Month: January 2021

Ranking your Favorite Male Performances on Television for 2020

Greetings TV Fans!  As we wrap up 2020 and move on to 2021, let’s take a look at some of our favorite male performances on television from this past year.  Whether it was a moment of heroism, a sacrifice, or even a breaking point, these male actors went above and beyond to fully embrace their characters.

It was difficult for me to narrow down my favorite male performances for 2020 because there were honestly so many and I didn’t think it was possible for me to choose my absolute favorite one, which is where you came in!    

I ran a three round poll (randomized tournament style) on Twitter and asked for fans to cast their votes so that we can all decide who our favorite male performances are for the year.  Thank you so much for your participation and support, as the tournament was so much fun and actually really competitive!

Round One featured the following Male Performances on TV from 2020:

  • Misha Collins as Castiel from Supernatural
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan from The Walking Dead
  • Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar from Lucifer
  • Tom Pelphrey as Ben from Ozark
  • Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones from Riverdale
  • Hugh Grant as Jonathan Fraser from The Undoing
  • Jonathan Majors as Atticus Freeman from Lovecraft Country
  • Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester from Supernatural
  • Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester from Supernatural
  • Richard Harmon as John Murphy from The 100
  • Lennie James as Morgan Jones from Fear the Walking Dead
  • Bob Morley as Bellamy Blake from The 100

After your votes, the following male actors moved on to Round Two:

  • Cole Sprouse
  • Misha Collins
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan
  • Jared Padalecki
  • Jensen Ackles
  • Tom Ellis

After your votes in Round Two, the following male actors moved on to the FINALS:

  • Misha Collins
  • Jared Padalecki
  • Jensen Ackles

Honorable Mention:  Tom Ellis just came up short as Lucifer and I think it’s only a matter of time before we witness another showstopping number from him in season 5, part 2!

Lucifer

Image courtesy of Netflix

After your votes in Round Three, the FINAL results are:

3rd place: Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester in Supernatural

Sam Winchester

Image courtesy of The CW

After winning the crown the past two years in a row, Jared Padalecki came in third place this year. I had a feeling the end results would be very Supernatural-centric and well deserving. Jared’s performance has always been so emotional and I am looking forward to seeing him explore a new role in 2021! Thanks for all the memories Sammy!

2nd place: Misha Collins as Castiel in Supernatural

Misha Collins

Image courtesy of The CW

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Castiel has had one of the most brilliant character transformations I have ever witnessed on any show. Misha Collins has been amazing and his final performance still has me in tears. Castiel forever!

Drum roll please…

1st place:  Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester from Supernatural

Dean Winchester

Image courtesy of The CW

We have a new winner for your favorite male performance on TV for 2020 and I couldn’t be more proud. Dean Winchester has always been my favorite character on SPN. While Sam usually carried the emotional weight of the show, I was so beyond impressed by Jensen’s incredibly heartbreaking performance in the final episode of SPN. He was so believable and I think he really showed a lot of range in his performance.

This year has given us so many incredible performances, but I am so beyond thrilled that Supernatural took the crown this year. Thank you for 15 amazing years of television. You will be missed, but never forgotten! SPN FAMILY FOREVER!

Thanks to all the fans who voted!  I wish you all the best for 2021!

View Final Poll Results Here!

I hope you enjoyed the list and please feel free to post your thoughts and comments below on some of your favorite male performances on TV from 2020.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Spoiler-Free Review of “Freaky” on demand: The Slasher Version of “The Hot Chick” is lots of fun

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“Having balls sucks.”

Freaky was released on November 13th 2020. The film stars Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O’Connor, and Misha Osherovich. The film runs for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

After four teens are brutally murdered by a serial killer, wallflower Millie winds up being chased by the very same killer the next day. After being wounded by a ritualistic weapon, they end up switching bodies the next morning. And so the Freaky Friday fun begins…

Here is the trailer:

Freaky has been done before in several comedy films, but Blumhouse cleverly adds in some slasher gore to liven this plot up. Does the killer idea work out or does it fall flat? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

Vince Vaughn is the best part of the movie.

