Movie: The Rental (2020) Caution Spoiler Alert

 The Rental

Came out; 2020

Time; 1 hour 28 Minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexuality

IMDB Rating; 5.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 73%

Popcorn Meter 47%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Dan Stevens as Charlie

Alison Brie as Michelle

Sheila Vand as Mina

Jeremy Allen White as Josh

Toby Huss as Taylor

Story Line.

Two couples on an oceanside getaway grow suspicious that the host of their seemingly perfect rental house may be spying on them. Before long, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister, as well-kept secrets are exposed and the four old friends come to see each other in a whole new light.

Thoughts:

I want to know who the fuck brings their dog on vacation to lock it outside the whole time. I was irrationally irritated by the careless disregard of the dog throughout this movie.

This wasn't bad. It was a bit of slow burn type movie. Nothing creepy or scary really happens until the end. You're basically watching 4 friends making bad decisions and neglecting their dog on vacation.

Sure, they find cameras in the shower, however that's something that happens in these types of rentals. Both in real life and in movies.

Things don't really kick off until the “killer” starts stalking them. Then it gets interesting and a little dark (the type where you can't see the movie)

The killer cleans up the house, the dog walks back in. He pets the dog and leaves. We never really find out what happened to the damn dog.

The killer is then seeing renting another place, making copies of the keys and setting up his cameras.

The movie ends with the footage from the cameras while the credits scroll across the top.

I wouldn't say it was a bad movie, but it also wasn't great. Watch if you'd like!

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

Charlie (Dan Stevens), his wife Michelle (Alison Brie), Charlie's brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White), and Josh's girlfriend Mina (Sheila Vand) decide to rent an ocean view house for a weekend getaway. After Mina's application for the house is denied for no reason, Charlie submits one and is accepted. Upon arriving at the remote property, the group meets the property owner Taylor (Toby Huss), whom Mina confronts for denying her application believing it was racially motivated. Taylor denies this and leaves, although he does return later that day to drop off a telescope for the group to use, which alarms Mina. The group settles in and it quickly becomes clear that someone is observing the unaware guests.

After Josh and Michelle go to bed, Mina and Charlie have sex in the shower. The next morning, a hungover Mina and Charlie agree they can never be intimate again, while Josh unintentionally makes Michelle paranoid over Charlie's faithfulness after mentioning how Charlie cheated on a former girlfriend. While in the shower, Mina discovers a camera in the shower-head and alerts Charlie. Freaked out, Mina goes to call the police, but Charlie stops her as alerting the police would risk someone finding the footage of the pair having sex.

Michelle uses drugs and calls Taylor to fix the hot tub. Mina privately confronts Taylor about the hidden camera, which Taylor claims to be unaware of and moves to call the police himself. Mina tries to stop him, which Josh witnesses and assuming Taylor is attacking his girlfriend, beats Taylor unconscious. As the group argues over what to do, Mina tells everyone about the hidden camera in the shower. After the group leaves Taylor in the bathroom to discuss what to do next, a masked man (Anthony Molinari) sneaks inside and smothers Taylor to death. When the others return and realize Taylor is not breathing, they assume that Josh has accidentally killed him.

A frantic Michelle demands they call the police, but Charlie refuses to let his brother go to jail, suggesting that they stage Taylor falling off the nearby cliff into the ocean by accident. A despondent Michelle goes to bed while the others carry Taylor's body to the cliff. When they drop the body it gets stuck on an outcrop, forcing Josh to go down and push it into the sea. While this is happening, Michelle is stalked in the house by the masked man who broadcasts the tape of Mina and Charlie having sex on the television. Devastated, Michelle drives away in the car only to run over a spike strip and crash into a tree.

Mina realizes that they need to find the camera transceiver to destroy the footage of Josh assaulting Taylor. She and Josh go searching for it while Charlie goes to help Michelle. He finds her dead body before being murdered by the masked man. Mina and Josh break into a locked room under the house, but only find old boxes of junk. The footage of Mina and Charlie in the shower is sent to Josh's phone and he confronts her over it. Hearing someone enter the house, Josh goes downstairs believing it is Charlie. The masked man kills Josh and then hunts for Mina, who manages to sneak outside. He pursues outside where Mina, who is disoriented by the fog, accidentally falls off the cliff and into the ocean to her death.

With everyone dead, the masked killer returns to the house, removing any evidence of the murders and the collection of cameras he installed. The killer rents a new property and installs cameras into it. Oblivious new inhabitants rent the locations, and the masked man attacks a sleeping couple... killing both of them and thus quietly continuing his murderous serial killing spree.

Chronic Pain Thoughts: Volume 32

 

Dear Reader,

Did you every accidentally become friends with a bully? All fine at first, then suddenly their real self comes out and they do nothing but put you down?

I feel like everything I went through exaggerated my chronic pain issues and again made me a very anxious and paranoid person. I don't know who actually has my back and who just pretends to!

I was suffering in silence for so long, when I actually thought I'd met a friend that understood I told her everything! It wasn't even a trauma dump; it was little by little for almost 6 years.

COVID hit and she became moody, angry and outright mean to me. She would tell me I'm lazy on days where I confessed to her that I didn't do anything because my back hurt so much. She would tell me I wasn't helping myself.

I have degenerative discs along with tears. I just went through the process of being approved for a disc replacement. I've had multi-injections, medications, PT, Yoga, Acupuncture, Cupping and so many other things to try and relieve the pain. Yet, I was lazy and not helping myself.

The whole time she would complain about her migraines, her Lupus, her problems and I was nothing but supportive. She would belittle me about not doing anything about my pain, yet she was able to get medication to help hers! It was such a shock that everything turned like this.

