Enter the Dragon (1973) Movie Review

Enter the Dragon (1973) IMDB Amazon

Enter the Dragon movie poster

This classic 1970’s martial arts movie set a high standard before special effects took the genre to a new level. Enter the Dragon is considered by many (including IMDB) Bruce Lee’s best movie. Tragically, it was released in the US just a few weeks after his untimely death. The movie follows Lee as he tries to infiltrate and investigate a man named Han’s inner circle during a martial arts tournament that Han holds on his island. So this is both a spy thriller and a martial arts movie.

We have a few American characters who have stories we follow also, each working their way to the tournament and fighting all along the way. The story doesn’t really matter as much as the fight scenes which happen early and often. And this review is here because the movie contains a very important maze scene. Like The Lady from Shanghai this movie also ends with a scene in a mirror maze, although it is more of a disorienting mirror room than anything else. Figuring out who your real opponent is from all the ones reflected in the mirror is the key to surviving the fight !

The movie has great fight sequences and is worth watching. I give it a 7/10.

This is both a must see Bruce Lee film and a must see martial arts film.

Check out the trailer:

Spoiler - the final mirror fight scene ! Skip this if you have not seen the movie yet !

Alice in Wonderland (1951) Movie Review

Alice in Wonderland (1951) IMDB

Alice in Wonderland (1951) movie poster

The classic Lewis Carroll novel was brought to life by Disney in 1951 and remains a classic today. Now there have been dozens of adaptions of this story. So many they are difficult to count. 1903, 1915, 1923, 1931, 1933, 1949, 1955, 1966, 1972, 1985, 1999, 2009, and 2010, all had versions with the 2010 film starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter being the biggest, generating over $1B in ticket sales globally. I wonder if that version means we will have to wait a few more years for the next version of the film to be made ? Because this story WILL be made into another film. Waiting…waiting…still no more Alice in Wonderlands being made. Did we learn if you hit $1B you suck the air out of the room ? Maybe.

Back to the 1951 Disney version. This is the classic you remember from when you were a kid. The animated movie is great for kids. Lots of wonderful characters and fun situations and songs. Another bonus is a runtime that kids can handle at 71 minutes long, something many modern movies have forgotten !! And yes, there is a maze towards the end of the movie which gets it on my site. Alice is led into a maze by the Cheshire cat where she proceeds to paint the roses red, she’s painting the roses red….

This version is great for all ages. I give it a 7/10.

It also made my list of The 7 Maze and Labyrinth Movies That Kids Will Love, which includes I few movies you have probably never heard of.

Check out the trailer:

Time Bandits (1981) Movie Review

Time Bandits (1981) IMDB

Time Bandits movie poster

Time Bandits is a 1981 film written and directed by Terry Gilliam. Yes, the same Terry Gilliam of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This movie would best be described as a time travel fantasy film with a Monty Python feel to it. Very British.

The story begins with an 11 year old boy being visited by 6 time traveling dwarves who bust through the wardrobe in his room. The dwarves are being chased because they have stolen a map from the supreme being that they are using to steal treasures across time. The boy joins them on the adventure that starts with an interesting escape from his room. From here we visit Napoleon (played by Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) and the Titanic (played by a different boat). We even get a scene in the middle ages with a Minotaur like creature, but not in a maze.

This is a movie full of imagination, fun storytelling and great costumes. About 80 minutes into the movie we have a maze ! The maze appears during a game show sequence that is a trap Evil has set to steal the map from the dwarves. Evil is our appropriately named bad guy. A lot more crazy things happen as the dwarves, Evil and the supreme being try to acquire the map. The story ages very well and this is a movie that can be re-watched multiple times and enjoyed. I would describe it as British silly.

I give it a 7.4/10.

This was remade in 2024 as a 10 episode series on Appletv+ starring Lisa Kudrow. He has mixed reviews.

And as far as trailers go, this is a really good one IMO. It really gives you an idea of what kind of comedy movie you are getting yourself into !

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) Movie Review

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) IMDB

Hellbound Hellraiser II (1988) movie poster

Hellraiser is a horror franchise that has over a dozen movies to its credit. Most of the films went straight to video and are poorly reviewed. But this sequel to the original horror classic Hellraiser was released in theaters.

The first thing we need to discuss. How many horror films do you know that revolve around an evil mattress ? I don’t think we can count The Exorcist because it takes place in bed, I mean the mattress is evil. One. This one. And that leads to someone coming back from another dimension through the mattress (with the minor inconvenience of not having any skin). In order to regenerate some skin they feed on mentally ill patients (high vitamin D maybe ?). Then the real fun starts, because halfway thru the movie the characters open the gateway to hell (they are hell-bound just like the title!).

So what does hell look like ? Is it fire and brimstone ? No, it is more of a huge stone maze with a a bit of an MC Escher feel to it. It also looks a bit cold and damp. I mean we get some fire later…but just the overall feeling is dark and dingy like the basement of a house you don’t want to live in. I notice that there are low safety standards in hell. High walkways with no bannisters or barriers to stop you from falling off the edge. But maybe that’s ok. I mean you are already dead….so if you fall…do you die again ago go to second hell ? I have questions.

Here is a screenshot to give you an idea of what hell looks like:

Hellraiser 2 Maze scene

Looks pretty cool.

Unfortunately this movie is poorly written and acted. I give it a 5/10.

If you decide to watch it, then go ahead and watch Hellraiser 3, but then stop and skip every other version unless you like to watch very bad movies.

Check out the trailer: