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.

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

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) Movie Review

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) IMDB

Perfume- The Story of a Murderer (2006) movie poster

My favorite type of movie is a movie with a story that I haven’t seen before with a plot device that is unexpected and makes the story feel new. This is one of those movies. It is based off of the best selling book of the same name by German writer Patrick Süskind from 1985.

A young boy is born with a sense of smell more powerful than anyone in human history. With it he obsessively works to create the perfect perfume, because if you have a gift you should use it ! Unfortunately, in this story that includes some secret ingredients that are against the law (no spoilers). Of course, he finds some of these ingredients when they are lost in a hedge maze. It gets very weird multiple times at the end, but you can’t say it’s something you’ve seen before ! The fact that it is unusual are what will draw you in and keep you from looking down at your phone.

The settings of the movie show a city that is dark and dirty which does a great job of evoking smells into your mind. For a story about smells, that is a very good thing.

Ben Whishaw does a nice job in the leading role with nice performances by Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman. It did not surprise me that this films IMDB page shows multiple award wins. This is rated R for the violence and disturbing scenes but they all move the story forward. Basically this is a ****** ****** movie set in the mid-1700’s. If I told you what the * mean it would spoil the movie, but if you want to know, scroll to the bottom of this post.

I give it a 7.5/10.

Check out the trailer (where you will see a few scenes from the hedge maze):

Other Movie posts you may like:

A Collection of Maze and Labyrinth Movies

The 18 Best Maze Movies

SPOILER:

Basically this is a SERIAL KILLER movie set in the mid-1700’s.