A Very Cruz Halloween 2018 | Chicago, Illinois

As you probably already know, October is a special month in the Cruz House. Markus and I count the days until we can cover the house with vintage Halloween blow molds and other bric-a-brac. Last year, I shared how we decorated our old apartment, but we’ve since moved to a fantastic new apartment. We had to get rid of a lot of furniture and bookcases to make the most of space in the new place. Since our setup changed drastically, Markus and I couldn’t wait to bring out all the decorations. I think it was a success because it looks even better than last year. My favorite is still the vintage Ben Cooper masks over my oil portrait collection. That was a stroke of pure genius from Markus! I absolutely adore how it all looks with the new furniture and how it fits perfectly with the new space. I love it so much that I wish I could keep the decorations up year round.

Creepy Cinema 2018 | Attack of the VHS

Guys, it’s my favorite time of the year! There’s a crispness in the air, the leaves are starting to change and all my sweaters have come out of storage. It’s literally the perfect season for me, and with the changing of the seasons also comes Creepy Cinema! For those of you that don’t know, Markus and I spend all of October watching horror films, and if you know me, I’m not normally a fan of these kinds of movies. However six years ago Markus and I had the bright idea to start Creepy Cinema, and I have to admit that over the years I’ve started to look forward to it. Now I actually really enjoy it! This year we thought, since Markus still has the VCR he bought in college, we would scour our local geek shops and acquired some VHS horror gems to add to our collection. So this year’s theme was conceived, “Attack of the VHS!” We’re watching 12 horrors movies from several eras — all on VHS tapes. So without further ado, scroll down to see the twelve movies I’ll be watching and reviewing! Also, let me know which movies you’re most excited about and which ones you haven’t seen!

The first six movies include so many recognizable classics, and I’ve surprisingly only seen two of them. I’m sure you could guess which two, Evil Dead 2 and Ghostbusters 2. I’ll still be watching them again, because, let’s be real, I would watch them even if they weren’t on this year’s list.

I haven’t seen any of the next six films, so I most excited to watch this set. There’s also nice variety in this set. We’ve got your Jinns, Beings, Freddies and Bowies. It’s a real exciting lineup and I can’t wait to check them out. If you know me, I’m pretty sure you can guess which one I’m the most excited about!

A Very Cruz Halloween | Chicago, Illinois

Here in the House of Cruz, we love Fall and most of all, All Hallow's Eve - so much so that these decorations have been up since September 8th. You can probably guess after five years of Creepy Cinema, we love all things spooky. Over the years, we've started to amass quite the collection of vintage Halloween decorations. Markus's favorite go to decoration is blow molds, as you will see in the photos. This year, we scoured the antique markets and were able to find heaps of pumpkin and ghost blow molds and even a cute little skeleton. One of the best finds was a Don Featherstone black cat that we got for way under market price. It was a grave robbery!  My favorite part of the house are the Ben Cooper masks that looked perfect with our portrait collection. I like them so much I might leave them up till Thanksgiving! Happy Halloween everyone! 

Toei Kyoto Studio Park | Kyoto, Japan | 3 of 4

Warning, the next two installments of the Toei Kyoto Studio Park are going to be super geeky. If you are uninterested, take a moment to peruse my other offerings from our Japan trip. Maybe a glance at the stunning Arashiyama Bamboo Groves or the magnificent Fushimi Inari Shrine? If you are a super geek like Markus and I, get ready to fulfill your otaku dreams with some Super Sentai.

If you were anything like us as kids, you devoted some of your television time to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I have to admit that I was clueless to it's original Japanese counterpart, but not Markus. He knew all about the original predecessors. As a kid from the early 80s, he spent afternoons watching Spectreman, Ultraman and Godzilla. That's why spent an obscene amount of time in this part of the theme park. I didn't mind though, anything to make the boy happy!

Twelve Days of Christmas Cinema | Week One

This first week of Twelve Days of Christmas was exactly what I needed. Around Christmas time, I get really homesick. Christmas in Korea is nothing like back home. It's more of a holiday for couples and no one else celebrates it. There are so many things I miss about Christmas in America. I miss drinking and eating peppermint infused treats. I miss hearing Christmas songs everywhere. Most of all, I miss spending time with my family and friends. Watching these movies really put me in the Christmas mood and reminded me of home. They were the perfect antidote for my homesickness.

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1983) 
This movie was my first taste of the National Lampoon films. I’ve seen Van Wilder, but I don’t think it really counts. I expected a lot from this movie, and I am sad to report that I was a bit disappointed. I know that everyone loves this movie, but I wasn’t that keen on it. I think that’s the problem with these kinds of movies. People have such fond memories of them from their childhood and they build them up. I've often heard it’s the best movie they’ve ever seen or the perfect representation of Christmas. For me, it was just okay.  

First, the length of the movie is too long. It just kept going and going. Every time they showed the Advent calendar, I kept wishing it Dec. 25. The main character, played by Chevy Chase, is just awful and really annoying. I know that he wants the perfect Christmas, but come on man. Why can’t he just relax? He makes ridiculous choices and most of the time they aren’t even that funny. I think that if I watched this as a child, I would’ve enjoyed it, but as an adult, I just wanted it to end. 

2, The Shop Around the Corner (1946) 
When I was in middle school, I would spend Friday evenings with my mom. We would lay in her bed with a bowl of popcorn and watch classic movies. I’m so thankful for having a mother who exposed me to old movies.  I learned a lot about relationships and love. I also learned how to be a lady and about style and fashion.

On one of those nights, we watched The Shop Around the Corner and I immediately fell in love. It truly is a timeless classic and stars Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. It’s a simple story about two people who argue constantly and end up falling in love on Christmas Eve. The film is executed perfectly. It’s funny and serious when it needs to be. The acting is amazing and it’s a real gem. I wish they still made movies like this; there isn’t a lot of flash or complicated story lines. It gets to the point and focuses on what matters, the relationship between the main characters. It's one of my favorite movies and one that will always leave me feeling warm and happy. 

3. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 
As a child, this was my favorite movie. When I think back on my childhood, I have a lot of memories connected with this movie. I watched it constantly. I knew all the words to every song and sang them much to the annoyance of my parents and older brothers. My mother even made me a Jack Skellington outfit to wear for Christmas. I was obsessed.

I think I loved it so much because it perfectly combined two of my favorite holidays, Halloween and Christmas. It’s not entirely a Christmas movie, but also not completely a Halloween movie. It’s a great combination of both holidays and it’s a fun seeing how they interact. The story of this film is quite unique and unlike anything I’ve seen. I remember being in awe of Halloween Town. I wanted to live in that weird and kooky place. It seemed like a kid's dream living in a place where it was Halloween everyday, who wouldn't want that?
 

4. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) 
I have to admit that in my childhood I had a considerable lack of Muppets. I never watched Sesame Street or saw a Charlie Brown film. I think it’s because my siblings were 11 and 12 years older than me and I was left to my own devices. I watched a lot of I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island and I Dream of Jeannie. What can I say? I was an odd kid. 

When we watched this film, it was like I found  a missing piece of my childhood. I absolutely loved this movie. There was so many amazing things about The Muppet Christmas Carol. To be honest, I was expecting to dislike this movie, but it was fantastic. It’s heartwarming, funny and poignant.  Michael Caine was also a pleasant surprise. He makes a great Scrooge. The acting was quite good and the puppetry was incredible.  While watching, I found myself laughing and crying. Yes, crying. I don’t know if it was the wine I was drinking, but there was one part that really got me. Judge me all you want, but watching a disabled frog singing about being thankful was touching. It’s always good to be reminded to be thankful, even in a kids movie.