What Are You Watching This Halloween?

a quick trip to the DVD rack with Renzie Baluyut.

It’s Halloween– what are you watching for the Halloween weekend?  There are a lot of good scary movies out there- The Exorcist, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the Scream series- and even those that aren’t as good, but still very entertaining- like your Final Destination series, the later Nightmare on Elm Street movies, or stuff like I Know What You Did Last Summer, or Urban Legend.

What say we recommend you some flicks you’ve probably never seen at all, or maybe seen once, but didn’t quite appreciate it the first time?

I’ve put together a list of 69 must-watch DVD’s for your Halloween weekend viewing.

These lists are by no means definitive in any way.  In fact, there are lots of other great horror movies out there that are not part of this list.  But if I had to watch just ten of them at a time, then these would be it.

Breaking it down, we have:

• 10 Great Horror Movies from the ’90′s
• 10 Must-see Horror DVD’s from the ’80′s
• 10 Truly Scary Asian Horror Flicks
• 19 Films to Die For, from the AfterDark Horrorfest series of DVDs
• 10 Classic Horror Masterpieces,
• and 10 Horror Movies from the Recent Past (2000s) Worth Watching Again

Let’s break out the lists!

Ten Great Horror Movies from the 1990′s

They say Jacob's Ladder has a killer twist in the end. Sounds like so much fun already.

I thought the nineties would be a great decade to start with.  As it turns out, there are a lot of good flicks so many others online have recommended– some which were probably never shown here in the Philippines, or worse, marketed under some crappy title.

The 1990′s was also a time when I was either way too much into school (I was taking up Physical Therapy in the early ’90′s, which allowed for very little time to do anything but read and study), or way too much into work (when I was starting out as a lowly radio disk jockey).  Which meant I may have missed out on some pretty good movies.

Nevertheless, I’ve managed to put together a nice pile of 10 DVD’s to check out for the Halloween holiday:

• The Candyman [1992]
• Jacob’s Ladder [1990]
• The Prophecy [1995]
• The Relic [1997]
• Stir of Echoes [1999]
• John Carpenter’s Vampires [1998]
• Event Horizon [1997]
• Ravenous [1999]
• The People Under the Stairs [1991]
• The Frighteners [1996]

Check out the more detailed version of this list here on my other blog, RenzieMedia.com.

Ten Must-see Horror DVDs from the Eighties:

The Company of Wolves was based on a series of short stories on werewolves by Angela Carter.

I can remember how horror movies in the ’80′s have somehow devolved into some horror/comedy hybrid, most likely as an effort to be more commercial, and therefore make more money.  Some worked out alright, but unfortunately, so much more have missed the mark.  But every now and then, you do get a timeless piece of work.

Some of these DVDs (Near Dark, The Company of Wolves, Nomads, An American Werewolf in London) are movies I haven’t even seen before, which makes it all the more interesting.  The rest are just plain good ol’ favorites definitely worth watching again this Halloween.

• The Thing [1982]
• Hellraiser [1987]
• Pumpkinhead [1988]
• Near Dark [1987]
• The Shining [1980]
• An American Werewolf in London [1981]
• Evil Dead II [1987]
• Prince of Darkness [1987]
• The Company of Wolves [1984]
• Nomads [1986]

Ten Truly Scary Asian Horror Flicks

If you think the Hollywood version of The Ring was scary, wait til you watch the original. You'll probably sleep with the lights on for days after.

Asian Horror truly made its mark on the world with some really twisted movies.  In fact, Hideo Nakata’s Ringu have left me all screwed up even to this day, and it remains as the scariest movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

True, Hollywood has brought a lot of these titles to the Western box office, but you have to watch the originals to get a better appreciation of these Asian masterpieces.   

