Dennis McDonald's MOVIE REVIEWS

J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

2013-06-03T18:21:53Z

Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

What did you say, Jim?Having grown up reading the science fiction of Clarke, Heinlein, and Asimov, the original Star Trek TV series always seemed unsophisticated and juvenile. Then after 2001: A Space Odyssey hit the theaters, expectations of visual science fiction changed dramatically. Cardboard sets and blinking lights now seemed laughable.

I did enjoy the later Star Trek movies and TV series a lot more. Wrath of Khan was a high point, along with the dark politics of Deep Space Nine. So, having had mixed feelings about the first Star Trek “reboot,” I came to After Darkness with lowered expectations.

I’ve grown tired of grandiose special-effects, spectacular battles, and city level devastation. I do enjoy strong characters, innovative storylines, and excellent production values. Unfortunately, Into Darkness fails on the first two counts.

Basically, I see the original Star Trek characters is already being stylized and caricatured. We have expectations of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the others already formed. These expectations are inevitably shaped by how the original cast played these characters. But now we have a new set of actors playing the same (sort of) characters, and I don’t envy them their tasks; how far can they go with injecting their own contributions into these “reimagined” characters?

I think I would feel a bit more engaged with the movie were all this effort on display here dedicated to creating something new. But it isn’t. Abrams and staff are straddling the line and “reimagining” something that wasn’t always original to begin with. Let’s have something new for a change!

Rupert Sanders' SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

2013-05-07T16:26:16Z

Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

The only reason I rented this Blu-ray was to see Charlize Theron. I was smitten by her in Prometheus and was really looking forward to seeing her in a turn as the Evil Stepmother.

Alas, it was not to be. Despite a great cast and clever special effects, the movie falls flat despite its bending of our fairy-tale-inspired expectations. Character development is nil. Drama is uneven. Dialog is flat. Photography is uninspired.

On the plus side: I enjoyed Kristen Stewart as Snow White. I remember being impressed by her in Panic Room so it was nice to see how she has matured. I also enjoyed Sam Spruell as Charlize Theron’s evil brother and wondered what the movie might have been like had he played the Evil Stepmother in drag, instead of Theron. Obviously a missed opportunity.

Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman is wasted. He portrays neither personality nor soul. Compared to this, his ingratiating Thor was a triumph.

The dwarves are well done and enjoyable; their grittiness is a welcome antidote to Disneyfication.

But the direction in this movie is non-existent. We are meant to care about characters we hardly know. Theron rants and raves with no effect. Whereas she was diabolical, cool, and sexy in Prometheus, here she just shrieks and stalks the castle throne room.

I blame the director, uninspired editing, and boring music. There’s a lot of lost opportunity here. Perhaps the extended edition is much better; unfortunately, I rented the Blu-ray from Netflix and the Extended edition, along with all the special features, show up on the menus but have been deactivated.

Joseph Kosinski's OBLIVION

2013-04-25T15:44:44Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Great popcorn movie. Really enjoyed it. Terrific visuals, interesting variations on familiar themes.

Really shows how far special effects have advanced in recent years given how much takes place in broad daylight. Also, a good balance between focus on story, focus on characters, and focus on action. Technology is very well done. Great music by M83.

One thing I liked a lot better than some other recent sci-fi/fantasy spectacles: there’s not as much blowing-things-up-real-good here. Yes there are battles but not the kind that require skyscrapers to fall and streets to be filled with rubble and fleeing multitudes. I’m getting really tired of that which was one of the reasons that I found The Avengers so boring.

Back to the images: the film is gorgeous. The technology is appealing and the living quarters above the clouds are evocative. The lighting in this film is superb. Plot holes are plenty but, as noted, this is a popcorn movie.

I’ll also have to admit that I am a Tom Cruise fan. As politically correct as it is to tear him down, he works really really hard at what he does and it shows, whether we’re talking Oblivion, Mission Impossible, or Valkyrie.

Finally, a word of warning: I saw this in an IMAX theater and boy it is LOUD. The bass is just incredible and reminded me of my seeing Contact for the first time in Los Angeles; the theater shakes. You may find yourself covering your ears at times (not that that helps).

Benh Zeitlin's BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

2013-03-13T10:19:29Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

I’m glad I saw this film, it’s a pleasure to see something that’s grounded in reality but sufficiently fantastic to the point where the dividing line between the two becomes blurred. Some of the images in this film are totally arresting. Wild parties. Tablefulls of shrimp and crab. Flooded shacks that look like Walt Kelly fever dreams.

