Bria Lou Reviews

  I've heard of all the James Bond movies, but the only one I've seen is the one that was on the bucket list last year - Casino Royale. And while I enjoyed that, it didn't make me want to watch any other movies in the franchise. So I can't say I was particularly excited to see this on the list.  However, as this one is the first, of course it's on a list of classic movies.  The score is iconic. I'm sure many of the movies use the same theme song moving forward, but it's great to experience it for the first time here because of how iconic it has become. Even if you know nothing of Bond, when you hear the score you immediately know what franchise it comes from.  It's interesting to see the way everything began. It's clear that things are being tried out and experimented with.  I can't say that the story itself grabbed me. It had engaging moments, but the overall plot wasn't one I was particularly interested in.  I also wasn't particularly i...

  I'd heard of this movie before seeing it on the bucket list, and I could guess what it was about, but it wasn't high on my to-watch list. So when I saw it on the list, I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. I don't love films with these themes, set in this and similar time periods - which doesn't mean that these films aren't good, I just personally don't choose to watch them unless I feel like I need to. And of course, they're not made to be entertaining or enjoyable, they're made to tell necessary stories. So it's hard to give a blanket statement about whether I 'liked' or 'disliked' the film. But one thing I did like was seeing so many recognisable faces - especially those who have blown up or been in really popular projects since the film came out. To name a few, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Aja Naomi King, and Gabrielle Union.  Of these actors, I think only Union was widely known at this point, so it's re...

  The Fantastic Four face their biggest challenge when they have to defend Earth from an otherworldly villain. I can't lie, this isn't the Superhero movie that I was most looking forward to this year. After seeing and absolutely loving Superman and Thunderbolts* , I didn't know if I'd love this in the same way. Going into it, I wasn't a huge fan of all the casting choices, and feeling like the only person who absolutely loved the 2005 version and its sequel, I guessed that I might have mixed feelings about this one. And that's exactly what happened. I really liked the opening. You need absolutely no context to understand who these people are or what happened to them. The film tells you everything you need to know. I found the dialogue and character speech patterns hard to get used to. At the beginning, this all felt disingenuous to me - they were speaking like TV presenters and it really hit my ear the wrong way. But either I got used to this or it toned itself...

  Before Spider-Man: No Way Home came out, I watched every Spider-Man movie back to back so I could be as prepared as possible for all the potential cameos and returning characters. Before that I had only seen one of Andrew Garfield's (and of course all of Tom Holland's), so it was only Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man that I was experiencing for the first time. And because of that, his three movies kind of blurred into one. So when I saw that this one was on the list, I was looking forward to seeing it again - not only so I could differentiate it from the other two movies, but also because I genuinely liked it! I know that origin stories have been a bit played out and have become a bit stale lately, but for me you can't beat a good origin story, and the background of the creation of Peter Parker into Spider-Man is one of the best origin stories out there. It's particularly great to go through the process of Peter developing powers with him, learning as he does. We feel a...

  30 years after an accident derailed his racing career, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) returns to racing alongside rookie hotshot Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). This film wasn't really on my radar until I saw that it was being favourably compared to Ford v Ferrari, which I like more each time I rewatch it. I liked this film. All of the characters had great introductions - we get to know and care about them really quickly, which lasts for the entirety of the film. You don't have to be particularly interested in driving, racing or F1 to enjoy the film, because the characters are enjoyable in themselves. But I would guess that any lovers of F1 will really love this story. Saying that, if you're not into the driving, then those scenes might not be of any interest to you - but the more character-driven scenes are entertaining enough on their own. Pitt and Idris have great chemistry. The entire cast is great (the film also stars Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem amongst a great supporting ...

  Struggling author June Hayward has always been in the shadow of Athena Liu, her much more successful writer friend. So when Athena dies in a freak accident, and June happens to find her unfinished masterpiece, why shouldn't she publish it as her own? It's still helping Athena, right? And when the situation spirals out of control, shouldn't June do whatever it takes to protect her fake reputation? It's been a while since I've written a book review! I was looking forward to reading this book so much, I'd heard great things about it and couldn't wait to get stuck in. I liked this book. I knew the plot but I didn't really know what to expect. The introduction was really great. Not only are we told a lot about Athena, but in the narration about Athena we also found out exactly what kind of person June is. June is a great unlikeable protagonist. Everything she tries to justify makes us as the reader roll our eyes, but we can't stop reading because her vo...

