Movie: The Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Muppets Haunted Mansion

Came out; 2021

Time; 50 Minutes

Watched: Disney Plus

Rated: TV-PG

IMDB Rating; 6.3/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Will Arnett as The Host

Taraji P. Henson as The Bride

Darren Criss as The Caretaker

Yvette Nicole Brown as The Driver

Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo

Bill Barretta as Pepe

Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy

Matt Vogel as Kermit the Frog

Story Line;

With most of the Muppets having fun at Kermit and Miss Piggy's annual Halloween party, Gonzo the Great and Pepe the King Prawn have decided to take on an epic fear challenge: spend an entire night in the impenetrable castle of the legendary magician, The Great MacGuffin. As the unsuspecting guests meander through the labyrinthine corridors of the gloomy tower, hoping to rub shoulders with glamorous celebrities, spine-chilling, blood-curdling events occur, forcing them to face their biggest fears. What have Gonzo and Pepe gotten themselves into this time? Will they stay alive in the most dangerous place on Earth, or will they spend eternity in the Muppets' Haunted Mansion?

Thoughts:

I thought why not, I actually really like The Muppet's and The Haunted Mansion. Figured putting them together would be a fun ride.

Of course this is a kids movie, and it was cute but not close to the story of The Haunted Mansion or really The Muppets. I was honestly a little disappointed.

Kermit and Miss Piggy only had smaller parts but the voice of Kermit was off. I loved seeing Gonzo in a starring role but it wasn't the same Muppets of my childhood.

This all sounds so stupid considering it's a kids movie!

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Instead of attending the Muppets' annual Halloween party, Gonzo and Pepe are on their way to a fear challenge event in the same haunted mansion where Gonzo's favorite magician, The Great MacGuffin, disappeared one-hundred years ago. Upon being dropped off by their hearse driver (Yvette Nicole Brown), Gonzo and Pepe meet the Caretaker (Darren Criss), along with several ghosts and singing busts.

Their "Ghost Host" (Will Arnett) tells Gonzo that he has been summoned to the mansion to see if he can survive one night. If he cannot, he and Pepe will be trapped there forever. While Gonzo claims that he fears nothing, Pepe is easily scared by everything he sees in the mansion. After meeting Madame Pigota (who resembles Miss Piggy), Gonzo and Pepe come across a room full of several ghosts resembling various Muppets. The Host soon appears and informs Gonzo that in order to survive the mansion he must face his fears in Room 999.

As Gonzo is led to the room, Pepe meets and becomes entranced by the ghost of Constance Hatchaway (Taraji P. Henson), who plans to marry and then kill him as he meets the ghosts of her past husbands. Gonzo is trapped in Room 999 (with the room's number sign turning upside down to read "666") and starts to turn old as his reflection taunts him. Recalling a conversation with Kermit he had earlier, Gonzo realizes he is indeed afraid of something: that no one will like him if he does not do dangerous stunts. He then remembers the Host's advice of facing his fears being the key to escaping the room after fearing he will be trapped in the mansion forever. Finally, Gonzo ultimately realizes he is afraid of never seeing his friends again and the room de-ages and releases him.

The Host congratulates Gonzo for facing his fears and tells him that he is free to go so long as he makes it out by sunrise. After realizing that Pepe is in trouble, Gonzo refuses to leave without him. With the help of the Host's candelabra, Gonzo is able to find Pepe and stop the wedding. The pair jump out the window and make it out of the mansion just as the sun rises.

The Host meets them at the gate, revealing himself to be the Great MacGuffin, who is impressed that Gonzo was willing to do what he could not; face his fears. The hearse driver picks them up and Kermit calls asking to meet the pair for breakfast. He then comments that Gonzo and Pepe should bring their friends along, leading the two to turn and see the Hitchhiking Ghosts behind them.

Movie: Five Night's at Freddy's (2023) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Five Nights at Freddy's

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 49 minutes

Watched: Peacock

Rated: PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images and language

IMDB Rating; 5.6/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Josh Hutcherson as Mike

Piper Rubio as Abby

Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa

Matthew Lillard as Steve Raglan/William Afton

Mary Steward Masterson as Aunt Jane

Kat Conner Sterling as Max

Story Line;

Mike Schmidt, a night guard at a local diner, becomes troubled after confronting the truth about the animatronic costumes that reside: they aren't just robots. They are alive. Will he be able to survive all five nights at this haunted diner? Or is something more sinister at play?

Thoughts:

This was Willy's Wonderland with heart. It wasn't a bad movie, and I personally don't know the Five Night's at Freddy's story line, but having seen the first movie it was very similar.

I spent some time watching this trying to figure out why Mike was given the job, it was clear that Steve was up to something but figuring it out was hard and I loved that! 

It had such a twist ending. Matthew Lillard is such a great actor with amazing range. I love watching his movies, from Scooby Doo to this one!

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Mike Schmidt, a mall cop, loses his job after assaulting a negligent father who he confused for being a kidnapper. He is sent to visit career counselor Steve Raglan, who offers him work as a night guard at an abandoned family diner known as Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Though initially reluctant, Mike accepts the offer after social services threaten to take custody of his younger sister Abby, and pass her over to his estranged aunt Jane, due to concerns of Mike's emotional stress.

On the first night, Mike falls asleep and has a dream where he witnesses the kidnapping and presumed murder of his brother Garrett, whom was taken away by an unknown man. Mike is then met by five unknown children whom allegedly witnessed the kidnapping, and promptly run away. On the second night, Mike meets police officer Vanessa Shelly, who shows him around the restaurant and tells him that the place closed in the 1980s after five children were murdered there; the bodies were never found. Mike's dream is repeated, though after Mike attempts to confront one of the children, he is attacked and wakes up to find himself wounded physically, though his wounds are treated by Vanessa.

On the third night, Jane hires a group of delinquents to vandalize the restaurant in order to get Mike fired, an act which would enable her to gain custody of Abby. As the break-in occurs, the restaurant's animatronic mascots - Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy and Bonnie - come alive and murder the delinquents. One of the vandals happens to be Abby's babysitter Max, which requires Mike to bring Abby to his next shift. The animatronics become active once more, being hostile towards Mike though being friendly towards Abby. The animatronics befriend her, though Vanessa and Mike are hesitant, with the latter discovering that the animatronics are possessed by the ghosts of dead children, whom are led by a boy with blonde hair and allegedly talk about a "yellow rabbit" consistently.

In between shifts, Mike explains the disappearance of Garrett when he was young, which became a cold case and that he had been taking sleeping pills every night in order to repeat his dreams and find who kidnapped his brother. After panicking from Abby's increasing relationship with the animatronics on the fourth night, Vanessa warns Mike to not bring her to the restaurant again. Mike gets Jane to babysit Abby, much to her frustration, as he goes back to the restaurant during the day and overdoses on his sleeping pills.

Inside the dream, the five children appear again and tell Mike that he can stay with Garrett forever, in exchange for Abby. At Mike's house, Jane is murdered by "Golden Freddy", a variant of Freddy Fazbear possessed by the blonde boy, who takes Abby back to the restaurant. Mike is attacked several times inside of his dream and wakes up strapped to a torture device that attempts to tear off his face. He escapes the machine and flees the restaurant, but is critically injured until Vanessa arrives to help him.

After Mike details his dream, Vanessa reveals that she is the daughter of the serial killer that murdered his brother and the other five children, William Afton, and that the animatronics and souls of the children are under his control. She also tells him that they will likely attempt to murder Abby, much to Mike's dismay. He drives to the restaurant with the necessary equipment to disable the animatronics and save Abby, who is taken into a backroom by Chica. Chica tries to kill Abby by stuffing her inside of an animatronic suit with springlocks, though Mike disables most of the animatronics and saves Abby. However, he is attacked by Chica's cupcake and is separated from Abby, who is attacked by Foxy but is saved by Vanessa. Both animatronics are defeated, but as the group try to leave the restaurant, William, revealed to have been posing as "Steve Raglan" and having murdered Garrett, appears wearing the now-decaying Spring Bonnie suit, knocks Mike unconscious, and re enables the animatronics.

