Unleash the power behind the armor.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"I'm Tony Stark. I build neat stuff, got a great girl, occasionally save the world. So why can't I sleep?" – Tony Stark

Why watch this? It's the second best Iron Man film, thanks to cool effects and a great supporting cast.

Plot Summary: Still dealing with the aftermath of saving New York in The Avengers (2012), Tony Stark faces a new foe known as the Mandarin, a ruthless terrorist whose actions destroy Stark's personal life. With his world in ruins, Stark must embark on a harrowing journey, relying on his ingenuity and instincts without the reliance on his advanced suits, to uncover the truth.

Marvel Studios; Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures

This Time It's Not Just A Walk In The Park!

Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"Great, just great. We're in the worst place in the world and we're not even being paid." – Dr. Grant

Why watch this? To again feel some of the excitement of the first film. This brings it.

Plot Summary: Paleontologist Alan Grant is reluctantly lured back to Isla Sorna, the site of InGen's dinosaur breeding facility, under the pretense of a wealthy couple needing an aerial tour. However, after a plane crash, Dr. Grant discovers the couple's real agenda is to search for their son who went missing on the island weeks earlier. Stranded and surrounded by genetically re-engineered dinosaurs, the group must navigate the treacherous island and survive the hostile prehistoric inhabitants in their desperate attempt to escape.

Amblin Entertainment; Universal Pictures

Is it a game, or is it real?

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy, Barry Corbin, Juanin Clay, Kent Williams, Dennis Lipscomb

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Mr. McKittrick, after very careful consideration, sir, I've come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks." – Gen. Beringer

Why watch this? If computers can ever do this, we ALL need to be concerned!

Plot Summary: A young computer whiz kid accidentally hacks into a top-secret military supercomputer while searching for new video games. Unbeknownst to him, he begins playing a realistic game of Global Thermonuclear War with the government's program. He must then race against time to convince the authorities, and the computer, that he was just playing a game.
 

Dad's Preview: As the cold war droned on in the 1980's, fear of nuclear war was the subject of a lot media. This film took that possibility to a potential (and quite scary) end. The USA's missiles are all controlled by a massive central computer (called WOPR). The system suddenly goes to Def-Con 4, people start scrambling to determine what the hell is going on. The culprit is a bright teen who hacked to the system, and thought he was playing a video game. WOPR considers it to be real. If you are looking for a reason why modern AI is bad - THIS IS IT!

United Artists, Sherwood Prod.;
MGM/UA Entertainment Co.

The picture runs 130 minutes!... The story covers 96 of the most critical hours in man's history!...
The suspense will last through your lifetime!

Starring: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Kermit Murdock, Richard O-Brien, Peter Hobbs, Eric Christmas

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I'll have the answer when I know why a sixty-nine-year-old sterno drinker with an ulcer is like a normal six-month-old baby." – Dr. Mark Hall

Why watch this? The 70's produced several excellent Sci-Fi movies. This is one of them.

Plot Summary: An event occurs where all the residents of the small New Mexico town of Piedmont are found dead, literally dropped in their tracks. This eerily corresponds with the recovery of a U.S. satellite that has crash-landed nearby. An elite team of scientists visit the town, finding two survivors: a bawling infant and a raving old man. The rest of the residents, when examined, have veins filled with dust. It is quickly deduced that something, an airborne virus or poison, is responsible. A team of government experts are tasked with the urgent burden of identifying the organism and finding a way to kill it - before it can spread to more populated areas.
 

Dad's Preview: This space-age thriller, based on the novel by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park (1993), The 13th Warrior (1999)), has been praised by actual scientists for its accuracy regarding virus control. It's an example of high sci-fi. There are no Hollywood A-list stars here, and that adds to its feeling of authenticity. As the valuable time ticks by, the team becomes more desperate to find results. Is this a bio-weapon or a new germ from outer space? Regardless, the film is compelling as the team works through dead-ends and startling discoveries.

Robert Wise; Universal Pictures

You are not welcome here.

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet." - MNU Instructional Voice

Why watch this? Benevolent aliens reach Earth, and humans are never gracious hosts.

Plot Summary: After aliens arrive on Earth seeking refuge, they are placed in a segregated internment camp near Johannesburg, South Africa, known as District 9. A government bureaucrat, tasked with relocating the aliens, is exposed to an alien substance that begins to transform his DNA. This leads to him being hunted by his own government and seeking refuge within District 9, where he learns more about the aliens and their treatment.

