Bria Lou Reviews

After deciding to find a date for her sister's wedding, Pia's (Simone Ashley) plans are derailed when her ex comes back into her life. I'm always on the look-out for new rom-coms so I immediately watched the trailer for this film when it was released, and was excited for the film to finally come out. There's nothing like a British rom-com! Unfortunately, I didn't really like the film. The concept, while cute, wasn't as original as it could have been. It got more and more generic as it went on. Pia is the only fleshed-out, likeable character, but as much as we like her, we need to like the supporting characters too - especially the love interest. And sadly we don't really either like them or care about them. There's a section of the movie where Pia is going on dates with a variety of men before settling on the expected love interest, and I found myself really disappointed that the final love interest wasn't someone more out-of-the-box and unexpected. ...

  I've seen this film before, though I can't remember the last time I saw it and had no memory of any of the events before this re-watch! I'm pretty sure seeing this film when I was way too young (along with the 2005 King Kong) ignited my love of creature features, so I'm really happy it was on the bucket list! While this is a fun movie, I completely understand why it wasn't as well-received as it could have been, especially when it first came out. For a start, while I enjoyed all the scenes with Godzilla, the visual effects left a lot to be desired. Not that Godzilla movies have ever been the height of realism, but this one certainly isn't one of the more realistic ones. The problem I tend to have with films like this is that my interest starts and ends with the creature. So when over half the movie is filled with scientific jargon trying to discover the creature's origins or how to destroy it, I just don't care. And because of that, this film felt a lo...

The story of the meteoric rise and fall of iconic British pop star Robbie Williams. There was so much being said about this film before it even came out, so it was always on my radar, but especially when it started getting really positive reviews! I really liked this film! For a start, it's a really unique idea. Biopics are nothing new, and sometimes there's a hook that draws you in, but a lot of the time your interest is based on how much you like the subject. With this one though, regardless of how you feel about Robbie Williams, the unique hook sparks your interest. And while it takes a bit of getting used to, once you're in, you're completely locked in. The songs were done so well! The younger Robbie in particular (Carter J. Murphy) was so good! The songs were like event pieces, tied together with great dance numbers that really add a new meaning to the songs, particularly as someone from the UK who grew up listening to this music. I loved that having the monkey as ...

  Riley and Gianna are best friends who have formed a deep connection over 10 years of friendship. But when a misunderstanding leads to Riley questioning everything she knew about the friendship, she begins to realise just how much Gianna means to her. I picked this one up after hearing amazing things about it, both from BookTubers and through GoodReads reviews. Romance isn't my favourite genre but when they're good, I really enjoy them, so I always make sure I have a few to try throughout the year and I was really looking forward to this one. I liked this one, but unfortunately I didn't love it. One thing I did love was the way the story went back and forth between the past and present, showing the way that Riley and Gianna's relationship develops and changes over the years. It was a great way of letting the reader get to know them. This was a very original way to start a love story. The misunderstanding was fun and created a lot of exciting tension between the charact...

  This is one of the movies on the list that I was most looking forward to.  I absolutely love this movie. I loved it the first time I saw it, I love it with every re-watch, and I loved it this time around too. The concept is so interesting and intriguing, and it could have gone a thousand different ways, in a thousand different locations, which is always really interesting. Speaking of location, I loved the fact that the majority of the film took place in one location, and that location happened to be as mundane as a supermarket. The idea of extraordinary events happening in ordinary locations is always interesting, but especially when the extraordinary event is so mysterious. There is such an interesting variety of characters, which is ultimately what makes the film a fun watch. You get to know these people, so different from each other, all played really well, and it just makes you so much more invested in the story. I loved the way everything progressed, starting with ever...

  When her boyfriend takes her rent money, Alyssa (SZA) and her roommate Dreux (Keke Palmer) race against the clock to get it back before they're evicted. I had heard such good things about this film before seeing it. Great comedies have been hard to come by recently so I was really looking forward to it. I really liked this movie. I loved the characters immediately, and not just the two main characters but all of the supporting too. Particularly those that make up the apartment block, they were eclectic and really fun. And part of this is down to how great the cast is! Every single person is perfect for their role, and everyone was so funny! Plus it's fun to see so many familiar faces pop up. Palmer and SZA have such great chemistry and work really well together. Their friendship feels authentic. One of the best things about the film is the writing, specifically the dialogue. It's hilarious and so much fun, especially seeing the main characters interact. The music is also ...

  Next up was a first-time watch! I'd never heard of this film, but there's an entire 'magic' genre on the bucket list this year so I had a pretty good idea of what the theme would be. I liked the story as soon as it began. Even taking away the magic element the story itself is really interesting, mainly because of how quickly you become invested in the characters. I love that there's a love story at the centre of this. That's definitely the thing I enjoyed most throughout the film, and the use of magic was a great way to support this story and move it forward. Eisenheim in particular is a really interesting character to focus on. We don't know much about him but we root for him from his first appearance in the film and stick with him until the end. Another reason the film works so well is because of the actors involved. Edward Norton is excellent and leads an amazing cast who all play their roles really well. I found that because magic is a major theme, the...