• Audition [1999]
• Ringu (The Ring) [1998]
• Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters) [2003]
• A Chinese Ghost Story [1987]
• Ang Pamana (The Inheritance) [2006]
• The Eye [2003]
• The Maid [2005]
• Ju-on (The Grudge) [2003]
• Uzumaki (Spiral) [2000]
• Yeogo Goedam (Whispering Corridors) [1998]

Nineteen Films to Die For from the AfterDark series of DVDs

The AfterDark HorrorFest 2007 promotional poster

I was really looking forward for an AfterDark HorrorFest this year, just like the ones they had back in 2006 and in 2007.  Nevertheless, the next AfterDark film festival- Horrorfest III- has been announced, and will hit selected cinemas on 09 January 2009.

In the meantime, Halloween is a great time to watch all the previous HorrorFest flicks from the two past years.  Here they are:

• The Abandoned [2006]
• Dark Ride [2006]
• The Gravedancers [2005]
• The Hamiltons [2006]
• Penny Dreadful [2006]
• Reincarnation [2005]
• Unrest [2006]
• Wicked Little Things [2006]
• Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror [2006]
• The Tripper [2007]

• Borderland [2007]
• Crazy Eights [2006]
• The Deaths of Ian Stone [2007]
• Lake Dead [2007]
• Mulberry Street [2007]
• Nightmare Man [2006]
• Tooth and Nail [2007]
• Unearthed [2006]
• Frontier(s) [2007]

Ten Classic Horror Masterpieces

 

Dario Argento's Suspiria comes in very highly recommended, and is considered by many to be Argento's best piece of work.

I have to admit- I haven’t seen most of the flicks on this list of ten classic horror movies (everything but the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre). I’ve only read so much about them as recommendations by other people, and well, based on what I can tell, these ten should make for quite a weekend of viewing.

If you really think about, there should be a longer list for the classics– four of these movies are just from the 70′s alone, and there must be more from all the past decades, all the way to Nosferatu, which came out as a silent film in 1922.

The challenge, really, is finding DVDs of these great horror/suspense/thriller classics.

• Dawn of the Dead [1978]
• The Haunting [1963]
• Night of the Living Dead [1968]
• Bride of Frankenstein [1935]
• Eyes Without a Face [1958]
• Nosferatu [1922]
• Quatermass and the Pit [1968]
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [1974]
• Suspiria [1977]
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978]

Ten Horror Movies from the Recent Past (2000s) Worth Watching Again

Session 9 takes place in and around the Danvers State Mental Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Even with a derth of good movies in the past few years, we get treated to the occasional piece of work that’s worthy of anybody’s Horror movie collection.  Here are ten DVD’s you might want to check out if you’re looking for something more recent.

• The Descent [2005]
• Wrong Turn [2003]
• Cabin Fever [2002]
• Ginger Snaps [2000]
• 28 Days Later [2002]
• Rec [2007]
• Session 9 [2001]
• Rob Zombie’s Halloween [2007]
• Shaun of the Dead [2004]
• 30 Days of Night [2007]

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, a solid collection of 69 horror DVD’s you can easily put together for your Halloween viewing pleasure.  Go right ahead and make your own list, mix and match DVD’s according to your own personal tastes and preferences.  Tell me all about it– I’d love to hear what you had for the Halloween holidays.

This article was made right after I read some recommendations from Boston.com’s Top 50 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, Michael Montoure’s Bloodletters, the guys over at CinemaRoll.com, Joblo.com, CurrentFilm.com, DVDTalk.com, EatMyBrains.com and KillerMovies.com.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.com.  Also used Wikipedia, as well as the Internet Movie Database, IMDb.com as references for this entry.

Which horror movies are you watching this Halloween?

Cheers, everyone!

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Win Your Own Private Wii Party at Red Box

a special promotional effort on the blog of Renzie Baluyut.

So we already know that Red Box, your favorite karaoke destination in Greenbelt and in TriNoMa, already has special rooms souped up with Nintendo Wii‘s.  That only means more fun for you and your family and friends– you can sing to your favorite songs, or play some billiards, or just hang out while enjoying Red Box’s good food, and now even play together with the Wii.

Selected rooms at Red Box now have Nintendo Wii's. Just in case you'd want to enjoy some good ol' gaming in between karaoke singing.

