Saturday, December 31, 2022

Movie: Violent Night (2022) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Violent Night





Came out; 2022

Time; 1 hours 52 minutes

Watched: Amazon


Rating; R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references


IMDB Rating; 6.8/10


Caution; Spoiler Alert


Staring.

David Harbour as Santa

John Leguizamo as Scrooge

Beverly D'Angelo as Gertrude

Alex Hassell as Jason

Alexis Louder as Linda

Edi Patterson as Alva

Cam Gigandet as Morgan Steel

Leah Brady as Trudy

Andre Eriksen as Gingerbread

Brendan Fletcher as Krampus

Mike Dopud as Commander Throp

Alexander Elliot as Bert


Story Line.


A team of elite mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage. But the team isn't prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he's about to show why this Nick is no saint


Thoughts.


This movie peeked my interest from the preview, these movies tend to be a fun spin on classic Christmas movies and this one didn't disappoint.


I like David Harbour as an actor, he has a range that can go from serious, to silly to mad all within one character with ease.

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, movie previews can be deceiving, but this movie gives you an expectation of what type of Santa you're dealing with from the opening scene. From here we see glimpses of Santa's night, but we also see the starting of the main plot. Of course, it's rich people, but Beverly D'Angelo gives this a spin that's hilarious.


All in all, the plot wasn't totally what I expected but it was really good. It was a great bad guy/good guy spin on Santa.


From perfectly executed Home Alone bobby traps and references to drunk tattooed Santa, it's a delight to watch!


CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert


On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus drinks at a pub in Bristol where he laments to a mall Santa how the kids have begun to lose their Christmas spirit and have become increasingly materialistic. He leaves on his sleigh pulled by his reindeer, shocking and delighting the pub's bartender, before accidentally vomiting on her from his sleigh.

Jason Lightstone, his estranged wife Linda, and their daughter Trudy travel to the countryside mansion of Jason's wealthy and crude mother Gertrude to celebrate Christmas at her lavish estate that has been funded by the profitable family business. They are joined by Jason's alcoholic sister Alva, her new boyfriend and wannabe-action star Morgan Steele, and Alva's son Bertrude. After realizing he didn't take Trudy to the mall to see Santa, Jason implores Linda to make up with him with Jason promising to quit his job working for Gertrude and leave it all behind. He finds an old walkie talkie which he gives to Trudy to "talk to Santa."

Santa arrives at the Lightstone estate to deliver gifts, when the catering staff and some servants reveal themselves to be part of a group of mercenaries, led by a man known as "Mr. Scrooge" where they all use Christmas code-names, and take the family hostage. Santa gets into a fight with one of the henchmen whose gunfire scares away the reindeer. Santa inadvertently kills the henchman when a string of Christmas lights pulls him out of the window and is impaled on an icicle decoration outside. Santa later kills another henchman, stabbing him in the eye with a tree topper, before plugging it in and electrocuting him. Taking the henchman's walkie talkie, Santa accidentally finds Trudy's channel and, seeing that she is on his nice list, decides to help save her while also finding that all the mercenaries are on his naughty list.

Over the course of the night, it is revealed that Mr. Scrooge is after $300 million given to the Lightstone company to funnel oil into the Middle East, but was stolen by Gertrude and kept in the mansion's vault. When Trudy's walkie talkie is discovered, Jason and Linda attempt to convince the mercenaries that Trudy is simply playing make-believe. When she refuses to go along, Jason tells her that Santa isn't real causing her to run and hide in the attic. Over the walkie, Santa reveals that before he was Santa, he was a Viking warrior, giving context to his barbaric nature. He confirms to her that he is real by telling her about the letters she wrote to him. Santa is taken hostage by Scrooge, who wants to ruin Christmas because his father was laid off in his childhood, so he never had a good Christmas. He snuck into a house to steal gifts and inadvertently caused the death of an elderly man. Scrooge and his henchmen Gingerbread and Candy Cane are stunned when Santa reveals his knowledge of their identities before Santa escapes through the chimney.

Gertrude's "kill squad" arrives to the mansion, but they are on Scrooge's payroll, killing Morgan in the process. The squad's commander Thorpe opens the vault which contains nothing. With a gun to Linda's head, Jason confesses that he stole the money and was planning to escape with Linda and Trudy, which shocks everyone but Gertrude, who learned of this from Jason's gift that she was forced to open by Scrooge's lead henchman Krampus but acknowledged as part of a Lightstone rite of passage.

Santa retreats to a shed where he discovers a hammer. Inspired, he brutally slaughters the kill squad before rushing to save Trudy. Upstairs, Trudy creates traps inspired by Home Alone. This leads to Gingerbread being killed by a bowling ball driving a nail into his head. Candy Cane escapes her traps and prepares to kill Trudy, but she is rescued by Santa who kills Candy Cane.

The family is taken outside by Scrooge and Commander Thorpe. Jason surrenders the money, but Scrooge intends to kill the family anyway. Santa arrives, forcing Scrooge, Commander Thorpe and the remaining soldiers to flee. Santa crashes into an old cabin in the woods where Scrooge, finding the list, acknowledges Santa is real, but wants to kill him to end Christmas. Scrooge gains the upper hand, but Santa flies up the cabin's chimney, eviscerating Scrooge's body. Commander Thorpe shoots Santa, but he is quickly killed by Gertrude. Santa succumbs to his wounds.