Knowing that they need to understand the truth, Abby begins drawing a picture of William murdering the children, while Vanessa distracts and shoots him but is afterwards stabbed. Abby shows her drawing to the animatronics, causing them to turn on William. Surrounded by the pizzeria's main mascots, part of his suit gets bitten off by the cupcake animatronic, triggering the springlock machinery inside of it and crushing his body as he is dragged into the back room of the restaurant and locked away. Mike and Abby carry a wounded Vanessa out of the restaurant, though she falls into a coma afterwards and is taken to a hospital. Mike continues to look after Abby and they return to their normal lives.

In a mid-credits scene, Golden Freddy watches as the dying William bleeds out in the corner, closing the door on him soon after. In a post-credits scene, Balloon Boy is shown appearing inside a taxi driver's car.

Wax: Glitterati: October Mystery Box

 Vendor; The Glitterati Wax Company

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/GlitteratiCandleCo

Owner; Janine Jenzano

Scent: North Pole + Mrs Claus Cookies + Marshmallow Fireside

Scent: Strawberry Soda + Salt Water Taffy + Serendipity

Scent: Gourd Grief

Scent Description: Pumpkin Cupcake + Sugared Pumpkin Donuts + Hint of Gingerbread

Scent: Lemon Lavender Shortbread

Scent: Strawberry Yeast Rolls

Scent: Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow + Apple Pie + Toasted Marshmallow

Scent: Pumpkin Ice Cream + Pumpkin Oatmeal + Sugar Cookie Dough

Scent: Coconut + Cashmere Cedar + Coco Butter Cashmere + Vanilla Lace

Scent: Country Fair + Goddess (Coconut + Berries + Floral Must)

Scent: Wildberry Crumb Cake + Blackberry + Toasted Marshmallow + Bonfire

Scent: Mrs Claus Cookies

Scent: Cranberry Rhubarb + Marshmallow + Pie Crust + Vanilla Bean Noel

Overall Order Thoughts:

I don't go out of my way to try and order from this vendor. I feel that even though her wax is good it's a bit overpriced and hard to get. The hard-to-get part is a good marketing strategy on the vendor's part really.

Mystery Boxes can also be a crap shoot as you could get nothing but scents you don't like, but this one is the best one I've ever gotten!

There is only one scent I'm iffy about because I don't generally like lavender with food scents.

Movie: Fear Street Part 3 1666 (2021) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Fear Street: Part 3 1666

Came out; 2021

Time; 1 hours 54 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for strong bloody violence, drug content, language and some sexual content

IMDB Rating; 6.6/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Kiana Madeira as Sarah Fier

Ashley Zukerman as Solomon Goode

Gillian Jacobs as Adult Ziggy

Olivia Scott Welch as Hannah Miller

Elizabeth Scopel as “Real” Sarah Fier

Benjamin Flores Jr. as Henry

Story Line.

1978. Against the backdrop of the endless feud between the teenagers of Shadyside and Sunnyvale and the centuries-spanning curse of the doomed witch, Sarah Fier, a spate of brutal axe murders terrorises the unsuspecting campers of Camp Nightwing. Now, after the pitiless killings in Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021), a handful of lucky survivors find themselves in dire need of help to link the past to the present and, hopefully, unearth the gruesome truth. But warm, bright-red blood follows. Will Deena and her friends ever find out what happened that horrible July?

Thoughts:

This one brings it all the way back to the beginning. We finally see how Sarah Fier came to be. We also learn who is really responsible for the Witch.

The 2^nd half of the movie is back to the first one, the kids come up with a plan to end it all. It's pretty good and I enjoyed this one the most.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

1666

After reuniting the severed hand of Sarah Fier with the rest of her corpse, Deena has a vision showing the events of 1666 from the perspective of Sarah Fier. She lives with her father George and brother Henry in Union, the original settlement before it was divided into Sunnyvale and Shadyside.

