Bria Lou Reviews

  It's Blogmas Day 17! Culinary school teacher Alicia (Tia Mowry) decides to compete in an annual Christmas cooking competition with the help of mentor Logan (Luke Humphrey). Did I pick this movie just because the title reminded me of The Bear? Maybe, but it was also a food one that focused on cooking rather than baking, so that was another fun thing. I liked this movie. Yes there are a good few movies this year based on baking or cooking, but this is the only one that's based on a competition, which makes things interesting. The main couple are really sweet together. Their chemistry isn't as strong as it could be by any means, but there's definitely something budding there, and it's really nice to watch. That being said, it was definitely pushing the enemies-to-lovers- trope a bit too hard, given that the characters mildly disliking each other for maybe 15 minutes doesn't really make them enemies. I liked that the characters, particularly Alicia, had a life out...

It's Blogmas Day 16! Two strangers (Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells) team up to rob a London department store on Christmas Eve. This was one of the ones I was most looking forward to this year. Not only does Netflix have an interesting slate of new movies, but this one had a really unique premise, so I wanted to see how everything played out. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. But as I've said, I was impressed that the premise was so unique, and the film itself is definitely one of the most original movies of Blogmas. The actors are great and they have good chemistry, but their chemistry didn't work for what they were. They were supposed to be strangers, but they didn't seem unfamiliar at all. It felt like they'd known each other for years, so I never quite believed that these were strangers who were forced to work together. Speaking of which, the romance doesn't really develop as the film progresses, it just appears after a while, almos...

  It's Blogmas Day 15! A newscaster's (B. J. Britt) life changes when he meets a single mother (Tamera Mowry-Housley) and her son ( Elijah-Justus Lewis) . I didn't know much about this one before picking it, but the little I got from the description interested me enough to add it to the list. I really liked this film. For a start, it finally gave me a single-parent story where the kid is not only the best part of the film, but a really good actor. He made the film as original and entertaining as it was. But I liked all the characters. They were fun, well-written and the actors worked well together. It took a while for the chemistry to develop between the love interests, but because I was already invested in the story from early on, I didn't mind having to wait before I could really buy these two as a couple. That being said, this allowed the chemistry to build slowly, which really made you believe that these two were falling in love. It was worth the wait to make things...

  It's Blogmas Day 14!  A ranch owner (Melissa Joan Hart) feels a connection with a single father (Duane Henry) and his children when they come to stay at her ranch for Christmas. This was a late addition to Blogmas, and I didn't know before watching this that I've now included two Melissa Joan Hart movies this Blogmas, so that's interesting! Unfortunately this wasn't one of the best ones. I knew instantly, pretty much as soon as I put the movie on, that I just wouldn't connect to these characters and I was right. There was just a disconnect, and it didn't change the whole way through. It's obvious that the filmmakers were trying to be original, and I appreciate that, but this setting just didn't work for a Christmas film. Maybe it's because no one made an effort to actually make it feel like Christmas. This could have taken place over the course of a week in July and it wouldn't have made a difference. There was never any chemistry between t...

  It's Blogmas Day 13! When a wreath maker (Kristin Wollett) gets injured at the busiest time of year for her business, her neighbour (Casey Elliott) steps in to help out. I picked this one because it had a really sweet premise. I'd been craving Christmas movies where the love interests actually spent time together and get the chance to build something realistic, and this definitely had that opportunity. But while the film was fine, the chemistry didn't build in the way I wanted it to. I did like the characters individually, though. For whatever reason they had slightly gender-bent vibes in terms of masculine vs feminine energy and I loved that, they didn't fall into the usual Christmas movie stereotypes. I actually think the plot is great. As mentioned, it's an idea that allows the characters to really become familiar with each other, and the audience can really get to know them.  Unfortunately, it was wasted because we don't find out much about the characters....

  It's Blogmas Day 12! Three famous brothers, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, rush to get home from touring in time for Christmas. Every year, I always try to pick a special film for day 12, and this year I was finding it really difficult. So when I found out that this film was coming out the choice was clear! I was a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers when I was young, so of course I had to include their Christmas movie in Blogmas, and this was the perfect day for it! This film was exactly what I wanted it to be. I loved the opening, it set a tone for what the film would be, and it was a stroke of genius for it to focus on Will Ferrell, who was brilliant in the role. I loved that they kept everything so real, not only are they all playing themselves, but they've included their real families which was great. As someone who used to watch 'Married to Jonas' and became such a huge fan of Kevin's wife Danielle, it was so nice to see her! There were so many unexpected actors in s...