It came to a head when I was in for emergency gallbladder surgery, she told me I was being too sensitive and that I wasn't on deaths door (I literally was). I haven't spoken to her since but the things she said still stick with me.

I had to vent, I had to get this out. I am still in shock that I didn't see it sooner. That I didn't put a stop to it sooner. Maybe I would feel like a weight was lifted, like I do now.

Find your person, the person who will have your back in rooms you aren't in. The person that will never tell you aren't enough, that what you're going through sucks and what can I do to help!! That person is out there and you need them more than you think.

Movie: Bones and All (2022) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Bones and All

Came out; 2022

Time; 2 hour 11 Minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rated: R for strong bloody and disturbing violent content, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 82%

Popcorn Meter 62%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Timothee Chalamet as Lee

Taylor Russell as Maren

Mark Rylance as Sully

Andre Holland as Maren's Father

Story Line.

A story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap doors of Ronald Reagan's America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness

Thoughts:

This wasn't at all what I expected, it was much better!

It was such a well put together movie, details were mostly covered expect for how people got this way. That would have been slightly nice to know, unless I missed it.

This was a love story between people who eat people, and I don't think I've come across another movie like it.

It's a little disturbing if you don't like blood & guts type movies, but I very much enjoyed every second of it!

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

In 1980s Virginia, teenager Maren Yearly bites through a girl's finger-partially severing it-at a sleepover. She and her single father, Frank, swiftly relocate to Maryland. Shortly after Maren's eighteenth birthday, Frank abandons her, leaving behind cash, her birth certificate, and a tape. On the tape, Frank recounts the story of Maren's first cannibalistic episode, when she killed her babysitter at three years old. Similar incidents continued to occur over the years and while Frank helped her evade consequence, he anguished over Maren's lack of remorse. He concludes with the hope that she will overcome her urges.

Maren heads to Minnesota, where her mother, Janelle, of whom she has no memories, was born. She takes a bus to Columbus, Ohio, where she encounters Sully, an eccentric man and fellow "eater" who found her by scent. She follows Sully to a house wherein an elderly woman is near death. Maren awakens in the morning to find Sully devouring the woman's corpse and joins him. Maren flees soon after.

While shoplifting supplies in Indiana, Maren meets Lee, a fellow eater, after he feeds on a man who harassed a customer inside the store. Stealing his victim's truck, Lee offers to bring Maren along. As they embark on a cross-country road trip, Maren and Lee fall in love. During a brief stay in Lee's hometown in Kentucky, Maren notices his unwillingness to discuss his father's absence and the reason why Lee avoids being spotted around town. His younger sister, Kayla, who is unaware of his true nature, chastises him for his constant departures.

Maren and Lee encounter what appears to be a pair of fellow eaters, Jake and Brad. Maren is revolted at the fact that Brad does not share their cravings, instead voluntarily choosing to engage in cannibalism. Jake also talks about the intensity of consuming a body "bones and all". Lee and Maren drive away when the men are asleep.

After Maren expresses hunger during a stop at a local carnival, Lee cruises a male booth worker and kills him. Once she and Lee have feasted on the body, Maren expresses guilt upon discovering that the man was married and had a family.

Using a phone book directory, Maren finds the home of her grandmother, Barbara, who had no prior knowledge of her existence. Barbara confesses that she and her husband adopted Janelle at birth and that Janelle has since voluntarily admitted herself into a psychiatric hospital in Fergus Falls.

Maren meets Janelle, who has self-cannibalized her own hands. Maren reads a letter that Janelle wrote to her, which concludes with Janelle's belief that Maren would be better off dead. Janelle attacks Maren, but is restrained by a nurse. Maren leaves while Lee is asleep and is eventually approached by Sully, who was stalking her. She rebukes him, causing him to angrily depart. Once Lee realizes Maren is gone, he decides to return home.

After some time, Maren returns to Kentucky. While there, she runs into Kayla who tells her that, on the night of her and Lee's alcoholic, abusive father's disappearance, he beat both of his children and vanished while Kayla ran to get the police. Initially considered the prime suspect, Lee was cleared of involvement when it was proven that the blood on him was his own. After Maren is reunited with Lee, they rekindle their relationship and travel westward. Lee reveals to Maren that his father was also an eater, biting his son during their scuffle, and that Lee ultimately fed on him. Maren declares her love for Lee, and the two decide to attempt a normal life together.

Months later, the couple lives happily in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Maren works at a university bookstore. She returns home one day to find Sully has broken into their apartment, and he taunts her with a knife. After Lee returns, the couple succeeds in killing Sully, but Lee is fatally wounded in the struggle. While searching Sully's satchel, Maren finds locks of Kayla's hair and realizes she fell victim to Sully. Lee expresses his wish for Maren to eat him as he dies, "bones and all", with which Maren eventually complies.

Movie: Ginger Snaps (2000) Caution Spoiler Alerts

 Ginger Snaps

Came out; 2000

Time; 1 hour 48 Minutes

Watched: Peacock

Rated: Not Rated

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 90%

Popcorn Meter 78%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Emily Perkins as Brigitte

Katharine Isabelle as Ginger

Kris Lemche as Sam

Mimi Rogers as Pamela

Jesse Moss as Jason

Danielle Hampton as Trina

Story Line;

Is becoming a woman analogous, in some deep psychological way, to becoming a werewolf? Ginger is 15, edgy, tough, and, with her younger sister, into staging and photographing scenes of death. They've made a pact about dying together. In early October, on the night she has her first period, which is also the night of a full moon, a werewolf bites Ginger. Within a few days, some serious changes happen to her body and her temperament. Her sister Brigitte, 15, tries to find a cure with the help of Sam, a local doper. As Brigitte races against the clock, Halloween and another full moon approach, Ginger gets scarier, and it isn't just local dogs that begin to die.