I won’t attempt to summarize the story now nor shall I rhapsodize about the first time actors, young and old. Let’s just say that the story concentrates on strong-willed people who are just getting by as it is who are then put upon by catastrophes both medical and meteorological.

The resulting flooding forces a razor-sharp focus on survival and a series of adventures that brings the main characters into direct contact with circumstances both surreal and deathly real.

The main character is a seven-year-old girl. Much of the story is told and viewed from her perspective. This one’s a keeper. But don’t expect something warm and fuzzy.

Tom McCarthy's THE STATION AGENT

2013-02-13T19:39:27Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Peter DinklageWhile watching this film I said to myself, “If I could make a movie this is the kind of movie I’d make.”

This small, unpretentious, and touching film really works. The characters are interesting, the dialog is spare but true, and the story arc is well crafted.

The story itself is unusual. That is part of the appeal. A young, lonely man is totally involved with trains - train models, train movies, train schedules, train books, you name it. He works at a hobby shop.

One day his employer and only friend drops dead, leaving him a small rundown train depot and surrounding property in rural New Jersey. The young man drops everything and moves there, loneliness and all.

The young man is a dwarf. This fact is important to the story, yet at the same time, a side issue. The central issue is that, for one reason or another, he has walled himself into a well of loneliness and self sufficiency. Yet when he moves to his new home, he runs into several people who insist on being his friend. One is a nutty Hispanic diner truck owner. One is a separated woman grieving for her dead son. One is an 11 year old black girl who is completely honest.

What could have been a schmaltzy exercise in pathos and artificial sentimentality ends up as a mature, touching, real film. Much of the credit must go to the main character, played by Peter Dinklage. This guy can act and has the ability to project a very strong screen presence. And despite the movie’s peculiarities, it manages to touch on real feelings and real human situations.

Writer-director Tom McCarthy has really created a gem in this movie.

Barry Sonnenfeld's MEN IN BLACK III

2013-01-30T18:58:56Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

To my surprise, I really enjoyed Men in Black III. What did I like about it?

The story is clever and cute (I’m a sucker for time travel stories).
The characters are engaging (this one is much more focused on character issues than previous films).
The dialogue is smart and clever (sometimes I just found myself laughing out loud).
The production design is really impressive (for example, it’s neat how New York City in 1969 is so bright and clean … that’s not how I remember it!)
Josh Brolin is amazing as Young Agent K.

This is an enjoyable movie and a pleasant way to spend some time. Plus it’s emotionally satisfying at the end, which I was not expecting at all. Check it out. The Blu-ray edition is gorgeous.

Timo Vuorensola's IRON SKY

2013-01-17T14:07:16Z

A movie review by Dennis D McDonald

I was really looking forward to seeing Iron Sky after all the online hype.

Actually seeing it was a major disappointment. This movie is awful.

The overall design and special effects are good, the basic idea holds great promise (Nazis return from the dark side of the moon in 2018 to attack Earth), the costumes are top-notch, and the on-screen talent for the most part is more than adequate.

Alas, as a piece of anti-American propaganda it’s out of date and unoriginal. As a commentary on “race relations” it’s overly stereotypical and wince-inducing. As a political commentary on an outmoded “Nazi Culture” clashing with 21st-century realities via a high-tech conflict it is totally underwhelming.

Most disappointing: the movie is not very funny.

Where does it succeed?

There are a few good jokes about smart phones and he juxtaposition of 1940’s-based “retro-tech” with today is visually entertaining. But that’s about it.

It might be worth seeing primarily as an oddity and as an example of what can go wrong when the talent behind the camera just doesn’t have the horsepower to rise to the occasion, despite the opportunities provided by the story and the available cast.

This movie is a reminder that, when you go out of your way to outrageously offend, you’d better have the creativity and directorial chops to pull it off. That’s why there’s such a difference between the onscreen efforts of Rob Zombie and Quentin Tarantino. Unfortunately, Iron Sky falls mostly into the former category.

Mamoru Oshii's ASSAULT GIRLS

2013-01-10T05:13:51Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This is sort of a sequel to Avalon. We have, again, a post apocalyptic society where immersive multiplayer videogame warfare seems to have evolved into a major societal and economic force.

