Smashbomb

Hey Influencers (be prepared for a long post!)

Since we got so much positive feedback on the End of Year Polls idea - we’ve decided to do it again!

But obviously, we want to check with you, our influencers, before we make anything final. So below are the Nominations we have for each category - and we want your opinions!

The way each nomination is chosen for each category, to begin with, is easy - we simply have the most positively rated items that came out in the year 2020 (excluding Apps, Shows & YouTube Channels)! But, if you think something should be swapped or changed let us know!

---

App:
- Hearthstone (8.8)
- Netflix (8.7)
- Amazon (8.9)
- Amazon Kindle (9.1)
- Spotify (8.6)

---

Book:
- Matt Haig - The Midnight Library (8.6)
- Sharon J. Bolton - The Split (9.0)
- Kate Elizabeth Russell - My Dark Vanessa (9.5)
- Danny Tobey - The God Game (9.0)
- Maggie O’Farrell - Hamnet (9.3)

---

Movie:
- 1917 (8.8)
- The Invisible Man (7.8)
- Onward (8.3)
- The Gentlemen (8.3)
- Bad Boys For Life (7.7)

---

Music:
- Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By (10)
- Blossoms - Foolish Loving Spaces (7.5)
- Idles - Ultra Mono (9.0)
- Tame Impala - Slow Rush (8.0)
- Starflyer 59 - Miami EP (9.0)

---

Podcast:
- Sword and Scale (7.1)
- Loot Tine Postcast (7.9)
- No Such Thing as Fish (8.9)
- And That’s Why We Drink (8.8)
- True Crime Garage (8.6)

---

Show:
- Wicked (8.7)
- We Will Rock You (8.0)
- The Lion King (9.5)
- The Exorcist (8.7)
- Les Miserables (8.0)

---

Tabletop:
- Calico (9.0)
- Faza (9.0)
- Chronicles of Crime: 1400 (9.0)
- Macaron (9.0)
- Tales of Evil (9.0)

---

Tech:
- iPad Pro (7.4)
- MacBook (7.2)
- Dell XPS 13 (7.2)
- Nest Learning Thermostat (8.4)
- Amazon Echo Plus (8.4)

---

TV:
- Locke and Key (7.8)
- Tiger King (7.7)
- Umbrella Academy - Season 2 (9.0)
- The Haunting of Bly Manor (8.1)
- Lovecraft Country (8.7)

---

Videogames:
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (8.7)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (8.5)
- The Last of Us Part II (7.4)
- Ghost of Tsushima (8.8)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (8.0)

---

YouTube Channels:
- Ted-Ed (8.3)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (7.6)
- Walt Disney Studios (8.7)
- BBC News (8.2)
- 20th Century Fox (9.3)

---

There will be one poll for each category, narrowing each of the 5 nominations down to one winner over the course of 2 weeks!

Would love to hear what everyone thinks below!

Kudos

Show all 15 comments.

Smashbomb (4683 KP) Dec 7, 2020

@Melika Jeddi - Yes you're completely right - that's why the list above is of the items with both the MOST + HIGHEST ratings! :)

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) Dec 7, 2020

The Queen's Gambit 100% should be in TV. And yeah, Tenet in Movies maybe.

Kudos

Smashbomb (4683 KP) created a post in Smashbomb Partners

Dec 3, 2020

Hey Partners (be prepared for a long post!)

Since we got so much positive feedback on the End of Year Polls idea - we’ve decided to do it again!

But obviously, we want to check with you, our Partners, before we make anything final. So below are the Nominations we have for each category - and we want your opinions!

The way each nomination is chosen for each category, to begin with, is easy - we simply have the most positively rated items that came out in the year 2020 (excluding Apps, Shows & YouTube Channels)! But, if you think something should be swapped or changed let us know!