I felt a lot of nostalgia for “The Hot Chick” with Rob Schneider during this film, but in a very good way. Vince Vaughn was laugh out loud funny and his bond with Millie’s two best friends was amazing. I thought that they all played good parts and the chemistry between them all was believable and a lot of fun.

Gory and inventive kills.

Images courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

The comedy was there, but I was a little worried that the kills would be glossed over, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of violent gore present in this film. This allowed the film to truly embrace its horror/slasher side with flair.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

The wallflower act.

I know Kathryn Newton from Supernatural and I was really excited to see her in this role, but I’m not sure that I really bought the shy, nerdy girl vibe. We’ve seen this in a lot of teen movies and all of a sudden the girl takes off her glasses and something magical happens. I think that Kathryn did a great job once she was playing the serial killer, but I wanted a little bit more from her before that. Either way, I’m a fan.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

I’m in!

This movie was a lot of fun. It nailed the horror comedy vibe and actually brought us a lot of gore too which was great. If you enjoyed Happy Death Day and Ready or Not, this is another great film to add to your watch-list. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Freaky in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

PLAY BY THE RULES…STAY ALIVE…

A harmless night of fun turns deadly for six college friends but the game has only just begun. Take a mystery thrill ride right from your own living room. Dash and Seek is out now!

Play if you dare…

Dash and Seek is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” Part 4 on Netflix: Ends the Way it Should

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“Cheerleader by day…Queen of Hell by night.”

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 4 premiered on Netflix on December 31st 2020 with eight final episodes available to stream now. The series stars Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch, Lucy Davis, Chance Perdomo, Michelle Gomez, and Miranda Otto. Each episode runs for approximately 55 minutes. 

It was bitter sweet to discover that this would be the final season of the bewitching darker take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and I was worried that the show would not be able to wrap everything up to our satisfaction. Either way, I knew we would be jam-packed with dark spells, rituals, and sacrifice along the way for Sabrina Spellman and the rest of our beloved characters.

Here is the trailer:

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 4 packs a punch with a dark and twisted new threat on Greendale, but is eight episodes truly enough to give this show a proper conclusion? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

CAOS part 4 1

Image courtesy of Netflix

Darker with sci-fi horror.

While the earlier seasons of CAOS dipped into more of a bubble gum pop type of horror, the final season doesn’t hold anything back. There is more gore and more stomach-turning moments which actually had me cringing on more than one occasion. It helped that we got several well-placed mentions of classic movies like Alien and The Evil Dead thrown in for good measure, but I was pleasantly surprised by this darker turn, which worked in the show’s favor.

CAOS part 4 2

Images courtesy of Netflix

Supporting characters get to shine.

We’ve been getting hints along the way about Rosalind’s potential and we finally devote some time to her character, along with several others. While we couldn’t spend too much time on everyone, I thought that the show made a valiant effort to allow each and every character and every relationship a chance at some type of closure or growth. 

Cameos done to perfection in episode 7.

There will be no spoilers in this review, but I am sure you are already aware of the cameos that will appear in the final season. That being said, I was really happy with episode 7 and I thought that the way everything done was beyond brilliant. They could have easily gone down a cheesier, quicker route and instead they presented us with something truly unique that kept the plot going. 

The Cons:

CAOS part 4 3

Images courtesy of Netflix

Rushed and slightly chaotic.

I get it. There was a lot to cover in just eight episodes, but there was so much overstuffed into this season. I appreciate that the writers were trying to tie up loose ends, but I also thought that some moments of fluff were pointless because the plot was actually really good and captivating on its own.

I also thought that the second half of part 4 was much stronger than the first half.

So am I in or out?

CAOS part 4 4

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!

I am a huge fan of this series and I thought that the writers really tried their best to give this show a proper sendoff. There were moments that had me terrified, laughing, and crying my eyes out, but I am satisfied with the conclusion and after so many letdowns this past year from series finales, CAOS earned my respect by sticking to a proper conclusion.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (part 4) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Girl Number Thirteen Lurking Promo

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My new supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!