This time the director’s approach is much less serious, there is more emphasis on action via gunfire and monsters, and most of the time we get to watch a group of attractive young women run around a barren desert shooting giant monster sand whales while wearing attractive costumes.

The costumes have been lovingly designed: lots of buckles, straps, knee and elbow pads, facemasks, and — I kid you not — feathers. It’s as if an anime influenced fashion designer turned in incredibly detailed costume designs and the costume department followed the designs slavishly down to the last stitch.

Does it all add up? Not really. There’s little plot and no real personality development. But that’s not the point. The director is moving his characters around as they fight and follow the omnipresent game controller who appears regularly as a spinning globe of light. The setting — almost a desert — is sparse but well suited to the goings on which seem to focus on the regular appearance of those monster sand whales. We also get to see — briefly — some cool air and space vehicles.

It is interesting. But I get the impression that the director, who also directed THE SKY CRAWLERS and GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, is not as engaged with gaming as the focus of his movies suggests. But that’s OK; neither am I.

Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN

2013-01-08T18:24:01Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

The Movie

My first reaction, walking out of the theater after the credits, was to ask my wife, “How is it possible that the same guy who directed a terrifying movie like War of the Worlds could then go on to do something like Lincoln?”

I have to admit that this film really moved me. As it is I’m a history buff and, living in Alexandria Virginia, I’m used to seeing or hearing about historical events almost on a daily basis.

Still, now and then a historical movie does manage to rise above the rest. Lincoln is one such film.

Physically, emotionally, historically, and spiritually it feels like it does take you back in time. Yet the politicking and jawboning are immediately recognizable to anyone who pays attention to politics and government.

What most impressed me? What Lincoln illustrates is the not-so-simple fact that, now and then, public officials do have to wrestle with profoundly important issues that cannot just be kicked down the road. What we see in Lincoln is how government officials dealt over 100 years ago with the immediacy of two great evils, war and slavery. You can’t get more profound than that. With an appropriate window you see what really motivates people and what they’re made of, good and bad. This film is such a window.

The Lincoln presented here walks a subtle line between human and saint. From what I have read I suspect this portrayal might actually be closer to the real Lincoln than anything we’ve seen before on the screen.

The Music

On a whim I bought John Williams soundtrack music. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a much less bombastic Williams than what we’ve heard from previous Spielberg films and much more human.

Copyright (c) 2013 by Dennis D. McDonald, Ph.D. Dennis is a Washington DC area consultant specializing in collaborative project management and new technology adoption. His clients have included the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Jive Software, the National Library of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, Social Media Today and Oracle, and the World Bank Group. His experience includes the management of projects involving the conversion or migration of financial and transaction data associated with large systems. Contact Dennis via email at ddmcd@yahoo.com or by phone at 703-402-7382.

Sam Mendes' SKYFALL

2012-12-12T16:08:36Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Javier Bardem as the cyberterrorist Raoul SilvaI’m not a big fan of James Bond movies. I enjoyed Skyfall but I admit to having been bored at times. Why? A couple of reasons:

Lack of emotional investment. I don’t really care about Bond’s backstory. Nor do I really care about his boss’s pending retirement. (That said, Judi Dench is terrific in this film.)
Exotic locations. I’m getting tired of seeing Dubai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other glittering glass and steel megalopolises as action backgrounds. Unless you’re really doing something different (like, say, Tom Cruise hanging on the outside of a skyscraper or Batman getting yanked up into the air by a passing airplane) don’t bother. Spend your money on something more original.
Fancy gambling joints. They all look alike after a while. Also, the lizard-bites-man routine just can’t be taken seriously! (My favorite cinema gambling joint was in Casablanca.)
Keyboards and computers. I’m tired of fanciful 3-D displays and immediate unimpeded access to all forms of video remote surveillance. I didn’t believe it’s 50 years ago and don’t believe it now, London’s traffic cameras notwithstanding.
Evil bureaucrats. People arguing back and forth in public governmental hearings is something I don’t want to go to see more of in the movies. I already live in Washington DC, okay?
Too much suspension of disbelief. I’ll forgive a lot of fantasy but riding across a terracotta roof on a motorcycle without dislodging any tiles?

Still, it was not a complete bust. The chases were exciting, the bad guy is world class, and the ultimate confrontation was extremely well-crafted. But I admit to not looking forward to another 50 years of James Bond.

