Bria Lou Reviews

I've watched a couple of the Netflix interactive movies and have found that, so much went into the choices you could make, but not enough went into the actual story. So I was hoping this one would be different! When Cami (Laura Marano) has to choose between three men in her life, she enlists the viewer's help to make some tough decisions. As soon as I saw this, I was excited because the romance genre is the best genre for an interactive movie, in my opinion. If you're a fan of romance (especially love triangles), wouldn't you love to choose who the main character ends up with?! If done well, a film of this style could be really great. However, once again, the story was sacrificed for the choices we had to make. Without the interactive feature (and sometimes even with it), the film has no plot and is quite boring. I didn't care about the characters, and that goes for our main character as well as all of her love interests. The love interests were one of the reasons...

  I saw the trailer for this movie a couple of weeks before it came out on Netflix and loved it, so I was really excited for the film to actually come out. Bank manager Owen (Adam DeVine) is about to marry the love of his life, Parker (Nina Dobrev). But when his bank is robbed, he soon believes his future in-laws (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin) are the culprits. I ended up being really disappointed with this film. It wasn't awful by any means, and I love how original the premise is, but it wasn't as good as the trailer made it look.  The cast is great. They're hilarious together, and when the comedy works, it's because the cast is so authentically funny. But in saying that, a lot of the humour is definitely trying too hard, and isn't as funny as it could have been. The story moves a lot slower than you'd expect, and at times it feels like not much is happening. This also makes the film feel a lot longer than it actually is. I never cared about any of the chara...

This is a Spanish Netflix movie. The plot seemed really cute, and felt like it would be a mix of 'When We First Met' (another Netflix movie) and 'With This Kiss' by Carrie Hope Fletcher. Because of that, I was really looking forward to watching it. Javier (Álvaro Cervantes) has a special gift - kissing someone allows him to see his future with that person. After a few kisses, he finally finds the love of his life - the only problem? It's his best friend's girlfriend (Silvia Alonso). While the premise was interesting, it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Javier isn't the most interesting character to base this story around. He was easy to warm to, but he didn't have enough personality to carry the story. The film is made of two main themes, Javier's work, and Javier's 'gift'. The former is never really interesting, and while the latter is interesting at first, it soon becomes dull. You never really care about any of the ch...

I love a good romcom, but honestly, the biggest draw to this film for me was all the drama about the actors' awkward premiere pictures. If that was a marketing ploy, it definitely worked. Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) are best friends who tell each other everything. When they swap houses for a week, they discover more about each other than they ever thought possible. This was okay. I wasn't expecting much from it, but I still ended up being a bit disappointed. The liked the premise, and once the film got going I enjoyed seeing these characters live each other's lives - though I think if this section of the film had been shorter, the film probably would have been a bit better. The characters feel a bit bland. You don't really get to know them, especially the host of secondary characters that actually feel quite useless in the film as a whole. The film isn't funny or romantic - is it really supposed to be a romantic comedy? My main issue with t...

  I had seen a lot about this film in the lead-up to it being released, and honestly, I wasn't going to watch it because I really didn't think I'd like it. But I decided to watch it on a whim, just to see what it would be like. An interracial couple meets each other's families and has to contend with their fundamental differences, and whether they can still be together. This was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It wasn't amazing, but it definitely wasn't awful. The cast is great! The film stars Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nia Long and David Duchovny amongst a bigger group of great actors, and they really made the film what it is. Some of the humour feels a bit on the nose - like you can imagine the writers getting excited when they were coming up with some of these jokes. You can hear what the joke is supposed to be, and how the audience is supposed to react, as opposed to that reaction being genuine. The...

 It's Blogmas day 12! As Blogmas day 12 is my birthday, I always try to find a film that's a bit special. As soon as I saw the trailer for this one, I knew that I had to use it for this day - and hoped I wouldn't be disappointed! This is a new Netflix movie so beware there will be a spoiler in this review. When bestselling author Jacob Turner (Justin Hartley) crosses paths with Rachel (Barrett Doss), they work together to discover secrets of the past. I loved this film. It has instantly become my favourite of Blogmas, and I don't know if anything could take that spot from it. For a start, I really liked the premise. Even without the Christmas backdrop, it's something that I'd watch. I really like the characters individually regardless of the story - but they do fit really well into this world, and the actors played their parts amazingly well. The chemistry between the characters is great. You watch them fall in love and really believe that they are. It's wel...

 It's Blogmas day 6! This film came out a couple of weeks ago on Netflix and I instantly added it to my Blogmas list, not only because it was new, but because it had an interesting (if a bit familiar) plot. Pop star Angelina (Aimee Garcia) escapes her life by going to a small town to grant a young fan's wish, and ends up being taken in by the fan and her father (Freddie Prinze Jr.) I thought I would love this film because the plot is quite similar to 'Marry Me', a film that I loved. However, this one fell a bit flat for me. The main reason this movie fails for me is because there isn't really any chemistry between the two leads. There isn't a lot going on in the story so it rests on the relationships, and the lack of chemistry made the events of the film hard to believe. For a film that tries to focus quite a lot on music, there's not a lot of music in the film. And the music that is used doesn't feel particularly prominent or important - especially the ...

