Anina (2013) Movie Review

Anina (2013) (IMDB)

Anina movie poster

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I sat down to watch this movie, but I like what I found. I am a huge fan of the animation style which is unlike any other to me. The movie follows our main character, Anina Yatay Salas, a ten year old girl, whose full name is a palindrome, which she does not like and the other children make fun of. After Anina gets into a fight during a school recess, her punishment is in a sealed black envelope that she cannot open for a week. We follow Anina during the week as she lives her home life, goes to school, and daydreams, while always wondering what the sealed envelope holds. I will leave the lessons and learnings for you to discover.

Our first look at a maze in the movie is when Anina is solving a maze puzzle in her room ! But our big scene takes place while Anina is daydreaming on a bus. She imagines herself exploring a huge hedge maze, with a surprise located in the center.

I watched the movie in Spanish and I am not sure if there is a dubbed version, but either way it is a really good animated movie for both kids and adults. I recommend it. Nice animation, good story and music.

I give it a 7.3/10

The Games Maker (2014) Movie Review

The Games Maker (2014) (IMDB)

The Games Maker movie poster

The Games Maker is about a boy, Ivan Drago, and his fascination with inventing games. Ivan invents games and enters them into a mail-in game invention contest, eventually winning the competition. This leads to a quest story that describing here would sound ridiculous, but involves his parents disappearing, a boarding school. It is very much a magical, adventure that deals with a city called Zyl, known as the “games capital” where Ivan’s estranged grandfather lives. We have a bad guy in the movie named Morodian who must be overcome. As someone who creates maze art and maze puzzles I relate to Ivan.

There is a labyrinth in the town (really a hedge maze), shown in a tv commercial of all things, and mentioned as being overgrown. We later find out that Morodian invented a game called The Labyrinth of Death, based off of an incident from his childhood. Ivan eventually enters the labyrinth (shown below) to try to find Morodian.

The Games Maker hedge maze screenshot

Overall the movie has the feel of a teen adventure book. Worth a watch if you like this type of movie, but there is a reason you have never heard of it.

I give it a 5.6/10

Atrocious (2010) Movie Review

Atrocious (2010) (IMDB)

Atrocious movie poster

This movie starts with a quote:

“La mente es un labrinto en el que cualquiera puede perderse” OR in English : “The mind is a labyrinth in which anyone can get lost”

A brother and sister host a web show about the paranormal and during a spring trip to the family’s summer home they take along their cameras to pass the time. So, yes, this horror movie is shot in the style of a found footage film, with shaky camerawork, low budget looks, and occasional dark screens with people running with a camera at night. The siblings delve into a legend about a girl who got lost wandering the woods in the area in 1940. Behind a locked gate at the property they explore a large maze that is very overgrown. I would call it a hedge maze but it seems to be more trees, bushes and natural grasses. The maze also includes a well and a domed gazebo structure. The film is short, running only 79 minutes, but a significant portion of this movie takes place in the maze. Overall the movie is ok. Found footage can get annoying when the night and shaky scenes are on.

I give it a 5.2/10

Casanova, Last Love (2019) Movie Review

Casanova, Last Love (2019) (IMDB)

Casanova Last Love movie poster

Casanova, you may have heard of him, arrives in London in exile. He learns about his new city while doing what he does best, entertaining the women of the city. But, suddenly a particular woman catches his eye, a much younger woman who he is infatuated with who a friend warns him about. She plays hard to get, something a man with his reputation is not used to. Oh, and she happens to be a prostitute, so the hard to get game seems out of place for her profession. The courting in the movie takes place in the city parks. During one outing to Hever Castle they visit the hedge maze (which looks well maintained and fun) ! As far as the movie it is a bit boring to be honest. I just didn’t care about the story or characters.

I give it a 5/10.