Bria Lou Reviews

  It's Blogmas day 13! The plot of this one looked quite generic, but the characters are cute and the story looked like it would be festive and fun, which I was really in the mood for. When Rebecca (Keisha Knight Pulliam) returns to her hometown to look after her niece and nephew, she reunites with her childhood best friend Drew (Jarod Joseph). This was as generic as it sounded. It was an okay watch, but there are many other Christmas movies with almost identical plots. This movie made me want to start rating the movie titles during Blogmas, because it feels like absolutely no effort was put into this one! Every piece of dialogue felt inauthentic, both in the way it was written, and the delivery of the lines. The film tried very hard to give these characters a history, but it didn't really work because the characters lacked the chemistry and familiarity they were supposed to have. The truth about the character's backstories should have come earlier in the film - it would ha...

 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 11! I found this movie on Disney+ and was surprised that I hadn't heard of it before, especially because it stars Lea Michele. But it looked interesting, and I'm a big fan of Charles Michael Davis, so I added it to the list! After being separated from her childhood best friend, Olivia (Lea Michele) reunites with Jeff (Charles Michael Davis) in Hawaii at Christmas. But will there always be something keeping them apart? This was cute. Not the best Christmas movie, but definitely not the worst. One of my favourite things about it was that all of the necessary backstory between the characters was explained in the first 6 minutes. It was quick, concise, and let the audience get right into the main story. I found the pacing to be a bit weird - especially because of all the flashbacks and time jumps. It took a while to get used to, and when you think it's over, another one surprises you. Speaking of these time jumps, the first doesn't feel necessary. We ...

It's Blogmas day 10! Not only did this look really cute, but it's one of only a few Blogmas films I've picked that had quite good reviews, so my hopes were high! When Charlie (Tattiawna Jones) finds the perfect Christmas tree for a work event in Alma's (Elise Bauman) backyard, sparks fly between them. I really enjoyed this movie. There was instant chemistry between these characters, which made the film really enjoyable to watch. Even though I didn't really care about the story that much, the characters are what made it interesting and kept me watching. The plot could have been completely different and it wouldn't have made a difference to me. And while the plot did get more interesting as the story continued, it was never anything special. While they're not my favourite couple this Blogmas, they do go on my favourite date of Blogmas. It was adorable to watch.  Overall, this is a festive and fun Christmas rom-com that's definitely worth watching, if only ...

It's Blogmas day 9! What initially attracted me to this movie was that I recognised the love interest from The Vampire Diaries, and had never seen him in another role. But apart from that, I always love a cooking/baking-themed Christmas movie. On a holiday cooking getaway, a chef (Britt Irvin) encounters a rival chef from her past (Zach Roerig). I didn't like this movie. In fact, it's probably my least favourite of this year's Blogmas so far. On first impression, neither of the main characters were particularly likeable, and unfortunately I never really warmed to either of them. I never cared about the story or the characters. The stakes weren't high, we know what will happen at the end, so there were points of it that didn't even feel worth watching. Most chef/cooking/baking Lifetime movies use the rivals-to-lovers trope, and this is no different. Though it would have been interesting to see this played into a bit more. To see these characters actually having t...

 It's Blogmas day 8! I caught the tail-end of this movie last year and made a point of adding it to my list for this year - I felt the characters' chemistry immediately and was really excited to see the whole thing. When their flight home is delayed, two parents hire incompatible babysitters (Tristin Mays and Nathan Owens) to look after their children. I loved this movie! Even from the beginning, the meet-cute of the main characters has been my favourite meet-cute of Blogmas 2022 so far. It gave us so much about the characters, and instantly established a chemistry between them. The two main characters are really likeable individually, and as the movie goes on you are able to find likeable qualities in all of the characters - I didn't like the children or their parents at first, but they all grew on me by the end. Not only does the film get you in the mood for Christmas, but hearing about the characters' traditions makes you think about your own Christmas traditions. I ...

It's Blogmas day 7! This is a bit of an older film than the rest of Blogmas will probably be, but I've been meaning to watch it for a while, mainly because I was really interested in seeing Mayim Bialik outside of her Big Bang Theory role. When a snowstorm delays their flight, two strangers (Mayim Bialik and Ryan McPartlin) share a room in a bed-and-breakfast on Christmas Eve. This was cute. It's nothing special or particularly unique, but it was an enjoyable watch. From the beginning, I was genuinely interested in the story, particularly Stephanie (Bialik), who was the more interesting character of the two.  The characters are likeable both on their own and together. The only problem I had with them was that their relationship started off within the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I really wish the 'enemies' side had been played into more. It was nice seeing them warm to each other, but it happened a bit too quickly for my liking. Speaking of warming to each other, it...