Bria Lou Reviews

A creative writing assignment complicates the relationship between a teacher (Martin Freeman) and his student (Jenna Ortega). I heard about this film maybe once and remember being interested in it, but then I never heard anything about it again. So when I saw it was available to rent/buy on Prime Video, I decided to give it a shot.  I don't know what to make of this one. I didn't hate it, but there wasn't a lot to like. The only thing I did like was that Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega worked really well together and had good chemistry. I'd love to see them work together again, in a film with a better plot and a less weird (platonic) relationship. The characters are written really weirdly. There were many moments when they said things that were just so unbelievable, especially Jenna Ortega's character, Cairo. Another odd aspect of the film was the tone - I could never tell if things were supposed to feel sinister or not because the film couldn't decide how it wa

This one was a re-watch. I'd seen this film once before watching it for the Bucket List. My memories of it weren't wholly positive - I didn't love the first watch, and while I didn't hate it, it wasn't a film that I was itching to watch again. Though saying that, I knew that I probably would watch it again eventually, because I knew how much of a classic it was. Like a lot of films I've watched for the Bucket List, I liked it more this time around than I did the first time, though I still didn't love it as much as I wanted to. But that being said, I did really enjoy it. The writing was great and Christian Bale was amazing in the role, as were the supporting actors. For me, though, the most iconic thing about this movie is its soundtrack. The songs used are amazing and fit the movie so well. They're used in such a unique, original way, that it feels like this alone makes the movie a classic. The film is really well made, and even though I don't love i

Young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) tries to follow his dreams to become a respected chocolatier, despite opposition at every turn . This film was never particularly high on my 'to-watch' list, but it was always on my radar, so I'm glad I've finally seen it. I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would, but I still definitely had problems with it! For a start, while I love the fact that it was a musical, I didn't actually like any of the actual songs. None of them really stood out (except the one that's already known) and having only seen the film yesterday, I can't remember any of them. In fact, while the songs didn't hurt the film, I also don't feel like they were completely necessary. I would have liked the film the same amount if it hadn't been a musical. Wonka is a really charming character, and Chalamet plays him really well. In fact, the entire cast is great - definitely the best thing about the film by a mile. The relationship b

Next up for the Bucket List was another first-time watch! I'd seen the original 1932 film years ago and really liked it, but I never got around to watching this (undoubtedly more popular) version, so I'm glad it was on the list. I really really liked this movie. I'm not sure if I like it more than, or the same as the original, but I definitely had a great time with it. One thing about finally seeing all these classic movies is seeing how much impact they've had on pop culture, and this film is definitely no exception. It's so quotable, there are so many iconic images, and it's one that everyone should watch if they haven't seen it before. The most talked-about aspect of this film is probably the violence, and that's so interesting to see. Not only the way it's spoken about, but also the difference between violence in older films like this and newer releases. I personally thought the violence was done well, and while probably not all of it was strictl

When ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse, he soon finds that his past is quickly catching up to him. I've never seen the original Road House, and when I put this one on I wasn't really planning to review it, but I found myself really getting into it. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Both the characters and the story were a lot more engaging and compelling than I thought they would be. The story sucked me in right from the beginning and I was interested the whole way through. The cast is great, but Jake Gyllenhaal completely carries the film and plays the character of Dalton really well. Again, I can't compare his performance to the original, but I really like the character. The fight scenes, which are pretty much what the film is about, are done really well. They're entertaining, but they also do a good job of moving the story forward. I think the reason I liked the film so much was because I didn't take it

  Next up for the Bucket List was a first-time watch. This is one that I had obviously heard of but knew next to nothing about. I found that it took a long time for me to connect with the story, and even then, while the film was interesting to watch, I never felt particularly invested in it. There were a lot of recognisable, iconic moments that I appreciated, and I get how much of an impact it had on sci-fi (and probably movies in general), but I don't know if it was for me. I somewhat enjoyed it, I understood everything that happened, but never felt connected, and didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It could just be that I need to re-watch it, and I probably will, but for a first watch, I didn't take to it as much as I wanted to. But that being said, I'm glad I finally watched it!