberg wrote and directe...

  While imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a crime he didn't commit, Divine G (Colman Domingo) finds his purpose while putting on a comedy show with a group of other incarcerated men. This is a film I hadn't heard much about until it was nominated for an Oscar, but once it was I looked it up and was definitely interested in seeing it. I liked this film a lot. The group of characters was really interesting. They were all unique, fascinating to watch and wholly authentic. I knew before starting the film that a lot of the actors played themselves, as they were men that were formally incarcerated. But once I got into the film, I kind of forgot this. They felt like actors doing an amazing job of creating authenticity for these characters, so the fact that this was so real, and so close to them, just made the film a real experience to watch. It was also shot really authentically in the sense that it felt like a documentary. It never felt like the actors were on a '...

  Escaping post-war Europe, an architect (Adrien Brody) moves to America to rebuild his life and bring his family to safety. But their lives are forever changed when he meets a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce). This was probably the most highly-anticipated film of Oscar season for me, based on what I'd already seen and the way people were talking about it. It seemed like a front-runner for some of the major awards, so of course I had to see it. I liked this more than I expected to. I feel like the things most people talk about are the runtime, and the fact that it's broken into two parts (with the second part generally considered the worst). The runtime didn't really worry me much. Of course there's always the fear that a long film will feel 10 times longer if it's boring, but in general I don't mind long runtimes - though it was nice that it had an intermission. Though in saying that, I didn't really notice the runtime, particularly in the first half. It ...

In 1970s New York, a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) becomes the protégé of cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Now if I'm honest, I wasn't planning to watch this film. I didn't think I'd find it entertaining and I didn't particularly care about the subject matter, so it wasn't on my list. But seeing that it has been nominated for awards, with one of those nominations being a very well-deserved 'Best Actor' Oscar nomination for Sebastian Stan, I couldn't not watch it. And as expected, the best thing about this film is Stan and his performance. He's great in the role, and the supporting actors do a great job of helping to tell this story. I didn't really know what to make of the tone of the film. From the very beginning things just feel a bit weird, and because of that, it took me a while to really get into it. It never made me care about any of the characters one way or the other, which may have been the intention.  The relationshi...

Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) must fight alongside the Fremen to avenge his family, while being plagued by visions of a dark future.  This was the biggest surprise to me during Oscar season. It's not that I didn't think it would get nominated, I just never really thought about it period, so I didn't expect that I'd have to watch it. I saw the first Dune, and I couldn't even review it or give it a rating because I felt nothing about the film, and didn't think it would be fair to try and critically review it. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't for me. And so I was never planning to watch the second, and I definitely wasn't planning to review it. So, while I have to write a post on it because it's nominated, this won't be a proper review, and I won't be giving it a rating. Because just like the first, I felt nothing about this film, I don't have any positive or negative feelings about it, and that doesn't usually happen ...

A year after the Kettle Springs massacre, Quinn has left the small town to go to college, somewhere where nightmares of clowns don't plague her. But when she is attacked by a familiar clown, while her dad is attacked by another clown in Kettle Springs, she realises that her nightmare isn't over yet. The first Clown in a Cornfield book was my favourite book of last year. I reviewed it HERE , and even though I gave it 4/5 stars, I reflected on it throughout the year and it was probably a 5 star. Either way I absolutely loved it, so much that I bought the two sequels this year. And as I expected, I absolutely loved the second book! For a start, I loved being back with these characters. After a couple of chapters of being in their heads it's like we never left them. I sometimes say that I don't love multiple points of view in books, but these books are the exception - I loved it in the first one and I loved it in this one. Though hearing from some of the new characters real...