Ain’t no party like a Red Box party!

Now, you can have a chance to have your own Nintendo Wii party at Red Box.  All because “Wii” want you to experience a different level of karaoke and gaming high.  All you have to do is answer this question:

 

Which Nintendo Wii Character would you like to be, and why?

 

Come up with a kick-ass answer, get your entry chosen, and just like that– you can go party at Red Box with your friends for free!

To join, leave your comments right after this blog post.  The winning entry will be based on the following criteria:

• 40% uniqueness of answer 
• 30% adherence to the Nintendo theme
• 20% brevity
• 10% entertainment value

The respondent with the best answer based on these criteria will get a Free Wii Night Party with four of his or her friends at Red Box.  

You and up to four friends can win your own private Nintendo Wii party at Red Box! Read the rest of this post to enter the contest. Tell your friends about it and join now!

Terms and Conditions:

1. Winning entry must come from a resident of Metro Manila.  
2. Deadline of submission of entries is on 13 November 2008, at 5pm. 
3. A winner will be declared on 15 November 2008.
4. Winner will be notified via email.
5. Winner may then call and schedule their Wii Party at GeiserMaclang Unit 7C, 114 Tuscan Bldg., V. A Rufino St. , Legaspi Village, Makati City. Tel. No. 02.812.8828 / 02.812.9199 / 0917.523.4624

So go right ahead and join.  Heck, go ahead and tell all your friends about it.  I get to pick a winner by November 15, so that gives you a couple of weeks to come up with some pretty cool answers.

Good luck!

Cheers, everyone!

Setting Up a New Blog

this week with Renzie.

Setting up a blog isn't easy, but if you do things right, your efforts can pay off rather nicely.

I’ve been occupied the past couple of weeks with this latest online project of mine.  I bought a few new domains for myself, and started developing the first in a new line of blogs.

While most of the content had already been made beforehand, it’s the editing that’s been taking up most of my time.  Tagging up a hundred+ posts can really wear you down.  Over the next couple of days, I’m gonna have to reformat the original embedded vids and pics, and work on those dead links.  

There really is so much more to blogging than just churning out blog posts.  In fact, a big part of any serious blogging effort involves a lot of other things like search engine marketing, html & css know-how, a working knowledge of social media optimization, among others.  It would also be great if you’re into graphics yourself, or if you can do your own programming.

That’s not even considering the business part of your blog.  It’s all about generating a steady flow of traffic, embedding the codes for all kinds of advertising and affiliates, and eventually making some decent cash from all that hard work of yours.

And any professional blogger knows that it’s gonna take patience and time.

Nevertheless, all that hard work can pay off rather nicely.  

That new blog of mine will be up and running in a few more days.  Just need some editorial work done on it.  Well, a lot actually.  Hoping things turn out alright for it.

I’ll let you all know once I’m ready to go live.

Cheers, everyone.

Red Box Now Has Nintendo Wii Games!

Insights in Business Innovations with Renzie Baluyut.

I think it’s a great idea.  Here’s a business that really has its customers in mind, coming up with new and innovative ways to keep them coming back: Red Box Karaoke.  As it is, Red Box is still one of the best places to go if you want to spend your night singing your favorite songs with family and friends.  They’ve probably got the best selection of karaoke songs around, some really comfortable rooms, and yes, even the food tastes more than alright.

Red Box has some of the most comfortable rooms I’ve ever seen at a karaoke joint. They got branches in Greenbelt, Makati and at TriNoMa in QC.

Our friend Jane enjoying a round of billiards while other bloggers busy themselves with the Nintendo Wii's at Red Box Greenbelt

They’ve already been innovative enough in that you can enjoy a game of billiards, or a round of cards, just hanging out while waiting your turn at the microphone.  They got promotional specials like lunchtime buffets and ladies night, and they have a lot of packages for anyone looking to have their own private party.

Red Box serves up some real good food- definitely not just your typical karaoke fare. They got some great stuff that can easily rival other restaurants. Give it a try next time you drop by!