Trudy is able to get her family to believe in Santa, and burn $500,000 in paper money to keep Santa's body warm. Eventually, Santa is revived, stunning the family and Santa himself. The reindeer return and Santa bids goodbye to Trudy before flying off to finish delivering gifts with his inspiration and love for Christmas renewed.



Monday, December 26, 2022

Movie: Black Adam (2022) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Black Adam



Came out; 2022

Time; 2 hours 5 minutes

Watched: HBO Max


Rating; PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language


IMDB Rating; 6.5/10


Caution; Spoiler Alert


Staring.

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

Aldis Hodge as Hawkman

Pierce Brosnan as Dr Fate

Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher

Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz

Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone

Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael

Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz

Mohammed Amer as Karim


Story Line.


Reawakening after 5000 years, Black Adam becomes the world's ruthless protector: an anti-villain to take on the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman. Now in the 21st-Century, Black Adam must face off against the Justice Society of America and its heroes: Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Cyclone. The fate of the world hangs in the balance


Thoughts.


I generally like superhero movies. I'm not the biggest fan of DC, I do like the campiness of them vs the seriousness of Marvel.


I have liked that in everyone they are referred to as Meta-Humans and Amanda Waller always being in charge. It ties the movies all in together.


This seemed really like a knock off of marvel with the characters

Hawkman vs Hawkeye

Atom Smasher vs Ant Man


Like can we not copy and paste? All in all, it was decent. The movie did keep your attention with the action and plot.


CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert


Five thousand years ago, the city of Kahndaq was under the tyrannical rule of king Anh-Kot, who intended to create the Crown of Sabbac, which is known to give the wearer great power. After enslaving his people and forcing them to dig for "Eternium" - the magical crystal needed to create the crown - a young boy leads the slaves to revolt against him. When the boy is given the power of Shazam, transforming him into Kahndaq's heroic champion Teth-Adam, he kills Anh-Kot and ends his reign.

In the present day, Khandaq is oppressed by the Intergang. Archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz tries to locate the Crown of Sabbac, with the help of her brother Karim, and colleagues, Samir and Ishmael. As Adrianna obtains the crown, they are ambushed by the Intergang, killing Samir in the process. Adrianna accidentally reads an incantation which awakens Adam from his slumber, who subsequently slaughters most of the Intergang troops. After an Intergang soldier shoots an Eternium rocket at Adam which renders him comatose, it is revealed that Ishmael is an Intergang member who intends to take the crown for himself.

Government official Amanda Waller learns of the incident and contacts Carter Hall / Hawkman to assist in taking Adam into custody. Hawkman is accompanied by his fellow members of the Justice Society of America (consisting of Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone, and Albert "Al" Rothstein / Atom Smasher) to stop Adam.

Adrianna sees an inscription on an inner part of the Crown which states "Life is the only way to Death". Adrianna's son Amon sees Adam as Khandaq's hero, but Adam denies it and departs. Wanting to prove to Kahndaq that their champion has reawakened, Amon makes a ruckus with the Intergang, successfully leading Adam to intervene and overpower them. The JSA arrive in time to stop Adam from doing further destruction. As they fight, Fate senses that Adrianna has the Crown of Sabbac. They manage to stop Adam for a while before he flees to the ruins of Anh-Kot's palace. The JSA ask Adrianna to give them the crown, but she declines until they tell her the truth that Adam was the one who lost control of his power five thousand years ago and destroyed most of Khandaq.

The crown is given to Amon, who takes it back home. Ishmael is there with Karim, and reveals his true colors. Amon runs away from Ishmael, who shoots and wounds Karim, and chases Amon. Meanwhile, Adrianna and the JSA meet Adam, and attempt to convince him that he can be a hero to Khandaq, before Amon calls Adrianna, who pleads to Adam to save him. Adam immediately comes to the rescue, but Ishmael manages to abduct Amon and flees on an Eternium bike. Adam tries to rescue Amon by dealing with the Intergang on bikes to no avail. As Adam goes back to Adrianna's home, Hawkman manages to capture two Intergang members and interrogate them about their hideout. Adam uses brute force to interrogate both of them and learns where the Intergang's hideout is, but his way of interrogation enrages Hawkman. As Adam and Hawkman fight, they find that Amon hid the Crown of Sabbac in plain sight. They intend to use the Crown to trade with Amon and must fight side by side to save him. On their way, Fate reveals to Hawkman of his premonition about Hawkman's death.

They reach Ishmael, who reveals that he is the last descendant of King Anh-Kot and, wanting his rightful place in the throne, demands the crown, which Adrianna willingly gives to save Amon's life. Unfortunately, Ishmael betrays his part of the deal by shooting Amon and putting the crown on himself. As Adam tries to save Amon, he loses control again and destroys the hideout with his power, until the JSA protects Amon and Adrianna as Ishmael dies in the process.