Paul W.S. Anderson's RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION

2012-09-24T02:09:18Z

Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Milla Jovovich as “Alice”I really enjoyed the previous Resident Evil movie so I looked forward to this one. I decided to see it in the theater and spent the extra $4 for a 3D ticket. Was it worth it?

Definitely. This is one of those movies, going in, where you know exactly what you’e going to get: well produced, non-stop action, beautifully photographed, with Milla Jovovich on screen almost 100% of the time. Who could ask for more?

OK, the story is not original. That’s not the point. The movie’s architecture is designed to get Alice through as many interlocking adventures (read: fight scenes) as possible while exploring a variety of different environments. That is expertly accomplished as we careen through Moscow, New York, Suburbia, the Arctic Circle, and the biggest underground nuclear submarine pen you’ve ever seen.

The movie has apparently been produced to appeal to non-U.S. audiences and it shows with the great variety of settings, all courtesy of high-quality CGI. You even get to see how an outrageous car chase scene in Moscow ends up in one of that city’s fancy subway stations.

One nice touch is a recurring “holographic” view of the interlocking environments underground that Alice and her chums traverse. It helps keep us oriented, map-wise, sort of like the holographic mapping of the underground spaceship complex in Prometheus.

The movie starts with a bang: a massive reverse-playing shipboard battle pitting Alice’s allies against the invading “black helicopter” hordes of the Umbrella Corporation. Superbly choreographed, this event takes up right after the last film. But we move quickly elsewhere and see Alice underground being subjected to sonic torture in a huge white vertical jail that, naturally, has a huge Umbrella Corporation logo on the middle of the floor.

We also get to see Alice wake up in a suburban home with a family where all normalcy is quickly shattered by a massive zombie attack complete with car crashes, burning helicopters, and lots of gunfire.

You can’t take this movie seriously, but that’s not the point.

Gareth Evans' THE RAID: REDEMPTION

2012-09-11T12:57:54Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

In the Jakarta slums a derelict apartment building looms. An elite SWAT team arrives, intent on taking down the crime boss who runs his empire from there. They enter the building and fight their way up, floor by floor.

Violence ensues. Much fighting, bloodshed, gunfire, stabbing, and death occur along the way.

It’s all beautifully photographed, choreographed, scored, recorded, and acted. The physicality of all involved is stunning.

It’s also boring as hell. I fell asleep. The nonstop hand to hand combat and lack of tiring on the part of the participants drags down what is essentially a very simple story. Too bad, but in the immortal words of somebody, “Enough is too much.”

Hey-jun Lee's CASTAWAY ON THE MOON

2012-09-01T00:59:41Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Jae-yeong JeongA young man, depressed, tries to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. Instead he washes up onto a small island in the middle of the river and is cut off from the city. Failing again to kill himself he takes up residence on the island and scrapes by an existence.

Min-heui Hong Meanwhile, a reclusive and emotionally fragile young woman living with her parents in a a high rise apartment building across the river spies him via telescope from the bedroom she hasn’t left in 3 years. An improbable relationship develops.

I know it doesn’t sound like much but it’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year. It’s all about personality, relationships, self discovery, and growth. It’s gorgeously photographed, simultaneously funny and touching, and it features wonderful performances by Min-heui Hong and Jae-yeong Jeong.

There are no guns, no explosions, no sex, and little action. The movie progresses slowly. We get to know these two people gradually. Each is working out personal demons yet they find something in common from afar. It’s tempting to call this a “feel good movie” but it’s much more than that.

Len Wiseman's TOTAL RECALL

2012-08-13T22:11:28Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Kate BeckinsaleThe new TOTAL RECALL is a fun movie. It’s nowhere near as gratuitously gory and twisted as Paul Verhoeven’s great Arnold Schwartzenneger version, but it makes up for that with performances, visuals, and pacing that match and in some cases surpass the original.

It’s hard not to compare it with Arnold’s version. In fact, we watched that one last week in anticipation of seeing this new version; it holds up quite well despite the dated technology. What made it good, of course, was not only the weird excesses of director Verhoeven but the all around performances of the main characters, especially Michael Ironside.

Which brings us to Kate Beckinsale in the new version. Her character combines the roles of Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside from the original, and she handles that well — the obsessed lieutenant out for revenge.

