Movie Reviews — www.ddmcd.com

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.

J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK

May 14

May 14 J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Science Fiction, Space Travel, War

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.

May 13
May 13 Gavin Hood's X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Disappointing, Drama, War

David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

May 11

May 11 David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Dennis D. McDonald

Drama, Fantasy, One of a Kind, Romantic, Spouse Approved

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

Timur Bekmambetov's “WANTED”

Apr 24

Apr 24 Timur Bekmambetov's “WANTED”

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Fantasy, Popcorn, Thriller, Guilty Pleasure

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

Mar 29

Mar 29 Lilo & Stitch

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Comedy, Fantasy, One of a Kind, Science Fiction, Sentimental, Sweet

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

Spike Lee's “MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA”

Mar 13

Mar 13 Spike Lee's “MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA”

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Drama, History, War

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

Takeshi Yamazaki's “RETURNER”

Mar 7

Mar 7 Takeshi Yamazaki's “RETURNER”

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Japanese, Science Fiction, Time Travel

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

Kurt Neumann’s “Kronos”

Mar 7

Mar 7 Kurt Neumann’s “Kronos”

Dennis D. McDonald

One of a Kind, Quirky, Robots, Science Fiction

Farah Khan's “OM SHANTI OM”

Mar 6

Mar 6 Farah Khan's “OM SHANTI OM”

Dennis D. McDonald

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Indian, Music, Shahrukh Khan

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

Jan 31
Jan 31 Movies I Don't Get Tired of Watching

Dennis D. McDonald

In no particular order:

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

Jan 28

Jan 28 Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Another Time & Place, Drama, Fantasy, Peter Jackson, War

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.

George Lucas' THE PHANTOM MENACE

Jan 28

Jan 28 George Lucas' THE PHANTOM MENACE

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Fantasy, Star Wars, War

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

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Jan 28

Jan 28 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Animated, Science Fiction, Space Travel

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.

Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS

Jan 28

Jan 28 Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Another Time & Place, Fantasy, Favorites, Peter Jackson, Star Wars

I have watched parts of the film repeatedly on DVD and have seen it in a theater. Many images - too many to mention here - dazzle the senses and cry out for the big screen, there is so much rich lush detail on the screen. The performances of Ian McKellan, Ian Holm, and Christopher Lee are wonderful to behold. And the action set pieces are spectacular.

Gil Kenan's CITY OF EMBER

Jan 27

Jan 27 Gil Kenan's CITY OF EMBER

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Another Time & Place, Fantasy, One of a Kind, Science Fiction, Teens

This extraordinary family film reminded me of the sense of wonder I experienced as a child reading my way through the best of the children’s fantasy and science fiction collection of my local public library.

Walter Salles' THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Jan 14

Jan 14 Walter Salles' THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Dennis D. McDonald

Biography, Drama, History, Intelligent, Spouse Approved

What a great film this is. It’s a thoughtful, contemplative, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, road picture.

Danny Boyle’s SUNSHINE

Jan 7

Jan 7 Danny Boyle’s SUNSHINE

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Science Fiction, Space Travel

What I liked about this film were its gorgeous production values, its nonstop action, and its reverence for classic predecessor sci-fi films. These factors got me through this film which flags at the end with fuzzy story themes but. overall, it’s a fun and engrossing ride.

Scott Derrickson's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Dec 27

Dec 27 Scott Derrickson's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Dennis D. McDonald

Action, Fantasy, Robots, Science Fiction, First Contact

I really enjoyed this current film. And I still love the original. I’m living proof that these two reactions are not incompatible.

Dec 6
Dec 6 My favorite ten movies

Dennis D. McDonald

My favorite ten movies are, in no particular order:

Andrew Stanton's WALL•E

Nov 19

Nov 19 Andrew Stanton's WALL•E

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Another Time & Place, Comedy, Fantasy, Intelligent, Pixar, Robots, Science Fiction, Sentimental, Space Travel, Star Wars

My first reaction to seeing Pixar’s WALL•E was “This is better than Coruscant!”