How the Kobayashi Maru Test Demonstrates Character

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

This is why I love Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There are an infinite number of things to talk about in it. What I’d like to focus on today is the Kobayashi Maru test. It’s a test of character, as Admiral James T. Kirk points out. There is no correct solution, only a revelation of what makes a person tick when under extreme pressure.

Three characters take the test in Star Trek II: Lieutenant Saavik, Admiral Kirk, and Captain Spock. And they each demonstrate why they’re in the positions they’re in. Saavik is inexperienced and not yet ready for command duties. Kirk is a wise old fox who believes he can think his way out of any scrape. Then there’s Spock. He is a loyal friend and an ever-present source of support to Kirk. Continue reading →

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Bedtime Story: The Strange Fruit

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’d like to try something different than my usual fare. My kids are pretty awesome. They love when I share a bedtime story with them. I used to search online for bedtime stories, but all the ones I found were lackluster at best. So I usually wound up using them as springboards for coming up with my own creative interpretations. I’d take a character or concept from them and turn it into something much grander.

Last year, I ventured into my own unique creations. These stories came from my own imagination and experiences I’ve had over the years. I’d like to share them with you from time to time because I enjoy writing them as much as telling them out loud. Plus, they’ll last longer this way when they’re not just somewhere in my memory.

I’ll share a story and then explain what inspired it and other notes I’d like to point out about it. This first one is probably the most complex one I’ve ever done. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to tell it to your own kids, if you like. Continue reading →

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Spider-Man: No Way Home Is the Best Nostalgia Can Offer

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Like most of you, I was born into a much different world than the one we exist in now. I got to experience the ‘80s and ‘90s. The unique cultures those decades possessed. The unique creations they spawned.

But about two decades ago, everything seemed to stop. Not that people weren’t producing just as many films and songs. But they all felt as if they were pointed backward, never forward. There hasn’t been any new event or creation to look forward to as long as I’ve known to look for them.

We have neat new phones, cars, and other gadgets that are patterned after old things that came long ago. We have new sequels and remakes of old films, or else adaptations of old properties, such as comic books.

I have never been able to fully capture my feelings on this topic in words. But a movie recently came out that I believe showcases the true essence of the problem we face. That movie is Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s funny that a movie I thought I had no interest in watching turned out to be exactly what I needed to see. Continue reading →

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The Saddest Christmas Story I’ve Ever Seen

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

“If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” These famous words are from Charles Dickens’ classic story A Christmas Carol. They demonstrate Ebeneezer Scrooge’s appalling lack of empathy for the poor and downtrodden in society. For one so blessed with wealth, he sees those beneath him as unworthy of any concern.

Thankfully, he has a complete change of heart by the end of the book. In fact, he winds up taking care of the poor, starting with the crippled son of his employee Bob Cratchit. His Christmas story has a proper happy ending. But there’s another Christmas story that takes Scrooge’s words literally, leading to one of the saddest films I have ever seen. Continue reading →

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8 Things I Love to Do, But Never Do

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Is there anything that you absolutely love doing, but (for one reason or another) you never do it? Maybe it’s too expensive or impractical. Maybe it’s difficult or requires too much effort. Whatever the case may be, it can feel disheartening to have to forgo something that would otherwise give you immense pleasure.

I’d like to share eight things I love to do, but I never do them. Or I can only do them under less-than-ideal circumstances. A lot of these could easily be resolved if I simply went out and did them. I mean, how much does it really cost to get a bottle of Sparkling Cider?

But I’ve had to cut out a lot of little expenses from my life for the last decade because I noticed they added up. And I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of guy. If I do something, it’s all the way. So doing something I love in moderation is very hard for me. Bear that in mind as you read some of my potentially silly foibles. Continue reading →

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Back to the Future Predicted the Cellphone

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

There are many reasons to love Back to the Future. It’s the perfect nostalgia movie for the 1950s, 1980s, and even its timeless hopefulness about the future.

It’s also fun to look at the film as being a predictor of the future. After all, Marty McFly inspired Chuck Barry’s career and heavy metal in one fell swoop. And Biff Tannen predicted the cellphone. Continue reading →

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‘Ephemeral’ Broke My Heart

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

When I try to explain my feelings, my words usually come out clumsily. So I apologize if I prove incapable of properly capturing everything I long to say. I’m going to talk about fictional characters as though they were real and their feelings mattered in the real world. That’s the power of good stories. They have an impact on the real world. At least they make me feel powerful emotions that are quite real. Continue reading →

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I Promised God I Would Write This

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In the early morning of Friday, November 26, 2021, I was doing my daily workout. I wasn’t even halfway through when I felt an unmistakable feeling, almost like a voice whispering to me to pay attention.

I stopped what I was doing almost immediately and started writing down the ideas that I was having. I would like to share what I wrote down because I promised God that I would publish it the following Tuesday. I don’t mean to imply that this is a heavenly message or anything like that. I just felt inspired to write what I had already thought of writing for my Thanksgiving article. Continue reading →

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Jumanji Is the Right Way to Adapt a Children’s Book to the Big Screen

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve wanted to write about Jumanji for a long time, but I couldn’t find the right spark of inspiration. I didn’t want to mindlessly praise it or make an unwarranted comparison to another film. For example, for a while I thought of comparing it to It’s a Wonderful Life, but the similarities between the two films were superficial at best.

And then it finally hit me. Jumanji is a good version of 2004’s The Cat in the Hat. Seriously. Think about the books they are based on. A brother and sister are bored at home, so they start playing a game that gets out of control, and everything gets cleaned up at the end as if nothing had happened.

How do you adapt something small and simple like that to the big screen? By adding higher stakes and introducing more characters and backstories into the mix. Jumanji’s additions work, while The Cat in the Hat’s fail utterly. Let’s discuss them. Continue reading →

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I’ve Reached a Critical Turning Point in My Life

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

A few months ago, I wrote about my inability to deal with stressful and frustrating situations. I ended on a hopeful note that I’d try to work on that character flaw, even though I didn’t know how to measure my success.

Well, I recently had a major breakthrough that I’d like to share. Maybe my experience can help someone who’s also struggling with this. Continue reading →

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