One night, Sarah and her friends Hannah Miller and Lizzie meet a reclusive widow to gather potent berries for a party, where Sarah stumbles on a book of black magic. The group joins Isaac and Abigail at the party where Sarah and Hannah are harassed by Caleb. The two run off and start kissing, unknowingly seen by Mad Thomas. The next day, Pastor Cyrus Miller begins to act strange, as the town's food and water supply are poisoned. Sarah confides in Solomon Goode and wonders if she is responsible for the town's bad luck. The town then discovers that Pastor Miller has murdered twelve children in the chapel, including Henry and Abigail’s sister Constance. Sarah is attacked by Pastor Miller before he is killed by Solomon. That night, a town meeting is held at which the townspeople decide that witchcraft is the cause of the events, and Caleb claims that Sarah and Hannah are the witches responsible. Hannah is captured while Sarah escapes and the town declares that Hannah will be executed at dawn.

Sarah sneaks into the chapel where Hannah is confined and the two profess their love. Sarah decides to retrieve the widow's book and use it to make a deal with the devil and save Hannah, but she discovers that the book is gone, and the widow murdered. She flees to Solomon's house and hides after he is ambushed by men hunting her. While hiding, she finds tunnels under his house, discovering a ritual as well as the widow's book. Solomon reveals he took the book to make a deal with the devil, offering Pastor Miller to be possessed in exchange for power and wealth. He offers to share it with her, but she rejects his offer, and a fight ensues with Sarah's hand being cut off in the struggle. She escapes to the chapel only to be captured by Solomon and the townspeople. At her and Hannah's execution, Sarah convinces the town to spare Hannah's life by proclaiming she is the witch and swears vengeance to Solomon before she is hanged. Later, Lizzie, Issac, Hannah, and Abigail grieve Sarah and properly bury her body.

1994: Part 2

In 1994, Deena realizes that the Goode family is responsible for the Shadyside curse, as the firstborn of each generation repeats the ritual begun by their ancestor Solomon. Because of this, Sunnyvale has always prospered while Shadyside has become worse. Deena and Josh are found by Sheriff Nick Goode, but the two escape in Nick's car and arrive at Ziggy's house. The trio deduces they must kill Nick to end the Shadyside curse. After they recruit the help of Martin, the mall janitor, the group concocts a plan to lure Nick to the mall and set traps to have the Shadyside murderers kill him.

The group manages to trap the killers and Ziggy pours a bucket of Deena's blood over Nick, causing the killers to attack him. As Nick escapes into the tunnels, Deena and a possessed Sam follow him while the others fight off the killers. Sam attacks Deena, but she breaks Sam out of her possession temporarily before incapacitating her. Nick nearly kills Deena, but she exposes him to the pile of beating organs in the tunnel, which gives him the visions of all of the killers' victims, distracting him long enough for Deena to kill him. With the sheriff's death the curse is lifted, releasing Sam and evaporating the killers.

Sometime later, the Goode family are exposed for their actions while life improves for the residents of Shadyside. Josh meets his online friend in person; Ziggy reunites with Mrs. Lane; Simon, Heather and Kate are commemorated by the school, and Deena and Sam have a picnic date at Sarah Fier's grave, naming her the first Shadysider.

In a mid-credits' scene, an unknown person takes the widow's satanic book from the tunnels.

Movie: Fear Street Part 2: 1978 (2021) Caution Spoiler Alerts

 Fear Street: Part 2 1978

Came out; 2021

Time; 1 hours 49 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for strong bloody violence, drug content, language and some sexual content

IMDB Rating; 6.7/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Sadie Sink as Ziggy Berman

Emily Rudd as Cindy Berman

Ryan Simpkins as Alice

McCabe Slye as Tommy Slater

Gillian Jacobs as C. Berman

Kiana Madeira as Deena

Benjamin Flores Jr. as Josh

Olivia Scott Welch as Sam Fraser

Story Line.

1978. Against the backdrop of the endless feud between the teenagers of Shadyside and Sunnyvale and the centuries-spanning curse of the doomed witch, Sarah Fier, a spate of brutal axe murders terrorizes the unsuspecting campers of Camp Nightwing. Now, after the pitiless killings in Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021), a handful of lucky survivors find themselves in dire need of help to link the past to the present and, hopefully, unearth the gruesome truth. But warm, bright-red blood follows. Will Deena and her friends ever find out what happened that horrible July?