Guilt-ridden, Adam flees to the ruins again. There, he reveals to Hawkman that it was actually Hurut, his son, who was Khandaq's champion; knowing that Hurut was invincible, the king's men executed Hurut's family instead, killing Isis and mortally wounding Adam in the process. Hurut gave his power to Adam to save him, but Anh-Kot's archer managed to kill the now-powerless Hurut. Enraged, Adam slaughtered all of the king's men, before he was summoned by the wizards of Shazam, who imprisoned him after deeming him unworthy. Feeling incapable of becoming Khandaq's champion and protecting it, Adam then surrenders to the JSA, who take him to Waller's underwater prison. Soon after, Fate continues to see the ominous premonition. It is later revealed that Ishmael intentionally made Adam kill him so that he can be reborn as Sabbac, which he succeeds in doing so, and arises from the underworld to Khandaq to claim his throne.

The JSA arrive in time trying to stop Sabbac, who summons the undead to Khandaq. Adrianna and Amon fight them, with Karim joining them. Amon asks for the people of Khandaq to fight together against the undead for Kahndaq's freedom.

The JSA prepare to face Sabbac in Anh-Kot's ruins. However, Fate creates a magical force field which forbids Hawkman, Cyclone and Atom Smasher from coming into the ruins, and reveals that Hawkman's death can be avoided, with Fate's sacrifice. Fate then fights Sabbac alone, and at the same time uses astral projection to release Adam from his suspended animation so Adam can help them. Adam manages to escape the prison, but Sabbac kills Fate. Fate's death causes the force field to disappear, allowing Hawkman, Cyclone and Atom Smasher try to fight Sabbac, who overpowers them. Just as he is about to kill the JSA, Adam arrives, and engages Sabbac, but is slowly losing as Sabbac's power can harm him. Hawkman uses Fate's helmet to create magical duplicates and spells, having learned from Fate, to help Adam kill Sabbac, ultimately stopping the undead.

The JSA depart on good terms with Adam, who accepts his new role as protector of Khandaq rather than its ruler. In a mid-credits' scene, Waller communicates with a defiant Adam, warning him about forces ready to stop him, before he is confronted by Superman.



Movie: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery



Came out; 2022

Time; 2 hours 19 minutes

Watched: Netflix


Rating; PG-13 for strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content


IMDB Rating; 7.4/10


Caution; Spoiler Alert


Staring;

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc

Edward Norton as Miles Bron

Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay

Dave Bautista as Duke Cody

Janelle Monae as Andi Brand

Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella

Leslie Odom Jr as Lionel Toussaint

Jessica Henwick as Peg

Madelyn Cline as Whiskey

Noal Segan as Derol

Jackie Hoffman as Ma

Dallas Roberts as Devon Debella

Ethan Hawke as Efficient Man

Hugh Grant as Phillip


Story Line;


Five long-time friends are invited to the Greek island home of billionaire Miles Bron. All five know Bron from way back and owe their current wealth, fame and careers to him. The main event is a murder weekend game with Bron to be the victim. In reality, they all have reasons to kill him. Also invited is Benoit Blanc, the world's greatest detective


Thoughts;


This movie was great! I loved Knives Out, it was so perfectly put together that I was super excited for this one. We literally counted down and watched it as soon as we could on netflix!

This one is a little campy compared to the first one, however it's written in the same style with the same types of twists. Daniel Craig does not disappoint and

figures out the murder mystery before it even happens in an extremely funny dinner scene


This movie combines comedy, murder mystery and multiple character plot lines all into one great movie



CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert


During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Miles Bron, the billionaire co-founder of the Manhattan technology company Alpha, decides to host a murder mystery weekend at his mansion, the Glass Onion, on his private island in Greece. He invites five friends: Alpha head scientist Lionel Toussaint, Connecticut governor Claire Debella, fashion designer Birdie Jay, men's rights streamer Duke Cody, and fellow co-founder and ousted Alpha CEO Cassandra "Andi" Brand. Detective Benoit Blanc also has an invitation and joins the group along with Birdie's assistant Peg and Duke's girlfriend Whiskey.

Upon arrival, Miles questions Blanc's presence, but allows him to stay, assuming that another guest invited him as a joke. Blanc overhears Peg confront Miles over a PR statement he wants Birdie to release and sees Duke watch Whiskey Flirting with Miles on a bed. Before dinner, Miles shows off the Mona Lisa that he has on loan from the Louvre and reveals that the Glass Onion is powered by "Klear", a hydrogen-based alternative fuel that Alpha will launch in a week despite Lionel and Claire's safety concerns.

Blanc solves the murder mystery immediately and tensions over Andi's presence culminate in her leaving the party. Suddenly, Duke collapses and dies after drinking from Miles's glass; the panicking group suspects Andi. After the group discovers that Duke's pistol is missing, the power goes out, and everyone splits up in a panic. Blanc finds Andi but an unseen assailant shoots her. Blanc gathers the rest of the group and announces that he has solved Andi's murder.

An extended flashback shows that Andi actually died a week before the trip, and her twin sister Helen Brand hired Blanc to investigate Andi's death. Andi had recently been ousted from Alpha based on her safety concerns around Klear. She lost the subsequent trial after the group perjured themselves: claiming Miles had drawn the idea for Alpha on a napkin. But Andi rediscovered her original napkin and emailed a photo of the evidence to the group. Helen suspects that someone in the group killed Andi to avoid being discredited, as well as gain favor with Miles. With news of Andi's death still private, Blanc asks Helen to pose as Andi for the weekend trip, helping him investigate.