TriStar Pictures, QED International,
WingNut Films; Sony Pictures Releasing

Harry Caul will go anywhere to bug a private conversation.

Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Robert Duvall, Robert Shields

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We know that you know, Mr. Caul. For your own sake, don't get involved any further. We'll be listening to you" - Martin Stett

Why watch this? Clandestine surveillance can have nefarious results.

Plot Summary: A reclusive and intensely private surveillance expert in San Francisco is hired by a mysterious client to record the intimate, cryptic conversation of a young couple in a crowded park. Haunted by a previous job that ended in tragedy, he becomes increasingly obsessed with the audio recordings and starts to believe the couple will be murdered. As he attempts to intervene and uncover the truth, he uncovers a deeper conspiracy that forces him to question the morality of his work.

The Director's Co.; Paramount Pictures

To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between men and gods

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Sonoya Mizuno, Corey Johnson, Claire Selby, Gana Bayarsaikhan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?" – Ava

Why watch this? This is a superb story about artificial intelligence and the risk it may pose.

Plot Summary: Caleb Smith is a young programmer who wins a competition to spend a week at the remote estate of Nathan Bateman, the reclusive CEO of his company. Upon arrival, Caleb discovers he's been chosen to participate in a groundbreaking experiment: administering a Turing test to Ava, an advanced humanoid AI created by Nathan. Caleb's task is to evaluate Ava's consciousness and determine if her intelligence is indistinguishable from that of a human. This leads to unforeseen revelations and a complex examination of artificial intelligence and humanity.

Film4, DNA Films; A24

They stole his mind, now he wants it back.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr.

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Who gives a shit what you believe? In thirty seconds you'll be dead, and I'll blow this place up and be home in time for cornflakes." - Cohaagen

Why watch this? Schwarzenegger and sci-fi - a very good combination on the red planet Mars.

Plot Summary: Douglas Quaid is a construction worker tormented by dreams of Mars and a mysterious woman. He visits Rekall, a company specializing in virtual memory implants for exotic vacations, hoping to experience a simulated Mars adventure. However, the procedure goes awry, uncovering evidence that Quaid's entire life might be a false memory and that he's being hunted by a powerful organization with secrets about Mars.

Carolco Pictures; Tri-Star Pictures

Prepare to get weird, cause the world depends on it...

Starring: (the voice talents of:) Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Lo Mutuc, Blake Griffin, Conan O'Brien

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"It's almost like stealing people's data and giving it to a hyper-intelligent AI as part of an unregulated tech monopoly was a bad thing." – Mark Bowman

Why watch this? This sci-fi adventure is packed full of family jokes, pet tropes, robots, and heart.

Plot Summary: A creative, tech-averse father forces his disconnected family on a cross-country road trip to drop his daughter off at film school. Their attempt at bonding is interrupted when a young tech entrepreneur's AI system goes rogue and initiates a global robot apocalypse, capturing nearly all of humanity. The quirky Mitchell family must work together to overcome their differences and save the world.
 

Dad's Preview: This is what might occur if the creators of Black Mirror decided to make a family adventure movie. It's the terror of SkyNet, but the Flintstone's are coming to the rescue. There's a very heartfelt sub-plot that will impact all dads and daughters in the audience. That plot even carries through when the Robots begin their world-conquering domination. There are too many witty one-liners to count, mostly referencing the sad fact that the older generation just doesn't get modern technology. It's all hilarious. This raucous, visually-stunning family adventure is fun for everyone and it drips with tech satire.

Columbia Pics, Sony Pictures Animation,
Lord Miller Prod., One Cool Films; Netflix

What if a pill could make you rich and powerful?

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Holland, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel, Tomas Arana, Johnny Whitworth, Robert John Burke, T.V. Caprio, Ned Eisenberg

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I don't have delusions of grandeur, I have an actual recipe for grandeur." - Eddie Morra

Why watch this? Mind... Blown... What a trip!

Plot Summary: Unsuccessful writer Eddie Morra discovers a mysterious pill called NZT-48 that allows him to access 100% of his brain's capabilities. This drug rapidly transforms his life, leading to incredible success in his career and personal life, but also attracting the attention of dangerous individuals.

Virgin Produced, Rogue, Many Rivers Prod.,
Intermedia Film; Relativity Media

The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%.

