Bria Lou Reviews

  This is another of the Bucket List movies that I wasn't really looking forward to. I've seen this movie quite a few times now, trying to understand the hype, and I never got it. There's been a bit of a trend with these classic movies in that usually the ones I didn't previously like, I've ended up liking after the re-watch. With this one, while I think I did like it a bit more this time around, I still don't get the hype, I don't understand why it's so beloved, and I have no idea why it's considered such a classic when there aren't that many romance movies on the list. There are so many better romance movies out there that should be considered classics! My main issue was that I didn't find Allie and Noah that compelling. And yes I understand the twist is probably what made it popular, but that didn't really grab me either. This is probably the first one on the list that's been disappointing, but at least it wasn't a surprise!

A year after a Black Friday event ends in tragedy, a masked villain sets out to terrorise those who caused the accident. I first saw the trailer for this while watching Killers of the Flower Moon and immediately wanted to see it. I can't remember the last non-Scream slasher that came out, but it feels like cinema has been really overdue for one! I liked this movie. I definitely had some major issues with it, but it's essentially what you think it will be, which isn't a bad thing! The opening scene is absolutely wild. And I loved it. The only thing I didn't like about the opening (and by extension the whole film) were the main characters. I kind of hoped they'd all die in the beginning so we could start again with better characters. I didn't take a liking to any of them and thinking about it now, I still don't really like them. The acting wasn't great. Now, it's not like anyone's competing for an oscar or anything, but at times the dialogue felt s...

  I have no idea how many times I've seen this movie, but it's definitely at least 10. I love the concept of the Halloween movies, and even though some of the sequels have gone down their own path, the fact that this simple idea has managed to spawn so many movies is kind of cool! Now, is every movie good? Definitely not. Is this movie an impressive feat of filmmaking to a 2024 audience? Probably not. But for when it was made, and the doors it opened for the horror world, it definitely deserves its place in this classics list. This time around wasn't my most enjoyable viewing of this movie (I probably need to give it a bit of a break) but I definitely still liked it, as I always do. Laurie Strode is widely regarded as one of the most iconic 'final girls', and with good reason! She's a great character, and I love that her story continued for so long. I'm always glad when there's a horror on the classics list, and this is a great one to have.

  Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) are childhood best friends who are torn apart when Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later they reunite and are forced to confront what their relationship means. I really wanted to see this when it first came out, but I missed it at the cinema. So I'm really glad I've finally seen it! I loved this film. I liked it instantly upon seeing the opening scene. Not only is the dialogue voicing what the audience is also thinking, but there's a really interesting contrast between seeing the characters across the bar, and then being directly transported into their childhoods. Speaking of which, the child actors were fantastic. The younger versions of the characters were played by Seung Ah Moon and Seung Min Yim and they were both amazing. I really wanted to see more of them! But the acting all around is great, and the main actors are also great as these characters. The acting across the board feels really real and aut...

  Next up for the Bucket List was Fight Club. To be honest, this isn't one I was looking forward to. I watched it for the first time last year (already knowing the twist) and I didn't really get it. It was just 'okay', so I wasn't enthusiastic about seeing it again. So I was really surprised that I liked it so much more this time around! I think the first time I was looking for clues of the twist, and just generally trying to understand why it was so popular. So this time around I didn't have to do any of that and was just able to enjoy it for what it was. And it was such a better experience! The only thing I regret, which can't be helped, is that I knew the twist. I think everyone whether they've seen the film or not probably knows the twist - it's one of the most well-known plot twists of cinema history. But I would love to know what it would be like to watch it knowing nothing. Because I really think if I had no idea of the twist I might have love...

  Ever since Simon died in detention, everything has changed for the Bayview Crew. But when one of their own goes missing, it seems like a new game has begun. But this time, no one knows the rules. I always start the year with Karen M. McManus's latest book. And while I love her writing, I've been more of a fan of her standalone novels lately, so I was a bit apprehensive to join the Bayview Crew for the third time. But I shouldn't have worried, because this book was great! Considering I read the first book maybe 4 years ago, it was really easy to slot back into the characters' lives. At 30 pages in, I was already enjoying it a lot more than I enjoyed the second book, 'One of Us is Next', and ultimately I do believe this one was better than the second (though definitely not better than 'One of Us is Lying'). Usually, the use of multiple points of view in a book doesn't really work for me, but because I was already familiar with all of the characters, ...

Kora (Sofia Boutella) is tasked with creating a team of fighters to save her planet from an invading army. I was really looking forward to this one. I'm a fan of a couple of the actors, plus I like Zack Snyder as a director, so this was one I had my eye on for a long time. I absolutely loved the trailer so I hoped I'd like the movie as much. Thankfully I really liked the film. It wasn't perfect, and there were some major things I didn't like that I won't spoil, but overall I was really entertained by it and thought it did a good job of creating these characters and their world. The opening scene was great - it made you care about the characters really quickly and as the audience, we immediately understand the stakes. I also really liked the premise and was excited to see how it would play out. I loved the characters. They all had great introductions and I really wanted there to be a found-family feel to them. I didn't exactly get that, mainly because there wasn...