Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we have several picks for the spooky season, plus a game show to take your mind off of Halloween.
The Mill - Hulu
Picked by Lawrence Banton
It's the thick of the spooky season and I've watched a pretty good amount of horror and thriller flicks over the last several days. Hulu's The Mill was my latest watch and it really messes with you. Imagine you're going about your day like normal and then you suddenly wake up in an open-air prison. That's the predicament Joe, played by comedian Lil Rel Howery, found himself in. He has to figure out a way to escape this prison and make it home to his very pregnant wife. With Lil Rel as the star of the film, know that you will laugh – often – while your palms sweat in anticipation of his next move.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxu1zTco8-I[youtube]
Totally Killer - Amazon Prime
Picked by Keara O’Driscoll
As of late, and especially during this time of the year, I've learned that my favorite style of movies is campy, fun and mildly frightening Halloween movies. I watched Totally Killer after seeing all over my “FYP” on TikTok. I didnt think the film started out well as it gave the low-budget energy of a Disney Channel movie with insanely bad CGI that I was shocked to see in the year 2023. But…that is half of the charm. Starring Julie Bowen, Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Holt, the film follows the classic "angsty teen who hates her mom until something so outlandish happens that she is forced to realize that she is just a person" trope. But as the film progresses, it really sucks you in, and I found myself glued to the screen until the end.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNm3VPPKEQI[youtube]
Taskmaster - YouTube and Taskmaster Supermax+
Picked by Newsletter Writer Graison Dangor
This offbeat British game show is the perfect supply of clips when you just want to laugh and take your mind off things. Episodes, which you don't have to watch in any order, has comedians compete to solve odd tasks — examples include "Knock Over the Fewest Skittles," "Hide 3 Eggplants In This Room" and "Make the Plastic Bag as Heavy as Possible" — which they often fulfill in even odder ways. If you become a big fan, you can watch full seasons of the show and its international offshoots with a paid subscription to Taskmaster Supermax+, their delightfully named streaming platform.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5D4cph_KwI[youtube]
Throwback Pick
The Witches - Amazon Prime
Picked by Senior Editor Dina Ross
Based on the Roald Dahl novel, this spooky family-friendly film tells the tale of a boy who is on a trip with his grandmother when he happens upon a convention of witches. He finds out the hard way that the witches want to turn all children into mice. Now it's his job to stop them. I'll point you to the 1990 adaptation, starring Anjelica Hudson, but the 2020 remake, starring Anne Hathaway, is also worth a watch if you're into a more modern aesthetic.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_ZyqaN_XNM[youtube]
If you put together the sales generated from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon's Prime Day in the U.S., it still would be less than the sales from Sunday's Singles Day shopping holiday in China.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Four years ago, Aziz “Hax$” Al-Yami was one of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world. But after suffering what he said felt like “an explosion” in his left wrist, Hax’s once-impressive tournament performances were marred by serious physical pain. So he found his own solution: a different type of controller. Hax talked to Cheddar Sports about his life-changing design.
Astronaut Scott Kelly saw the sun rise and set about 32 times each day during the 520 total days he spent in outer space. He also spent considerable time looking at Planet Earth. Naturally, it changed his perspective ー in the most literal sense. Kelly shares that new perspective through images in his latest book, "Infinite Wonder: An Astronaut's Photographs from a Year in Space."
The internet can be a toxic place ー but it doesn't have to be, according to Deepak Chopra. The bestselling author and new age advocate is helping to build a healthier internet through a new Amazon Alexa skill that delivers his daily "intentions." The skill is a result of a partnership with A.I.-provider LivePerson's innovation lab, LivePerson Studios.
Addyi, the female-libido-boosting drug that was approved in 2015, is getting a re-launch of sorts. Cindy Eckert, the CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals and founder of The Pink Ceiling, an incubator for female-led startups, explained to Cheddar the difference between the "mechanics" of an ED pill and a female arousal pill.
Photo-editing app VSCO has already hit 2 million paid subscribers after crossing the 1 million subscribers threshold just in the first quarter of 2018. “It’s really a testament to how consumer-driven we are,” VSCO CEO Joel Flory told Cheddar. VSCO charges $20 per year for its subscription, and the business is now operating at break-even, Flory said.
Hallie Huggins was a platoon leader in Afghanistan, where she learned the skills she now uses as executive at JPMorgan Chase. Huggins told Cheddar about her work for the non-profit "Carry the Load," which honors military members and their families and provides resources to those who are transitioning back into civilian life.
Luxury chocolatier Godiva is dedicated to female equity in its workforce. More than 75 percent of the workforce and 45 percent of director and managerial positions are held by women. Caki Halprin, head of North American marketing and innovation at Godiva, told Cheddar about Godiva's history in female empowerment and about efforts within the food industry to push back against gender inequality."There are definitely more male restaurant owners, more male leaders in the restaurant industry, although predominantly the majority of employees within the restaurant industry are female. So we do need to make that shift," Halprin said.
Can Resy disrupt the disruptors? The four-year-old restaurant-booking app recently acquired Reserve, a smaller competitor, as it seeks to take on OpenTable, the reigning king of online reservations that was bought by Booking Holdings.