Helen helps Blanc discover motives for the group to protect Miles: Lionel and Claire have already staked their reputations on Klear, Birdie is being paid off to take responsibility for using a sweatshop in Bangladesh, and Duke is using Whiskey to seduce Miles in exchange for a role at Alpha News. Helen also discovers that all four other guests had visited Andi's home the day of the murder. Blanc and Helen ruin the party so she can search the guest rooms for the napkin. When Blanc finds her again that night, he instructs her to also search Miles's office. The assailant's bullet is blocked by Andi's journal in Helen's jacket pocket, and Blanc subsequently fakes her death to the other guests, creating an opportunity for Helen to search the office.

In the art room, Blanc concludes that Miles was responsible for both murders. Miles killed Andi after learning about the napkin's reemergence from Lionel and was spotted leaving by Duke. After news of the death was released online during the party, Duke realized the truth and attempted to blackmail Miles. This prompted Miles to poison Duke based on his food allergy with pineapple juice, then snatching Duke's pistol to later shoot Helen. Helen locates the original napkin in Miles's office and her true identity is revealed to the group. However, Miles burns the napkin and gloats about eliminating the evidence against him. Helen begins to destroy Miles's glass sculptures, which motivates the others to do the same. She then lights a bonfire and throws a sample of Klear into it, setting off an explosion that destroys the Glass Onion and the Mona Lisa, though everyone survives. Knowing the subsequent investigation would discover the dangers of Klear and ruin Miles, the group decides to testify against him. Helen and Blanc sit on the beach as they watch the police arrive.



Monday, December 12, 2022

Movie: It Chapter Two (2019) Caution Spoiler Alerts

 It Chapter Two



Came out; 2019

Time; 2 hours 49 minutes

Watched: HBO Max


Rating; R for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language and some crude sexual material


IMDB Rating; 6.5/10


Caution; Spoiler Alert


Staring.

Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh

James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough

Bill Hader as Richie Tozier

Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon

Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom

James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak

Andy Bean as Stanley Uris

Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise

Jaeden Martell as Young Bill Denbrough

Wyatt Oleff as Young Stanley Uris

Jack Dylan Grazer as Young Eddie Kaspbrak

Finn Wolfhard as Young Richie Tozier

Sophia Lillis as Young Beverly Marsh

Chosen Jacobs as Young Mike Hanlon

Jeremy Ray Taylor as Young Ben Hanscom

Teach Grant as Henry Bowers

Nicholas Hamilton as Young Henry Bowers


Story Line.


Defeated by members of the Losers' Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults, the childhood friends have long since gone their separate ways. But when people start disappearing, Mike Hanlon calls the others home for one final stand. Damaged by scars from the past, the united Losers must conquer their deepest fears to destroy the shape-shifting Pennywise -- now more powerful than ever


Thoughts.


Another movie that I wanted to see when it first came out but just put on the back burner. I love the first one along with the original staring Tim Curry and read the book. My parents have almost all Steven King's books so I'm very familiar with them.


Loved that it played as true to the book as a movie could. The graphics/CGI was fantastic in this, and I know Bill Skarsgard has said to have had nightmares about his role he did an amazing job as the original killer clown!


It was a long movie, but it didn't feel long because it sucked you in and kept going. It was perfect and I enjoyed every second of it


CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert


This sequel to the 2017 film opens in 1989. Shortly after defeating the evil entity known as Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), the Losers Club - Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Martell), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer), Stanley Uris (Wyatt Olef), and Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs) - gather as Bev tells the boys about the vision she saw of all of them as adults when she faced Pennywise. The Losers make a blood pact to return to Derry in the event that they must face IT once more.

27 years later in 2016, a gay couple - Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan) and Don Hagarty (Taylor Frey) - are enjoying a night out at the carnival when they are harassed by homophobic thugs. Even as they walk away from the carnival, the thugs follow them and start to viciously assault them. They throw Adrian over the bridge and flee into the night. Adrian almost drowns until he is pulled out of the water... except the one who pulled him out was Pennywise. Don watches in horror as the monster clown grabs Adrian and takes a huge bite out of his chest. Mike (now played by Isiah Mustafa) overhears a report of the incident over a police scanner, and when he arrives at the scene, he discovers the message "COME HOME" written in blood on the side of the bridge. Mike knows that IT has returned.

We catch up with the other Losers in adulthood. Bill (now played by James McAvoy) is married to Audra (Jess Weixler) and has found success as an author/screenwriter, but he is frequently told that his endings are not good. Eddie (now played by James Ransone) is a risk assessor who is married to a woman, Myra (Mollie Atkinson), who is just as controlling as his own mother. Ben (now played by Jay Ryan) has slimmed down and is a successful architect, though he lives alone. Richie (now played by Bill Hader) is a stand-up comedian. Stanley (now played by Andy Bean) is a partner in an accounting firm. Bev (now played by Jessica Chastain) is a fashion designer, married to the abusive Tom Rogan (Will Beinbrink). Mike calls everyone, and they do not immediately recognize his voice until he mentions he is from Derry. Everybody becomes slightly unnerved by the phone call, and Mike beckons them to return to Derry. Bev tells Tom that she will be returning to Derry to visit friends, but he is paranoid and thinks she is lying to him and is cheating on him since he heard Mike's name. Tom starts to hit Bev until she fights back and runs away from their home. The other guys start to make their way back to Derry. The only one who doesn't go is Stanley, as he commits suicide by slitting his wrists in the tub rather than facing the nightmare from his childhood again.