Thoughts:

This one wasn't as campy as the first one. This was pretty good, and it kept my attention.

It was still a B horror movie based on books, but it made the story make sense.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

In 1994, Deena and Josh Johnson restrain Sam, Deena's girlfriend who is possessed and travel to C. Berman's house for help. Initially reluctant, Berman allows them inside and begins recounting the events of the Camp Nightwing massacre.

On July 19, 1978, Ziggy Berman from Shadyside is accused of stealing by Sheila, a Sunnyvale camper, and her friends. They accuse her of being a witch and in retaliation, hang her from a tree and burn her arm with a lighter before camp counselors Nick Goode and Kurt intervene. Ziggy's older sister, Cindy, and her boyfriend Tommy Slater are cleaning the mess hall when Nurse Lane, the mother of Ruby Lane, attacks Tommy, but he overpowers her, and she is later removed from camp by police. The teenagers from Sunnyvale believe she was possessed by Sarah Fier, as was her daughter. While investigating the infirmary, Cindy and Tommy encounter counselors Alice, Cindy's former friend, and her boyfriend Arnie. They find Lane's diary which says that Fier made a deal with the devil by cutting off her hand on Satan's stone, thereby earning eternal life. They also find a map in the diary leading to Fier's house.

At the house, they find empty graves dug up by Nurse Lane and discover the witch's mark below the house. Alice and Cindy find a wall carved with the names of all the Shadyside killers and Tommy's name included. Tommy, now possessed, kills Arnie with an axe, and the girls escape into a cave. At camp, Nick helps Ziggy prank Sheila and lock her in the outhouse. As the two bond and share a kiss, Tommy reaches the camp and murders several Shadyside campers, including counselor Joan. Meanwhile, Cindy and Alice try to escape using the witch's mark in the diary as a map of the cave. They soon come across a pile of beating organs and when Alice touches it, it shows her flashbacks of all the past killers and their victims. After Alice injures her leg, she reconciles with Cindy and the two reach a cave opening beneath the outhouse.

After fighting an angry Sheila and knocking her unconscious, Ziggy and counselor Gary try to rescue Alice and Cindy until Tommy decapitates Gary. Ziggy hides with Nick until he is injured by Tommy and escapes to the mess hall. As the rest of the camp leaves via bus, Cindy finds a route to the mess hall while Alice stays behind. Tommy attacks Ziggy, but Cindy intervenes and kills him. Alice arrives and tells them that she found the witch's hand. She had started bleeding and realized that she was sitting near Satan's stone, where she dug it out.

The trio decides to end the curse by reuniting Sarah's hand with the body. Ziggy suddenly bleeds on the hand and sees a vision of Sarah Fier. This triggers the curse, resurrecting several Shadyside killers. A reanimated Tommy kills Alice before Cindy decapitates him. Ziggy and Cindy run to the tree where Fier was hanged, with the Shadyside killers in pursuit. They dig around the tree, only to find a rock with the words “The witch forever lives” carved. When Cindy realizes the killers are after Ziggy, she drops the hand and sacrifices herself. The two are murdered and the killers disappear. Nick later finds them and saves Ziggy via CPR.

Back in 1994, Deena and Josh realize that C. Berman is Ziggy, whose real name is Christine. They tell her that they found the witch's body and now, with the hand, they can end the curse. Deena and Josh go to Shadyside Mall, which was built after the closure of Camp Nightwing, and dig out the hand from under the same tree. They take it to the place where the body is buried, and Deena reunites the body with the hand. Deena's nose bleeds and she finds herself back in 1666, where she is now Sarah Fier.

Movie: Fear Street: Part 1 1994 (2021) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Fear Street: Part 1 1994

Came out; 2021

Time; 1 hours 47 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for strong bloody violence, drug content, language and some sexual content

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Kiana Madeira as Deena

Olivia Scott Welch as Samantha Fraser

Benjamin Flores, JR as Josh

Julia Rehwald as Kate

Maya Hawke as Heather

Charlene Amoia as Rachel Thompson

David W Thompson as Ryan Torres

Ashley Zukerman as Nick Goode

Story Line.

