Us (2019) Movie Review

Us (2019) IMDB

Us movie poster

Jordan Peele knows how to make an interesting horror film, Get Out anyone ?, and this is his follow-up. It’s 1986, and a young girl wanders off from the amusement park on the beach and enters a deserted fun house. When the lights go out she tries to exit, but the mirror maze makes it difficult for her to find her way. Oh, and so does the girl in the mirror. And that’s when you know this thing is about to get sinister.

Modern day. A family of 4 takes a vacation to SoCal with another family. After a beach outing during the day where they see a tragic scene they return home to relax. That night the lights go out only to reveal a group of 4 family doppelgangers outside, but with deformations. What follows is a cat and mouse game where the doppelgangers are trying to kill the original family. Along the way we discover just how big the problem is.

So this really good movie has a maze that kicks off the plot and hurtles us into a twisted world that you will want to escape from ! It has a cast that includes Lupita Nyong'o and Elizabeth Moss and the performances are good.

I give it a solid 7.4/10. It has won over 80 awards from dozens of different groups, so if you don’t trust me, trust them !

Here is the trailer:

The Shining (1980) Movie Review

Considered by some as the greatest horror film ever made and certainly one of the first films mentioned in the conversation. Features a handful of really memorable scenes that have become a part of our culture, like the creepy twins and the breaking through the door with an ax and that means something.

The Shining (1980) IMDB

The Shining (1980) movie poster

One of the best horror movies of all time is also one of the best movies of all time. It features the 3 headed monster of Stanley Kubrick as the director of a Stephen King best selling book with Jack Nicholson as the lead character….yes please ! A writer takes a job as a caretaker of a secluded hotel (the Overlook Hotel) that is closed for the Winter with his wife and young son joining him. Oh, did I mention the hotel is also haunted ? Not a little haunted, a lot haunted. As the writer’s mental state deteriorates, his wife and son try to leave the hotel but he won’t let them. Can they escape a secluded hotel in the middle of winter ? I would try using the hedge maze outside….just a thought.

Jack looking at model of the maze - The Shining

If you want to explore the symbolism in the film check out the documentary film Room 237. It will have you questioning the choices made in the film and just what they might represent. Also, it gives you a reason to watch the movie again !

Fun Facts About The Shining

  • The Overlook Hotel was inspired by the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. Kubrick filmed the exterior shots of the hotel at the Timberline Lodge, but the interior shots were filmed in a studio in England.

  • Jack Nicholson's famous "Here's Johnny!" line was not in the original script. Nicholson improvised the line on the spot, and Kubrick loved it so much that he decided to keep it in the film.

  • The film's score, composed by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, is also considered to be one of the greatest film scores of all time.

  • The movie opened on the same weekend as The Empire Strikes Back !

  • The film was considered a poor adaption of the book and was hated by Stephen King.

This is easily a 9.5/10. If I see this on tv, I watch it.

Check out the movie trailer:

Ready Player One (2018) Movie Review

Ready Player One (2018) IMDB

Ready Player One (2018) movie poster

Ready Player One is directed by Steven Spielberg based on the best selling book written by Ernest Cline. In the year 2045 things are not good in the real world, so people escape into a virtual reality world called the OASIS. The OASIS has a contest where you must find a series of Easter Eggs hidden in the virtual world to win. To find the Easter Eggs you need to solve puzzles using details about pop culture from the past (our present) and win challenges. The winner of the contest will be given ownership of OASIS. Needless to say this brings out a group of people who want the power and wealth that would entail. Some might even say they are evil….and might try to cheat.

With cameos by and references to over 120 characters this movie is one you can watch again and again and never see all the hidden cameos. I wonder if this could become a bingo game. Certainly people have figured out a way to make it into a drinking game. The action is fun, the special effects are outstanding (and award winning) and the contest puzzles will make you think. This is good Sci-Fi. Tye Sheridan does a nice job in the lead role playing Wade Watts.

Oh, and did you notice the Ready Player One logo is a MAZE ! You start from the initial R and work your way to the center of the O, which includes an Easter egg as the goal !

Ready Player One Logo Maze

Ready Player One Logo Maze

UPDATE: And there is good news if you like this movie. In November 2020 the sequel book was released, Ready Player Two, and quickly became a best seller. Early work has started on a film adaption which Spielberg will be producing and not directing, but things have so far been slow.

I give this movie a 8.5/10.

Check out the trailer. How many characters and pop references can you find ?

Prisoners (2013) Movie Review

Prisoners (2013) IMDB

Prisoners movie poster

Prisoners is about a man (Hugh Jackman) who tries to hunt down his 6 year old daughter and her friend who have been abducted after Thanksgiving dinner. He does this after the police arrest a suspect but release him for lack of evidence. As he gets closer to the suspected abductor he finds a man obsessed with making mazes (I do not support this premise as someone who has a website committed to making mazes). Can he find the children in time to keep them safe ? He takes matters into his own hands to find the children but will he take things too far ?A really tense thriller I highly recommend. Great intensity with a wonderful script and cinematography. It is dark and there are twists and turns.

The film is full of stars beyond Hugh Jackman, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, and Paul Dano also part of the cast. The director, Denis Villeneuve is so talented that I need to keep updating his list of great films on this blog post (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Incendies, Sicario, Dune Parts 1 & 2) and this might be his best film !

I give it a 9.5/10.

Check out the trailer:

I found 3 more movie posters for this film, each which features mazes prominently and since this is a website dedicated to mazes I had to show them ! Which do you prefer ? Did any make my list of The 10 best maze movie posters ?

Prisoners movie poster - maze background
Prisoners movie poster - maze background with writing
Prisoners horizontal movie poster