In the 1960s, 19-year-old Bob Dylan ( Timothée Chalamet)  arrives in New York to make music that ends up changing the course of history. This is the time of year where most of the films I see are films I'm watching just because they've been nominated, and this is the first of the films I watched after the nominations came out, so I didn't have feelings about seeing it one way or the other, I just had to. This film didn't really click for me. I didn't hate it, but there was a lot I didn't like about it. But let's start with the good things. As someone who has never really listened to folk music, or to Bob Dylan's music, the film brought both of these things to the forefront. I heard so many songs I'd never heard before, and the songs were sung really well. I didn't know while watching if the actors were actually singing the songs, but it didn't matter because the music scenes felt authentic. It's clear there was a lot of passion behind the...

  Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is participating in the selection of the new Pope. But as secrets are unveiled, Lawrence discovers that what he knows could shake the foundation of the Church, and the lives of the prospective Popes, forever. This wasn't a film I was particularly looking forward to, but as I heard the rumblings of Oscar nominations I wanted to check it out. And now I know it's been nominated, I'm really glad I saw it! I liked this film more than I thought I would. The thing that initially put me off the premise was just that it seemed like a really odd concept to make a film about, when you take everything at face value before delving deeper. It didn't really seem like an interesting idea. But this is immediately thwarted when we get to know the characters a bit better. I loved the variety of them, and the way we learn about them through the selection process. It was really unique and immediately draws you into the film. It was a lot more engaging tha...

An artist-turned stay-at-home-mum's (Amy Adams) problems with motherhood begin to manifest in strange and fantastical ways - including her transformation into a dog. I was really looking forward to seeing this film. After hearing the premise and being a bit unsure about it, I watched an interview with Amy Adams where she talked a bit about the metaphor of the idea, and it seemed like it would be a really intriguing watch. I ended up liking the film, though I did have some problems with it. I loved that from the very first second you are in the mother's head. We are completely with her, and we see everything from her point of view. She is a great character both to root for and to sympathise with, and Adams plays the role so well. It does a really good job of showing what the character is going through without making overarching negative statements on parenthood. It also did a great job of rooting the fantastical concept in reality - though it could have leaned into the absurdity...

  When sex worker Anora (Mikey Madison) meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch, her fairytale is threatened when news of the marriage reaches Russia. I hadn't heard much about this film until it started getting awards buzz, but after hearing so many amazing things, I was intrigued about it. I really liked this movie. It was really engaging from the very first minute until the credits rolled. I loved the setting, the characters and I was immediately locked in. As intriguing as the story was, what sucked me in was the character of Ani. I absolutely loved following her. Even at the beginning when we don't know much about her she's still easy to root for. Even taking Ani out of the equation, the rest of the characters are also really unique, interesting and a lot of fun to follow. But the most surprising thing to me was how endearing they are by the end - we bond with them as Ani does (sometimes more than Ani does). And one reason for this is because all of the actors ...

  I'm so glad this year's Bucket List has more romance movies! I've seen a few Chaplin movies but this was one I'd never heard of, though if I knew what it was about I would have watched it long before now! I really liked the premise. It's a really sweet idea, told in a really fun way. But outside of the story, one of my favourite things about it, and about Chaplin's films in general, is how important physical comedy is. When you can't use language or dialogue the story has to be told in other ways, and Chaplin always excels at using big movements and actions to tell his stories. This is also really important for the characterisation within the film. We get to know the variety of characters largely through their movements, and this is done so well that we really do get to know them and understand the way they work. But another way the story is told is through the music used. The score for this film is beautiful and creates the exact atmosphere to connect the...

When a chance encounter brings Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) together, both of their lives are changed forever. I was really really looking forward to this one, not only as a fan of both Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, but as a fan of rom-coms, happy or sad. I hadn't seen a new good rom-com in a while so this came at the perfect time. I really liked this film. At first I was a bit thrown off by the non-linear storytelling, and thought it detracted from the emotion that the story wanted us to feel, but I really liked it by the end. It made things feel really original. Though I do still feel like it made the emotional moments less emotional. I would really like to see this in chronological order to see if that makes it feel more emotional than it did. But in saying that, it's great that the story could jump around without ever feeling confusing. We always know exactly where we are, and what point of the characters' relationship we're in, and that...