Thoughts:

This movie wasn't too bad. It flowed really well and had a somewhat good story line. The acting was fine, those girls really did well acting like anxiety teenagers.

It did get a little weird, and things that were already going on weren't exactly explained well.

The transition to werewolf wasn't great and it came about a little cheesy BUT all in all this movie wasn't bad!

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

In a small suburban neighborhood, a mother finds her dog's mutilated body strung across the lawn. Meanwhile, a slideshow of Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle) creating staged deaths for a school project plays in their classroom. Their teacher and the school's guidance counselor, Mr. Wayne, (Peter Keleghan) demands to see them after class. Later, they smoke cigarettes and play "Search and Destroy" on the school's game field, dissing people they dislike, and imagining how they may die. Trina Sinclair's (Danielle Hampton) friend overhears Brigitte describing Trina's character and death, and tells Trina. The sisters notice this, and Ginger tells Brigitte she will "cover her" in the game. However, as Ginger is distracted, Trina pushes Brigitte into the remains of a dog, a victim of the Beast of Bailey Downs, a wild animal which has been killing pet dogs. Together, Brigitte and Ginger decide to kidnap Trina's dog that night, and imply that the Beast of Bailey Downs killed it.

They set out and find the mutilated corpse of another dog. They decide to take it with them to convince Trina it is actually her dog, but, as they pick it up, a leg comes off in Brigitte's hand. Brigitte notices blood on Ginger, thinking it is from the dog, but it proves to be from Ginger's first period. The Beast of Bailey Downs attacks, and drags her into the woods screaming. Brigitte rescues Ginger. As the sisters flee, they narrowly escape being hit by an approaching van driven by Sam (Kris Lemche), which hits and kills the Beast. Brigitte finds Ginger's wounds are already healing and begs her to go to a hospital. Ginger refuses, as she does not want their mother (Mimi Rogers) to find out. After a few days, Ginger begins to grow hair from her wounds, sprouts a tail and menstruates heavily. A rift forms between the sisters after Ginger smokes marijuana with Jason, and aggressively pursues him. Ignoring Brigitte's warnings, she has unprotected sex with Jason, then kills a neighbour's dog.

Frightened by what is happening to Ginger, Brigitte turns to Sam. Agreeing the Beast of Bailey Downs is a lycanthrope, he suggests a pure silver ring may cure Ginger. Brigitte persuades Ginger to have her navel pierced using the ring, but it is ineffective.

Later, Trina goes to the Fitzgerald house claiming Ginger kidnapped her dog. As Ginger and Trina fight, Trina slips, hitting her head on the corner of the kitchen counter, and dies. The sisters panic, narrowly avoiding their parents seeing them as they put the body in the freezer, explaining the blood to be part of another series of death photos for the school project. Brigitte later accidentally breaks off two of Trina's fingers trying to get the corpse from the freezer. As they take Trina's body to bury it, they lose the fingers. Brigitte tells Ginger she cannot go out anymore, but Ginger remains defiant.

On the pretence that Brigitte is the one "changing" instead of Ginger, they visit Sam, who suggests a monkshood solution for Ginger's illness; and informs them that the monkshood grows everywhere, however it only grows during spring. Ginger angrily tells him that they have no time, and accuses him of just wanting to have sex with Brigitte before storming out.

On Halloween, Brigitte takes her mother's monkshood, which was purchased from a craft store, and asks Sam to make the cure. Sam warns her asks if it is for Ginger. Brigitte admits the truth, and promises to go to the Greenhouse Bash party.

While trying to track down Ginger, Brigitte is attacked by Jason (whom Ginger infected through unprotected sex) and she defends herself by using the cure on him. She witnesses his immediate change in behavior, which proves the cure's success.

Ginger returns to school looking for Jason. As Brigitte arrives, a message on the PA asks her to go to the Guidance office. She knocks, and is dragged inside by Ginger who has killed the counselor. Brigitte calms Ginger down, and goes to find cleaning supplies, but returns to see the janitor with his throat torn open. He survives, though infected, until Brigitte says he should have gotten help, which incites Ginger to disembowel him with her hand.

The sisters' mother discovers Trina's corpse, and goes looking for her daughters. While she is looking for her daughters, she sees Brigitte running, and picks her up. As she drives Brigitte to the Greenhouse Bash, she tells her that she will burn the house down by letting it fill up with gas then lighting a match to erase evidence of Trina's death, and their escape. Brigitte arrives to find Sam rejecting Ginger's advances. As he approaches Ginger, she breaks his arm. In despair, Brigitte infects herself as Sam pleads with her not to. As the sisters leave, Sam knocks Ginger out with a shovel. Brigitte and Sam then take her back to the Fitzgerald house in his van, and prepare more of the cure for Ginger.

Ginger fully transforms into a werewolf on the way home and escapes the van. Afraid, and unaware she has transformed, Sam and Brigitte hide in the pantry, and he makes the solution. As he goes to find Ginger, Ginger-Wolf mutilates Sam. Brigitte picks up the dropped syringe, and follows the blood trail downstairs. She tries to drink Sam's blood in an attempt to calm Ginger-Wolf, but chokes on it. Ginger-Wolf senses Brigitte's insincerity and kills Sam in front of her, then leaps at Brigitte. As Ginger-Wolf stalks Brigitte through the basement, Brigitte returns to the room where they grew up, finding the knife that Ginger had been using to remove her tail. Brigitte holds the cure in one hand and the knife in the other. Brigitte is told to leave but refuses, only to infuriate Ginger-Wolf, resulting in Ginger-Wolf lunging at Brigitte who stabs her with the knife, instead of the cure. As the movie ends, Brigitte lays her head upon Ginger-Wolf, sobbing, listening until its breathing finally stops.

