Andrew Garfield and the George Lazenby Effect

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In the Spider-Man film series, will Andrew Garfield be remembered in much the same way that George Lazenby is often seen as the odd man out among James Bond actors? Both of these actors faced the tough task of being the first to fill in for the original actor in the role. I know, both Peter Parker and James Bond had been portrayed by different actors on TV before making their film debuts in 2002 and 1962, respectively, but you know what I mean. Tobey Maguire and Sean Connery will always be synonymous with their respective characters since they had the biggest impact and enjoyed the biggest success early on. But what about their immediate successors? How will Andrew Garfield’s contributions be judged as the character moves on without him?

Let’s discuss his similarities to George Lazenby before answering that question. Continue reading →

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5 Funny Observations About Films

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I have a funny way of looking at films. Sometimes my powers of observation lead to entirely new ways of analyzing films’ plots while other times they yield silly puns. Today I present the latter. Please enjoy these five funny observations about a random assortment of films. Continue reading →

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There Are Only 2 Kinds of Superman Movies

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Since Superman: The Movie, there have really only been two kinds of Superman movies. Superman and Superman II provide the framework for every film featuring the Man of Steel that has come after. Here they are:

  • Origin Story, Followed by Planetary Upheaval
  • Superman Disappears, Followed by a Big Fight

Think about it. Let’s go through every Superman film and see how they all fall into one category or the other, and sometimes both. Continue reading →

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What If the T-1000 Had Found Miles Dyson First?

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I love Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It’s a perfect sequel that goes full speed ahead and leaves little time to wonder about any possible paradoxes or other directions the story could have taken in the second half.

One thing is for sure: The T-1000 is one of the all-time greatest movie villains. He is so laser-focused on finding and killing John Connor that he becomes chillingly compelling in his own way. After the chase scene at the insane asylum, we don’t see him again until he shows up at the burned-out remains of Miles Dyson’s home. Dyson is the creator of Skynet, which will one day start a nuclear war and then attempt to exterminate the surviving members of the human race.

All of this leads me to wonder what would have happened if the T-1000 had gotten to Miles Dyson’s house before Sarah Connor? After all, the Terminator says that the T-1000 knows everything he knows, so he could have anticipated their plan to strike at the heart of Skynet to prevent the war of the machines.

I envision three scenarios of what would have happened: Continue reading →

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So, Cars 2 Is Kind of Great

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Cars 2 does everything a good sequel isn’t supposed to do:

  • It focuses on a minor character from the first film while essentially sidelining the expected main character.
  • It doesn’t follow the same story pattern as the first film.
  • It doesn’t even logically follow as a natural progression of the original’s story.

Despite all of this, I can’t help but enjoy it immensely. I like it much more than the original Cars, though that’s not saying much. The only reason I give that movie a pass is because it’s the first film I ever saw in a theater with the girl who would become my wife.

Cars 2 was a pleasant surprise. I avoided it for years because I had heard nothing but mixed to negative things about it. But when I finally sat down and watched the silly thing, I found myself immediately hooked. There’s just something about spy movies that makes them incredibly compelling to me. When done right, a la most James Bond movies and the original Bourne Identity, they have an air of self-confidence and cleverness that keeps me glued to my seat the whole time. And Cars 2 has that in spades.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s break down exactly why Cars 2 didn’t break down for me. Continue reading →

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Spider-Man: Homecoming Is Something Special

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Spider-Man: Homecoming is exceptional in many ways. I don’t watch many movies in theaters, but this is one that I made an exception for. Twice. It’s a reboot and the sixth Spider-Man film in the past 15 years, but it feels like the freshest, most exuberant take on the character yet. It’s not an origin story, but it manages to have a better coming-of-age story for Peter Parker than even the original Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Homecoming nails everything that makes the character great.This is a special film. The way I know that is because I’ve already seen it twice, and I still can’t wait to see it again. Very few movies make me crave more, and this is one of them.

I went into the film the first time without knowing anything detailed about it. I had seen Captain America: Civil War and an early trailer for it, but I hadn’t read any reviews and I didn’t know what to expect. I’m so glad I did that because the movie surprised me and delighted me the whole way through. There were many times when I found myself dumbfounded by how the movie kept getting everything right about Spider-Man.

I’m going to share everything I love about this movie without giving away any spoilers because I want you to know what you have to look forward to. If you’ve already seen it, then this will be a fun reminder of just how great the film is. Continue reading →

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10 Villains Who Were Defeated by Simply Ignoring Them

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s refreshing when a film subverts expectations. For example, we usually expect an epic battle between good and evil at the end so that the hero will decisively triumph over his enemies. But sometimes that’s not necessary. Sometimes the hero’s best option is to ignore his foe and let him destroy himself. And today we’re going to examine 10 villains who were defeated by simply ignoring them.

I’m not saying that the heroes in these films did absolutely nothing to defeat the villains or that if they had ignored the villains from the very start they would have won. I’m just saying that after struggling against them time and time again they finally came to a climactic moment when they realized that the best course of action was to turn their back on their old rival. Continue reading →

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Edge of Tomorrow Should Have Been Called The Longest Day

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The title says it all. But for the sake of completeness I’ll go ahead and give my reasoning for why Edge of Tomorrow should have been called The Longest Day. Continue reading →

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Ron Howard: The Circle Is Now Complete

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In honor of Ron Howard becoming the director of the upcoming Han Solo standalone film, I present my own take on this surprising turn of events. You see, Howard starred in the pre-Star Wars George Lucas film American Graffiti in 1973. Even back then as an actor, he had aspirations to direct and Lucas nurtured them. They even worked together on the 1988 film Willow. But that was early in Howard’s career, before he really found himself. And Star Wars will always be Lucas’s baby.

Now that Howard is an Academy Award-winning director and he is directing a film in the Star Wars extended universe, it’s only right that we hearken back to the original Star Wars film to make this analogy. May the force be with you, Ron Howard! Continue reading →

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My Newborn Son Is Finally Home

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

After spending 11 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), my newest son Isaac has finally come home. I beg you to indulge this proud father one more time. Last week I wrote about my disappointment and fear at having my newborn hooked up to various pieces of breathing apparatus to help him as his underdeveloped lungs slowly got stronger. It was hard to see him in pain and not be able to comfort him.

But all of that came to a sudden close when I got a call from a nurse at the hospital yesterday saying that my son was good to go. I was worried he might need to take home some oxygen equipment that I would have to learn how to use, but thankfully he was breathing on his own without the need for any assistance. Continue reading →

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