  When Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets lost in the forest, she is taken in by three strangers who are stalked every night by mysterious creatures that watch their every move. I remember hearing good things about this film when it first came out, and even though the reviews are now a lot more mixed, I was looking forward to seeing it. I liked it, while also understanding why the reviews are mixed. For a start, the opening sequence felt a bit too long. And as we get into the story and understand exactly what's happening, I don't really think it helped to get the audience invested in the story. And in keeping with this, the whole film felt a bit slow. And that doesn't mean it was bad or boring, but everything that happened took a really long time to happen. While the concept, and film itself, is unique and intriguing, it's also weird. I never knew what to make of the story or characters (including the main character), and while ambiguity can be good for a film, I don't know...

When Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to Transylvania for a meeting with the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) is plagued with horrifying visions. I was so excited to see this film! Taking away my love and excitement for anything horror, I studied the original 1922 Nosferatu back in university and loved it, so I really wanted to see this new take on it. It's not a surprise that I loved the film. The first thing I made a note of after watching was the way the director used light and dark so effectively to tell this story. There's a lot of darkness in the trailers, and because it's a gothic horror you expect the darkness to play a huge part, and it does. But the advantage of this is that the use of light is sparing, and is used to emphasise the most important parts of these scenes. It's clear that every single instance of light was thought about really carefully and it definitely paid off. There are a lot of impressive things a...

This isn't one that I was particularly excited to see, but it's been on my list for a while because I've always been interested in seeing the Alien vs Predator movies (in the same way that I love the Godzilla and Kong movies), so I've always known that I'd see this eventually so I could watch the crossover. I had fun with this movie. It's not the most enjoyable monster movie I've ever watched, but it's not a bad one. I think the design of the predator was great. Even today it would be a really interesting, unique design, so it's definitely great that it was created like this in the 80s. But also the visuals of the predator when he's cloaking were also really interesting and inventive. The idea of the film isn't quite as original today as it was when this was made, but there are definitely elements of this film that feel like a blueprint for other similarly-themed modern monster movies. There's a reason it has spawned 4 sequels and a cross...

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a girl with green skin and mysterious powers, forms an unlikely friendship with Galinda (Ariana Grande). A friendship that will change both of their lives, for good or bad, forever. I was so so excited to see this film. Not only am I a fan of musicals in general, but I saw the stage show of Wicked years ago and loved it, so I've been waiting with bated breath for the movie adaptation! I absolutely loved this film! I had chills from the first bar of the opening song and they stayed with me the entire way through. It was a really interesting experience seeing it in the cinema, it almost felt like seeing it in theatre. I wanted to applaud after every song. And this was partly due to how well the songs were sung, and by extension, how well the parts were played. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were perfect - I wouldn't have changed a thing about what either of them did in this film. They completely embodied their roles, played these characters and their dev...

While investigating a series of bank robberies, FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) is led to investigate a white supremacist group called 'The Order'. I was looking forward to this film just as a fan of Nicholas Hoult, though it wasn't one I was particularly excited for. But I've seen a few similarly-themed movies, so it was interesting to see how this one differed. I liked this film, but I didn't love it or enjoy it as much as I wanted to. The first thing I have to point out is the acting. All of the actors were amazing in their roles, particularly Hoult, Law, Jurnee Smollett and Tye Sheridan who all carried the film so well. There were definitely sections of the film that were very engaging, but I didn't find the entirety of the film engaging. There were scenes that, while necessary, seemed either too long or not really moving the story forward. The pacing could have been a bit tighter, but overall for a straight 2 hour movie it works quite well. I think the fund...

  Lou (Kristen Stewart) meets and quickly falls for Jackie (Katy M. O'Brian). But their romance soon turns deadly as they are both pulled into the ways of Lou's criminal family. I remember hearing a lot about this when it came out, but since then I've heard nothing, so I wasn't really thinking about it when it came out on Prime Video, but I was interested in seeing it. I liked this film, but not as much as I wanted to. The thing I liked the most from the start was the characters. They're well written and for the most part feel really authentic. You can't tell just from watching the film where it will go, but the more you watch, the more compelling it is. The acting is great, both Stewart and O'Brian are the heart of the movie and they do an amazing job with their characters. But as interesting as their characters are, I never felt any connection to either of them. They were fun to watch, but it didn't really matter to me how they ended up. While watching...