Movie; 30 Miles from Nowhere (2018) Caution Spoiler Alert

 30 Miles from Nowhere

Came out; 2018

Time; 1 hour 24 Minutes

Watched: Peacock

Rated: Not Rated

IMDB Rating; 4.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 78%

Popcorn Meter 31%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Carrie Preston as Sylvia

Rob Benedict as Larry

Rusty Schwimmer as Officer Marsh

Cathy Shim as Bess

Seana Kofoed as Elaine

Andrew Rothernberg as Max

Marielle Scott as Amber

Birgundi Baker as Delilah

Story Line.

When five college pals return to rural Wisconsin for their estranged friend's funeral, what begins as an uneasy reunion becomes a terrifying fight for survival.

Thoughts:

This movie had potential. It really did. It had a different story line but it also gave off “Cabin in the Woods” vibes without the paranormal stuff.

It was very dark and hard to watch, you couldn't see what they were seeing because the movie was pitch black.

The rest of it all in all was decent, it had that old school slasher movie vibe

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

There isn't one listed so here's what I've got:

College friends meet Sylvia at a bar because her husband has died. All the people were college friends and came into town for the funeral.

Sylvia puts them up in a cabin (in the woods literally). She warns them of the stray dogs, the storms and her mother in law.

Of course strange things start to happen. They see a person stalking around outside, strange noises, strange sounds and a garbage disposel that seems to be stuck yet runs bloody when ran.

They all figure out they've been watched the entire time as there are cameras in the house.

The group finally figures out that it's Sylvia doing everything. They also find their friend isn't actually dead, even though the saw it on a video they found.

Sylvia has taken over the experiment and decided to go in a different direction.

Larry comes in and shoots Sylvia killing her. The police are there and explain they signed the waiver, the guest book most signed when they got to the house.

The movie just ends here. Everyone expect Sylvia walks away alive.

Movie; Madame Web (2024) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Madam Web

Came out; 2024

Time; 1 hour 56 Minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: PG-13 for violence/action and language

IMDB Rating; 4/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb

Sydney Sweeney as Julia Cornwall

Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon

Celeste O'Connor as Mattie Franklin

Emma Roberts as Mary Parker

Adam Scott as Ben Parker

Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims

Story Line;

In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who develops the power to see the future... and realizes she can use that insight to change it. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women bound for powerful destinies...if they can all survive a deadly present

Thoughts:

I will watch bad movies, so you don't have to.

This started strong, then melted in a steaming pile of goo!!

The story line was also off. It was supposed to take place in one time yet things that didn't come out until later were in the movie. The stolen taxi was also an issue.

It also seemed like she was in Peru for 10 minutes vs an actual timeline of how long it would take to book tickets, get there and get the information, get back and jump in the stolen taxi to get back to where she needed to go.

The story line itself wasn't truly that bad, the acting was OK, and it all seemed plausible for a make believe superhero movie.

The ending was terrible, I must have missed where her injuries were so bad she turned into a X-Man. You could see her taking care of the kids a mile a way which is fine but the rest of it was hot garbage.

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

In 1973 in the Amazon jungles of Peru, a research team led by Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) and his pregnant colleague Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe) discovers an unidentified species of spider with rare healing properties. Ezekiel is providing security for the mission, while Constance leads the mission. Constance says that the Peptides in the spider's venom supercharge their cellular structure. Constance says that these spiders have the potential to cure hundreds of diseases, while Sims is more interested to see if the spiders can give superhuman strength. After an arduous search, and battling pain, Constance finds the spider she is looking for. Ezekiel betrays the team and claims the spider for himself, shooting Constance in a struggle over the spider before leaving her for dead. An indigenous tribe attempts to save Constance by having the spider bite her, but she dies shortly after giving birth to Cassandra (Dakota Johnson).

Thirty years later, Cassandra, going by "Cassie", works as a paramedic in New York City alongside her co-workers Ben Parker (Adam Scott) and O'Neil (Mike Epps). Cassandra was raised as a foster kid. In her suitcase at home, Cassandra has Constance's notes from her research. During a dangerous call (a flipped over car on a bridge), Cassie falls into the water and has a near-death experience. Ben revives her, but she begins to experience visions. Initially, she dismisses them as Deja Vu, but then the unit is called to a fire in an industrial complex packed with explosives. Cassandra has a vision where she is trying to revive O'Neill's dead body. She fails to act, which results in O'Neill driving away in the ambulance and being struck down by a semi-truck. The accident ends up killing O'Neill. After failing to prevent O'Neil's death, Cassie realizes that she can see into the future. Cassie also finds that by acting timely she has the opportunity to act on her visions and prevent specific events from taking place in the near future.

Ezekiel, who has limited precognition power and enhanced physical abilities, collects information on three teenage girls: Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney) (An awkward teenage girl who lives with her father and stepmother following her mother's departure), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) (A teenager forced to live alone after her father's deportation), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor) (A teenage girl from a wealthy family, but with absent parents). His visions lead him to believe that the 3 girls will turn into Spider-Woman, and that they are destined to kill him at some point in the near future. Sims seduces a National Security Agency (NSA) (Jill Hennessy) agent and used the NSA facial recognition software to find the 3 girls from his visions.

