James Cameron and Star Trek Predicted Each Other’s Next Film for a Decade

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

For an entire decade, every year that a Star Trek sequel debuted in theaters, James Cameron also released a film of his own. From 1984 to 1994. That coincidence might seem to warrant a reaction like “So what?” if it weren’t for the additional observation that they do an uncannily good job predicting the next film each other would release. For example, Cameron’s 1984 film predicts what the 1986 Star Trek film would be about, just as the 1984 Star Trek film predicts what Cameron’s 1986 film would be about. And it keeps going: 1986 leads to 1989, which leads to 1991, which leads to 1994, which leads to one more film each.

Join me as we go through a dozen films by some amazing filmmakers, and the surprising similarities they share. Continue reading →

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Charlie’s Test in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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

I started feeling an irresistible urge not long ago to write about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but I didn’t know why at first. I started obediently writing whatever thoughts came into my head, and I found that I was gleaning important messages from it that I think we could all benefit from. I’m seeing a similar story play out in more and more films lately, thanks to these feelings I keep receiving and my willingness to follow them wherever they lead. So let’s see where this one takes us as we liken the test in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to our own lives. Continue reading →

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Are We a Good People?

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Yes, I meant to put that “a” in the title of this article. That’s because I’m not just asking if we are good people individually, but, as a neighborhood, city, county, state, and country, are we a good people? Do we deserve God’s mercy or justice? Do we even care about these questions? Continue reading →

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My Favorite Moment in Speed Isn’t What You’d Expect

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

My favorite moment in the film Speed is one that I don’t think would stand out to most people. But when you notice it, you might just realize how powerful it is. It’s not the scene where Jack Traven chases down a bus rigged to explode if it goes below 50 miles per hour. Nor is it when he’s barreling down the streets of Los Angeles, when he tries to defuse the bomb underneath the bus, or even when he has to jump the bus across a gap in the freeway. It actually comes right before the famous bus-jump scene, and it’s a quiet moment, not a long, complicated action sequence. Continue reading →

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Social Distancing in The Silence of the Lambs

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

I had fun spotlighting some of the absurdities of modern life against the backdrop of Young Frankenstein. And I’m happy to say that that’s not the only film that has some cathartically funny lessons we can learn to help us deal with a pandemic. We’ll enter the realm of macabre humor as we talk about The Silence of the Lambs as though it took place during the current pandemic, exploring four examples of social distancing found in it. Continue reading →

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This Is What I Aspire to Do with Movies

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

I went a little overboard with my verbosity in the last few weeks, so I will be brief this time to balance it out a bit. There are many people I admire and respect, and Bill Whittle is one of them. He is a YouTuber who is able to consistently convey profound messages of hope in a way I can only dream of doing. And what’s more, he offers concrete actions we can take to turn hope into a reality. Continue reading →

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Escape to Witch Mountain Is More Than Just Escapist Entertainment

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’d like to draw some interesting comparisons to Escape to Witch Mountain. I only recall watching it once as a child, but just about everything about it was burned into my memory so vividly that I always considered it a personal favorite, even though I didn’t feel the need to rewatch it as an adult until recently. When I did, I was flooded with childhood memories. The bully. The feeling of homesickness and abandonment (even though that was just a fear of mine, never a reality). The inability to express one’s thoughts and feelings verbally. The longing for something indescribable. It’s all there.

I don’t mean to say that Escape to Witch Mountain is perfect, but it is a wonderful exploration of childhood fears and yearnings. It’s about a couple of orphans who want to find a place where they belong. I will liken it to things of a spiritual nature as a way to illustrate them in an artful manner. Continue reading →

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An Important Change in the Way I’ll Talk About Movies

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I take criticism seriously. By listening to people, especially when they have something to say that feels painful at first, I find many opportunities to grow and be better. I recently received some feedback to an article I wrote that gave me just such an opportunity, and because of it I am going to change the way I interpret movies in the future. Continue reading →

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I Wonder When I Will Be Canceled

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

With all that’s going on in the world, I feel the need to take a detour from my usual topics and discuss something of supreme importance. As a simple man who doesn’t go with the flow and instead pushes against the cultural current of loosening moral standards, lazy work ethics, and celebrations of degeneracy, I wonder when my number will be up. I wonder when the people in power above me will get around to silencing and destroying me. Not that I think I’m dangerous or even important enough to warrant such attention. And that’s the point. Continue reading →

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The Symmetry of the Alien Trilogy

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Last week I published an article showing that Alien and Alien3 mirror each other quite well. For the sake of completeness, I now present the chiasmus of the entire Alien Trilogy, including Aliens in the middle. I had previously published my Aliens chiasmus several years ago, but Max Collins found that the first and third films in the series bookend that film’s symmetry. So I have simply put my work and Max’s together to create the following beautiful story structure. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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