Tag: Bailee Madison

Spoiler-Free Review of “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School” on Max: Our Final Girls are Back and Better than Ever!

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

“A is out there…”

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is the second season of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. Season two premiered on May 9th 2024 with the first two episodes on Max. The remaining six episodes will release weekly. The teen mystery drama series (based on Pretty Little Liars) stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Malia Pyles, and Faran Bryant. Each episode runs for approximately 50-52 minutes.

After surviving a brutal killing spree, the girls are forced to attend summer school together while now being targeted by a killer named “Bloody Rose Waters.”

Here is the trailer:

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School stays true to its slasher spin, introducing us to some new characters and some fantastic music to indulge in. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Max

Love these Final Girls!

I didn’t know if this series really needed a second season since it pretty much wrapped up everything at the end of season one, but I’m so happy that each character is getting more screen time this time around. Original Sin centered primarily on Imogen and Tabby so it’s nice to see the other characters getting a chance to shine.

I also really like the way the series is exploring the aftermath of the events from Original Sin and how it is impacting the girls and their relationships with others. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

We are learning more about each of the characters and getting a chance to see them grow. We’ve also got a few new potential love interests as well, which will keeps things fresh.

Images courtesy of Max

Hooked already.

I’ve been watching PLL since the original series and have seen every spin-off. I’m happy to report that I am just as hooked with this new season. It may not have been needed, but so far I’m digging the “hot girl summer” with a new masked killer on the loose. I hope we get some more epic chase scenes because they were really great last season.

I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Max

The sub-plots are a little boring so far…

I’m hoping this improves. PLL is known for having a balance of a solid killer mystery and juicy drama, but so far I’ve been a little bored during the fluff moments. I do like a few of the new characters and I’m sensing a spark between certain characters, but some of the transitions feel a little forced.

Episode two was a lot stronger than episode one so I’m remaining confident that we’ll get back on track with the mystery and I’d love to see some kills with a touch more gore sprinkled in to hold my attention.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Max

I’m in!

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is just as addicting as season one, presenting us with a new mystery with lots of potential and some slasher fun for good measure.

It’s safe to say that I will be tuning in each week for this one!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A Halloween they’ll never forget…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt 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 “The Hardy Boys” Season 3 on Hulu: Saved the Best for Last!

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

“No loose ends…”

The Hardy Boys (season 3) premiered on Hulu on July 26th 2023 with eight final episodes available to stream now. The series stars Rohan Campbell, Alexander Elliot, Bea Santos, Keana Lyn, Riley O’Donnell, and Bailee Madison. Each episode runs for approximately 42-44 minutes. 

Based on the iconic book series, this new re-imagining of The Hardy Boys takes place in the 1980’s. Frank and Joe Hardy are back one more time to solve a new mystery plaguing the town of Bridgeport, but will they find all the answers they are looking for?

Here is the trailer:

The Hardy Boys flew under the radar for quite some time, but it was a fresh and fun take on the teen mystery genre without all the drama in-between. Does the final season measure up? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Bailee Madison livens up the show!

She was a welcomed new character and I have to say that she really breathed some new life into this series. I love all of the characters on this show, but they needed someone new to spice things up and I think she accomplished that and then some.

We also got to see some returning favorites as well, which made sense for the final season.

Images courtesy of Hulu

A few solid twists and ends the way it should.

I have to admit that I was thrown a few times during the final season. I loved the twists and that last one really had my head spinning. 

Season three may have packed in a lot, but I think that it successfully closed out its story while still leaving the door open for more mysteries beyond the series. Everything was wrapped up neatly, which I appreciated.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Hulu

Rocky start.

The beginning of season three felt really complicated and more sci-fi than anything else. When I think about The Hardy Boys, I envision traditional mysteries. It’s fine that it dabbles over to the sci-fi side, but the opening few episodes felt really odd to me.

Thankfully we moved on from that and the final season quickly became my favorite season yet. 

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Hulu

I’m in!

The final season of The Hardy Boys delivers with excellent pacing and fantastic reveals while managing to end the series in a satisfying way for mystery fans everywhere.

