Dennis McDonald’s MOVIE REVIEWS

 
This section contains my occasional movie & DVD reviews.

  • A complete index of my movie reviews is here.
  • My favorite ten movies are listed here.
  • My book reviews are here.
Wednesday
24Jun

Keiichi Sugiyama's ORIGIN: SPIRITS OF THE PAST

The visuals and artwork are impressive but the characters and story are a letdown.

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Wednesday
24Jun

Tony Scott's THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123

This is an enjoyable Summer action vehicle that’s held together by Scott’s taught action direction, witty dialog, and effective performances by Washington, Travolta, and Gandolfini.

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Monday
22Jun

McG's TERMINATOR SALVATION

This is a worthy continuation of the Terminator franchise. There’s enough new stuff here to keep your attention, the action is spectacular, and the characters are sufficiently differentiated to create some dramatic tension despite being frequently out-staged by the savage action sequences.

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Thursday
04Jun

Tarsem's THE FALL

Although visually arresting, I thought Tarsem Singh’s THE CELL was inuman, inhumane, and tawdry. THE FALL is also visually gorgeous. It’s also clever, imaginative, and touching.

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Wednesday
03Jun

Mamoru Oshii's THE SKY CRAWLERS

Wonderfully animated, this moody anime adventure combines elements of 1984 (perpetual warfare), Blade Runner (androids with fuzzy memories), Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (alternate history and retro-futuristic aircraft), and Dark City (constant recycling of character experiences and events).

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Friday
22May

Oliver Hirschbiegel's THE INVASION

Taught, well acted, creepy, and fast-paced. The “invisible aliens among us” story has been done many times before. This one focuses less on wild histrionics than continually escalating terror.

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Tuesday
19May

Yoji Yamada's LOVE AND HONOR

A young samurai lives comfortably with his wife in an apartment on the grounds of a rich, aged feudal lord. His complaint: his job as a royal food taster leaves him dissatisfied and longing for more challenging and personally rewarding responsibilities.

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Wednesday
13May

J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK

I wasn’t a big fan of the original Star Trek TV series, but I did enjoy the movies and subsequent TV shows. Having a new Star Trek movie that reinvents original series and charcater premises is a welcome event, escpcially when you see and hear the results on a huge IMAX screen, which I just did.

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Wednesday
13May

Gavin Hood's X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

By Dennis D. McDonald

What a humorless film this is. Yes, the action sequences are well done, and yes, the outdoor scenery - New Zealand, I presume - is gorgeous. But the main character, played by Hugh Jackman, has little personality and no charm. Glad I saw it at a discount price.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Dennis D. McDonald

Monday
11May

David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

The special effects are the most impressive I’ve seen since Peter Jackson’s King Kong.

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Thursday
23Apr

Timur Bekmambetov's WANTED

Talk about no redeeming social value! But it’s great fun.

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Sunday
29Mar

Lilo & Stitch

This movie is one of the sweetest movies I’ve seen in years. And I mean that as a sincere compliment.

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Friday
13Mar

Spike Lee's MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA

There’s enough creativity, truth, history, drama, and excitement here for three movies.

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Saturday
07Mar

Takeshi Yamakazi's RETURNER

This movie is 1000% better than it should be. Credit the director (Takeshi Yamakazi) and his top-notch crew and cast.

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Saturday
07Mar

Kronos

This 1957 black and white science fiction movie is nowhere near classics like This Island Earth or Forbidden Planet in production values, but it holds up surprisingly well, if you give it a chance.

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Friday
06Mar

Farah Khan's OM SHANTI OM

This is the most entertaining movie I have seen since Andrew Stanton’s WALL-E.

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Saturday
31Jan

Movies I Don't Get Tired of Watching

In no particular order:

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Wednesday
28Jan

Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING

Many of the scenes in the Theatrical Return beg for more exposition. I don’t know if that’s because the story has been too highly compressed, or if I’m just aware that an Extended Edition is due out in a couple of months. Probably a bit of both.

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Wednesday
28Jan

George Lucas' THE PHANTOM MENACE

When I first saw this movie in the theater I was bored. My reaction is much more positive with this 2-DVD set.

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Wednesday
28Jan

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Watching this movie I was struck by the similarities and differences with The Phantom Menace. Both make heavy use of computer animation, both were based on characters or situations already popular from previous media incarnations, and both dealt with grand issues like Good versus Evil.

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