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pilou Asbaek, Analeigh Tipton

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I feel everything. Space, the air, the vibrations, the people, I can feel the gravity, I can feel the rotation of the Earth, the heat leaving my body, the blood in my veins. I can feel my brain. The deepest parts of my memory." – Lucy

Why watch this? This is excellent science fiction - it will engross you.

Plot Summary: Lucy is an American student in Taipei who finds herself forced into working as a drug mule for a dangerous drug lord, Mr. Jang. A synthetic, highly experimental drug is surgically implanted inside her abdomen for transport, but the package ruptures, leaking the potent chemical into her bloodstream. This accidental exposure begins to unlock extraordinary skills and abilities in Lucy, far beyond the typical 10% of brain use, and she embarks on a journey to understand and control her rapidly increasing mental capacity before her time runs out.

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production,
Canal+, Cine+; Universal Pictures

Your mind is the scene of the crime.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Building a dream from your memory is the easiest way of losing your grasp on what's real and what is a dream." - Cobb

Why watch this? It's plot is mind-bending. The cityscapes twisting within themselves is visually cool.

Plot Summary: Skilled thief, Dom Cobb, specializes in stealing information by entering people's dreams using a shared dream technology. He is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of planting an idea into a target's subconscious, rather than extracting one, a process called "inception". If he succeeds, his criminal history will be erased, allowing him to return home to his children, but a dangerous enemy from his past threatens to derail the mission.

Legendary Pictures, Syncopy;
Warner Bros. Pictures

What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Neal McDonough, Peter Stormare

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Don't trust anyone. Just find the Minority Report." – Dr. Iris Henimen

Why watch this? This futuristic thriller is one of Spielberg's many masterpieces.

Plot Summary: In a future where a specialized police unit called PreCrime stops murderers before they can act, Chief John Anderton believes the system is flawless. However, one day he receives a prediction that he himself will commit a murder, leading him to question the system's infallibility. Now a fugitive from the very unit he led, Anderton must try to prove his innocence and uncover a possible conspiracy that could be behind his predicted crime.
 

Dad's Preview: Early on, Tom Cruise was just too cocky for me. This film made me an true fan. Set in a future, utopian Earth, the plot centers on a crime agency that arrests people for future crimes. The dreams of three telepathic triplets (kept in medically-induced comas), called "Pre-Cogs", are recorded and analyzed to predict future murders. The plot is uber-creative and Spielberg makes is exciting. Cruise's character is flawed and complex. It's engaging, fast-paced and full of surprises.

DreamWorks Pics, Amblin Entertainment,
Blue Tulip Prod.; 20th Century Fox

The thing that won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Listen, and understand! That terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!" – Kyle Reese

Why watch this? ... it's a sci-fi action flick that features Mr. Universe as a relentless cyborg.

Plot Summary: In a future ravaged by a war between humans and intelligent machines, a cyborg assassin is sent back in time to 1984 Los Angeles to kill a woman named Sarah Connor. A soldier, Reece, from the future is also sent back to protect Sarah, as she is destined to give birth to the leader of the human resistance.

Hemdale, Pacific Western Prod., Euro Film
Funding, Cinema '84; Orion Pictures

Boy, have we got a vacation for you... Where nothing can possibly go worng!

Starring: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Dick Van Patten, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw, Steven Franken

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"There's no way to get hurt in here, just enjoy yourself." – John Blane

Why watch this? ... it is one of the best sci-fi films from the 70's.

Plot Summary: In a futuristic amusement park called Delos, wealthy guests can indulge in their fantasies in lifelike, robot-inhabited worlds, including the Wild West-themed Westworld. When a programming error causes the androids to malfunction, these vacationers find themselves in a terrifying struggle for survival against the park's attractions.

Paul N. Lazarus III; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Part man. Part machine. All cop.

Starring: Peter Weller, Karen Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Robert DoQui, Ray Wise, Paul McCrane, Lee de Broux

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Let me make something clear to you. He doesn't have a name. He has a program. He's product." - Bob Morton

Why watch this? It's an excellent sci-fi film about a possible future of law enforcement.

Plot Summary: In a crime-ridden future Detroit, the Omni Consumer Products (OCP) corporation privatizes the police force, seeking to implement their advanced robotic officers to control the city's rampant criminal activity. When police officer Alex Murphy is brutally murdered by a gang, OCP uses his body to create RoboCop, a cyborg law enforcer programmed to serve the public trust. As RoboCop patrols the city and fights crime, memory fragments of his past life as Alex Murphy begin to resurface, leading him on a path to investigate his own death and the corruption within OCP.