Sims works with a hacker who extracts the images of the 3 girls from his dreams and then runs them by the NSA software to track them down. The hacker tracks down all 3 girls at the Grand Central Station. Cassie and the 3 girls enter the same train carriage, and Cassie has visions of them being attacked by Sims. Cassie is drawn to the girls and intervenes to stop Ezekiel from ambushing them at Grand Central Terminal. Sims is in a black Spider-man costume and attacks the cops when Cassie tries to hide with the girls behind them. Sims is able to climb walls and dodge bullets.

Cassie steals a taxi and takes Julia, Anya, and Mattie out of the city to hide them in a nearby forest (when she finds on radio that she is suspected to be the attacker and kidnapper of the 3 girls). In the forest, Cassie and the girls realize that they have all crossed paths earlier as well. Cassie reveals that she has the power to see the future. Cassie returns to her apartment and finds Constance's notes, which reveal Ezekiel's identity and the true nature of his powers. She finds that the Spider People derive their powers from spider venom and are very fast and strong. They can climb like spiders. They also have a sixth sense, like the ability to glimpse the future. She finds a photo of Sims with Constance in her diary.

Ignoring Cassie's instructions, the girls go to a diner where Ezekiel finds them through the NSA software (a diner recognizes the missing girls and calls 911, and the call is tracked by the hacker working for Sims). Cassie returns to the forest and finds the girls missing. She has a vision of them being attacked by Sims. After briefly incapacitating Ezekiel by ramming him with the car, Cassie takes the girls back to Queens and they take refuge in Ben's house. The girls are now convinced that only Cassie can save them and somehow, they need to get to the bottom of the mystery. Sims realizes that Cassie is the daughter of Constance.

Cassie again has a vision where Sims explains that he needs to kill the girls as in the future he has seen them destroy him. Cassie realizes that Sims hands release a Neurotoxin which can be fatal to humans if enough of it gets into your system. The cardiac arrest can be offset by CPR, which she teaches to the girls.

Cassie flies to Peru and tracks down the tribal chief Santiago (José María Yazpik) who saved her mother. The chief puts Cassie through a ritual that separates her soul from her body. She experiences a plane of higher consciousness where all living things are connected and where every possible future can be seen. She learns that Constance sought the spider not for fame or money, as she had originally thought, but to save her from having the same fatal hereditary disease that Constance suffered from. In fact, Constance put her own life and comfort in danger, so she could save Cassie, as that is how much she loved her.

Ben's pregnant sister-in-law Mary (Emma Roberts) goes into labor earlier than expected and he takes her to the hospital, along with the girls, who are seen on camera when in the car. Ezekiel intercepts them again, but Cassie rescues the girls in an ambulance and distracts Ezekiel so Ben and Mary can escape. The group lures Ezekiel to a condemned firework factory (the same site which was engulfed in fire earlier and where O'Neil met his death) and sets up traps to disorient him while Cassie calls for a medical evacuation helicopter to fly to their location. Ezekiel destroys the helicopter and separates the girls, then taunts Cassie with Constance's death.

Cassie uses her supernatural powers (with her soul separating from her body to help the girls) to guide the girls to safety. She sets off the final trap, which fatally crushes Ezekiel. An ignited firework strikes Cassie in the face, blinding her. Cassie is taken to the hospital just as Mary gives birth to her son. Cassie wakes up to discover that she is now blind and paraplegic due to her injuries. However, her clairvoyance enables her to see fully into the future. Cassie assures the girls that she will mentor them in their future roles when the time comes.

Wax: Swanky Mystery Bag

 Vendor; Swanky

Web; www.swankycandlecompany.com

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/swankyscentgroup

Owner; Jeannie Jeffrey

Assorted Mystery Bag

Scent: Mojito & Sugared Lime

Scent: Oatmeal Cookies + Masala Chai + Shortbread

Scent: Mooie Star

Scent Description: Strawberries & Cream

Scent: Raspberry Sugar Cookie Birthday Cake

Scent: Greek Island Breeze

Scent: Fallen Leaves

Scent: Gingerbread Sugar Snap Cookies

Scent: Eros Kiss

Scent: Oak Moss Oud Wood

Scent: Blueberry Sugar Cookie Waffle Cone

Scent: Blueberry Pumpkin Waffles

Overall Order Thoughts:

Pictures were harder to get. Swanky is softer wax and it was shipped in a bag in the heat, so everything was semi-melted. I'm not complaining, I'm just explaining!

I am very happy with all of this. I didn't get one zucchini or mint. Everything smells amazing

Movie: The Lovely Bones (2009) Caution Spoiler Alert

 The Lovely Bones

Came out; 2009

Time; 2 hour 15 Minutes

Watched: Max

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, suggestive material and some strong language

IMDB Rating; 6.6/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Rachel Weisz as Abigail Salmon

Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon

Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon

Susan Sarandon as Grandma Lynn

Stanley Tucci as George Harvey

Rose Mclever as Lindsey Salmon

Story Line;

A fourteen-year-old girl in suburban 1970's Pennsylvania is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from the place between Heaven and Earth, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed all while attempting to get someone to find her lost body

Thoughts:

Wow. This movie was amazing! It was very well done.

Lets talk about Stanley Tucci, he understands the assignment every time.

Every time he shows up on screen, no matter the role, he stands out. His is an amazing actor with amazing range!

The story line, the acting, the scenery and the narrative was just perfect.

The ending of this movie is literally perfect!