A flashback shows that psychotic bully Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) survived being pushed down the well by Mike and had washed out of the sewers. When he returned home, police arrested him after they came across the body of Henry's father and deduced that he murdered him. Today, Henry (now played by Teach Grant) is in a mental institution and has become even more insane. He is visited by Pennywise in the form of a zombified Patrick Hockstetter (Owen Teague), who presents Henry with his old knife.

The Losers meet at the Jade of the Orient restaurant and catch up after a long absence. They joke and reminisce, but also note Stanley's absence. They start to split fortune cookies, only to each get single word fortunes that they realize form a full message. Bev's fortune reads "Stanley", and put together, the fortunes read "Guess Stanley Could Not Cut It". The Losers know that Pennywise has found them. The fortune cookies then start to crack open and reveal hideous little spider-like creatures. The Losers bash at them on the table, which only makes them look crazy when others see them attacking a table. Outside the restaurant, Bev calls Stanley's wife. Before she can say what happened, Bev knows that Stanley was found in a bathtub, and the other guys figure what happened to him.

Everyone gathers at the hotel where they are staying, and Mike confesses that this is the real reason he summoned everyone back to Derry. They ask Bev how she knew how Stanley died, and she says she has seen how they all die, as she was the only one who saw the Deadlights when Pennywise captured her. Bill goes back to Mike's house, where Mike drugs Bill's water to cause him to experience a trippy vision. Mike explains that in all the time he has stayed in Derry, he has studied the history of IT and learned from a Native American tribe of the Ritual of Chud, which can be performed to destroy IT once and for all. He produces a ritualistic piece of pottery with a depiction of the ritual. They bring it back to the other Losers, and Mike explains that they need to gather artifacts from their childhood and place it in the pottery so that they can destroy Pennywise.

Somewhere else in Derry, we see a little girl named Victoria (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) at a football game with her mom. Victoria is lured away by a firefly, and she follows it under the bleachers until she meets Pennywise. He uses the same manipulative trick on her to make her think he is playful, and he appeals to her sympathy when he cries about not having friends, as Victoria is made fun of for a birthmark on her cheek. Pennywise promises to make it go away, only to end up devouring Victoria.

The Losers go to an old clubhouse that Ben built for them over the summer they all became friends. There, they find an artifact for Stanley, which is a shower cap. A flashback shows them as kids with Stanley asking if they will all remain friends as adults. His friends assured him that they would be.

The gang splits up as they head back to their homes in Derry. Bev goes to her old home and meets the elderly Mrs. Kersh (Joan Gregson). She invites Bev inside for tea and cookies as Bev looks around. She finds an old pack of cigarettes, as well as the poem that Ben wrote for her, although she still thinks it was written by Bill. As Bev sits with Mrs. Kersh, the old woman displays unusual behavior. Bev notices what looks like rotted flesh on Mrs. Kersh's chest. She mentions to Bev that her father joined the circus. Bev sees what looks like a human Pennywise in an old picture. Mrs. Kersh then asks Bev if she is "daddy's little girl," as her father had called her. The old woman is then revealed to be Pennywise as she takes on a grotesque and monstrous form that chases Bev out. Before Bev gets away, she sees Pennywise in his human form as "Bob Gray", who wears his clown makeup and scratches the red lines on his face to taunt Bev.

Richie goes to an old arcade he went to as a kid where he picks up a token as his artifact. In a flashback, he is seen playing a game with Henry's cousin, and the bully teases Richie for being a "fairy". Adult Richie is then found and tormented by Pennywise, who claims to know his "dirty little secret." He takes on the form of a Paul Bunyan statue and tries to attack Richie, but he gets away in time.

Bill goes to an antique shop and sees that his old bike is on sale. He asks the shop owner (played by none other than Stephen King) if he can buy the bike. The owner knows of Bill's work, but agrees that his endings suck. Bill gets the bike and rides around his old street, passing the sewer where Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) was taken. Pennywise taunts Bill with an apparition of Georgie calling to him from the sewers. Bill is almost lured in by the monster clown. As he rides away, he sees a kid named Dean (Luke Roessler), whom the gang had seen at the restaurant because he is a fan of Richie's stand-up. Dean has also seen Pennywise lately after Bill had mentioned it. He firmly orders Dean to get himself and his family out of Derry as soon as possible.

Ben gets an old yearbook page, in which Bev was the only one to write for him. He is haunted by a flashback to his childhood where Pennywise took on Bev's form to ridicule Ben for his weight, as Pennywise knew that Ben loved Bev, and he still harbors feelings for her to this day. Her form's head took fire as Ben hid in a locker, only for Pennywise to be in there with him.

Eddie goes to the pharmacy where he would pick up his medications. Creepy Mr. Keene (Joe Bostick) and Gretta (Juno Rinaldi) still work there. Eddie gets an inhaler before he is haunted by Pennywise in the form of his mother being attacked by the Leper (Javier Botet).

Henry kills a guard and escapes the institution. He finds the Losers and attacks Eddie by stabbing him in the cheek. He manages to pull the knife out and stab Henry in the chest, albeit non-fatally, and he runs to his friends for help. However, Henry gets away again before he is caught.