Arne Schmidt; Orion Pictures

Same Make. Same Model. New Mission.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Joe Morton, Earl Boen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It is in your nature to destroy yourselves." The T-800 Terminator

Why watch this? Cameron delivers an incredible sequel using ground-breaking effects, a buffed-up Linda Hamilton, and a flipped narrative.

Plot Summary: A reprogrammed cyborg is sent back in time to protect a young John Connor from an advanced, shape-shifting Terminator designed to eliminate him. John and his mother Sarah join forces with the protector to prevent the coming nuclear apocalypse by destroying the technology that creates Skynet. Together, they must combat the relentless new threat while fighting to change the future and ensure human survival.

Carolco Pics, Pacific Western Prod., Lightstorm
 Ent., Le Studio Canal+; Tri-Star Pictures

Free your mind

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Juian Arahanga

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #19 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Matrix

"Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are the cure." - Agent Smith to Morpheus, as he interrogates him

Why watch this? Conceptually, visually, creatively - this film set a new action sci-fi standard.

Plot Summary: A computer programmer named Thomas Anderson, known in the hacking underworld as Neo, feels that something is fundamentally wrong with his reality. He is contacted by the enigmatic Morpheus and Trinity, who offer him the chance to discover a shocking truth: that his world is actually a computer-generated simulation. Upon swallowing a red pill, Neo awakens in the desolate real world and begins a journey to free humanity from the machines that have enslaved them.

Village Roadshow Pictures, Grouch II Film
Partnership, Silver Pictures; Warner Bros.

The Hunt Is On.

Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, Fred Thompson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary — The American Navy." - Capt. Ramius

Why watch this? The best submarine film ever made, IMHO.

Plot Summary: Marko Ramius, a Soviet submarine captain commanding the innovative stealth submarine Red October, unexpectedly alters course and heads toward the United States. Suspecting Ramius has gone rogue, both Soviet and American navies launch their own hunts for the submarine. However, CIA analyst Jack Ryan believes Ramius might be trying to defect, a theory he must prove before an international incident erupts.
 

Dad's Preview: I do love a good submarine movie. Run Silent, Run Deep (1958). Crimson Tide (1995). This stands alone at the top. Based on Tom Clancy's novel, this takes us deep into a Cold War sea battle where a Russian sub has gone missing, and the US sends its own sub to intercept her, that is, before she can moor near the US coast and launch ICBM missiles. Sir Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin are excellent in their leading roles as Jack Ryan and Soviet Captain Ramius.

Mace Neufeld Productions;
Paramount Pictures

A chilling, bold, mesmerizing, futuristic detective thriller.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmett Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I need ya, Deck. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic." - Bryant

Why watch this? It's haunting, brooding and dark... and a mesmerizing sci-fi classic.

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future Los Angeles, a burnt-out detective (aka: a "blade runner"), Rick Deckard, is tasked with hunting down and "retiring" a group of advanced androids called replicants, who have escaped from off-world colonies. These replicants seek to find their creator and extend their limited life-spans, while the blade runner wrestles with the complex morality of his job and his growing connection to a beautiful replicant who believes she is human.

The Ladd Co., Shaw Brothers; Warner Bros.

An Adventure 65 Million Years In The Making.

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"…your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." – Ian Malcolm

Why watch this? ... it's ground-breaking, based on a superb novel, and DINOSAURS!

Plot Summary: Wealthy entrepreneur John Hammond creates a theme park on a remote island, populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs. Before opening, a group of scientists, including a paleontologist, a paleobotanist, and a mathematician, are invited to assess the park's safety. However, a power failure caused by industrial sabotage leads to the dinosaurs escaping their enclosures. The visitors and park staff must then struggle to survive and escape the now-perilous island.
 

Dad's Preview: I read Michael Crichton's novel, about bio-engineered dinosaurs, and immediately thought, "Spielberg has to do this film!" Not long after, Spielberg announced JP as his next project. I wept. The original plan was to use only life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, however, the special effects team won over the director with their amazing CGI skills. The digital dinosaurs were jaw-dropping. The rest is history. The film became another Spielberg smash hit.

Amblin Entertainment; Universal Pictures