It's Blogmas Day 11! Chef Josie (Kim Shaw) goes back to her hometown to help out with her mother's B&B, just as a food critic (Clayton James) arrives to review their food. This was a last-minute addition, and I mainly picked it because it seemed different to a lot of the other movies I've picked, including having no mention of Christmas! Unfortunately different doesn't always mean better! The best thing about the film was the relationship between the mother and daughter. Shaw and Cynthia Gibb had great chemistry and created a very believable relationship that I wanted to see more of. But in contrast with this, Josie and the love interest (James) didn't have much chemistry at all. He didn't have much of a personality outside of her and it showed in their interactions. They were quite bland on the whole. I actually preferred the character's chemistry with her ex - at least they had an established friendship and could have fun with each other. It was a sham...

It's Blogmas Day 10! When Molly (Alvina August) and Josh (Eion Bailey) keep running into each other while completing Christmas activities, they start to feel a spark. But when Molly becomes smitten with a mysterious customer of her bakery, she has to make a choice. This was a fun but extremely random pick. I didn't really know the premise beyond the main character being a baker so it was interesting to get to explore it. I liked this one, which was great because the plot was a surprise, but it definitely had its flaws. I loved the meet-cute! The characters had instant chemistry and I was rooting for them from their first scene together. But with this, one of the downfalls of the film is that they don't spend a lot of time together. In a way that makes things fun because you're anticipating their next meeting, but they don't get a chance to build a relationship the way they need to to make the audience feel like they'd work in the real world. I wanted to see more...

  It's Blogmas Day 9! An aspiring Broadway actress (Jessica Lowndes) and a jingle writer (Paul Greene) team up to perform in their town's Christmas production. This was a last-minute pick. It was between two movies with the same main actress, and I chose this one solely because it was music-based, and I love a musical Christmas movie! The chemistry between the main actors was great. Even without really getting to know them, you want them to be together. But that being said, it would have been nice to get to know them better. The order of events felt odd, particularly around the 'will they/won't they' aspect of the relationship. They were in one place, then took giant steps back for no reason, then moved forward and back and it became tiring. It was great that they already knew they liked each other, but that meant that the filmmakers had to do a lot of work to keep them apart until the end, and it didn't feel realistic. The pacing also wasn't great, the stor...

  It's Blogmas Day 8! Sparks fly when exes Sonny (Tatyana Ali) and Kip (Jesse Kove) team up to help their friends get engaged at Christmas. I've seen a few Tatyana Ali Christmas movies over the years, so she's definitely becoming a staple for me, and was entirely the reason that I picked this film. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the best I've picked this year. It took a really long time to get into the story. If I hadn't read the description, I wouldn't have had any idea it was about a proposal for a really long time. And even after the proposal was mentioned, this never seemed like the main focus. The characters are all 2-dimensional and honestly boring. None of them stood out, none of them were fun to watch, they weren't written particularly well and there was nothing about them that I connected to or was particularly interested in. And speaking of the characters, the chemistry between Sonny and Kip just didn't work for me. They didn't work pa...

  It's Blogmas Day 7! When a girl writes a letter to Santa for her mother to find love, the letter goes viral and the whole town becomes invested in 'Santa Mom', including a reporter covering the story. I have no idea why the title of this movie was changed from 'Peppermint and Postcards' to 'It's a Christmas Thing', as the original is definitely the better name even if it has little to do with the story. I love when the films you're anticipating the least end up being some of the best! I added this film to the Blogmas list mostly to fill spaces and use different platforms, so I am so happy that I ended up liking it as much as I did. I instantly took a liking to all of the characters, and I love the way the relationship between the exes was handled. Everything is mature and amicable and just so nice to watch, particularly as this isn't a film about exes getting back together, they're just genuinely friends, which is so rare for a romance movi...

  It's Blogmas Day 6! A historian (Jill Wagner) goes back to her hometown of Aurora to get inspiration for her next project and experience the Northern Lights. I'm not really sure why I chose this one outside of availability, but I was looking forward to it for the Northern Lights alone! This wasn't the best Christmas film. From almost the first moment, I knew that this film would be completely forgettable. Whether it was actually good was a separate thing, but I knew that it wasn't one that would stay with me. That being said, the setting was great. So many of the locations had a really sweet, cosy feel, and it was definitely Christmassy in terms of the decorations! But that being said, this is as generic as it gets. It's a good one to have on in the background - the story is really simple and easy to follow, so you can put this one while doing some Christmassy cooking or baking (or scrolling on your phone) and it won't make much of a difference. The characters...