Journalist Ola is set to marry Michael, the love of her life. But when she wakes up a month before the wedding to see a list of anonymous accusations of abuse, the kind of story she'd love to write about, she is horrified to discover that Michael's name is on it. Suddenly Ola's entire life is thrown into question, including whether or not she can marry Michael at all. I had heard so many things about this book before I picked it up. The response seemed to be very mixed, but the sheer volume of people talking about it alone made me want to see what I thought of it. I liked this book, but I definitely understand both the positive and negative reviews. The first thing I noted was how authentic the dialogue sounded. You can tell that the locations the book is set in are familiar spaces to the author, and this is reflected in the dialogue, the locations and the references. Everything feels real. The concept is really interesting, particularly seeing this story from the point of ...

A weekend getaway becomes dangerous when Iris (Sophie Thatcher) learns a shocking truth about her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid). I was really excited to see this film. I saw the trailer which kind of gave the main plot point away, but I was still really interested to see how this would be executed. I loved this film! But the first thing I have to say is that, if you haven't seen the trailer, go and watch the film without seeing the trailer - it's so much fun to not know anything going in. But even having seen the trailer, there are so many fun twists and surprises that make it completely entertaining no matter what. The concept is so interesting and unique, while also being realistic enough to be believable, and to allow the audience to sink completely into the story. It was also a lot more exciting than I thought it would be; nothing it straightforward and so many scenes leave you on the edge of your seat. It is so well written, and that's ultimately why it works so well. Th...

So we're into April, and it feels like ages since my 2024 Favourites post! Thankfully I've collected some great things to write about. Favourite Movie (1): Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy I reviewed this film HERE  and wrote about how much I absolutely loved it. I haven't had a chance to watch it again yet but I can't wait - I really think this was the best of the 4! Favourite Movie (2): The Wild Robot I haven't reviewed this film, but I ended up watching it because it was nominated for an Oscar. I didn't expect to feel anything negative or positive about it, and I ended up loving it so much! It was such a beautiful, emotional, incredible film that I'd definitely recommend to as many people as possible. Favourite Film (3): Companion I have a review of this going up soon, so I won't say too much here, but I really loved this film and I can't wait to watch it again! Favourite TV Show (1): Genius: MLK/X This is the only new TV show I've watched so ...

  Next up for the bucket list was a first-time watch. There are fewer war/military-based movies on this year's bucket list compared to last year, which I'm kind of happy about because it's not my favourite genre. That being said, I'm glad that the ones included are classics, as I probably wouldn't have watched them otherwise, and this one is no different! I didn't know much about this film other than hearing about it in passing. So I was really surprised to see the cast! There are so many iconic actors in this film - including Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Charlie Sheen, Keith David and Tony Todd, and they were all amazing in their roles. I've read that the film is based on the writer/director's real experiences and this makes sense because the film feels really authentic and real. It's written really well, in a way that makes you truly believe that the characters are going through these experiences. You can tell how much passion went into it, and h...

Bridget Jones ( Renée Zellweger)  is back, and navigating life as a single mother and widow when she unexpectedly finds herself getting back into the dating scene. I was looking forward to seeing this film. I've seen the previous Bridget Jones movies, and while I wouldn't say they're huge favourites of mine, they're all a fun watch, and the first two are really nostalgic, so I was interested to see where Bridget would end up in this one. I absolutely loved this movie! I think I can confidently say that for my personal tastes, it was the best of all 4. It's not a spoiler to say that the film deals with the topic of grief. I think it does this really really well, while also keeping the franchise's usual comedic elements. It explores the theme through the eyes of both Bridget herself and her children in a really beautiful way. This version of Bridget, being older and a mother, was my favourite version of her. She really suits the role and I found her to be a much m...

  Next up for the Bucket List was a re-watch. I watched this film for the first time a couple of years ago, mostly out of curiosity. I've seen the 2005 version multiple times, and have absolutely loved the current slate of Kong and Godzilla movies, so I wanted to see how it all began (and I love that a Godzilla film is on the bucket list too, though not the original). For the most part, taking into account the film was released in 1933, I think it holds up well. Yes, the visual effects are completely dated, but the story itself has been retold multiple times because it's something that could easily happen today - someone travelling to a mysterious island for posterity, or in today's world to post their pictures on social media. It really works. The acting is great, you really believe the characters are going through this experience and the actors all do a great job with their roles. It's also a reminder of the way films can be told succinctly. I have no problem with a l...