Jessica BielJessica Biel is the resistance fighter. She’s alternately sweet and violent. It’s a side of her I haven’t seen before. I don’t see her as making a career in violent action films but she holds her own.

Colin FarrellThen there’s Colin Farrell. Sure, he’s no Arnold, that’s for sure. In fact, I think you could make a decent case that he’s absolutely not the right person to play this role given that he’s such a good actor. He spends much of his time in bewilderment at his unfamiliar identity and outraged puzzlement that everyone seems out to kill him.

He does the “bewilderment” thing quite well. When he does spring to action in the movie’s superb action sequences he acquits himself nicely. Character-wise, though, he’s not given as much to work with here, plus he’s teamed with two very attractive and interesting co-stars.

Given all that, this movie is a feast for the eyes. We now know it’s possible to display just about anything that can be imagined through the wonders of computer graphics. Watching this film we can see the design and image influences of many different films. The visuals are absolutely stunning and integrated with live action as well as anything I’ve seen since Prometheus. That’s saying lot.

The cityscapes are magnificent and show a future that is both repellent and inspiring — and real looking. There’s almost too much detail to take in here; I look forward to the Blu-ray version of the movie. Giant machines, tottering hovels, skyscrapers, and mucky streets all contribute to a vision that is some ways is reminiscent of the awesome vision of the original Metropolis.

The producers have outdone themselves here. Perhaps you can argue that they have overspent and overdesigned given that we are talking about a remake, after all, not an original vision. But there is enough original work here that reminds me in some ways of the astonishing scenery and sets of John Carter, another one of my recent favorites.

The action sequences are meticulously designed, edited, and produced. The hovercar/highway chase is spectacular with its combination of technologies reminiscent of Minority Report (mag-lev highways) , AI Artificial Intelligence (flying machines), and Fifth Element (cityscape canyons). Despite the spectacular visions, though, the focus stays on the chase and the three main characters as Beckinsale seeks to demolish Farrell and Biel.

Then there is the “elevator” chase sequence. It’s like a maniacal combination of the “highway of doors” sequence at the end of Pixar’s Monsters Inc. with the elevator shaft gymnastics of Inception. To top it off, the Good Guys are chased by humans and robots and the elevators travel horizontally as well as up and down. Pretty nifty.

Then there is the giant machine that flies through the center of the Earth where there is a momentary shift to weightlessness as “up” and “down” are switched. This leads to another action sequence where we finally see machine gun recoil used to propel the shooter in a weightless environment. It’s some of the best weightlessness effects I’ve seen since Mission to Mars.

Perhaps it would be correct to classify this film as “extreme popcorn.”

Israel Adrián Caetano's A RED BEAR (Un Oso Rojo)

2012-07-31T13:52:19Z

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

Julio Chávez and Soledad Villamil as the ex-con and the wife.Director Caetano makes a beautiful gem of a movie out of worn out concepts:

Ex con tries to make things right with his estranged wife who has taken up with another man during his 5-year prison term.
His daughter does not know him and he sets out to change that.
He tries to go straight but is pulled back by circumstances to consider “one last job”

We’ve seen these things before. Here they are woven together with sensitivity, heartfelt emotion, exemplary camera work that never intrudes, and wonderful performances.

Events take place on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, a desperate hardscrabble suburbia we seldom see. Times are tough. People live on the edge. Evictions are common.

In the midst of all this the wife tries to raise her little girl in a normal way. Into her tough life her husband returns. She is torn between the anger she feels about his betrayal of her through his crimes and her realization that he is, after all, the little girls’ father. Plus, she is desperate because her live in boyfriend is an unemployed gambler. Not an easy life for all concerned.

There is occasional violence in this movie. When it happens it is fast, furious, and shocking. But the most affecting moments come between the father and the little girl. One scene in particular is heartbreaking. On a pleasant outing to an amusement park the father puts the girl on a merry go round. It is a normal, peaceful family event. Nothing out of the ordinary. But while the girl circles around two policemen stop and frisk the former convict. The father is humiliated in front of his daughter as he stands spread-eagle against the merry go round’s fence as he is searched. The look on her face is tragic.

Not everything in this movie rises to this level but the clear eyed view of desperate people is for the most part well maintained throughout. This movie is more proof that you don’t need a massive budget or special effects to create an emotionally engaging film. Plus, it’s another benefit of streaming Netflix and its supply of little-known (to me) “foreign” films.