In another Pennywise haunting, Bill sees the message "The fun is just beginning" written, which is what Dean said to Richie at the restaurant, itself a line from Richie's stand-up. Bill knows that Pennywise is referring to Dean, and he goes to a carnival to try and save the boy after learning he will be there. Bill follows Dean into a hall of mirrors, but Dean just thinks Bill is a crazy weirdo. The two are then found by Pennywise, who bares his long tongue and razor-sharp teeth. Bill desperately tries to kick the glass out to save Dean, but Pennywise breaks through first and brutally attacks the boy, blocking Bill's view. Bill can only watch in horror as he fails to save the boy.

Mike is in the library where Henry finds him and attacks him. Not long after, Richie comes and kills Henry by stabbing him in the back of the head. This causes Richie to puke.

Bill reunites with his friends and vows to kill IT himself. His friends gather their artifacts and they join him at the Neibolt House to face off the evil entity for the last time. While there, they make it into Pennywise's lair and use the pottery to begin the ritual. The Losers throw in their artifacts, being Bev's poem, Ben's yearbook page, Richie's token, Eddie's inhaler, the boat that Bill helped make with Georgie, and a rock that Mike recovered from their rock war with the Bowers gang. The Deadlights appear and sink into the pottery with the artifacts, but just when it seems that things worked, out rises a red balloon that produces Pennywise. He faces the Losers again in his true form, as a monstrous spider that still carries his clown face, and he states how he has waited so long to see them again. Mike then reveals that the ritual never worked, and the tribe that attempted it on Pennywise got killed themselves. He splits the Losers up with more nightmare visions, including one of Stanley's severed head as a spider.

Eddie and Richie find themselves in a similar scenario to when they were kids as Pennywise places three doors with "Scary", "Very Scary", and "Not Scary At All" for them to walk through. They see the severed half of Betty Ripsom's body, as well as a small Pomeranian that morphs into a monster. Meanwhile, Ben and Bev are trapped and split from each other, and Pennywise tries to kill Ben by having him sink into the earth while Bev is trapped in an illusion of a bathroom stall where he is harassed by the forms of Mr. Keene, Gretta, Henry, and her own father. Bev fights back against the visions and manages to pull Ben out from sinking, and she realizes he is the one who wrote her the poem as he had recited it as he was almost dying.

Bill is trapped in what looks like his childhood basement. He sees his young self talking to Georgie, as the image of the little boy blames Bill for lying on the day that he died, as Bill had pretended to be sick so he wouldn't go out to play with Georgie in the rain. This had haunted Bill for years, and Pennywise knew he blamed himself for it. Young Bill goes to his adult self with a nail gun, but Adult Bill forgives himself and shoots the apparition instead.

The Losers get close enough to fight Pennywise, with Eddie managing to muster up the courage to strike Pennywise himself. As he runs to Richie, however, Pennywise impales Eddie with one of his talons. The Losers try to seek a way out of there, and they figure that since Pennywise is a spider, he can make himself small to try and go after them. They then quickly realize that the only way to make him small enough to defeat him is to force him to believe he is small. They begin to yell at Pennywise and call out all of his otherwise harmless forms before he starts to shrink and shrivel into a powerless shell of his former self. This allows the Losers to pull his heart out of his chest and crush it, destroying him for good. The lair begins to crumble and collapse around them. Richie tries to get Eddie out, but he is already dead. The Losers escape the house and watch as it collapses on itself.

The remaining five head to the quarry where they all swam as children. They think about Eddie and how he would have hated it since it's so dirty. Richie then starts to cry for his fallen friend, and the others console him. As they continue to swim, Ben and Bev share a kiss. As they later walk home, they see their reflections on a window and see their childhood selves, including Eddie and Stanley. One last flashback shows the group as kids riding their bikes home.

Later on, Bill has gone back to work with writing, and he feels his endings are getting better. He speaks on the phone to Mike, who is thinking about finally seeing the rest of the world. They tell one another that they love each other, and Mike mentions a letter that all the Losers have been getting. Bill finds his letter and sees that it's from Stanley, written before his suicide. We hear his voice reading the letter over a small montage of the other Losers in the present. Ben and Bev are now in a relationship, while Richie goes to a bridge where he carved his and Eddie's initials, revealing that he was in love with him. Stanley's letter states that he knew he could never be brave enough to face Pennywise again, so he removed himself from the equation to give his friends a chance to honor him, which would give them the strength to fight IT. He turned out to be right.

The film concludes with Mike driving away and finally leaving Derry.



Wax: Empties November 2022

 Wax Empties: 11/1-11/30/2022



YouTube.

None


Where to find me.

www.nettesthoughts.blogspot.com


waxidentscandles.com

www.facebook.com/waxidents

Instagram @ Waxidents

waxaccidents@hotmail.com


Disclaimer/Disclose.

All wax I have purchased, or it has been sent to me in swaps that I do. I try and remember and disclose that information. I am never sent anything for free from the vendors

These are my opinions and mine only. This is not meant to influence your purchase just to share with you my experiences with vendors

I will never, won't ever and have never bashed another vendor. Sharing my experiences both good and bad is not bashing.


I do not believe in Ass wax. If the wax is going to throw it's going to throw. No wax should need more than 2 weeks from pour date to fully cure.