---

App:
- Hearthstone (8.8)
- Netflix (8.7)
- Amazon (8.9)
- Amazon Kindle (9.1)
- Spotify (8.6)

---

Book:
- Matt Haig - The Midnight Library (8.6)
- Sharon J. Bolton - The Split (9.0)
- Kate Elizabeth Russell - My Dark Vanessa (9.5)
- Danny Tobey - The God Game (9.0)
- Maggie O’Farrell - Hamnet (9.3)

---

Movie:
- 1917 (8.8)
- The Invisible Man (7.8)
- Onward (8.3)
- The Gentlemen (8.3)
- Bad Boys For Life (7.7)

---

Music:
- Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By (10)
- Blossoms - Foolish Loving Spaces (7.5)
- Idles - Ultra Mono (9.0)
- Tame Impala - Slow Rush (8.0)
- Starflyer 59 - Miami EP (9.0)

---

Podcast:
- Sword and Scale (7.1)
- Loot Tine Postcast (7.9)
- No Such Thing as Fish (8.9)
- And That’s Why We Drink (8.8)
- True Crime Garage (8.6)

---

Show:
- Wicked (8.7)
- We Will Rock You (8.0)
- The Lion King (9.5)
- The Exorcist (8.7)
- Les Miserables (8.0)

---

Tabletop:
- Calico (9.0)
- Faza (9.0)
- Chronicles of Crime: 1400 (9.0)
- Macaron (9.0)
- Tales of Evil (9.0)

---

Tech:
- iPad Pro (7.4)
- MacBook (7.2)
- Dell XPS 13 (7.2)
- Nest Learning Thermostat (8.4)
- Amazon Echo Plus (8.4)

---

TV:
- Locke and Key (7.8)
- Tiger King (7.7)
- Umbrella Academy - Season 2 (9.0)
- The Haunting of Bly Manor (8.1)
- Lovecraft Country (8.7)

---

Videogames:
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (8.7)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (8.5)
- The Last of Us Part II (7.4)
- Ghost of Tsushima (8.8)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (8.0)

---

YouTube Channels:
- Ted-Ed (8.3)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (7.6)
- Walt Disney Studios (8.7)
- BBC News (8.2)
- 20th Century Fox (9.3)

---

There will be one poll for each category, narrowing each of the 5 nominations down to one winner over the course of 2 weeks!

Would love to hear what everyone thinks below!

Kudos

Show all 3 comments.

Hadley (567 KP) Dec 4, 2020

I think this is a great way to pick for the polls.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) Dec 7, 2020

The Queen's Gambit is a glaring omission from TV :)

Kudos

Kelly Knows (95 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies

Jun 25, 2019

Mark Hamill gives a stellar & sinister new voice to your favorite Buddi. (0 more)

The schlock moments, though few, are cringe worthy indeed. (0 more)

New Chucky Is My Favorite Chucky

I am a reborn Chucky fan after the wonderful 2019 reimagining that is Child's Play. It is not easy to follow a long-standing series with a history of both slasher success, and campy catastrophe. Child's Play is a fresh new story that puts a much-needed spin on a franchise that frankly had been run into the ground. At its heart, this movie is exactly what it is supposed to be, a thrilling tale of a killer doll run amok. Though I imagine some diehard fans are inevitably going to be disappointed, I call this a resounding win. I wasn't a fan of the Chucky design at first, but it won me over later during a hilarious teaching moment between Andy and his pal in the first act. The lighting and camera work are solid, with a haunting, playful score that draws out the tension like a blade. Parents be warned, there is plenty of brutality, and no shying from gore. Even jaded millennial kids should wait to see this one. The story is a fantastic satire of all things electronically assisted, and paints a believable portrait with bloody overtones. The thrilling premise really shines due to the superior talents of the cast and crew. Aubrey Plaza brings weight to a character that is almost unceremoniously sidelined for most of the movie. The real celebration is Gabriel Bateman's performance as Andy Barclay. The slower paced moments settle a pall of tension over events as you share in Andy's isolation and later persecution. The supporting cast won me over entirely. Even the cannon fodder characters are awesome, with a pleasant dose of likability that gives them depth, with varying levels of unpleasantness that will have you tongue in cheek rooting for Chucky at times. Good stories are enjoyable. Check. Great stories get us thinking. Double check. When top-tier tech meets malicious malfunction, Chucky will have us all asking ourselves... "Are you broken like me?