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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
Steven Knight's REDEMPTION
Dec 11

Dec 11 Steven Knight's REDEMPTION

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Drama, Emotional, One of a Kind
This is not your typical Stathan action movie. I enjoyed it along with the excellent direction and beautiful nighttime photography. The thick English accents are a bit tough to follow at times but if you just follow the movement and the eyes you’ll be fine.
Roger Michell's HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON
Dec 7

Dec 7 Roger Michell's HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, History, Spouse Approved
Does FDR come through as a major cad in how he relates to women? Absolutely. But also portrayed is how the women respond and adjust while still managing to pull strings. It’s a fascinating view of a time and place and reminds us that these gods of our history were human too.
Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR
Nov 14

Nov 14 Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR

Dennis D. McDonald
Cosmic, Drama, Emotional, Intelligent, One of a Kind, Robots, Science Fiction, Sentimental, Space Travel, Thriller, Time Travel
The only other movie within recent memory that packed a similar emotional wallop for me was TREE OF LIFE
Romanovskiy Mikhail's LONELY SOULS OF MICROBES
Nov 10

Nov 10 Romanovskiy Mikhail's LONELY SOULS OF MICROBES

Dennis D. McDonald
Alexandria Film Festival 2014, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Russian
My favorite line of dialog: “She devours them like plums.”
Ilango Ramanathan's MOUNA VIZHITHTHULIGAL
Nov 10

Nov 10 Ilango Ramanathan's MOUNA VIZHITHTHULIGAL

Dennis D. McDonald
Alexandria Film Festival 2014, Drama, Independent, Short Film, War
This is as stunning and heartfelt a condemnation of war as I have ever seen.
Gareth Edwards' “GODZILLA”
Nov 3

Nov 3 Gareth Edwards' “GODZILLA”

Dennis D. McDonald
Monsters, Science Fiction, War, Kaiju
Godzilla is much more “serious” and “realistic.” Death and destruction are much more immediate and visceral and less “cartoony.” You really sense that you are witnessing to something awful happening that humans just can’t deal with.
Toa Fraser's DEAN SPANLEY
Nov 2

Nov 2 Toa Fraser's DEAN SPANLEY

Dennis D. McDonald
Comedy, Drama, Emotional, One of a Kind, Sentimental, Spouse Approved
When all is said and done, though, this is Peter O’Toole’s movie. The sensitivity of his performance is amazing to watch. We are fortunate to have a record of such performances

Oct 29
Oct 29 Todd Robinson's PHANTOM

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Cold War, Drama, Submarines, Thriller
Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, & Lana Wachowski's CLOUD ATLAS
Oct 27

Oct 27 Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, & Lana Wachowski's CLOUD ATLAS

Dennis D. McDonald
Another Time & Place, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Time Travel
What a gorgeous movie to look at this is! Plus, the intertwining stories and jumps in time provide amazing and often confusing food for thought.
Akiva Goldsman's WINTER'S TALE
Oct 25

Oct 25 Akiva Goldsman's WINTER'S TALE

Dennis D. McDonald
Fantasy, Romantic, Sentimental, Time Travel
I’m a sucker for well done but romantic time travel films. This one compares favorably to the romantic classic Somewhere In Time.
Yasuomi Umetsu’s KITE
Oct 22

Oct 22 Yasuomi Umetsu’s KITE

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Cops, Japanese, Anime
Kite from 1998 has an infamous reputation.
Francis Ford Coppola's "TWIXT"
Oct 1

Oct 1 Francis Ford Coppola's "TWIXT"

Dennis D. McDonald
Fantasy, Ghosts, Horror, Mystery, One of a Kind, Vampires
I started out this film not realizing Francis Ford Coppola made it just a few years ago.
Ari Folman's THE CONGRESS
Sep 3

Sep 3 Ari Folman's THE CONGRESS

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Fantasy, Intelligent, One of a Kind, Science Fiction
Ari Folman’s THE CONGRESS is a feast for the eye and the imagination. On it I hereby bestow my coveted ONE OF A KIND tag though I must admit that some of the other films in that category seem now to pale in comparison with Folman’s masterpiece.
Sandra Nettelbeck's LAST LOVE
Aug 18

Aug 18 Sandra Nettelbeck's LAST LOVE

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Emotional, Spouse Approved
What an engaging movie this is. Slow, deliberate, and ultimately, complex.
Shinji Aramaki's SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK
Aug 11

Aug 11 Shinji Aramaki's SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Cosmic, Disappointing, Japanese, Science Fiction, War, Anime
There’s so much eye candy displayed you almost forget about the labored exposition and hackneyed plot.
Zachary Heinzerling's CUTIE AND THE BOXER
Aug 5

Aug 5 Zachary Heinzerling's CUTIE AND THE BOXER

Dennis D. McDonald
Biography, Documentary
Not being an artist myself I’ve long been mystified by how people define what is “art” and what’s not.
Sarah Polley’s “STORIES WE TELL”
Aug 4

Aug 4 Sarah Polley’s “STORIES WE TELL”

Dennis D. McDonald
Documentary, Drama, One of a Kind, Quirky, Spouse Approved
Sarah Polley’s STORIES WE TELL is an exploration of how truth and memory interact in subtle and subjective ways about one family’s past history.
José Padilha's ROBOCOP
Jul 27

Jul 27 José Padilha's ROBOCOP

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Cops, Drama, Robots, Science Fiction, Thriller
This new version, thankfully, is not quite so brutal and the plentiful action sequences don’t glory in gore and bloodsplatter the way, say, an EXPENDABLES film does.
Matt Reeves' DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Jul 17

Jul 17 Matt Reeves' DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Dennis D. McDonald
Action, Science Fiction
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THEAPES effectively portrays a clash of civilizations and uses drama and technology to make this clash real.
Peter Webber's EMPEROR
Jul 15

Jul 15 Peter Webber's EMPEROR

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, History, Intelligent, Japanese, War, Pacific War
In summary: you could do a lot worse than this movie for a dose of World War II history. Its attempts to overcome stereotypes and instead illuminate cultural differences are refreshing.
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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.