Bria Lou Reviews

Twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return to their Mississippi hometown to discover that an unexpected evil awaits them. As a huge fan of Ryan Coogler's movies, Michael B. Jordan as an actor, and specifically the films they've made together, I was excited for this film from the second it was announced. So the fact that it is getting rave reviews and critical acclaim just made me want to see it all the more. I absolutely loved this film - the hype is real! I loved it so much I went to see it in the cinema twice in two days. It's that good! The first thing I have to write about, because for me it's one of the most important things about the movie, the sound. The sound, the music and the score are all incredible. There's no way to make it clear in writing how amazing it is or how important it is to the story, you really have to see it. But the use of sound is so cleverly done, so powerful. It changes the tone of every scene, it changes how you as the aud...

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...