  It's Blogmas Day 1! This has been one of the most talked-about Christmas movies this year, so it easily fell into the Day 1 slot. When Sierra (Lindsay Lohan) loses her memory in a skiing accident, she is cared for by Jake (Chord Overstreet), a cabin owner, and his family. This was an okay film, but it wasn't the best to start Blogmas with. It didn't really put me in a Christmassy mood. The story didn't start getting interesting until around 25 minutes in. Before that, in all honesty, I found it a bit insufferable. It was like the filmmakers leaned too far into the cheesiness of Christmas movies, and instead of it being fun, it felt like a chore. At least at first. Some of the characters were written well, like Jake and Sierra. However other characters, like Sierra's fiancé (Tad, played by George Young) felt like badly written caricatures. I liked the chemistry between the main characters. I didn't see anything between them at first, but it built in an organic ...

  I was really looking forward to seeing this film after watching the trailer. I love the fake-dating trope in movies and books, and this looked like an original take on that. Due to family pressure, Asha (Pallavi Sharda) and Ravi (Suraj Sharma) pretend to date over a summer of weddings, but are all of their feelings fake? I enjoyed this movie. I loved the opening scene. It was funny, original, and set the tone for the rest of the movie really well. As I've already said, I really liked the premise. It made for an interesting and fun watch. I felt like the relationship between the characters developed quicker than I would have liked. The way the characters are set up, it seemed like it would have taken a lot more time for Asha to like Ravi. Having said that, the characters, and their actors, have great chemistry. The montage of weddings is beautiful. It was the first time I really got these characters and their potential relationship. From here I started to enjoy the film a lot more...

I hadn't heard much about this film before seeing it, but the premise seemed cute and romantic, so I thought I'd probably like it. Cassie (Sofia Carson), a musician with a medical condition, agrees to marry Marine, Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), for health insurance benefits. However, when a tragedy occurs, this fake marriage begins to inspire real feelings. I loved this film. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I liked it more than I thought I would. Although the fake dating trope has been done many times before in movies and books, this felt like a somewhat original take on the genre, which was interesting to see. I loved the chemistry between the two lead actors, which made for a great relationship between the characters. The film includes all the classic enemies-to-lovers romance tropes, but it didn't feel particularly cliché.  The interactions between the characters were realistic, and while I would have liked to see more conflict between them (especially because th...

This is a film that came out on Netflix recently. I really liked the basic premise, and I like Lili Reinhart as an actress, so this was one that was quickly added to my 'to-watch' list. On the evening of her graduation, Natalie's (Lili Reinhart) life splits into parallel realities. I really liked this film. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. This is a unique story with a really interesting premise. While neither of the stories would have been great on their own, the combining of these two stories makes for a compelling watch. I liked the way the film was shot - particularly when the two universes came together and ran simultaneously in the same locations. The characters are interesting and really well-written. They all feel authentic and real. In addition to Lili Reinhart as Natalie, the film also stars Danny Ramirez as Gabe, David Corenswet as Jake, Aisha Dee as Cara, Nia Long as Lucy, and Andrea Savage and Luke Wilson as Natalie's parents Tina and ...

  This film came out on Netflix recently. I didn't know anything about it, but I had some spare time and it had an interesting concept, so I thought I'd check it out. When Claire (Talia Ryder) and Aidan (Jordan Fisher) get together, they make a pact - to break up before going their separate ways to college. But when the time comes for them to have one final date and say goodbye, will they be able to go through with it? I liked the idea of this film (which was originally a book) more than the execution of it. I took an instant liking to both of these characters. Not only did I like them individually, but I liked them as a couple, and really believed in their relationship, which is essential for a story like this to work. You understand both of the characters' points of view. The film's outcome is interesting because both of these characters are valid in their thought processes, and there are genuinely a few different ways the film can go. My problem with the film is that...

  I hadn't heard much about this film before seeing it, other than it being generally disliked, but while making my way through Pedro Pascal's filmography, I decided to see what it was about - despite the plethora of negative reviews. The cast and crew of an action movie try to film a sequel while being quarantined in a hotel during the pandemic. I feel like I'm one of the only people with this opinion, but I loved this film! It is definitely not perfect by any means, but based on the trailer, it was what I wanted it to be. I found myself laughing out loud from the film's first moments, and while that didn't necessarily continue all the way through the film, I was definitely entertained throughout. It was much funnier than I thought it would be. I have avoided watching movies set in and around the pandemic, but I loved the choice to make it funny. To kind of make fun of the things that we have had to do for the last couple of years. And while I understand that this ...