  I was really looking forward to this one - as I was practically all the horror movies on the bucket list. I saw this film years ago - I've seen the spoofs, I've seen the original Japanese version (Ringu), I love this story. I'm actually surprised the Japanese version wasn't the one featured on the list, but I love them both so I don't mind which I get to watch again. The concept of the film is so interesting and unique, particularly for the time the original was made. The idea itself is so simple that it could have played out in a thousand different ways, and most of those ways would have made for a bad film. But this film does great things with the concept, and gets so much right that it's considered a classic. The cast is great. Naomi Watts leads the film so well, Martin Henderson and David Dorfman do an amazing job, and Daveigh Chase is iconic as our 'villain' Samara - all of the other actors are great too but these four completely make the film. It...

  I hadn't seen this film in years before seeing it on the bucket list, so I was interested to see it again after a long time. I used to be a really big Harry Potter fan, and while my love for it started to wane before the 6th movie came out, I've seen the first 5 probably at least 50 times each. Watching it again after so long made things fun but also familiar enough that I could slot right back into it. This film is iconic. That's it - iconic. All of the movies are great, but there's something about an origin that just holds a certain amount of magic, and this is no exception.  The cast is fantastic! The child actors are all most famous for being in these movies, and it's so fun to go back and see them when they were young - they're babies! And they do such an amazing job playing these parts that it's a shame more of them didn't go on to have robust careers. But the ones that did, you can see exactly why. But that's not to say the adult actors aren...

  Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team race to find an artificial intelligence with the power to destroy the world. I can't say that I was especially excited for this one. I love the Mission Impossible movies, but of them all, the one before this was the only one that I couldn't really remember. So seeing part two of that story wasn't something I was really looking forward to - but I was excited to see the end of the franchise. This film was fine. I didn't love it, and it's definitely not the best of the franchise. But it wasn't bad! For a start, the theme of AI is so relevant to today's world, so it was really interesting to see the film lean into this more than in the first part. The opening of the movie is great - it calls back to the rest of the franchise, it reminds us why we're here and why we love these stories. And while I may be a bit tired of these stories now, I'll never get tired of these characters. The new additions are great but the on...

  I hadn't heard much about this film before the infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars incident, but that alone did make me curious about it, so I was interested when I saw it on the bucket list. I've said this before but war settings aren't my favourite, so I was a bit apprehensive going into this. However, I knew that a large focus of the film would be on the character of Jordan trying to make it in a male-dominated industry, and that's a really interesting concept. It gets into the action really quickly, which was great. We get to know the characters as the events progress, which works in a film like this because it's shot in a way that makes us feel like we're experiencing this bootcamp alongside them. But in saying that, even though it moved quickly, it took a long time for the film to really grab me. The bootcamp scenes that make up the first 40 or so minutes weren't particularly interesting to me. I understand their necessity in terms of us getting to...

  After their mother suffers a fatal overdose, sisters Spider (McKenna Grace) and Jessie (Jojo Regina) decide to hide the body, fearing that they will be separated by the foster care system. I hadn't heard much about this film before it came out, but it had a really intriguing premise that could play out in a lot of different ways, so I was looking forward to seeing it. I liked this film. For a start, the actresses had such great chemistry as sisters. Grace and Regina worked so well together, you truly believe their relationship and you're rooting for them from the first moment you see them because you (or at least, I) have so much empathy for them. And they both do a great job of delivering these powerful, brilliant performances. The supporting cast were also great! This is the kind of film where you can immediately put yourself in the characters' shoes. You think about what you would do in that situation, how you would handle things. The plot is really engaging because yo...

  I have no experience with the Fast and Furious franchise. I know the actors, but I've never seen any of the movies and had no idea what they were really about before watching this one. Despite this not being a long film, it took me a while to get into it. That being said, I really liked that it doesn't start off with introductions or context. You learn about the characters and this world as you go. The more the characters learn about each other, the more you grow to like and care about them. The story was actually a lot more compelling than I expected. At the beginning I was feeling apprehensive and a bit uninterested in the whole thing, but it took a couple of interesting turns that kept me invested.  And that's not to say that the plot was great - this isn't the best-written film in the world. It had some good ideas and great scenes but either ended them too quickly or didn't commit to them. It focused more on fun and fast cars then telling a great story, and th...

