Bria Lou Reviews

  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 ...

  When mechanic and single father Luke (Ben Hardy) meets drag artist Aysha (Jason Patel), a connection is sparked that changes both of their lives. This was one of my most highly anticipated movies of last year. I saw the similarly-themed ‘Femme’ earlier in the year and, after I heard about this one, I was so excited to see a similar concept from a different angle. And thankfully, I really loved the film. For a start, the actors are the thing that make or break movies like this, and Hardy and Patel have such amazing chemistry from their very first meeting that everything else in the film instantly becomes better. No matter what the story was, I was invested just because I wanted to follow these amazing characters. And speaking of the characters, I loved both of them equally, which was an issue that Femme had where one of the characters cannot be redeemed and is, for all intents and purposes, the villain. In this one we are able to truly invest in a love story because both of the ch...

Lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldana) is offered a strange job when she is asked to facilitate the transition of a cartel boss, so he can finally live as a woman. I had no idea what this movie was about until I decided to put it on, so I went in blind with no expectations. I ended up liking it. The style is really unique. And at first, especially when the singing starts, it feels a bit weird and jarring. But once you get through the first couple of songs, you understand the angle the film is going for. I thought the songs themselves were great. It's not the kind of soundtrack you'd really listen to outside of the film, but the way the music is used in certain scenes shows how powerful music can be. It seemed to give so many aspects of the film a new meaning. And in addition to this, for the most part the songs are really well written, and do a good job of both showing (not telling) us more about the characters, and moving the story forward. The story itself is really original, and so inter...

Aspiring actor Edward (Sebastian Stan) undergoes a radical medical procedure to change his appearance. But his dream quickly turns into a nightmare as he becomes obsessed with getting back what he lost. I had seen the trailer of this film ages before I watched it, but I didn’t really know what it was about or understand the concept. But I was really intrigued to watch it, especially as a fan of Sebastian Stan. I loved this film. It’s such an original premise told in a great way. The story is really fascinating. Edward is such an interesting character both before and after his change, and it was great that we got to know him well at both of these different points. The performances are outstanding. The supporting actors do an amazing job of holding the story up, but Stan completely carried the film and did an incredible job with his role. I'm so glad he won the Golden Globe, and can definitely see more awards in his future. The film explores a lot of complex ideas and themes in a rea...

Film number 1 for the bucket list, and the first film I watched in 2025, was this one. And I am so majorly disappointed. For a start, while I hadn't really heard of the film, and had no idea what it was about, I had high hopes just because it was on the bucket list and starred some great actors. So I went in expecting to be excited and entertained - especially because according to the bucket list poster, the genre this fits into is crime, which is a genre I tend to like. But this just wasn't a great film to start the bucket list challenge, or the year, with. I have so many issues with it, mostly centred around the characters, the fact that we never really get to know them, and the weird way they are being portrayed. I also thought it could have been paced a bit better. And I have no idea why they decided to turn Butler's character from a wholesome family man (potentially) into Jigsaw. It just didn't work for me at all, and it's not one I can imagine watching again u...

  When Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is fired on her 50th birthday, she is offered the chance to become a newer, better version of herself.  I had heard such good things about this film before watching it, but I read as little as possible because I wanted to go in completely blind – and that definitely paid off! I absolutely loved this film! When you know completely what it’s about, the concept is really intriguing and original, because it takes a somewhat universal experience, turns it on its head and creates a world that shows us the visual manifestation of these feelings. And it does this in such a creative way, with really unique visuals. This film is visually one of the most original films I’ve seen maybe ever! And that goes for the dialogue too – very well written and original. The film has so much to say about ageing, vanity, beauty and self-esteem, and it’s saying these things so well. The performances were incredible. Demi Moore certainly deserves to be awarded for h...