The Lady From Shanghai (1947) Movie Review

The Lady From Shanghai (1947) IMDB

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) movie poster

Rita Hayworth plays a vixen that gets director/actor Orson Welles mixed up in a murder plot in this film-noir classic. If you are a fan of film noir this is a perfect representation of the genre. The film was based off of the book If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King.

The plot revolves around a possible planned murder and the use of corpus delicti laws that were common at the time. That means that in order to be convicted of a crime you need to prove that a crime has been committed. We have a husband who is suspicious of his wife (Rita) and is having her followed by a private investigator. We get double crosses, misdirection’s and questionable decisions from from our characters.

In the last act our characters find themselves caught in a fun-house mirror maze in a key plot moment that involves gunshots…if they can find what they are shooting at ! One of the few maze films that involves a funhouse mirror maze but is not a horror film. Also a film that doesn’t just contain a maze, but uses it in a major way to move the plot and story forward (like The Shining). Side note - I could listen to Orson Welles speak all day. About anything.

A very solid movie. 8/10.

Check out the trailer:

Labyrinth (1986) Movie review

Labyrinth (1986) IMDB

Labyrinth (1986) movie poster

Jim Henson, Lucasfilm and David Bowie collaborated on this classic fantasy movie. A teenage girl (played by Jennifer Connelly) is angrily babysitting her younger baby brother when she wishes he would be taken away. The Goblin King (David Bowie) grants the wish and takes the brother in a classic case of be careful what you wish for. Her only way to get him back is to solve a Labyrinth in 13 hours or her brother will permanently become a goblin in this weird fantasy world. The film includes a wonderful tribute to MC Escher and tons of interesting puppets courtesy of Jim Henson, along with some musical numbers from David Bowie. The movie is a classic for a reason and if you see it while flipping channels (for those who still do that) you should stop and watch. So many interesting things to keep you interested.

The success of the movie led to spinoffs into other categories since the characters resonated so much with fans. I have reviewed the comics in this post: Maze Comic Book Reviews - Jim Henson's Labyrinth Comics. There have been 3 series from Boom! Studios in addition to the Marvel Comics 3 issue limited series from 1986. If you like the movie you will enjoy these, or if you just like comics the artwork is worth a look.

You can purchase Funko Pops of the biggest characters if that is more of your thing. Also, Jim Henson has a Labyrinth retail website that sells everything you can think of from the movie. Personally, I am a fan of the classic metal lunchboxes, but sadly, I do not need one.

I give the movie a 6.5/10. David Bowie’s hair gets a 9/10. David Bowie’s eyebrows get a 2/10.

Enjoy the MC Escher scene below, featuring David Bowie singing “Within You” along with the movie trailer below that.

It Chapter 2 (2019) Movie Review

It Chapter 2 (2019) IMDB

It Chapter 2 (2019) movie poster

The Losers Club is called home 27 years after their encounter with Pennywise in Derry, Maine. He seems to be in a very bad mood. Eventually we have a few characters stuck in a fun-house mirror maze with the sadistic clown Pennywise. And things get intense. Running in a mirror maze is a BAD IDEA. I’ve personally never tried running in a mirror maze, but I have walked through many, and I have walked into plenty of walls at slow speeds which I did not enjoy. This movie is all about the Losers Club facing off against Pennywise and trying to defeat him.

Based on the story by Stephen King (also author of the all-time great maze movie, The Shining). This movie is not as strong as the first installment, but Pennywise will still have you hating clowns and jumping from your seat at an unexpected moment. The ensemble cast includes Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader. Of course Bill Skarsgård absolutely kills it in his portrayal of Pennywise.

I give it a 6/10.

In October 2025, It : Welcome to Derry debuted as a prequel television series on HBO Max to both It movies. Initial reviews are strong, with Bill Skarsgård returning in the role of Pennywise. The series takes place in Derry in 1962, before each of the first 2 films. It appears there will be a season 2 coming in 2027.

Check out the trailer:

Inception (2010) Movie Review

If you believe in the voting on major movie websites, Inception is the highest rated maze movie of all time. Do I need to write anything after that ? ok…

Inception (2010) IMDB

Inception (2010) movie poster

At the time of this writing this is the highest rated Science-Fiction movie of all-time on IMDB. It won 4 Oscars, and although it didn’t win, it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. It has won 159 awards and was nominated for 220 awards according to its IMDB page. So, does this need a review ? No, it is outstanding.

But what is the movie about and how are mazes involved ? Well, the movie revolves around a group of thieves go into dreams to steal corporate ideas from the minds of people. This time they need to plant an idea in a CEO’s head during a dream (what they call an inception). To do this they will need to circumvent the maze of subconscious dream worlds they’ve created - a dream world within a dream world within a dream world. Sounds like that will be easy to execute. This is a solid script, well acted (packed full of stars Leonardo DiCaprio,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, E. Page and Ken Watanabe), well shot, well paced, has great special effects and multiple outstanding action scenes. One of things that make this movie so loved is the concept and premise. This is not a story concept you have ever heard of before. You will not be guessing what is going to happen next because you have not seen this before.

And the ending !!! Perfect. 9.5/10. Thank you Christopher Nolan.