Spoiler-Free Review of “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” on Peacock: Sarah Hyland and Adam DeVine prove to be a dynamic duo on screen once again!

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

“‘Aca Serious?”

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin premiered on Peacock on November 23rd 2022 with all six episodes available to stream now. The comedy-musical series stars Adam DeVine, Sarah Hyland, Flula Borg, Jameela Jamil, and Lera Abova. Each episode runs for approximately 26-30 minutes.

Ten years after college, Pitch Perfect’s Bumper decides to move to Berlin to become a pop star.

Here is the trailer:

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin is the continuation of the Pitch Perfect franchise I didn’t know I needed and yet it was surprisingly entertaining, thanks to the chemistry between Hyland and DeVine. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Undeniable chemistry…

I absolutely loved these two together on Modern Family and was bummed when DeVine left the show. Well, they have been reunited once again in Bumper in Berlin and they were a dream to watch together. The chemistry was so believable and natural, which elevated this series in so many ways.

Bumper was always a scene-stealer in the Pitch Perfect films, but I was worried that an entire series about him would feel forced and exhausting. Hyland helped balance this out along with the other supporting characters, which made this such an enjoyable treat.

Solid balance of humor and entertaining musical numbers.

It’s what Pitch Perfect did best and even though the humor had a slightly different feel this time around, it still worked. The supporting characters were actually hilarious and I loved all of the musical performances. This is what I expect when watching one of these movies and I was happy with the result. The episodes were also super short so I was able to binge-watch this one very easily.

The Cons:

It would have been fun to see a few more familiar faces…

I get that this was Bumper’s story, but I would have liked to have seen a few more cameos thrown in for fans of the films. Bumper was also an odd choice for a spin-off series. I can think of other characters that may have deserved the spotlight a little bit more, but I can’t complain too much because the execution worked a lot more than the idea.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!!!

Surprisingly entertaining with humor that actually landed and swoon-worthy chemistry to root for.

If you’re a fan of the film series, I think you’ll find plenty to enjoy with this new series.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rule…they can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my new island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Firestarter” (2022) on Peacock: Flashy effects but lacks edge

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

“You’re strong so you don’t have to be afraid…”

Firestarter (2022) premiered in theaters and on Peacock on May 13th 2022. The science fiction horror film (based on the novel and film of the same name) stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, and Michael Greyeyes. It runs for an hour and thirty-five minutes.

A young couple tries to hide their daughter from a secret agency that wants to use her abilities for mass destruction.

Here is the trailer:

Firestarter has some impressive effects and a decent enough cast, but did we really need a re-imagining of the original film? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Decent effects.

The original Firestarter came out in 1984 so one major improvement was the effects used throughout the film. They were actually really impressive and probably the best part of it. Don’t mess with Charlie!

Stand-out performances.

Zac Efron is actually not bad in this film. However, Armstrong and Greyeyes steal the show. I thought both of them were really strong and they saved the film in a lot of ways. I would have liked to have seen a little bit more backstory for some of the other characters to fill in some gaps but the length of the film was just about right.

The Cons:

Cringe-worthy dialogue…

The dialogue was really not great in this one and the film was pretty predictable. The acting was fine for some characters but I think the makers of this movie could have done a lot more. I rarely expect a remake to outshine the original one, but I was expecting something new and fresh and instead everything was just sort of okay and unnecessary…

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

The film is not bad and is watchable for the most part, but there just isn’t anything extraordinary about it. It’s lacking edge and other than some cool visual effects, I’m not sure that we needed a new version of this film.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Firestarter (2022) 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!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Saved by the Bell” Reboot Season 2 on Peacock TV: Major Improvements for Bayside

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

“Welcome back Bayside!”

Saved by the Bell season 2 premiered on Peacock TV on November 24th 2021 with ten new episodes available to stream now. The reboot sitcom stars Haskiri Velazquez, Mitchell Hoog, Josie Totah, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, and Mario Lopez. Each episode runs for approximately 25-28 minutes.

Based on the original sitcom, which aired from 1989-1993, the reboot of the beloved iconic 90’s show brings us back to Bayside, as we watch a new set of characters find their own way through high school. This season features recurring roles for Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, and Tiffani Thiessen as well, bringing the gang back together again.

Here is the trailer:

Saved by the Bell season 2 has a lot of improvements to make from the first season, but does it finally find its own identity while balancing in some welcomed nostalgia for original fans of the series? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Nice to see the gang back together again.

Lisa is back in season two and we get to see more of Zack and Kelly as well this season, which was really nice to see. We rekindle some old flames, allow them to find their own lives away from high school (at least for the most part) and we even get to witness a moving tribute.

I loved all of the nostalgia once again and I thought that the references no longer felt as forced as they did in the first season. I also loved that the cast wasn’t afraid to make fun of themselves and even commented on some of the plot holes from the original series and some of their career choices later on in real life. Well played!