The Nintendo Wii was designed for casual gamers and families. Many of us never even played with a Wii until that night, but it was so easy to get into, and we all had loads of fun with it at Red Box Greenbelt.

Taking all that a step further:  Red Box has now decided to offer gaming.  Nintendo Wii‘s have been installed in select rooms, so now customers have more choices to keep themselves entertained.  Of course, you can expect that they’ll be building their game library in time, but as it is, we had loads of fun slugging it out on a virtual bowling alley, tennis court and boxing ring on Wii Sports– one of Nintendo’s most popular titles for the Wii of all time.

We had the chance to try out the Wii’s for ourselves– some of us for the very first time (I’m a hardcore PC/XBox gamer myself)– and had lots of fun that night with fellow bloggers.

I think it’s a great marketing move for Red Box to offer gaming.  Who’d ever think they’d do so, right?  But they do have the private rooms, the big screen TV’s and the comfortable sofas already- so it makes good sense to position themselves as a total family entertainment venue.

Points definitely go to Red Box for their business innovations.  Looks like I’ll be heading out to Red Box more often these days, and even more so when friends and family from out-of-town come over.

Regnard slugging it out with other bloggers on the Nintendo Wii at Red Box in Greenbelt. Red Box now offers Nintendo Wii in selected rooms, starting this month!

Related stories elsewhere on Renzie’s blogs:

• Read about the party Red Box threw last week for bloggers here on Renzie’s Online World of Awesome.  Lots of great food, good company and my first crack at playing me some Nintendo Wii!

• Did you know that Red Box actually serves some really good food? Read all about it on Eats n’Treats | Renzie on Food.

• Now that you can play Nintendo Wii at Red Box, are you curious to know about the best ever Wii games of all time? Check it out here on Get Your Game On | Renzie on Gaming.

• A feature on Red Box, here on Meandering Wanderings | Renzie on Travel & Leisure.

Special thanks to the good people of Red Box and GeiserMaclang for throwing an awesome Wii party.

Cheers, everyone!

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Living Solo: Building Up Your Own Kitchen

Notes on Bachelor Living and Living Solo by Renzie Baluyut.

One of the most pressing concerns when you’ve started living on your own is resolving the issue of food.  Your best option would be to cook your own food, as much as you possibly can, though you can just as easily just go out for dinner, or call in some home delivery.

But in most days, cooking your own food will definitely be the way to go.  Cooking is still your best option to make the most out of your food allowance, and it allows you to build up some mad cooking skills.  With that comes the initiative of slowly building up your kitchen to the point of self-sufficiency: you can eventually make some nourishing and fulfilling meals and treats right in the comfort of your own home.

Getting there, however might take some time for the start-up bachelor.  So here’s a guide for those of you living solo to help you prioritize which kitchen implements to get as you build up your own kitchen.

The “Spartan Special” Scenario:

This scenario assumes that you don’t have an actual kitchen set-up.  It could mean you’ve just moved in to a new place, or that your current income level can’t allow you the luxury of having your own kitchen just yet, or maybe you’re in-between homes, or perhaps even staying in a dormitory for college.

This scenario entails virtually no kitchen to speak of.  No counters, no food preparation areas, and no heavy-duty kitchen appliances.  Just a few free spaces where you can put the most basic, but still very important, implements for putting food on your table.

Still, these are the basics for anyone living solo.  Simply put, if all your best kitchen equipment break down, at least you got these babies around to come through for you.

The trusty toaster oven isn’t only for warming up your bread and pastries. In the hands of a truly competent bachelor, you can even roast and bake stuff.

The Essentials

• The Can Opener.  Not all cans come with easy-open lids.  Every sensible bachelor should have a good can opener.  You should pick a sturdy can opener for yourself- so next time you’re staring down a can of tuna or Chef Boyardee for dinner, you can actually break the damned tin open.

• The Electric Kettle.  You’d want to have some hot water handy.  Particularly so if your diet consists mainly of instant noodles and instant oatmeal.

