Ram Gopal Varma's COMPANY

Ram Gopal Varma's COMPANY

Dennis D. McDonald
Crime, Indian
That the life of crime can be portrayed as glamorous, dangerous, brutal, and ultimately as pointless is something we in the West have grown accustomed to. We have films like THE GODFATHER and GOODFELLAS that reinforce that as they simultaneously attract and repel us.
Shohei Imamura's DR. AKAGI

Shohei Imamura's DR. AKAGI

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Emotional, Japanese
In the closing days of World War II, family doctor Akagi runs (literally) from patient to patient in a small Japanese seaside village and discovers an alarming increase in hepatitis among his increasingly war-weary patients. He seeks a cure but the government is more interested in preparing for The Final Battle as the war draws inevitably to a close. He enlists the support of a diverse collection of friends including a morphine addicted surgeon, a hedonistic monk, and a young recovering prostitute who inevitably falls in love with him.

Shrek 2

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated
None of which is bad, given the skewing of this movie to a somewhat older audience than the first, but if you think of sports metaphors, Shrek 2 is a homer inside the park; Shrek was a homer outside the park. Both are winners, but there is a difference.
Man On Fire

Man On Fire

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Cops, Revenge
Yes, we get to see Denzel kick some serious ass in what has to be one of the best kidnapping-revenge movies I’ve ever seen. What makes this movie rise far above its standard story and outdated “NYPD Blue” jumpy photography is a set of terrific performance by all main and supporting characters.

Horns and Halos

Dennis D. McDonald
Documentary
The view of the publishing business that emerges in this documentary is very different than the one you see if all you know is Amazon.com, Borders, and C-SPAN's BookTV. Here you see charismatic young publishers betting the farm to bring fringe and suppressed book to light while battling the forces of "mainstream media" that at all turns seem to be resisting and twisting "the truth."
Mani Ratnam's DIL SE

Mani Ratnam's DIL SE

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Indian, Shahrukh Khan
First I popped in the DVD and selected the “play all songs” options. Wow. I have never seen a song-and-dance production number like the one that takes place on the top of the moving train (“Chaiyya Chaiyya”). My daughter wondered, “How many people died making this?” The rest of the musical numbers are quite interesting, a mix of romance and action, including one sequence with plentiful fire and explosions.

The Day After Tomorrow

Dennis D. McDonald
Popcorn
This movie has some of the most incredible special effects I’ve ever seen. The views of the earth and disastrous weather systems viewed from space are simply gorgeous. The repeated disasters are very skillfully done and usually very scary. The surround soundtrack is spacious, effective, and loud.
Star Wars Episodes 4-6 Boxed Set

Star Wars Episodes 4-6 Boxed Set

Dennis D. McDonald
Star Wars
In Episode 4, "A New Hope," Alec Guinness, playing Obi Wan Kenobi, says to Luke Skywalker when giving him his father's lightsaber, "...an elegant weapon for a more civilized age." Watching these three films for the first time in many years brought to my mind a similar statement, "...simpler films for a simpler age."
Kaneto Shindo's ONIBABA

Kaneto Shindo's ONIBABA

Dennis D. McDonald
Horror, Japanese
Shot in vivid black and white, this widescreen Japanese horror movie from 1964 operates on several levels. There is the supernatural aspect (the demon and the mask), there is the sexual frustration of the main characters that is wildly and explicitly unleashed during the film,
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

Dennis D. McDonald
One of a Kind, Action, Aircraft, Robots, Science Fiction
The most interesting extra on this DVD is the long documentary that tracks the production of the film. It documents with great detail and enthusiasm what I think is the main message of this film, that people “outside the mainstream” who have a vision can produce blockbuster entertainment that depends heavily on modern technology managed and used in a tightly controlled temporary business environment.