1994. In Shadyside, the murder capital of the United States, yet another brutal, unmotivated massacre sends shivers down the spine. And, more and more, the unholy name of Sarah Fier, a cursed local witch, keeps popping up. Now, something evil has awoken, forcing a team of five teenage friends to summon up the courage to get to the bottom of a bloody, centuries-old secret and fight tooth and nail against unstoppable supernatural forces to stay alive. But in this dangerous cat-and-mouse game, someone else makes the rules. Can the young defenders lift the town curse and end it all?

Thoughts:

This was cheesy but fun. This was one of those campy movies that was a good watch.

The acting is good, the plot was great since it's based on Fear Street books.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

In 1994, Heather Watkins, a bookstore employee at Shadyside Mall, is stabbed by her friend, Ryan Torres, murdering her and several other mall employees before he is killed by Sheriff Nick Goode. The media reports the massacre as the norm for Shadyside, which they dub the murder capital of the United States. Meanwhile, the neighboring town of Sunnyvale is its polar opposite, as it is considered one of the richest and safest towns in the country. Many of the Shadyside teenagers believe that this is the result of the witch, Sarah Fier, who placed a curse on the town before being executed for witchcraft in 1666.

Deena Johnson does not believe in the Fier witch and has recently broken up with her closeted girlfriend Sam, who has since moved to Sunnyvale. Josh, her brother, spends his time researching the town's history, and her friends Simon and Kate sell drugs in hopes of eventually leaving the town. Deena and Sam meet again at a vigil in Sunnyvale for the victims of the mall killings, where a brawl between the students of Shadyside and Sunnyvale breaks out. While returning home, Sam's boyfriend, Peter, begins tailgating the bus carrying the Shadyside students, leading Deena to almost throw a large cooler at the car in retaliation. A sudden nosebleed causes her to lose her grip on the cooler and Peter's car to crash. Sam survives and sees a vision of Sarah Fier before being taken to the hospital.

The following night, Deena and her friends begin to be stalked by someone whom they initially believe to be Peter and his friends. However, when Deena and her friends visit Sam, Peter is killed by Skull Mask, who proceeds to murder several others in the hospital and is revealed to be Ryan. Sam and Deena seek help but fail to convince the police while Simon is attacked by Ruby Lane, one of Shadyside's past killers in 1965. The group realizes that the car accident involving Sam disturbed the grave of Sarah Fier and that Sam bled on her bones, resurrecting several Shadyside killers. Josh deduces that Fier's curse is the reason for Shadyside's history of killings which began following her execution. They attempt to offer her a proper reburial but are attacked by the Camp Nightwing Killer. Realizing that the killers only want Sam and are attracted to her blood, they set a trap at school in an attempt to destroy the killers by burning them, but the killers manage to reanimate.

Sam reluctantly agrees with the group to be sacrificed despite Deena's protests. They save her when it is discovered that C. Berman, a survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre in 1978, died but was resuscitated. They attempt to call her but receive no answer. The group organizes a plan to kill and revive Sam using drugs from a supermarket pharmacy. There, Kate, Simon and Josh attempt to fend off the Shadyside killers but Kate and Simon are killed. Deena finally drowns Sam with her consent, causing the killers to disappear and revives her using a combination of EpiPens and CPR.

Afterward, the police decide to place the blame on Simon and Kate, as they were known for selling drugs. Sam and Deena reconcile and publicly come out as a couple. Later that night, while Sam is at her house, Deena receives a call from C. Berman who tells her that there is no escaping the witch. Sam, now possessed, attacks Deena but is subdued and tied up.

Wax: Kushner Kreations October Order

 Vendor; Kushner Kreations

Web; kushnerkreations.weebly.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/KushnerKreations

Owner; April Kushner

Money Candle

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Butterfly Tart

Vineyard

Troll Tarts

Out of the Washer

Buttercream Frosting

Extra:

Bunny Hop

Overall Order Thoughts:

I was shocked that there were money candles left! This vendor is one of the only ones that you have a chance to win more than $1.