Yes, I am a vendor. I have been purchasing wax and candles for as long as I can remember. I do love to share my experiences. I enjoy wax and candles and will continue to make my own and purchase, but I will never review my own here


I have a tendency to yawn when I get talking. Not sure why I just do! I'm sorry in advance


Things that drive me crazy.

No vendor or scent name on labels. This is basically advertising and why wouldn't you do it? Plus, if I get or send to someone else and they or me want more, how do they know who to buy it from?


All over prices. I have been noticing vendors lately have 2 ounces of one shape for a certain price, then the same ounces of a different shape for a different price. This is a huge turn off for me


Restocks that only have certain quantities and the sell out right away. I have no tolerance for that and just won't order


Vendors who take a single scent and make it sound like a blend. I feel like this is duping your customers and shouldn't be done. People who do empty videos, who are also vendors, that review their own product.


Vendors who get involved in other people's drama.


I use the following warmers.

20-watt Happy Wax warmer in my office

20-watt glade warmer in my family room; Currently no warmer here

20-watt Happy Wax warmer in my kitchen

20-watt glade warmer in my son's room

20-watt Scentsy Stargazer warmer in my bedroom (Light Bulb)

25-watt Happy Wax warmer in my living room

15-watt Scentsy warmer in the laundry room bathroom

15-watt Scentsy warmer in the main bathroom


The opinions I put here are my opinions/experiences only. I fully urge each and every one of you to form your own opinions/experiences on vendors for yourself by placing an order and getting a DE-stash. Candles have many aspects to them and if I say I had a hard time burning one candle that doesn't mean the rest from the same vendor will be like that.


Candles.


Retail; Yankee Candle

Scent; Warm Luxe Cashmere

Scent Description; Rich Vanilla Cream Mid: Winter Iris, Velvet Petals, Warm Cashmere Base: Amber Silk, Creamy Sandalwood, Patchouli

Thoughts: This smelled great on cold and during the first few burns, however it stopped burning clean, smelled super bad when blown out and seemed like it had to burn for 3+ hours before it even burned even

Hit or Miss; Both


Retail; Bath & Body Works

Scent; Sun-Kissed Coconut

Scent Description; Sweet Coconut + Ylang Ylang + Plumeria Petals

Thoughts: This was really light while burning and actually had puny wicks

Hit or Miss; Miss


Melting;


Vendor; The Glitterati Wax Company

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/GlitteratiCandleCo

Owner; Janine Jenzano


Scent; Wildberry Mousse + Warm Vanilla Sugar

Thoughts: I really liked this! The warm vanilla sugar toned down the wildberry mousse and made it a nice creamy type scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; Candy Kisses + Cucumber Melon

Thoughts: This is was a scent that I did not care for at all

Hit or Miss; Miss for scent


Vendor; Rose Girls

Web; https://www.rgwax.com/

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/rgwax/

Owner; Jenny Oaks


Scent: Lavender Bergamot Verbena

Thoughts: I loved this! This was a great relaxing scent! It just smelled so good

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; Simply Pink

Scent Description; All I could find is pink sugar spa

Thoughts: This does smell very good, it smells like pink sugar and a light floral

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Fresh Cucumber and Pink Sugar

Thoughts: This wasn't my favorite, the cucumber scent was really sweet so it wasn't too bad

Hit or Miss; Both


Vendor; Sweet Sage Scents

**This vendor is no longer open

Web; https://sweetsagescents.bigcartel.com/

Facebook; sweetsagescents.bigcartel.com/

Owner; Michelle Moon


Scent: Pugs on Wheels

Scent Description; Apple Harvest + Buttercream Cupcake + Cinnamon Buns

Thoughts: This was great! This was a perfect fall blend, the cinnamon buns were toned down by the other scents

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; Lunatic Asylum

Scent Description; Red Mac Apple + Falling Leaves + Toasted Marshmallow

Thoughts; This was amazing! It was a great and perfect fall scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; White Christmas

Scent Description; Toasted Marshmallow + Peppermint Fluff + Rose Jam

Thoughts: I actually really liked this one, even with the peppermint!

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Coconut Honey Bee

Scent Description; Creamy Coconut + Honey Bee

Thoughts: This was lighter based on the scents however it was a great creamy honey scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Red Mac Apple + Rosemary Mint + Baby Powder

Thoughts: This was not a scent that I liked, it was very strong on the mint

Hit or Miss; Miss


Scent: Violent Femmes

Scent Description; Just Peachy + Vanilla Bean Noel + Sparkle Cake + Sugar Cookie

Thoughts; This was really good and the peach wasn't too strong

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Destination Wax

Web; destinationwax.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/DestinationWAX

Owner; Rebecca Harris


Scent: Lavender Twilight

Thoughts: This was a strong musky lavender and it was super nice

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Pistachio & Magnolia

Scent Description; Pistachio Milk & magnolia flowers

Thoughts; This is a single oil and it always tends to be pretty light but it smells so good

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Lavender; Fresh

Thoughts; This was a super strong lavender scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Toasted Marshmallow & Spearmint

Thoughts; The mint wasn't overly strong which was nice

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Rainbow Melts

Web; www.rainbowmelts.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/rainbowmelts/

Owner; Crystal Grenier


Scent: Sparkling Citrus Lavender

Scent Description; Sweet Fizzy Citrus Lavender

Thoughts; This was mostly a fizzy lavender and it was great, the fizzy just brought something to the scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; Cupcake's at Tiffany's

