The Sheep Detectives Is a Symmetrical Murder Mystery

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

There are very few times I remember feeling as sheepish as I do right now. Jay, the mastermind behind the Cinematic Chiasmus articles I wrote on Ghostbusters, Die Hard, Goodfellas, and The Big Lebowski, gave me a wonderful gift in May.

He said that The Sheep Detectives might just be a chiasmus, and I should check it out. It took me about five months, but I did watch that movie, and I found it to be incredibly symmetrical. He was proven right.

The reason I am so humbled by this experience is that Jay had already been so gracious to me after my The Big Lebowski article. I didn’t have a good experience on that one, but he was forgiving of my poor behavior. And now he comes back with another amazing addition to my Cinematic Chiasmus collection. He is a true friend, and the kind of man I would like to be. Continue reading →

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Why Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day the Highest Grossing Film of All Time Domestically?

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Like a true Web Slinger, Spider-Man has had his ups and downs. And he just reached greater heights than any other blockbuster.

We now live in a world where Spider-Man: Brand New Day has dethroned Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest grossing film of all time domestically. It’s not likely to beat Avatar or Avengers: Endgame worldwide, but that’s still an impressive feat to get the closest of any film in history to $1 billion in the U.S. and Canada. Not accounting for inflation, of course.

The two most recent Spider-Man films are among the top 10 highest grossing films worldwide. And they’re both in the top 5 domestically. How did that happen? Continue reading →

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The Secret’s Out

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve heard that it takes a lot of time and effort to become an overnight success. Are 15 years enough time and nearly 900 published articles enough effort? It sure looks that way.

Something astonishing has been happening for the past six months. It’s like the floodgates have opened and I’m suddenly getting more subscribers than I’ve had before on the Deja Reviewer website. Check out these charts of my subscriber numbers I recorded on September 8, 2026, to see for yourself. Continue reading →

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Louis L’Amour’s The Sacketts vs. Tombstone

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Louis L’Amour’s The Sacketts feels like a prototype for Tombstone. It’s a two-part miniseries that came out in 1979, 14 years before Tombstone. Both have Sam Elliott playing one of three brothers who get into a shootout with some bad guys who want revenge. The Sacketts is set in the late 1860s, and Tombstone is set in the late 1870s. But the similarities go deeper than that.

I had wanted to talk about The Sacketts as a Forgotten Film Gem. But the more I thought about it, the more I compared it to my favorite western. So let’s go ahead and see how these two great films match up. Continue reading →

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‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’ Is True, But Not in the Way You Might Think

Posted on September 15, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

My wife and I were watching It’s a Wonderful Life recently when we reached a scene where George and Mary Bailey share a tender moment. George has all kinds of thoughts in his head about personal ambitions he never achieved and his failure to give his wife luxuries and trips around the world.

As the scene progressed, my wife asked a profound question: “Why doesn’t anyone ask her what she wants?” Continue reading →

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The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter Predicted AI Dependence

Posted on September 8, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

1990’s The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter is not held in the same esteem as its predecessor. It’s often regarded as an inferior sequel to The Neverending Story. However, it has a most intriguing idea at its core that can help us make sense of something happening in our modern world. And that makes it worth checking out. Continue reading →

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What Would Cause the Current Year to Reset to Zero?

Posted on September 1, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Right now we are in the year 2026 A.D. That means it’s been approximately 2,026 years since Jesus Christ was born. Anno Domini is short for the Year of our Lord. As far as I know, the whole world uses the same year structure. Isn’t that incredible? We all agree that it is the year 2026, and that year is tied to the birth of Christ.

So here’s my question. What would cause the current year to reset to 0? Continue reading →

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Another Lesson from The Natural: Evil Never Stops Looking for Our Weaknesses

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

There’s a scene in The Natural that perfectly captures a lot of my philosophy on life. You see, I believe we are all blessed with certain natural talents and weaknesses. Blessed with weaknesses? Yes. Our weaknesses give us a chance to grow and overcome problems. If we didn’t have weaknesses, nothing would tempt us and no evil power in the world would be able to harm us. That would dramatically lessen our victory over them in the end.

Take Roy Hobbs, the hero of The Natural. He is blessed with a natural talent for baseball, though he has a nearly fatal flaw for women. He’s tempted by lusts of the flesh, which threatens to destroy his promising baseball career throughout the film. That’s his Achilles heel.

I know I talked about this topic a while back in “The Natural and Overcoming Addiction,” but I realized I had more to say on this topic. Because it’s not enough to fight addiction. We need to realize that the adversary we’re facing isn’t letting up once we win in one area. It’s a lifelong battle. Continue reading →

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Dr. Leo Marvin Was Right About Everything in What About Bob?

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve watched What About Bob? many times, and it’s always a joy to revisit. However, I find that I only tend to watch it from Bob Wiley’s perspective. It’s probably because he’s the one who seems to change the most over the course of the story.

What about Dr. Leo Marvin? Doesn’t his perspective count for something? I mean, he’s the one who kicks off the story by writing a brilliant book on psychology, accepting Bob as a patient, going on vacation, and failing to get rid of Bob.

I propose that Dr. Marvin (or Leo as he likes to be called in his office) is right about everything in What About Bob? Let’s see why. Continue reading →

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Why the Climax of Raiders of the Lost Ark Is So Satisfying

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

At the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, why is the scene where Belloq opens the Ark of the Covenant so incredibly satisfying? It’s got to be one of the most amazing endings ever put to film. I think I know why.

It illustrates a true principle. Continue reading →

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