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Website copyright © 2002-2025 by Dennis D. McDonald. From Alexandria, Virginia I support proposal writing & management, content and business development, market research, and strategic planning. I also practice and support cursive handwriting. My email: ddmcd@ddmcd.com. My bio: here.

www.ddmcd.com Research & writing about data, technology, movies, media, and books
Val Guest's QUATERMASS 2 (ENEMY FROM SPACE)
Jun 9

Jun 9 Val Guest's QUATERMASS 2 (ENEMY FROM SPACE)

Dennis D. McDonald
Another Time & Place, Favorites, Horror, Scary, Science Fiction
This mixture of British horror and sci-fi from 1957 is thoughtful and at the same time scary.
Park Chan Wook's THIRST
Jun 9

Jun 9 Park Chan Wook's THIRST

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Korean, Mystery, Romantic, Thriller, Vampires
Plot summary: * Devout priest volunteers for medical experiment * Becomes lustful vampire as a result * Sex/violence/building-hopping/tragedy/ensue
Christian Alvart's PANDORUM
Jun 8

Jun 8 Christian Alvart's PANDORUM

Dennis D. McDonald
Disappointing, Horror, Science Fiction, Space Travel, Zombies
Plot summary: Outer Space Zombies.
Dziga Vertov's THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Chelovek s kinoapparatom)
May 11

May 11 Dziga Vertov's THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Chelovek s kinoapparatom)

Dennis D. McDonald
Classic, Documentary, One of a Kind, Silent, Russian
This 1929 silent film by Russian director Vertov is a masterpiece of fluid editing and visual storytelling.
Steven Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
May 9

May 9 Steven Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Dennis D. McDonald
Comedy, Crime, Intelligent, Spielberg
“Oh yeah, this is what the credits for an Otto Preminger comedy would look like!”
Jack Arnold's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
May 9

May 9 Jack Arnold's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE

Dennis D. McDonald
Science Fiction, First Contact, Classic
Back in 1976 I was taking a driving tour of California, my first.

May 4
May 4 Terry Gilliam's THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Fantasy, Quirky
“Imaginarium” is an inventive and fun film that becomes more engrossing as it unfolds.
Peter Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES
Apr 26

Apr 26 Peter Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Fantasy, Intelligent, Peter Jackson, Quirky, Teens
Once more DVD technology comes through by making available an older film no longer in general theatrical release, this time Peter Jackson’s 1994 HEAVENLY CREATURES.
Peter Jackson's THE LOVELY BONES
Apr 26

Apr 26 Peter Jackson's THE LOVELY BONES

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Emotional, Fantasy, Peter Jackson
In THE LOVELY BONES director Peter Jackson returns to the more intimate blending of emotion and fantasy that characterized earlier films like HEAVENLY CREATURES.
Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson's THE INVENTION OF LYING
Mar 22

Mar 22 Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson's THE INVENTION OF LYING

Dennis D. McDonald
Comedy, Fantasy, Intelligent, One of a Kind, Quirky, Romantic, Sweet
What a subversive little film this is. And sweet. And funny. And unexpected.
Hayao Miyazaki's PONYO
Mar 18

Mar 18 Hayao Miyazaki's PONYO

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Fantasy, Japanese, Miyazaki, One of a Kind, Sentimental, Anime
This is some of Miyazaki’s best work. It’s enchanting, touching, sentimental, funny, and occasionally, simply astonishing. Miyazaki has a gift for capturing the honesty and wonder of childhood yet he does so without sugarcoating or pandering.
Nina Paley's SITA SINGS THE BLUES
Feb 27

Feb 27 Nina Paley's SITA SINGS THE BLUES

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Comedy, Indian, One of a Kind
I was mesmerized and entertained by this animated film. Paley intertwines the classic Ramayana with a modern love story, old blues songs, and lively comments on Indian culture by talking shadow puppets.
Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE
Feb 11

Feb 11 Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Aircraft, Animated, Japanese, Robots, Science Fiction, War, Anime
This movie has plot holes galore, the graphic concepts and technologies are derivative, and the characters are oddly un-engaging. Still, it moves along at a very fast clip, the story itself is unusual, and some of the action sequences are spectacular.
The Hughes Brothers' “THE BOOK OF ELI”
Jan 27

Jan 27 The Hughes Brothers' “THE BOOK OF ELI”

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Fantasy, Road Trip, War, Post-apocalyptic
This film breathes life (of sorts) into the post-apocalyptic-road-warrior genre. Denzel Washington is one seriously cool dude as he slashes his way West on foot through a blasted landscape with his secret personal cargo.
Duncan Jones' MOON
Jan 25

Jan 25 Duncan Jones' MOON

Dennis D. McDonald
Mystery, Robots, Science Fiction, Space Travel
I like movies that start out with a fake documentary describing the imaginary culture underlying the film — two good examples are Monsters Inc. and Starship Troopers. Add Moon to the list.
Enki Bilal's IMMORTAL
Jan 21

Jan 21 Enki Bilal's IMMORTAL

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Aircraft, Animated, Fantasy, Mystery, One of a Kind, Science Fiction
Next time someone says, “Yeah, Avatar was great, but the story sucked,” suggest this film instead. The story doesn’t suck.
Nicolas Roeg's "WALKABOUT"
Jan 18

Jan 18 Nicolas Roeg's "WALKABOUT"

Dennis D. McDonald
Classic, Drama, One of a Kind, Road Trip
This 1971 movie is stunning.
Joss Whedon's “SERENITY”
Jan 17

Jan 17 Joss Whedon's “SERENITY”

Dennis D. McDonald
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Travel, War, Zombies
The elements are familiar: Han Solo-style wisecracking captain-with-a-heart-of-gold, rag-tag crew, gorgeous babe good at swordplay and kick-boxing, evil empire, space armadas battling at close quarters, and — I kid you not — flesh-eating outer space zombies.
Noboru Iguchi's THE MACHINE GIRL
Dec 9

Dec 9 Noboru Iguchi's THE MACHINE GIRL

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Comedy, Japanese, One of a Kind, Revenge
Japanese school girl goes on rampage to wreak revenge on the murderers of her little brother, gets fitted with prosthetic arm/machine gun, ensuing action consumes more artificial blood and gore than any film in recent memory.
First Spaceship on Venus
Dec 8

Dec 8 First Spaceship on Venus

Dennis D. McDonald
Robots, Science Fiction, Space Travel
This 1964 European-produced, English-dubbed movie was cutting edge when released and even now contains elements that entertain.
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Copyright © 2002-2026 by Dennis D. McDonald. I support proposal writing & management, content and business development, market research, and strategic planning. I also support democracy, respect for the law, and cursive handwriting. My email address: ddmcd@ddmcd.com.