Can we talk about the troll tarts? How cute are they?!

Movie: Reptile (2023) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Reptile

Came out; 2023

Time; 2 hours 14 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for language, violence and some nude images

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nicholas

Justin Timberlake as Will Grady

Eric Bogosian as Captain Robert Allen

Alicia Silverstone as Judy Nicholas

Domenick Lombardozzi as Wally

Frances Fisher as Camille Grady

Ato Essandoh as Dan Cleary

Michael Pitt as Eli Phillips

Story Line.

Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) is a Scarborough real estate mogul dating an agent named Summer (Matilda Lutz). They flip foreclosures on expensive homes in the area under the watchful eye of Will's mom, Camille (Frances Fisher), and there seems to be some brewing tension in the relationship. One day, Will meets Summer at a house she's showing and finds her brutally murdered.

Thoughts:

The cast was great. The story line was great. The movie itself is a slow burn type and it's so slow.

I knew there was something else going on but couldn't figure it out. I knew something else would come out but wasn't sure what.

All in all, it was pretty good with the twists and turns, I just wish it would have been a little faster paced.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Will Grady (Timberlake) finds his girlfriend Summer Elswick (Lutz) brutally murdered in a rural Maine house that they had been showing for sale as realtors. When questioned by the police detectives assigned to the case, Tom Nichols (Del Toro) and his partner Dan Cleary (Essandoh), Grady reveals that he was planning on marrying Elswick but couldn't because she was technically still married to Sam Gifford (Glusman). He is released. Video evidence from nearby security footage shows a dark-colored car with a missing hubcap that Cleary identifies as a 1990 Buick LaSabre; later on, Tom's wife, Judy (Silverstone), correctly identifies the vehicle as a Chrysler Imperial.

After Elswick's funeral, Grady tells Tom about a man named Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt) who had come to his mother's house a few nights earlier and tried to force himself in. He explains that, when his father ran the family's real estate company, they had forcibly bought Phillips's family farm. Phillips's father committed suicide, and he blames Grady's family for it. When Tom and Cleary question Phillips, Phillips accuses Grady of murdering Elswick. He also reveals that he has been researching information on Tom himself, showing an awareness of a corruption scandal involving his former partner when he was working at a precinct in Philadelphia.

DNA analysis of semen found inside of Elswick during the autopsy matches that of Gifford. This goes along with a statement from a friend of Elswick's that the two of them were still seeing each other, meeting secretly at the properties she was selling to have sex. Tom returns to Gifford's with a warrant. Giffords grabs Cleary's gun and, while attempting to flee, is shot by Tom. A search of his house finds 13 kilos of heroin.

Gifford, now dead, is declared to be Elswick's murderer. Tom is hesitant to accept this. Phillips appears at his house at night and gives him a flash drive with evidence that Elswick was caught up in a scheme by the Gradys to launder drug money. Properties are planted with drugs and then commandeered via civil asset forfeiture. The Gradys under a shell company called White Fish then buys the properties. Elswick was murdered to stop her from reporting the matter to the DEA.

Evidence points to police officer Wally Finn being behind White Fish, as he has started a private security company called Activate Duty Consulting that has the same PO Box for its address as White Fish. At the birthday party for Captain Robert Allen (Bogosian), Tom's superior officer and Judy's uncle, Tom decides to privately inform Allen of Finn's role in Elwick's murder and the money laundering scheme. However, he has trouble finding a moment alone. Still at the party, he finds a Chrysler Imperial in Allen's garage with a recent paint job. Allen finds Tom in his garage and tells him to let the matter go.

Fearing for his safety, Tom comes home with Judy, explains what he knows to her, and tells her that they must leave that night. However, Allen calls and says he will explain the matter the next day if Tom comes over. Tom agrees. He gives the flash drive to police chief Marty Graeber (Pniewski), and the two of them go together to Allen's house. Marty excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Allen pleads with Tom to leave before going upstairs to save his own life. Allen is then shot. Marty, who is in on the scheme, comes out and attempts to kill Tom. Tom is able to kill both Marty and Finn, who had been upstairs.