  After a devastating loss, Hanno (Paul Mescal) uses his hidden past to battle the powerful emperors trying to conquer his home. I watched the first Gladiator film as part of last year's movie bucket list and I liked it. I didn't think it absolutely needed a sequel, but I was interested to see one nonetheless - even moreso after it got an Oscar nomination. I thought this film was fine, there were things I liked and didn't like almost in equal measure. I really liked the opening sequence, it was really engaging and took the audience straight back into the world of the first film. I also really liked the way this film connected to the first one. The visuals are stunning, particularly all of the scenery and set pieces.  From the offset, I cared about these new characters less than I cared about the first ones. Maybe because it's a sequel, but in the first film there was a real connection to the characters that this one wasn't able to replicate for me. It felt a lot lon...

  Rue is happy with her life as a biotech engineer with few friends and no repeat hook-ups until she meets Eli, the extremely attractive man trying to take over the company she works for. Torn between loyalty and an ill-advised connection, can Rue make the right decision to save her company and her heart? I'm a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood, so this book was high on my most anticipated books for this year. She always writes romance really well so, even though there was a disclaimer at the beginning of this book stating that it's different from her other works, I was sure I'd still enjoy it. And while I did enjoy it, I was also disappointed with it. But like all of Hazelwood's books, it was really easy to get into. I picked it up to skim the first page and ended up reading the whole first chapter because I was already hooked. I felt like I knew Rue just from that and really liked being in her head. It was also just an easy read all the way through. Even when I wasn't lik...

  One of my favourite things about this year's bucket list is that there are more horror movies! I was really disappointed that last year's only had a couple, but this one has a good few and they're mostly more modern classics, which is nice. I didn't really expect this film to be on the list. Even when I saw it I initially assumed it would be the original version, but no, the 2017 version is now considered a classic horror movie and I'm here for it! I've rewatched this so many times since first seeing it in the cinema, so I was excited to see it again! I can't pinpoint my favourite thing about it - there's so many amazing things to list. For a start, the cast. All of the actors did an amazing job with their roles, and it's been nice to see some of them continue to have great careers off the back of this. They had great chemistry, they all worked really well together, and even though this was a horror movie it really did look like they had fun making...

  After Blake (Christopher Abbott) and his family are attacked by a mysterious creature in the woods, Blake begins to make a strange transformation. I hadn't heard great things about this film when it came out, but it still had an intriguing enough premise that I was looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately, the reviews weren't great for a reason. For a start, the opening scene was way too long without taking the time to make the audience care about these characters. And even when the characters change and the film actually gets started, we never really get the chance to care about them, and we never really connect with them. Everything felt like it was taking a really long time to happen. The film is called 'Wolf Man', so why did it take such a long time for us to actually see the wolf man? At almost an hour in (bearing in mind the film is only 1hr 43 mins), nothing had really happened. I've seen so many general complaints online about the lighting in movies and...

  Former spies Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) are pulled back into the CIA when their secret identities are compromised. I wasn't really planning to watch this film, mostly because I didn't think I'd enjoy it that much. But after seeing it pop up again and again and again on Netflix, I decided to give it a go. Thankfully, the film was better than I thought it would be. Though that's not to say it was great. For a start, a lot of the dialogue felt like a parody - like the film was a spoof making fun of other similarly-themed spy movies. This got better and more believable as the film continued, but at the beginning it just hits the ear wrong. The action scenes, though, were really well done in the sense that they were really fun, creative and moved the story forward. Another fun thing about the film was the soundtrack. Not all of the songs completely fit the scenes they were used in, but they were entertaining regardless. Where the story fell down for me was ...

  After nearly a year following Tobias Hawthorne's rules, Avery is ready to claim her inheritance. But when a familiar face arrives at the mansion with a mystery to solve, Avery and the Hawthorne brothers must drop everything to play one final game. A game with a deadly consequence. I reviewed the first two books of the series, The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy  and while I liked the second a lot more than the first, neither really grabbed me. But the ending of the second made me curious enough to pick up the third, so that's what I did! Again, while I think this was better than the first book, I didn't love it. For a start, the ending of the second book was a bit convoluted, which made the start of the third book a bit confusing. But thankfully everything was explained well and in an interesting way, rather than the reader just being told what had happened. I really liked that it got right into the action and straight into another mystery. I found it strange ...

Next up for the Bucket List was a pick from the Sci-Fi genre. This was another really unexpected one. I had heard of the film, though I'd never seen it, but I was surprised to see it on the list.  It's one that is more liked among audiences than critics, which isn't really common for bucket list picks. Or at least, it wasn't for the first bucket list. I loved this film.  From the first moment I was really engaged and this was the same the entire way through. I found the concept really intriguing and was glued to the screen. Though I will say there was a lot I didn't expect before I watched it - mainly how much trauma it would show/insinuate. Which of course makes sense, but it still took me by surprise. The acting was great - the child actors, in particular, were amazing in their roles and may have done a better job than their adult counterparts. They were definitely the reason I loved the film as much as I did. But the main thing I loved was the concept - I've ...