On her 18th birthday, Elliott (Maisy Stella) goes on a mushroom trip that connects her with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when her older self starts giving her warnings and advice, Elliott has to decide which version of herself should control her future. I was looking forward to this film. Not just because I usually enjoy Aubrey Plaza’s performances, but because the premise for the film was so original, and so fun!  Unfortunately I ended up being disappointed with this one. But let’s start with the good things! I’ve already mentioned that the premise is original, and the entire film is very original. It’s also written really well, particularly the dialogue, which is really important for a film like this that is entirely character driven. Plaza and Stella work really really well together, and I’d love to see them together in another film. In fact, a pitfall of the film was not having these characters together more. Plaza isn’t in the film for nearly as long as she should ...

  Two missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) are caught up in a dangerous game when they knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a man who forces them to question their faith. I was looking forward to seeing this one, mostly for Hugh Grant, but also because it looked like a really unique horror movie and I'm always seated for horror. I had mixed feelings about this film while watching it. I was unsure for a long time, but by the end I did really like it. As mentioned, the story is really unique, and there's no way you can guess where it's going. And some of the uniqueness is added by the camera shots and imagery, which were so original and well done. At the beginning it moves very slowly and is incredibly dialogue-heavy. This can become a problem if you don't care about the conversation or the characters, as it can become a bit heavy and boring. Though the dialogue itself is well-written.  But if you're not enjoying it, this problem is solved really quick...

  A crazy time in Vegas sees Kat and Liam being step-siblings for a total of 48 hours. Years later after a chance encounter, the pair reunite, discovering both of their scammer parents are working a job that targets the same family. But after a member of this elusive family is shot dead, Kat and Liam must work together to get out of the killer's crosshairs before they become the next victims. One of my favourite parts of a new year is reading the new Karen M. McManus book. It's the way I start every year and I'm always looking forward to it. I absolutely loved this book! I love the characters and stories McManus creates. They are always similar enough that it's clear McManus has created her own style that works for her, but the advantage of them being similar is that they always feel familiar, like catching up with old friends, and I love that. There are things that McManus does in every book, and this book is absolutely classic McManus. Both Kat and Liam's points o...

When Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is called for Jury Duty, he discovers that he is closer to the case than he ever realised. But could the information he knows convict, or free, an accused killer? I was really looking forward to seeing this film. Not only am I a huge fan of Nicholas Hoult (who had an amazing year for film in 2024 by the way - I've got 2 more of his movies to review and upload), but I'm always here for a courtroom drama! I loved this film! For a start, the cast is great! In that first courtroom scene when we see the jury, there are so many recognisable faces and they all played their parts amazingly well.  Of course there needs to be a specific shoutout for Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette and Zoey Deutch, who had very different but equally important roles and played them really well. Hoult in particular was incredible. The writing was great. It's very obviously reminiscent of 12 Angry Men but uses some of the similar themes in a really different, interesting w...

  Second up for the bucket list was a highly anticipated re-watch. I've been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan for as long as I can remember, and this is absolutely one of my favourite of his movies. The story itself is so interesting. We are invested from the first moment in both storylines, and this is mainly down to the characters. Not only are the characters interesting, but they are people that an audience can really sympathise with and root for. We become deeply invested in their worlds and lives, and that is why the film works as well as it does. We really need to care about them and we truly do. But another reason this works so well is the acting. Of course Bruce Willis is amazing as always, and Haley Joel Osment is incredible at almost completely carrying the film. But the supporting cast, which includes Toni Collette and Olivia Williams, are also amazing in the roles.  Osment is absolutely the standout though.  And then there's the twist, which is what makes the film ...