Bria Lou Reviews

  When Louise (Mackenzie Davis), Ben (Scoot McNairy) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) spend the weekend with a family they meet on holiday, they soon find themselves in grave danger. This film was on my radar for a while, as a huge fan of James McAvoy, so I couldn't wait to see it! I didn't know it was a remake until the promotion started, but after seeing this one I really want to watch the original too! I really really liked this movie.  For a start, I really liked how simple the premise was. The basic idea of a family visiting another family that they don't know very well could go in so many different directions, and would probably work well in a comedic or dramatic genre. But it's also the perfect plot for horror. Tension is created expertly throughout the film. From the first scene to the last, you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. But as great as the film's atmosphere is, the pacing was a bit off, particularly in

Next up for the Bucket List was a first-time watch. And not one that I was particularly looking forward to.  I had heard of this film in passing but never really knew what it was about. But when I looked it up, the plot didn't really appeal to me. This was mainly because I'm not a huge lover of films set in or around war. And that's not to say I've never enjoyed a war film, because I definitely have. But it's not a genre I'm ever really excited to watch. And when it comes to this movie, I thought it was okay. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, I didn't really have any feelings towards it one way or the other. I thought the acting was great - the film stars a lot of recognisable, highly revered actors who played their roles really well. But other than that, the story didn't particularly interest me the whole way through - there were definitely some parts that were more interesting than others. So while I'm not surprised this was on a list of

  Working the late shift at an amusement arcade, Alex (Sophie McIntosh) is surprised by her friends for her 21st birthday. But the night quickly goes downhill when a killer dressed as Mickey Mouse starts picking the friends off one by one. Now I have to be completely honest, I went into this knowing that it would be bad. Sometimes I just really love watching bad horror movies, so I definitely didn't have high hopes. So this was a weird situation in that the film wasn't good at all, but I did enjoy watching it. Even though my review is pretty much all negative, I did have a good time! For a start, the characters are quite one-dimensional. None of them have real personalities and even the main characters we follow aren't particularly significant. But more than this, the chemistry between this friend group was non-existent. Never has a group of 'friends' felt more like strangers. It was clear these people had never spent any significant time together and didn't rea

Next up for the Bucket List was a first time watch, I've never seen an Indiana Jones film, I've never been interested in them, so this wasn't one that I was particularly looking forward to. But because I'd never seen one and never knew what they were really about, I was intrigued. I liked the film. I didn't love it, I'm not particularly interesting in watching it again, or watching any of the sequels, but I had a good time with it. For a start, as an avid Family Guy watcher, watching the films on the Bucket List has given me so much background on so many of the references in the show! And this is no exception.  It was like every 10 minutes there was a quote or a scene that I already knew from an old Family Guy episode, and that made watching it really fun! Another thing I liked, which I've discovered in quite a few of these classic movies, is the secret love story within them. The most prominent example I can think of is the first 'Terminator' movie,

  Next up for the Bucket List was a highly anticipated rewatch! I watched this film on a whim a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I was actually really surprised that it was on the bucket list because it felt like a really underrated film that no one really watched or spoke about. Everything about this film is beautiful. For a start, it's visually beautiful. The animation is done so well, so uniquely and so creatively. It's lovely just to watch the characters move around even without the story surrounding it. But then as mentioned, there's the story itself, which is also really really beautiful. The film follows two characters who become pen-pals and unlikely friends, and the way their relationship grows and is explored throughout the film is just incredible. We as the audience get to know the characters as they get to know each other, we completely fall in love with them and really get to bond with them. The writing is also done so well. Everything feels extremely rea

  When FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) takes on the unsolved case of hunting down a serial killer, she discovers a personal connection between the mysterious killer and her own past. The premise of this movie didn't particularly entice me, but what made me excited to see it was hearing all of the positive reviews. So I feel like my opinion is really controversial in that, I was really really disappointed with this film. For a start, I never cared about any of the characters. And because the film is so character-driven, I was never truly invested in the story. One reason I didn't really care about the characters is that I never connected with any of them. Because of this, I didn't really care what happened to them and ended up finding the events of the film (particularly in the first half) a bit boring. But that being said, the acting was great, and definitely the best thing about the film. Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, in particular, were great, but the whole cast play

  On the day he gets released from prison, 10 years after being arrested for a crime he may or may not have committed, Oliver Marks is ready to tell the whole story. What actually happened all those years ago? In a group of theatre students, taking on Shakespeare's roles on and off stage, who was really to blame when a cast member ended up dead? I had heard such good things about this book that made me so excited to read it. Not only do I love a murder mystery, but as someone who has studied literature, a murder mystery surrounding theatre and Shakespeare sounded like it would be right up my street. So unfortunately, all of those positives made the book really really disappointing. Not that it was a bad book, just disappointing.  But it didn't start off that way. The story is told from Oliver's point of view, and I really liked being in his head. His storytelling reminded me a bit of the protagonist from 'The Fury', but a much better version. The book was captivatin

My next pick for the bucket list was three movies that I'd never seen before! When I first looked at the bucket list at the end of last year, I thought that if there was any film square that would stop me from completing the challenge, it was this one. I have never been interested in The Lord of the Rings. I've never known anything about the movies, I've never wanted to watch them, I've never had any thoughts about them whatsoever. I'm also completely crazy because I watched all 3 3-hour long movies back to back in one day - so I spent 9 hours in a row watching these films! And honestly, I was really surprised. For a start, I was surprised by how much I knew about them, while thinking I knew nothing. A lot of that comes down to being a fan of 'The Big Bang Theory' and not always knowing what they were referencing. But even through general pop culture, I knew the names of characters and places without knowing I did. And because of that, everything felt iconic

When Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are invited to spend time on a private island by billionare Slater King (Channing Tatum) they jump at the chance and have a great time partying in paradise. But when strange things start occurring, and the girls start questioning their feelings, they discover that they're in more danger than they ever realised. The trailer for this film was really vague, and with good reason! So while I was looking forward to seeing it, I had no idea what it would really be about. I did a complete 180 while watching this film. I went from bored, to disturbed, to completely loving the way this story was told. And now, having had time to sit with it, I absolutely love the film. But let's go through each of those emotions. The boredom. The first parts of the film feel really repetitive, there's a weird, off tone and you're just begging for something to happen because you have absolutely no idea what's going on or where it'

This Favourites post feels like it came around really quickly - I can't believe it's October! Favourite Movie (1): Deadpool and Wolverine I reviewed this film HERE  and made no secret of how much I loved it, so of course it had to be the first one on this list. It's now out on digital and I can't wait to finally see it again! Favourite Film (2): Blink Twice My review for this one will be going up soon, but I started off being really unsure about this film and ended up loving it. I've only seen it once but it's been months and it has still really stuck with me. It's another one that I really can't wait to watch again. Favourite Film (3): Speak No Evil I'll be reviewing this one too so I won't say too much here, but I loved this movie. I've not seen the original version but now I really want to, especially because apparently the ending is completely different. But this one is definitely worth watching. Favourite TV Show: Presumed Innocent I hea