  25 years after the rage virus first began to spread, a group of survivors find that the virus has begun to mutate both the infected and other survivors. I feel like I'm the only person in the world who isn't particularly keen on the 28 Days Later franchise. I didn't really like the first movie, and I thought the second was okay but nothing special, so I wasn't hugely excited to see this one. This one was better than the first two, and better than I thought it would be, but again I didn't love it. However, the first thing I need to praise is the production design. The designers did an amazing job of creating this world and making everything look authentic. The entire film is visually stunning. Every location is beautiful and obviously created with a lot of thought and care. This was an interesting expansion to these movies because it kept enough the same to make things feel familiar to the audience, while also changing enough to keep things completely fresh and new...

I rewatch this film, and almost the entire franchise, at least once a year, so I was looking forward to this year's watch. This film is iconic in the truest sense of the word - it created something really special for the slasher genre, and horror movies in general, and brought in new audiences and ideas that changed the world of horror forever. First of all, the opening was amazing. It was a brand new idea, it messed with the audience by killing the most famous cast member first, and it spawned so many spoofs and parodies, including the Scary Movie franchise! It was a perfect way to begin the story and it's become iconic in its own right. The cast was great. Not only did the actors do such great jobs with their characters that the characters themselves have become iconic too, but some have gone on to do great things with this film as a springboard.  Even the ones who were already household names  are still forever associated with the franchise because of how iconic and well-kn...

  Forced to complete community service at a retirement home, Max (Pete Davidson) uncovers a horrifying secret. I hadn't really heard people talking about this film before it came out, but I'm always down to watch an original horror and the plot seemed somewhat interesting. This movie left a lot to be desired. For a start, it had a really odd tone that took me a while to get used to. Everything the characters did just had an undercurrent of inauthenticity, and you can't really tell if this is because of the film's plot, or because the acting choices don't really work. The dialogue in particular was very inauthentic and stilted. Though I do have to shout out John Glover, who did a great job, and who I just love seeing in anything since Smallville! While the story is somewhat interesting in the beginning, it moves so slowly that any interest you had is drained. It did a good job of investing time and attention into the characters we're supposed to like, but because...

 Time for another Favourites post! Favourite Film (1): Weapons Of course this one was the first on the list. I reviewed it HERE , and it's my favourite film of the year so far - don't be surprised to see it on my favourites list for the whole of 2025! I loved it so much, and after three watches, it just gets better and better! Favourite Film (2): The Life of Chuck And here's my second favourite film of the year so far! I reviewed it HERE and I loved it in a completely different way than Weapons. Weapons is an awesome, original, creatively unique horror movie. The Life of Chuck is a stunning, life-affirming, powerful drama. And while I gave Weapons a slight edge here, The Life of Chuck had a much deeper impact on me, and it was a joy to watch and recommend. Favourite TV Show (1): Shameless (US) After starting The Bear and loving it, I wanted to see the whole cast in some of their other projects. I'd heard of this show due to the UK version, but had never watched it. I p...

  This was a first-time watch, and one that I'd been expecting and highly anticipating! When I hear the phrase 'classic movies', my mind goes to Scorsese almost instantly. And as I've seen quite a few Scorsese movies now, this was one I was really hoping would be on a bucket list (not that I wouldn't have watched it anyway!). I really liked this movie. It was interesting to see this world from an outsider point of view. We are aligned with Henry from the very beginning, we learn things as he does, and we feel a connection to him that carries through the entire film. The cast is amazing. Scorsese tends to use the same cast for multiple movies and it works really well, especially in similarly-themed movies. Ray Liotta was perfect in this role (as was Christopher Serrone who played the younger Henry), and the supporting cast does a great job of assisting in the telling of this story. Everyone feels so authentic in their roles, which adds to the realism of the film as a...

