Bria Lou Reviews

  It's Blogmas day 15! A romance author (Jeni Ross) and a blacksmith (Jake Epstein) join forces to save a local village at Christmas. This one looked really cute, and while I've watched some generic movies this Blogmas, I don't think I've seen any that have given me the small-town Christmas feel, so I was definitely looking for that in this one. This was a sweet film. It's the first Blogmas movie this year that feels like an authentic Hallmark Christmas movie from the very beginning. The trope of an author going back to her small town for Christmas is peak Hallmark! The characters are really endearing from their first moments in screen. There was really good chemistry between the leads, particularly in their banter and conversations. They brought out something really fun in each other. Though it would have been great if the stakes were a bit higher. The film didn't do much to make us care about this village.  The 3rd act conflict is predictable, and honestly fee...

  It's Blogmas day 14! In the lead-up to Christmas a financial advisor (Patricia Isaac) helps a theatre director (Andrew Dunbar) keep his theatre running. To be honest, that might not be an accurate description of the film. Not only have I completely forgotten what the film was actually about, I also forgot that I watched it! So this entire review is coming from the notes I made while watching, because for some reason it's a really forgettable film. I didn't get a great first impression of either of the main characters, and because of that, neither of them were particularly likeable. Not only was this the second Blogmas movie based around a theatre, but it was also the second to prominently feature 'A Christmas Carol' as the show the theatre was putting on. Could we please retire this now? There's a bit of chemistry between the main characters, but they just didn't work well together for me. I never quite bought them, and the potential romance wasn't som...

  It's Blogmas day 13! Maya (Jennifer Freeman) agrees to pretend to be her boss's (Jack Parr) fiancé so that he doesn't have to get married. I picked this one because I love the fake dating trope in rom-coms, and I really wanted to find a movie for Blogmas that used this trope. Honestly though, I probably shouldn't have bothered, because this film wasn't great. The story took me a while to get into. And while I wasn't loving it straight away, I was hopeful that when the characters started their fake dating/engagement, it would become more interesting. But it didn't. One reason for this is how long the characters spent at work. They're both chefs and the majority of the first half of the film is spent in the kitchen cooking things that the audience don't care about. I understood the need to establish the relationships but it took way too long to do so. The characters weren't believable as anything - colleagues, friends, partners, anything. There w...

  It's Blogmas day 12! As usual, since day 12 is my birthday I try to pick something either special, or that I'm really looking forward to. Of the new Netflix Christmas movies this was the one I was most looking forward to, so it made sense to have this down for day 12! A Broadway dancer (Britt Robertson) stages an all-male Christmas revue to save her parents' business. I absolutely loved this film! From the beginning, it's clear that a lot of time and effort was put into the creation of the characters - particularly our main couple who felt very authentic. But all the characters were great to watch - even those that don't get as much development or screen time. The chemistry was so great! As soon as the characters were on screen together I completely saw them as a potential couple and was rooting for them to get together. This stays the same the whole way through, and by the end it actually feels like this couple could last past the credits. The stakes actually fel...

  It's Blogmas day 11! When famous footballer Graham Savoy (William Moseley) meets Georgia (Sarah Ramos), who has no idea who he is, he finds himself enticed by the idea of being anonymous, and even more enticed by Georgia herself. I think this is the only Blogmas movie set in the UK, so for that alone it was an easy pick! The premise was great and felt somewhat original (for a Christmas movie anyway). I really really liked this one - it was a lot better than I thought it would be! I took an instant liking to both of the main characters, and I really liked the way they were introduced. It was fun getting to know them and their families before they came together. But speaking of them coming together, I haven't been paying much attention to meet-cutes so far this Blogmas, but I liked that they went with the classic bump/coffee spill.  The main characters had great chemistry and it was really fun watching them together. But for me the relationship that stood out the most was the ...

 It's Blogmas Day 10! When Kim's (Rhiannon Fish) boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, and Mark (Clayton James) loses his job just before the holidays, they both find themselves at the Christmas Retreat. But can they help each other regain their holiday spirit? This one had a really cute, simple premise. And it got off to a great start! I liked the characters individually before they met and really wanted to see their interactions. They had good chemistry and fun banter. As I'd guessed from seeing them apart, it was really enjoyable to watch them together. The supporting characters are also great, and all of the relationships felt authentic - particularly the relationship between Kim and her mother, which was really sweet. The potential romantic relationship between the characters didn't completely work for me at first, but it was given time to grow and developed organically, as a real relationship would. By the end I was completely invested in them! The th...

  It's Blogmas Day 9! A theatre director (Jamie Perez) and a Hollywood actor (Thomas McDonell) team up to save the theatre from closure. Honestly, I only picked this one because I was hopeful that it would be somewhat musical, and I really wish it had been! I really like the idea of the story. It's not particularly original in terms of Hallmark movies but it's one that's usually enjoyable. Riley (Perez) had much more of a personality than Sam (McDonnell). She was a more likeable character and much more fun to follow. That being said, I did like seeing the two interact. But their chemistry wasn't where it needed to be to carry this story. And then there's the show itself. I really wish the show had either been something original, or as already mentioned, a musical. 'A Christmas Carol' isn't interesting enough to keep the audience entertained - but thankfully there wasn't a huge focus on it. But because of this, there wasn't really any anticipa...