  Like so many other people, I started watching this Netflix show, fell in love with the characters, and binged it. So I thought I might as well review it. When Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) strike up an unlikely friendship, they soon find that they might be more than friends. I loved this show. Instantly. I haven't read the books that it's based on, but now I really want to! First of all, all of the characters, and the actors that portray them, are absolutely perfect. In addition to Charlie and Nick, the other characters include Tao (William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Tara (Corinna Brown), Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), Isaac (Tobie Donovan) and Nick's mother Sarah, who is played by none other than Olivia Colman. Not only are all of the cast perfect for their characters, but all of the characters are perfect for the show. I would watch a show that focused on any of them and still love it. I also loved the subject matter of the show. We need more sweet, lovely LGBT+ sho...

I heard quite a lot about this film before seeing it, mainly the general opinion that people really enjoyed it. I’m a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds, so I was always going to watch it, but the positive reaction to it made me excited to see it. Time-travelling pilot Adam (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) to save the future. I enjoyed this film a lot more than I initially thought I would. One of the things about Ryan Reynolds is that all of his movies contain his signature humour. And fortunately, this humour was replicated by Walker Scobell, who played his role amazingly. I loved that the film didn’t take too long to explain things, and the characters didn’t take a long time to work things out. It just accepted time travel as a real concept, and then moved on, which was perfect. There were moments where the film tries to be heartfelt, but a lot of the emotional things felt very surface-level. The film told us that this character was sad/hurt/affected by some...

This movie came out on Netflix a few weeks ago, and while Leighton Meester was a definite draw, I was genuinely intrigued by the story, which seemed like something I'd really enjoy. While on holiday in Croatia, Beth's (Leighton Meester) best friend disappears. As Beth searches, she uncovers clues that lead to devastating secrets. This film could have been a lot better. I didn't hate it, but it also wasn't that good. From the first scenes, the characters immediately arouse suspicion. We never really get to know them, and so once we view them as suspicious, we don't ever really lose that feeling. It's easy to be invested in the story, particularly at the beginning. As more is revealed, you are interested in knowing how it will end. All of the relationships that existed prior to the film should have been established more. At times, it feels like they don't actually know each other. And this could be because of the way the characters are written, or it could be ...

I had seen quite a few people talking about this film, in both a really negative and really positive way, before seeing it. I didn't know much about it before watching, but all of the varying opinions really made me want to see it. Two astronomers, Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) go on a media tour to warn the world about the incoming comet that will destroy Earth. I have mixed feelings about this film. I certainly didn't dislike it, and I understood what it was going for, but it wasn't as effective as it could have been. I really liked the concept, particularly at the beginning of the film. I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go and was interested to find out more. It was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. I think it's really interesting when extremely dramatic movies inject elements of humour, and this does that successfully. A lot of the comedy is satirical rather than laugh-out-loud, and it worked for me. The fi...

Knowing nothing of this story, I had wanted to see it for a while, purely based on my love of musicals. But once I actually read what it was about, I was only more intrigued to see it. Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) is an aspiring musical theatre composer living in New York in the 1990s. Ahead of his 30th birthday, Jon becomes disillusioned with his chosen career path, whilst also navigating friendship and love. I loved this film. I really liked the way that the story is told - through the music, the performance(s) and the narration. Not only is it interesting, but it feels unique. It's also a really fun way to watch a story being told.  The story in and of itself is really interesting - mainly because the character of Jon is such an interesting one. But all of the characters who make up this story are well-written, interesting, and integral to Jon's life. It's not hard to become invested in the characters.  The ideas that this film explores are universal, whether you wo...

  It's Blogmas day 22! This is a Netflix movie, and I mainly picked it because I saw that there was a sequel coming out this year, and I thought it would be cool to review both of the movies one after the other. So tomorrow, I'll be reviewing the sequel. A wealthy man (Josh Swicard) poses as a ranch hand to convince a farmer (Lauren Swicard) to sell her family's land. The film has an interesting premise - however, it basically tells you exactly what's going to happen in the first 10 minutes - particularly what the act 3 conflict will be. There were a few too many storylines. For only a small amount of characters, there is way too much happening. The characters are all likeable enough that the film is somewhat entertaining even if you don't love the premise, or you find it too predictable (because it is very predictable). After a while I found myself watching just to see the characters finally get together. Not only did I care about the two main characters while watc...

  It's Blogmas day 20! I added this film to my Netflix watchlist as soon as I was able to because I loved the concept. It wasn't completely original, but it looked like it would be a modern, fun watch - perfect for Blogmas! After a break-up right before Christmas, Peter (Michael Urie) persuades his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to go home with him for Christmas, posing as his boyfriend. But this gets complicated when Peter's family gets involved in his love life. I really liked this film, though it wasn't what I thought. At first, I assumed the movie would completely focus on fake dating, which would have been interesting (if a bit overdone), but actually, that doesn't really come to fruition at all, and I was pleased that the film went in a different direction. I really loved the characters. Yes, Nick and Peter were great, but for me Peter's family was the best part of the film - I loved every one of them. Not only are they all well-written, three-dimens...