  I probably saw this film around the time it first came out in and then never again, so this felt very much like a first watch. This isn't a series I kept up with, or one I was particularly excited to go back into, but I was intrigued to see it again having no memories of what it's actually about. The first thing that stuck out to me was how iconic the score was. Even though I didn't remember the plot of the film, I absolutely remembered the score. It gave me a sense of nostalgia and fit perfectly with each scene it was used in. It adds a sense of excitement to fight scenes and really makes you feel like you're in this world with these characters. I got into the story quicker than I thought I would - mainly because I didn't think I'd like or care about the characters as much as I did. They all have great introductions, we get to know them really quickly, and when we become invested in who they are, we also become invested in the story. I really really loved the...

  Four retirees spend their time solving mysteries for fun. But when a real murder turns up on their doorstep, they have to put their detective skills to the test. I heard about the book this is based on when it first came out, but it never seemed particularly interesting to me so I never picked it up. But when it was announced that a film was coming out, that seemed slightly more interesting, especially when the cast was announced. So I decided that I'd watch the film and, if I liked it, I'd pick up the book. Unfortunately, I didn't like the film enough to buy the book. But as mentioned, I did really like the cast. The film stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie as the Thursday Murder Club, as well as Naomi Ackie, Tom Ellis, David Tennant and Jonathan Pryce - what an incredible cast! And they all played their characters really well - but other aspects of the film left a lot to be desired. From the very beginning, the story moved very slowly. But t...

  This is one of the happiest surprises on the bucket list for me. I absolutely love this film, but I'd never heard anybody else really talk about it so I didn't know it was popular or could be considered a classic. Of course it's a Stephen King novella, so it is known and loved, but it's not one of his most popular works. We're in the final 20-or-so films now, and this is one that I was saving because I was so excited to see it again. The bucket list has some great, interesting horrors, and this is definitely near the top of the list for me! For a start, as a horror fan, having the job of going to different haunted locations to write about them and give them ratings seems so interesting! I'm surprised more horror movies haven't used this idea to explore different hauntings. I love how the horror is set up. We're repeatedly told the history of this room and how scary it is, which can elicit a couple of responses from the audience. We're either waitin...

  This is another re-watch that I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing again. I saw it around the time it first came out and didn't really like it. I haven't seen it since and haven't really been itching to. The main thing people talk about when speaking of this film is the visuals, and that's the one thing that can't be disputed, this is a stunning movie. The world of Pandora was created in such a detailed, specific way. Not only does the world look good, but it feels real. We're seeing mysterious creatures and plants and you don't for a second disbelieve that the characters are going through exactly what we're seeing them go through, which is mostly down to how much work went into creating Pandora. And with the design of the world, comes the design of the characters and their language. Again, everything feels authentic, and that includes the Na'vi. They're designed in a way that feels completely unique, while also being familiar en...

  Mismatched colleagues Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson) are forced to work together when their truck is ambushed by criminals. The only thing that drew me to this film was the cast. The plot seemed really generic, but the fact that one of the main roles was played by Eddie Murphy meant that there was a good chance it would at least be funny, even if it wasn't good. This movie was fine. There were some funny moments here and there, but I wouldn't say it was either good or bad, it just exists. The characters are really fun. We get to know them and we enjoy being around them. The actors have good chemistry, which again makes it fun to be in their presence. Eddie Murphy is the best thing about this film and his comedic moments are as good as always. Some of the other performances in the film don't quite ring true, and are a bit over the top. It's all in good fun, as this isn't a film you're taking seriously anyway, but it just makes things feel fak...

  This was a re-watch, and I'll be honest, it wasn't one I was particularly looking forward to. I watched this film for the first time a couple of years ago, and while I didn't dislike it, I'm okay with admitting that I didn't understand it at all, and it wasn't one I was particularly interested in trying to decipher once the credits rolled. So when I saw it on the list, I was intrigued to see it again, but I didn't think I'd understand it any more than I did the first time. And I was right, I didn't understand it any better this time around. Though as with the first time, I did enjoy it. The cast is phenomenal. Of course, that's a given for a Nolan movie, but even so. Everyone was fully committed to the idea, they played their characters really well and made it so that even if you don't understand what's happening, you don't care because you're invested in the characters. There are some really interesting ideas here, mostly surro...