Stand-out character: Slater had me laughing through every episode!

Genuinely funny this time around!

One of my biggest complaints with the first season of the reboot was that the humor did not really land and it was almost painful to watch at times because of this. Season two makes a drastic change and finds its own identity with enjoyable humor. Sure, some things still feel over-the-top and silly, but that doesn’t stray too far from the original series.

I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the episodes this time around and I also finally started to connect to the new group of characters. They got their time to shine in a good way!

The Cons:

Discusses the pandemic in a weird way…

I know that a lot of shows are trying to include the pandemic to be relevant in today’s world, but it felt really odd and forced. Some shows have been really successful with this. For example, I thought that the final season of Shameless really nailed it but Saved by the Bell could have benefited from leaving this out because it just felt out of place and awkward.

Sure, the kids are back to school after being remote for a year, but no one is wearing a mask and it just seemed like a passing thought to mention that they have been apart for a while when they could have easily just been on summer break or something.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!

I was on the fence about this reboot in season one, but I really enjoyed my watch of season two. There were some fantastic stand-out episodes and I think that the series finally found its identity without relying too much on the original cast members.

I thought the transitions to the original characters worked for the most part and we got a really great balance this time around!

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Saved by the Bell” Reboot on Peacock TV: Bayside Gets a Reality Check

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

It’s alright because Bayside is back! Well…sorta.

Saved by the Bell (2020) premiered on Peacock TV on November 25th 2020 with ten new episodes available to stream now. While the Peacock app is free, you need a premium subscription to watch the show for reference. The reboot sitcom stars Haskiri Velazquez, Mitchell Hoog, Josie Totah, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, and Mario Lopez. Each episode runs for approximately 25-28 minutes.

Based on the original sitcom, which aired from 1989-1993, the reboot of the beloved iconic 90’s show brings us back to Bayside, but things have certainly changed. Zack Morris is now the governor (still married to Kelly), Jessie is the guidance counselor, and Slater is the gym teacher.

We get a brand new set of students, which include Zack and Kelly’s son, Mac, and Jessie’s son, Jamie, along with a group of students from the other side of town that were recently displaced from their own high school. The students will now all attend school together, which shakes up the Bayside self-absorbed bubble quite a bit.

Here is the trailer:

Saved by the Bell (2020) has the chance to give fans some nostalgia while creating something new and different for a new audience, but does it still capture the charm of the original series while finding its own identity? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Welcomed nostalgia.

The gang is back! Well, most of them anyway. While some of our favorite characters only return for cameos, Jessie and Slater have recurring roles throughout the series. While a lot of the references were kind of forced upon the audience, I thought that episode 8 was absolutely fantastic and the best episode by far.

If you have mixed thoughts about the reboot, I recommend that you at least check out this episode. It really was a lot of fun!

Images courtesy of Peacock

A reality check for Bayside.

When I go back and watch the old episodes, Bayside almost seems like it is completely displaced from actual reality. Real issues are discussed, but a lot is sugar-coated. I thought it was really smart to have the new students attend Bayside, shattering the self-absorbed normalcy some of the characters had while keeping everything fresh and relevant for its new audience.

In a way, the show playfully makes fun of itself, but in a good way.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Trying a little too hard.

While the reboot has a fresh and new take on things, it tries a little bit too hard to force some of the references on the new audience. I loved the change up with the iconic “Time Out” scenes, but I also thought that a lot of things might be totally lost on the new audience.

There needed to be more of a balance between the nostalgia and the new plot and the opening episodes were almost painful to watch because of this.

Having said that, each episode actually got better as the show went on and I think that’s because the show settled down on its identity and just had fun with it.

Lacking laughs.

As cheesy as it was, the original episodes always made me smile, chuckle, or laugh. While some of the jokes did land, I thought that the majority of them missed the mark. I also felt that Zack’s son was slightly obnoxious and lacked the charisma of his father.

Sure, Zack Morris was a schemer and he made a lot of wrong calls throughout the show, but his son’s character didn’t really have any redeeming qualities and I thought that layers were missing for many of the new characters. We saw glimpses here and there, but I honestly wanted more from them.

Our new principal was the perfect choice, however!

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m in about 75 percent.

I’ll be honest. I was initially not feeling this show at all. The first two episodes really didn’t grab my attention and I didn’t connect at all. However, I stuck around (mostly because I just got this subscription to Peacock) and I’m glad I did.

The show eventually did find its identity and also gave us some welcomed cameos and nostalgia to balance things out. There were enough entertaining moments to keep you invested and intrigued.

I would recommend giving it a chance even if you absolutely hate the first two episodes and at least check out episode 8!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Saved By the Bell (2020) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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!