• The Toaster/ Toaster Oven.  Another kitchen essential for bachelors.  At the very least, you’ll be using it to warm up your bread, thus enabling you to make slightly better sandwiches.  Or toast, if that’s just your thing.  You can also roast and bake on this thing, just make sure you don’t make a big mess– cleaning up a toaster oven can be quite a challenge.

The rice cooker is an important piece in just about every Asian household. Cooks rice, steams dimsum, and can even make some great stews if you’re good.

• The Rice Cooker.  Truly an important piece of kitchen equipment for the Asian bachelor.  With this you can now have hot meals, with a serving of steaming rice that works great even with a can of sardines, or some meat dish you brought home after work.  Many new rice cooker models now come with accessories that can let you steam food– whether meats, dumplings, veggies or dimsum.

• The Coffee Maker.  While the electric kettle will allow you to have hot water for your instant coffee packs or your Swiss Miss drinks, some people might prefer an actual coffee maker.  This allows you to get better varieties of beans and therefore come up with better quality coffee.  If coffee indeed is your thing.

• The Personal Fridge.  We’re talking about small-sized 3.5 cubic feet models that’s probably great if you’re just cooling your own drinks and some chillables like deli products, or white wine or ice cream.  Great if you’re just starting out, but you’ll eventually want a bigger one as you get a better kitchen (or even a bigger family).  Still, it’s handy to have one of these around in the comfort of your own bedroom or entertainment den if you can afford to do so later on.

Building Up the Basic Kitchen.

With greater fridge space comes greater responsibility. Keep the contents of your fridge organized as well.  Throw out stuff you don’t need anymore so you can make room for more- uh- stuff.

Later on as you move out of your college dormitory and find a better place for yourself, you’ll probably want to seriously consider investing in a kitchen.  A good enough kitchen not only makes you fresh home-cooked meals, but it also provides a channel for you to get creative and build up your cooking and food preparation skills.

Make sure you have lots of counters for food preparation areas, access to clean running water, and adequate space for these things:

• The Stove.  You can start out with a one- or even a two-burner stove: just enough to handle a couple of pots working at the same time.  Having a stove finally enables you to do some real cooking– whether you’re frying an egg or making some Chicken Parmigiana or kickass Beef Stew.  Of course, you’ll need some access to gas, or at least more electricity, depending on your pad.

• The Fridge.  Having a fridge enables you to keep food fresh longer.  Which means you can now take trips to the groceries and buy ingredients for a whole several days’ worth of cooking.  You can also keep your beverages cold, have better treats at home, and even store leftovers.

• The Microwave Oven.  This works best with your stove and fridge in that it maximizes your cooking efforts.  You can now prepare larger batches of food, store them, and just reheat for future dinners– a real time-saver if you ask me.  More skilled bachelors can also cook with microwaves, almost just as well as an actual stove.

Microwave ovens are great time-savers. Be careful what you put in it though.

• The Blender/ Food Processor.  You’ll probably want to invest in one of these later on, and it’s great for making anything from soups, to fruit-shakes.  Great if you’re also baking as it helps fold in ingredients and saves you a lot of time.

• The Oven.  Having one around helps build up your baking skills.  Now you can make some pie, all kinds of cakes and pastries, and even roasts and better meat & poultry dishes.

• The Grill.  Whether it’s an indoor- or an outdoor-type of grill, having one around makes for great variety, also allowing you to host cookouts and barbecues.  You can also use this baby to help perfect cooking your steaks and ribs.

Beefing Up the Basic Kitchen.

You really don’t need much beyond what I’ve already mentioned above.  Beefing up a bachelor’s kitchen only means larger, more specialized equipment: like the freezer that can hold three weeks’ worth of meat products, a larger oven to roast even larger dishes of food, or an espresso machine for some really good coffee.

Beyond the basic kitchen, all you need really is more room to move around, more food preparation counters, better implements (like knives and baking equipment), and improved food storage.  Usually this all makes sense when you have more people living with you (like a wife and kids), which also usually means you’re not living solo anymore by this point.

Hope this post helps.

Cheers, everyone!

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