Thoughts; This is a great scent, from any vendor

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor: Kitty's Konfections

*No Longer Open


Scent: American Dream

Scent Description; Cherry Slush + Blueberry Slush + Fizzy Soda

Thoughts: This was all kinds of good, poured in 2016 it still threw wonderfully

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Waxincredibles

Web; https://waxincredibles.com/

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/859386184234624

Owner; Nadine Theis


Scent: Aloha Pineapple Cake

Thoughts; This was all pineapple, it was very strong and beachy smelling

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Sunshine

Scent Description; Citrus top notes trickle down an exotic heart of jungle fruits and flowers over a sweet heart of sugary musk

Thoughts: This was a super strong sweet scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; L3 Waxy Wonders

Web; https://www.l3waxywonders.com/

Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/groups/L3WaxyWonders/

Owner; Jennifer Westing


Scent: Lemon Curd + Snuggle + Clothespins

Thoughts; I was worried that the lemon curd would be dominant, but it wasn't, it was nice and suttle

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent; Spun Sugar + Raspberry Whip + Buttermilk Pie

Thoughts; This was nice, the raspberry wasn't tart

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Ice Cream Scoop Bread + Sugared Shortbread + Buttermilk Pie

Thoughts; I loved this, it was so good

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Clothes Pins Strawberry Pink Chiffon

Thoughts: I loved this scent, it was such a great laundry scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Brown Sugar Cupcakes at Tiffany's Buttermilk Pie

Thoughts: Ohhhh this was soo good! I loved every second of this scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Mallow Fluff Blue Raspberry Jello

Thoughts; This was of course stronger on the blue raspberry but I wasn't mad at it!

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Sniff My Tarts

Web; http://www.sniffmytarts.com/

Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/groups/sniffmytarts/

Owner; Donna Haslam


Scent; Mandarin Marshmallow Coconut Fluff Cake

Thoughts; Because of my nose, I didn't get any mandarin, but I got the rest and it was a great creamy scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Ten Digit Creations

*Vendor is closed


Scent; Windy Candy Apple Blackberry Pie Fruit Punch

Thoughts; I didn't get much scent from this, it was very light

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Chloe and Me Candles

Web; https;//chloeanmecandles.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/chloeanmecandles

Owner; Staci Jones


Scent: Hibiscus Guava

Thoughts: This was a nice scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Lily & Hibiscus Medley

Thoughts: I loved this strong floral scent, it was amazing

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Gardenia Tubrose

Thoughts; I love all these floral scents, so nice and strong!

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Epic Wax

*This vendor is closed

Web; https://epicwax.com/

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/epicwaxmelts/

Owner; Jeremy Puth


Scent: Ocean Overlook

Scent Description; Jasmine, rose, lilac, sweet violets, musk and woods

Thoughts: Again another great floral scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Swanky

Web; www.swankycandlecompany.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/swankyscentgroup

Owner; Jeannie Jeffrey


Scent; Golden Sands + Cashmere Glow + Pink Sugar Sensual

Thoughts: Wow, this was an unexpected like!

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Kushner Kreations

Web; kushnerkreations.weebly.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/KushnerKreations

Owner; April Kushner


Scent: Bourbon Butterscotch

Thoughts: This was good, it smelled just like it sounds it would

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Everything Vice

Web; www.everythingvicewax.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/EVWax

Owner; LuLu Roman Haggerty


Scent: Hummingbird Smash Cake

Scent Description; Spiced Cake + Cinnamon + Brown Sugar + Cream Cheese Frosting + Pineapple + Banana + Pecans + Coconut Shreds

Thoughts: There was so much going on here, she makes these weird wax cakes them cuts them down into crumbles. This mostly smelled like cinnamon spiced cake but it was pretty good

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Blank Label

Web: blanklabelproducts.bigcartel.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/1055902964424068

Owner; Christy Hartshorn


Scent: Hushby Mountain

Scent Description; Lavender Bathtime Bath Type with extra Chamomile

Thoughts; This was really nice, very strong and soothing lavender

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Bizarre Love Triangle/Blackberry CCF

Scent Description: Sex on the Beach + Strawberry Raspberry Guava + Blackberry + Cotton Candy Frosting

Thoughts: This was very nice, I'm not a huge fan of sex on the beach but blended with all these scents it smelled great

Hit or Miss; Hit


Scent: Minnie's Polka Dot Dress

Scent Description: Strawberry Soda + Salt Water Taffy

Thoughts: Ok, this was amazing! These scents together smelled amazing

Hit or Miss; Hit


Vendor; Waxmosphere

Web; www.waxmosphere.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/waxmosphere

www.facebook.com/groups/TheTurdminator

Owner; Mischelle Martell


Scent: Sun & Sand

Scent Description: Saltwater + Sand & Suntan Lotion

Thoughts: This was a super nice beach scent

Hit or Miss; Hit


Bath & Body


Vendor; Kushner Kreations

Web; kushnerkreations.weebly.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/KushnerKreations

Owner; April Kushner


What; Shower Slushie

Scent; Ultimate Slushie

Thoughts: OMG I loved this! The blue raspberry was the strongest and I was totally ok with that

Hit or Miss; Hit