I’ll miss this series. It was a lot of fun!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Hardy Boys 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 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!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Play Dead” on Demand: Twisted Thriller Delivers

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

“Now it’s time to die…”

Play Dead released on Demand on April 7th 2023. The horror-thriller film stars Bailee Madison, Jerry O’Connell, Anthony Turpel, and Chris Lee. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-five minutes.

Chloe fakes her own death to break into a morgue, but quickly discovers that the coroner is involved in a dangerous business that is more deadly than she could have imagined.

Here is the trailer:

Play Dead is a fast-paced thriller filled with edge-of-your-seat moments that keep you invested from start to finish. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Voltage Pictures

A solid game of cat and mouse.

I personally love horror-thriller films like this. Our focus is mainly on Chloe as she winds up trapped in a morgue with a coroner with deadly secrets. There are so many intense moments in this film and it kept my undivided attention the entire time. Sometimes less is more and this film understood that, focusing on the little moments in-between that were terrifying enough on their own.

The pacing was also really on point. The movie was a touch longer than it needed to be, but I think they did a solid job with this and I never lost interest.

Images courtesy of Voltage Pictures

Bailee Madison is fierce and bad-ass!

I really loved her in The Strangers: Prey at Night and she was also just recently in the Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin series, but she was absolutely terrific in this film and really commanded the screen. Much of our attention is focused on her and her alone and she really put forth a valiant effort here and I really hope that she does more films like this because I think that she will quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre.

Jerry O’Connell did a great job with his role as well.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Voltage Pictures

Far-fetched and outrageous at times…

I would manage your expectations in this department and expect things to be a little ridiculous and unbelievable at times. However, as long as you just go with it, you’ll have an entertaining watch.

There was one twist I saw coming a mile away, but I still thought this film had plenty going for it so I didn’t really mind at all.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Voltage Pictures

I’m in!!!

Play Dead brings a terrifying premise to life with a strong female lead to root for and plenty of intense moments.

This film was such a wonderful surprise!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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 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!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” on HBO Max: A Teen Slasher Series done right!

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

“You can’t ignore the past forever…”

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premiered on HBO Max on July 28th 2022. The teen mystery drama series (based on Pretty Little Liars) stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Malia Pyles, and Mallory Bechtel. There are three episodes available to stream now. The remaining seven episodes will air weekly. Each episode runs for approximately 50-52 minutes.

After a tragic event twenty years ago, a group of friends are targeted by A, connecting the past to the present.

Here is the trailer:

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin may be the most entertaining spin-off series yet, as it gives fans of the original show plenty to be excited about with a clever slasher spin. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Spoiler Free 1

Images courtesy of HBO Max

The slasher spin is genius!

I absolutely loved the original Pretty Little Liars series and looked forward to coming up with crazy theories about A every week. I watched both spin-off series after that and was really excited about this new series. 

The other series all focused on a teen mystery and so does this one, but it has a slasher vibe that will remind you more of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. A is still sneaky with the signature unknown texts and secret messages, but they are also a lot more brutal this time around and I am personally loving every second of it!

The past and present timelines are both interesting!

Similar to Yellowjackets, this new spin-off series does a good job of presenting us with an addicting mystery surrounding two timelines. Sometimes when shows go down this route, I prefer one timeline to the other, but so far I am invested in both and I am curious about how everything connects even though some parallels seem fairly obvious so far.

The Cons:

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Spoiler Free 2

Images courtesy of HBO Max

The characters need some work…

I’m not really connecting to any of the characters yet, which is slightly disappointing. I loved the characters in the original series and we have some potential here, but I think that we need to learn more about everyone. So far we are spending a lot of time on two of the potential leads of the series, but I want to get to know everyone else too so that I care about what happens to them.

The forced pop culture and movie references are also a little nauseating at times. I get that the show is trying to be relevant, but it is a bit much so far.

So am I in or out?

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Spoiler Free 3

Images courtesy of HBO Max

I’m in!

This show is really addicting and I am loving the slasher style! It’s not easy pulling off a reboot or spin-off, but so far this series is headed in the right direction and I can’t wait to watch more!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A Halloween they’ll never forget…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt 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!