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

The film starts with Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) reminiscing about her childhood. There was a snow globe with a penguin in it she was worried for since he was all alone. Her father, Jack (Mark Wahlberg) tells her that the penguin has a nice life, since he is stuck in a perfect world. Later that night, Jack makes love to his wife, Abigail (Rachel Weisz), next to the pile of books near their bed.

Susie remembers being given a camera and how she loved that photos could capture a moment before they were gone. She wanted to be a wildlife photographer and would go around taking photos of people in the neighborhood (focusing on a heavy-set girl).

She remembers going to a sinkhole near a farm with her father and tossing things in, remembering that she was full of wonder at how the earth swallowed things whole. She remembers seeing Ruth Conners (Carolyn Dando), the school weirdo, at the farm and that she (Susie) now knows that Ruth saw things that others didn't.

Susie also remembers the worst thing that ever happened to the family: The day her little brother, Buckley, swallowed a twig and stopped breathing. Susie stole her father's mustang and proceeded to drive past her parents in town on the way to the hospital, saving her brothers life. She remembers the relief in her parents eyes when they thought that they were lucky since nothing bad happened to them. Lynn, Susie's grandmother, tells Susie that the Buddhists say that saving the life of another grants a person a long life. Susie notes the irony of this since she was murdered on December 6th, 1973 - back before missing children were on milk cartons and people thought of such things happening.

Susie has a crush on a senior named Ray Singh. Lynn notes Susie's crush and tries to get her to talk to him. Susie tells her to shush while her narration tells us that if she hadn't been so distracted by Ray, she'd have noticed that something was wrong. That someone in her neighborhood was watching her. Lynn buys her a milkshake and asks why she hasnt kissed him. She says she's afraid she wouldn't be good. Lynn tells her that her first kiss was with a grown man.

The man watching Susie was George Harvey (Stanley Tucci), a neighbor who loved tending his garden. In his house he would build and decorate dollhouses and create little furniture sets. He became obsessed with Susie, making her a prime victim. He would spend his nights building all sorts of odds and ends in his house.

Across the street, Jack is building a ship in a bottle with Susie. He tells her they are creating something special and that she is one of the most important things in his life. He lets her pull the cords to erect the ship in the bottle and blows out the candle. In the dark we are shown Harvey in a field digging a hole.

Abigail is in Susie's room and tells her to clean up. Susie asks her to develop her film (24 rolls of it), and Abigail freaks out. Jack walks in and is shocked to see that Susie used all the film they had given her for her birthday. Jack suggests developing them a roll per month. Susie complains that she'll be middle aged. Jack and Abigail consider how much it would cost, and Jack suggests that they just pay the $75 to get the photos developed. Susie's sister, Lindsey, and Buckley argue a bit. Abigail gives Susie a hat she knitted for her, much to Susie's disdain. As Lindsey and Susie walk to school, Harvey watches them from his house.

At school, Susie and her best friend, Clarissa, talk about a movie they just saw when Clarissa's boyfriend drags her away. Ray comes over and asks her what she thought about Othello. She says she liked it (even though she didn't) and Ray says that they have more than one thing in common. He leans in almost to initiate a kiss but Susie gets flustered and opens her locker, spilling her stuff all over the floor. Ray picks up her math book and slips a note inside it. He asks her what she is doing on Saturday. In shock, instead of answering she blurts out asking, "Are you really from England?" He tells her that she is beautiful and as the two are about to kiss, Ruth is kicked out of her art club by the teacher complaining of her anatomically accurate and well-drawn piece since it got a boy excited.

Ruth tries to get her picture back but the professor keeps it for himself. Ray tells Susie to meet him at the gazebo in the mall and she agrees.

Susie leaves the school happy and takes a shortcut home across a field, same as Ruth. Jack, Abigail and the others are at home, while Susie walks across the field and drops her math book. Ray's note flies out and she races after it, where George Harvey tries to catch it, thinking it's her homework. He asks if she remembers him. He tries to make small talk, he tells her to tell her folks he says hi, and asks her to check out this thing he has built. He tells her that he just got excited for having built something the whole neighborhood will enjoy.

Susie gets curious and decides to check it out. She comments on how she can't see anything. He steps on the ground, which makes a sound. As she steps closer, we're shown glimpses of what her family is doing during dinner time. Harvey reveals a trap door which shows a well-lit club house. He asks Susie to try it out and she climbs inside. There are games and toys in the room along with numerous candles. Harvey makes sure no one is around and closes the door behind them as he goes down. She has a seat and Harvey laughs and tells her that the only rule is no adults allowed. He compliments her hat and starts to scare Susie. He tells her she has to be polite and makes her take a drink. He takes off the cap and gives her the drink as he takes off his coat. He tells her she's very pretty and sits across from her. He asks her if she has a boyfriend and she tells him she doesn't.

Susie's very scared and continuously tells Harvey she needs to leave. He tells her he doesn't want her to leave and that he won't hurt her. She tries to climb up the ladder but he drags her down. She escapes the room and runs across the field. Ruth, almost home, finds Ray Singh's note, just as Susie races by her away from Harvey.

Jack and Abigail are worried for Susie and call the police. Jack gets in his car and asks around the mall for Susie, only to be brushed aside. In the meantime, Susie is in a strange part of town. She sees her father and screams out to her father but Jack only hears an echo. A car passes and the vision of her father dissipates into a dark and desolate version of the corner her father is at. A detective, Len Fenerman (Michael Imperioli) asks Abigail for a description of Susie and asks the basic questions asked in Missing Persons Cases.

