Chopped Onion Studios

Happy Halloween! I wanted to treat (scare) myself with some of the most respected scary movies, all of which I have seen before. The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), Poltergeist (1982), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Like my last Halloween film fest, these do not specifically reference the day of Halloween but they all have their creepy moments. They inspired sequels (all except for The Shining), have aged well (except for some minor ghostly special effects), and all…

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The October scary movie film watching continues with the Sleepaway Camp trilogy (1983, 1988, and 1989), Cronos (1993), The Babdook (2014), and The Gift (2015). None of these actually reference the night of Halloween on October 31st, but are intended to give some frights, jumps, and creeps. I had seen a couple of the Sleepaway Camp movies when I was younger, all the others were a first time viewing.   Sleepaway Camp 1983, R, 1h 24m Distributor – United Film…

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Californication is a comedic drama series about a writer (played by David Duchovny) who struggles to have balance in his life between his family, acquaintances, and his career. Hank Moody (Duchovny) wrote a book that put him on the map but has since floundered while keeping in touch with his daughter (Madeleine Martin), her mother (Natascha McElhone), his  agent (Evan Handler), and his agent’s wife (Pamela Adlon). Originally on the Showtime network, the show never shied away from adult content…

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The Foreigner is an action thriller about a seemingly humble businessman (Jackie Chan) whose daughter gets killed in a bombing in London and while seeking justice, has difficulty getting support from a government official (Pierce Brosnan). Tension is built throughout the film as the pasts of both leads are explored, bombings and politics between Irish and British are intensified, and the action scenes are grounded in reality- no one escapes unscathed. Chan plays a tortured soul, relying more on expressions…

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The Interview is a comedy about two Americans in the tv business (James Franco and Seth Rogen, their chemistry is easily seen) that get an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and are recruited by the CIA. After the film’s premise was criticized by the actual North Korean government, the film’s studio Sony Pictures had their computer systems hacked, and detailed information (including salaries, emails, and several other unreleased movies) were released online. A tv star (Franco) lands an…

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October always brings the urge to watch scary movies because of Halloween. This month so far I have watched The Fly (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), Hocus Pocus (1993), and Sleepy Hollow (1999). After 30 years I finally crossed The Lost Boys off my cinematic bucket list, the others I had seen before.   The Fly 1986, R, 1h 36m Distributor – 20th Century Fox Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $15 / $60 IMDB – 7.5  …

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Clue is a comedic mystery about a group of guests invited to a mansion that end up trying to figure out a murder. Based on the board game of the same name (originally released in England in 1949 and is the first board game to have a film made out of it), the film and cast are held together by the role of Wadsworth the Butler played by Tim Curry. He had recently been in Legend (also in 1985, fantasy…

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While We’re Young is a comedy drama about a middle-aged couple’s marriage and careers that get impacted by the introduction of a younger couple into their lives starring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts. The film is rated 14A, filmed in New York City, and explores the lives of a childless couple who have friends their own age but become good friends who are a generation younger and they wonder which parts of which lives are best. Like most smaller budget…

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