  It's Blogmas Day 5! Three siblings, each dealing with issues in their personal or work lives, reluctantly join their parents on a Christmas cruise. I liked that the premise of this one was quite vague - I didn't know if this was going to be a love story, a story about family connections or something different entirely, and that really worked in its favour. I really liked this film - it was definitely the best of the 5 Blogmas movies so far. For a start, I love that it was based on siblings rather than one character, particularly because all three siblings were equal characters with their own stories. You can get invested in each one and the film never felt crowded. All the stories worked well together. Plus, it was helpful that all the siblings were likeable - you want to be involved in their stories because you genuinely like them. And along with that, the actors were great. They really nailed their sibling chemistry and you believe in the authenticity of their relationships...

  It's Blogmas day 4! After finalising their divorce, Kate (Alicia Silverstone) and Everett (Oliver Hudson) want one last family Christmas, but new relationships and old feelings threaten to complicate everything. This is the first of many Netflix Christmas movies this year, and the selection is really varied and interesting so I'm looking forward to them! I liked this film. It wasn't amazing, but there were definitely things that it got right. For a start, I loved the place it started from. It's really original to begin a love story when the characters have just got happily divorced. I took an instant liking to almost all the characters, and this remained the entire way through. I really liked this group of people, which made it easier to connect with them. Our main characters work well together, have a believable relationship, and enough chemistry that you find yourself rooting for them. There were times when the film tried to go into some really deep issues, but did ...

  It's Blogmas Day 3! Mira (Rekha Sharma) is determined to make a success of her family's fruitcake business, even if that means working with marketing executive Brady Phillips (Dion Johnstone). I was looking forward to this one - I have a few movies about baking on the list this year and I'm looking forward to them all! This one was okay - it had some good moments and some not-so good, so it's a mixed bag. The story itself isn't particularly gripping. The audience don't have the emotional history with this fruitcake that Mira has, so there's no way we can be as invested as she is, and because so much of the story is about the fruitcake that we don't care about, it makes it hard to connect. The main characters don't have the best romantic chemistry. You believe they're friends, and even that they're in the beginning stages of liking each other, but anything more than that just doesn't work. And it got worse when every character around Mir...

It's Blogmas day 2! When lifestyle writer Joy (Emmanuelle Chriqui) needs to keep up the image of the family she's been faking for years, she asks those around her to help - including asking her best friend (Chad Michael Murray) to pretend to be her husband. This was a late addition to Blogmas, and one of the only Blogmas films that I've watched the trailer for before putting it on the list. I loved the trailer, so I had to add it, and wanted to put it in as early as possible! This would have been a good pick for day 1, it was fun, Christmassy and sweet. As mentioned, I saw the trailer, so I already knew I liked the story. Its bare bones aren't the most original, but the way it's told definitely gives it a fresh feeling. The characters are great, and the actors play them so well. They all work really well together - particularly our main two who have great believable chemistry. It's definitely Christmassy, but it could have been more festive. We could have had mo...

It's Blogmas day 1 - officially (finally) December! After a snowstorm threatens to ruin Christmas, rival Marines Blair (Janel Parrish) and Josh (Parker Young) must team up to deliver Christmas presents. This one was fine - though I do wish I had started Blogmas with something else! It's always fun having an 'enemies to lovers' story, but this only works if the enemies part is really developed, so the audience actually believes that these two hate each other, and that wasn't true here. The story doesn't really get interesting until we see the respective characters with their families, where we see them truly open up and we can get to know them. As important as it is to see them together, I think more of them with other people would have been a huge benefit. The story itself is interesting, but it does take a while to get going.  It pushes the military theme a lot more heavily than Christmas. Yes that gives it an air of originality, but no one is watching this mov...

  It's almost time for Blogmas! I really do look forward to this time of year more and more, and a part of that is definitely due to the routine I've created watching and reviewing these Christmas movies. As usual, I'll be reviewing Christmas movies for the 24 days leading up to Christmas, starting from the first of December. They're from a variety of platforms and all made in or after 2020 so hopefully there should be some good ones in there. I'm about to watch day 5 as I write this earlier than usual, and so far the movies haven't been great so I'm really hoping they start to pick up! As always I'll be ignoring my usual ratings in favour of my Christmas rating system: Title (How original? How creative? How fun?) Originality (self-explanatory) Christmas Spirit (Is Christmas integral to the plot, or could the film's events have happened at any time of year?) Christmas Music (again, self-explanatory) And that's it - only a couple days to go! M...