Susie runs into her home only to realize that the dark and twisted version of her house is not really her home. As she walks down the hall she sees a light under a door. She walks toward the door and cautiously opens the door and enters a white tiled room where a man is taking a bath. There is blood and dirt all over the floor of the white room. Susie looks at the man (whose face is covered) and looks around the room. She sees a bloody sink with a razor in it and sees her charm-bracelet on the sink. The man takes off the towel to reveal George Harvey, taking a bath after having murdered Susie. She screams when she realizes what happened.

Detective Fenerman looks around the field and finds Susie's hat along with the destroyed structure. He brings the hat and tells Jack and Abigail that they didn't find her body but that they found a large amount of blood in the hole. Jack and Abigail lie in bed crying over Susie and Jack promises he's going to make it right, while Abigail insists that he can't.

Harvey sets to work on his house and incinerates all the evidence of having encountered Susie. He hides his bloody shoes and prepares for the door to door search by the police. He makes it look like he was casually relaxing when Detective Fenerman steps in to ask him several questions. He lectures Fenerman about how he feels responsible since he didn't see her and knows that she would have screamed. He looks at photos of Susie and realizes that he left her unique charm-bracelet on his dollhouse, next to Fenermans partner. Harvey surreptitiously hides the bracelet while he shows Fenerman the dollhouses he has built.

Lindsey goes to talk to her father about Susie. She asks if Susie is dead, but doesn't get a response. Susie describes slipping away and says that she isn't afraid. She is in her personal heaven when she remembers that there was somewhere she was meant to be. In the middle of her mountain hillside she sees a gazebo, where Ray Singh's reflection looks out morosely, paralleling the loneliness he feels in the real world without Susie. He fades away in a haze of light, leaving Susie running across fields of gold as she tries to reach the gazebo. As she nears it, she begins to be bogged down in water, drowning and calling out to Ray.

In the real world, Harvey takes Susie's bracelet and breaks off the House charm and tosses the rest in the water. In her personal heaven, Susie floats to the bottom of an ocean and lands in an aquatic version of her house. She awakens in a gazebo in the middle of the woods. She sees Ray Singh's note and finally gets to read it. If I have an hour of love upon this earth, I would give my love to thee. The Moor (Othello). She closes her eyes in sadness as she sees Ruth (back on earth) enter the gazebo and give the note he gave Susie back to him. She consoles Ray on his loss and admits that she never truly understood what dead meant. Ray tells her that it means that Susie is gone. She wonders if Susie is really gone, since she remembers how vividly she saw Susie before she faded away in front of her.

Back in the forest, a young woman, Holly, tells Susie that she shouldn't have looked back since Ruth will carry that moment with her forever. Susie is curious and asks Holly about where they are. Holly tells Susie that they are not in Heaven yet. They are in limbo which is a bit of Earth and a bit of Heaven. Susie asks where Holly and she are going. Susie admits that she wasn't moving towards Heaven yet. Holly tells Susie that it's time to let go and that Susie can't go back. Susie turns around and runs to the ocean, which is suddenly full of ships in bottles, breaking.

Jack, so upset over the loss of Susie stays in his house and looks at his ship bottles. He starts smashing them in anger but stops before he breaks the one Susie helped make. He clutches it to his heart and cries. Abigail puts her hands over Buckley's ears as his father loses himself. Harvey felt safe since he thought that everyone was moving on. Susie mentions that the one thing Harvey didn't understand was how much a father could love his child. As Susie looks in on Jack and his one burning candle, her presence is apparent in the reflection of the candle flame, different on one side to the other.

In Limbo, Susie and Holly run around. On Earth, Jack looks at the snow globe his daughter loved so much. As Holly and Susie continue to have fun, events on Earth continue to unfold. Buckley goes to his father and tells Jack that he saw Susie and she kissed him on the check. Jack hugs his son and holds him close as Buckley tells him "I think she listens". Jack develops the photos one roll per month. Abigail asks why they are dragging it out, but Jack says they made a deal. Abigail tells him there is no deal.

Jack continuously calls Len with new leads since he believes that the person who killed Susie was someone she knew. Len comes over and Jack tries to present his argument and Abigail freaks out since he has become obsessed in the eleven months since Susie's death. Len tells Jack that instead of looking for the killer, he should console Abigail instead since she needs someone to rely on. He calls Lynn and she comes to visit. Jack tells her that he's worried about Abigail. Lynn is cavalier and asks Jack if he's drinking. She tries to help but winds up smoking, drinking and making a mess of things while playing with Buckley.

Abigail goes about trying to clean, but avoids Susie's room. Lindsey goes for a run with the family dog and passes George Harvey's house. The dog barks at Harvey until he goes inside and Lindsey gets scared near him. She runs away as soon as Harvey goes inside. As Buckley paints Lynn's toes, he says he knows where Susie is. She says she's dead and Buckley tells her Susie is in the in between and that Lynn will probably die soon.

While Susie dreams she remembers her heart pounding and hearing the voices of the dead. She remembers coming to the same door and always being afraid. She says that she knew that if she ever went in the door she would never return. She knew that Harvey was feeding off of the memory of what he did to Susie over and over but that he would feel the emptiness rise again. When he saw young lovers in the fields having sex, he would silently watch, enveloped in emptiness.

Abigail asks Jack if he is coming to bed. Jack is staring at a photo album. The next day she goes to visit Len at the police station. She gives him one of Buckley's drawings of him. Lindsey, in bed, hears Lynn and Abigail fighting. Lynn screams that Abigail is not living with the death and that there is a tomb in the middle of the house. Jack wakes up one morning with a letter on his desk and Abigail leaving. Her letter tells Jack that she is leaving for an orchard. She goes as far away as possible. She writes to Lindsey. Susie and Holly watch Lindsey fall in love with a young man. Susie watches with a little jealousy as she watches Lindsey have the moment she would never have. Susie is happy for her, but terribly sad. Holly asks why she's upset but Susie doesn't tell her that she's crying for herself.

