Bria Lou Reviews

I'd never heard of this movie before seeing it on the bucket list, and when I looked it up the only thing I saw was how low it was rated, so I went into it both blind and with low expectations. The film was entertaining but left a lot to be desired.  From the start, even though I didn't know what the plot was, I liked the direction the story was going. I was immediately interested and excited for this to turn into a twisty mystery thriller.  I think the first red flag for me was the writing. The actors did the best with what they had, and most of the performances were good, but the dialogue between the characters doesn't work. In the dream/book sequences particularly every word hits the ear wrong.  And of course these parts aren't necessarily supposed to be as real as the rest of the film, but it doesn't feel like a story or a dream, it feels like a bad parody of something you didn't want to watch in the first place. And they last way too long!  It's interes...

Rose (Elizabeth Reaser) has a life-changing experience when an elderly woman (Lois Smith) claims Rose's house as her own. Admittedly the first thing that caught my attention about this film is that it has the same name as a horror film that I love, and it also sounds a bit like a horror film itself. So to be clear, this isn't a horror film. I'm still not sure what to think about this film, after sitting with it for a couple of weeks. I liked individual parts of it, but I don't think I liked it as a whole piece. One thing I was hoping for at the beginning was that there wouldn't be a big obvious twist from the get-go, and while I won't spoil whether there was or not, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. The character relationships feel really authentic, and this is mainly down to how good the writing is. Each conversation between Rose and her husband Sammy (Walton Goggins) felt like the audience are intruding on a private moment, and that's exactly what ...

  A weekend retreat quickly descends into chaos when Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) run over a unicorn. I remember when the trailer for this film came out, no one really took it seriously. But then after people actually started seeing it, there was a lot of 'it's actually better than you think it'll be', and that's the main reason I watched it. And thankfully, it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be! For a start, the cast is great. Sometimes if you feel iffy about a film but it has a great cast, there's something that makes the film interesting or unique, and that definitely applies here - it's a really unique film. All of the cast really lean into this fantastical world, play their parts completely straight and honestly, seem to be having a great time, which makes things fun for the audience. And while some of the characters didn't really fit that well into this world, it was still interesting to see them here. S...

This was a first time watch, but because it's been an inspiration for a lot of different films, including a couple from this year's bucket list, I already had a good idea of what it was about. Westerns have never been my go-to genre, but I did like the plot of this one, so I was looking forward to seeing it. I liked this film. For a start, as mentioned, I really liked the plot. It's an idea that has inspired many films because it's a somewhat universal tale of revenge and how far you'll go for family. The characters are really interesting. Obviously we are mainly focused on Ethan, as it is him that we follow, get to know and empathise with. But all of the characters in the film are well written, and even the ones with less screen time and dialogue are still written well enough that we can get to know them. Speaking of the writing, one of the best things about the film is the way it's written. This is a really well-rounded films that feels authentic and real. Res...

  Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells), a couple on the verge of adopting, go on an Italian getaway that quickly becomes deadly. I saw the trailer for this film a while ago and mentally noted it down as one to watch, but the premise looked so ridiculous even from the trailer that it wasn't one I was expecting to love. And while I enjoyed the film, I definitely also had some problems with it. I really really loved the characters. Kroll and Rannells had great chemistry and played a very believable, loveable couple - particularly in the beginning. The beginning of the film was great - really engaging. You're completely invested in this couple and their story. And then things started to get a bit silly, just like the trailer promised. Usually I'm able to suspend my disbelief, but I think the combination of the events, plus the dark slightly unrealistic humour just made things feel a bit too much for me. I stopped being able to believe a single thing that happened. Speaki...

  A year after the disappearance of her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell), Clover (Ella Rubin) takes a group of friends back to the place Melanie was last seen. But when the friends are attacked by a masked killer, only to discover that they are living the same day over and over again, they have to find a way back home before they die for good. I knew this film was based on a game but I've never played it, so I didn't really know what it would be about. I also hadn't heard much about it since it came out, which is not usually a good thing. This was an average film. There were a few good things, but it definitely had a lot of flaws. I was immediately invested in the mystery of where Melanie was, which is something the film did really well. Even though we didn't know the characters well, we knew who Melanie was and we wanted to find her as much as they did. There were some great visuals and transitions. For the most part it was shot in a really creative way. I thought the sc...

  I've been waiting for a Marilyn Monroe film to be on a bucket list and it finally was! I hadn't seen this film before but I'd heard great things about it. This is a great film, and very deserving to be on a bucket list. For a start, I just loved the plot and characters. It works because we feel so invested in these characters from so early on. We're rooting for them, and so the more outlandish the story gets, the most invested we become, and the more fun we have. The plot is one that has been done multiple times, probably off the back of films like this that popularised the idea. The idea keeps coming back to popular culture because if it's done well, it can be really fun and entertaining, and it definitely is here! One of the reasons I was most looking forward to this is that it's one of the few romances on the list, so even though I didn't really know what it was about, I knew that there was probably a good chance I'd like it. And while it wasn't...