  In 1986, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) take a case that ends up being their last, as they face losing everything that matters. I'm always looking forward to the next Conjuring universe film, and because this is the last one of this branch, I was looking forward to it more than usual. Even though I didn't love the last Conjuring movie, I loved the first two so much that I really wanted to see how they would wrap things up. I really liked this movie! The opening was great, it takes us right back to the beginning and roots us firmly into Ed and Lorraine's world once again. There was something about this one that felt so much like the first, and I loved that. It's reminding us why we love these people and their stories so much, and it's smart to do that by making us reminisce about past movies we've loved. Thankfully, the story itself was really interesting. Movies like this run the risk of having the scares be the most important thing, bu...

  Finally, we've reached the last film! Technically 99 out of 100 but I'm not writing another post on Back to the Future, so this is the last bucket list post of the year! I saved this movie because it was probably the one I was most looking forward to re-watching. Of all the MCU movies, this one is definitely one of the best, and one of my favourites, so I always love when I get to see it again. The first thing I have to mention is the casting. As a group, I don't think there's ever been a more fitting casting that the actors we got for this movie. Whether you like them all individually or not, they completely embodied their characters and came together so well that you really believe in this team. And in saying that, I do really like all of the individual choices too. It's helpful that we were introduced to them in separate movies, so we got a chance to really get to know most of them before they came together, which is a key ingredient of these team-up movies (an...

  When Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) hires a new nanny, she finds that Polly (Maika Monroe) is not who she claims to be. I was in two minds about my excitement for this film, and that's mostly due to my love for the first one. It's not the most popular film, but I saw the first film when I was young and since then it has always been an important staple thriller in my home, so as interested as I was to see a remake, I was also really apprehensive about it. And I was right to be apprehensive because I have no idea why this was made. I tried to watch it without comparing it to the original but considering it's using the same idea and the same name, comparison is inevitable. The film never takes the time to develop any of the characters. Who are these people and why should we care about what might happen to them? And that's made even worse because while we don't really know them, we also don't know what their motivations are. We know that Polly is the antagonist...

  After a mother and son get into a car wreck, they and their family find themselves stalked by a revenge-seeking mutated deer. Another entry into the Twisted Childhood Universe! I was really excited for this film. Not only am I excited for all the TCU movies, but I'd heard this one was much better than the previous three. And while I am now completely used to, and actually enjoy, watching bad movies in support of this franchise, it was a welcome change for one to get some praise. And that praise was deserved because yes, this isn't a great movie, but it's a lot better than the ones that came before it! It begins with a really intriguing, creative animation that was a great way to connect this story to the original source material. From the very start the acting is leaps and bounds above the previous movies. For the most part, you believe the characters and their dialogue works. The story was actually really engaging - I was invested in finding out what was going to happen ...

  This is one of the last films on the list, for no other reason than all the others were more accessible, and it was one I'd never seen. I was quite apathetic towards watching it. I knew a basic version of what the story was about but had never delved deeper into it, so it felt like I went into it semi-blind. One thing I did know was that it was often compared to Thelma and Louise, so because I love Thelma and Louise so much, I thought that I'd probably like this too. I went back and forth with my like of this one. For a start, it began in an odd place to me, in that it felt like I had missed some context. It starts off at the first meeting of the characters, there's no one without the other. And as much as this sends a really interesting message about who these people were, I would have liked to know a bit more about who they were before they met. But I know that's not the point of the film! The main actors, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, had amazing chemistry. Ultim...

  Iris's (Molly Gordon) first getaway with her boyfriend hits a snag when Isaac (Logan Lerman) reveals that he's not looking for a serious relationship. I was looking forward to this one. Back when the trailer first came out it looked really unique and fun, so I made a note to check it out when it was released. I liked this film a lot. I liked it instantly. The main characters had a great introduction, so I was really happy to follow them and see how their story continued. And it worked so well because the actors had a great, specific chemistry that worked with the plot of the film. It may not have worked if this was a straightforward romance, but because there's so much going on here, their interactions are believable. But that's also because it's really well written. The dialogue in particular feels really authentic, and the pacing was great. It moves really quickly and finishes at just the right point. I really liked that the film took the time to allow the audie...