Ray spends his time with Ruth. Ray would think of Susie but struggle with the idea of letting her go. Harvey, intent on claiming Lindsey, collects articles of her. He knows that Lindsey suspects that Harvey had something to do with Susie's death and disappearance. Harvey feels the familiar itch that comes with his desire to kill and began constructing his next kill room.

Jack develops the last roll of photos, two years after Susie is gone. As he looks through them he flashes to the taken photos while suspiciously walking through the mall. He sees a picture of George Harvey and suddenly wonders if he is the killer. In Limbo, Susie looks through her developed photos, which are twisted versions of the world she is in, while Jack struggles on Earth to accept that the killer may have been around him the whole time. He drives by Harvey's house and sees the dead rose bush. Harvey sees Jack looking in and hides while carrying a large amount of wood sticks. Jack turns around and heads to the car. Harvey sees a shadow of Susie on a bike and drops his wood sticks. Jack hears them drop and turns around. He approaches Harvey and asks what Harvey is building. They make small talk about duck hunting. Harvey tells him that he has always been an outdoorsman. Jack sees a rose bush and starts feeling one of the roses, while in Limbo, Susie opens a mysterious box which appeared. In Limbo, she holds a rose, in conjunction with Jack. Jack imagines it blooming in his hand and it fades away as he helps Harvey construct his duck trap, unaware that is actually the next kill room for Harvey's attempt on Lindsey's life.

As Jack helps Harvey he realizes with certainty that Harvey is the one who killed Susie. Harvey tells him that it is time to leave. Harvey tells him he can't help Jack. Jack screams at him and pounds a hole in Harvey's door as he goes inside.

That night Len tells Jack that he can't keep going after people. Lindsey explodes and tells Len that he's a fool since they stopped looking for Susie or her killer a long time ago. Jack finally says that its time to move on. He thanks Len for being a good friend and puts the kids to sleep. Jack takes Buckley's baseball bat and heads to confront Harvey. He follows him into the corn fields and loses him but continues looking. Holly tells Susie that she doesn't need to be ruled by her hatred for Harvey any'more. Susie tries to will her father into letting go, but he continues. He stumbles upon a couple and the boyfriend beats him half to death as Harvey watches.

In Limbo, Susie looks through Harvey's past and sees that he is a serial killer. Among his victims is a girl named Holly.

On Earth, as Jack recovers, Lindsey does her own investigation. She breaks into Harvey's house and finds the cabinet full of clippings focusing on her fathers assault and Susie's disappearance. She checks every room as Harvey drives back to his house, having packed up his weapons and gone out to scout a new location. Lindsey finds a hollow space and finds the journal in which Harvey draws his kill rooms and pictures of dead animals. She finds her notes on Susie and sees the careful research he put into finding Susie. She sees the design for the kill room. Harvey enters the house and hears he pages of the book turn. Lindsey finds a lock of her sisters hair in the book. Harvey goes down stairs and sees that the window to the house is broken. He turns around carefully and hears the creek of the floorboard going back into place. Lindsey grabs the book and falls off the roof with the book. She gets up and runs just in time as Harvey bursts out in pursuit. He grabs a few valuables and prepares to run away.

Lindsey runs home looking for Jack, but finds that Abigail has returned. Abigail and Jack see each other. Lindsey sees her parents making up and looks at the book. Lynn asks why Lindsey is so shell shocked and Lindsey presents her with Harvey's book. The police go to Harvey's and prepare to arrest him, but Harvey has taken Susie's body (which he kept in a safe) and brought it to the landfill. Ruth and Ray watch as Harvey and a foreman drop the safe into the landfill.

In Limbo, Susie meets another victim, Flora, who is by the tree Holly and Susie were walking towards. All of the victims gather under the tree. A small girl hugs Susie and holds her hand to comfort her. Holly joins her and the two hug. Susie tells her that its beautiful as they walk away from the tree in groups. But Susie stops. Holly asks what Susie is waiting for and Susie responds that she is almost free.

As Harvey tries to dump the safe, he notices Ruth watching. Ruth calls out to Ray as she sees Susie in the reflection of the window walking toward her. Susie borrows Ruth's body and Ray realizes that it is Susie in Ruth's body. He sees Susie in Ruth's place. She asks Ray to kiss her and Ray leans in and kisses her. Harvey pushes the safe into the sink hole and it rolls in and sinks into the dark. Ray and Susie come apart and Ray tells her that she is beautiful.

She says that "The Lovely Bones" are the connections that happened after Susie was gone, in a way that held her family and friends world together, even while she isn't in it.

The epilogue shows Abigail and Jack back together, Lindsey pregnant with her first child, Ruth and Ray together in bed. Harvey moves to another town and sets up to continue his murder spree. One evening, Harvey tries to lure a young woman into his car by offering her a ride, and steps too close to the edge of a cliff. As she rebuffs him, an icicle breaks and hits his shoulder. As he tries to fish it out of his back, he falls off the cliff and breaks his neck. He dies, covered in snow.

Abigail goes into Susie's room and Susie narrates that she had been waiting for Abigail to enter the room and come to terms with Susie's death. Susie sees her and accepts that it is time to move on and enter Heaven. She ends her narration with: "I was here for a moment and then I was gone. I wish you all a long and happy life."