Fiddler on the Roof’s Story Is in the Tradition of Pride and Prejudice

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single film in possession of a good story must be in want of a remake. Thus, we see the reimagining of Jane Austen’s classic story of manners Pride and Prejudice as a zombie-apocalypse epic called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I read the 2009 book this new film is based on a few years ago and I found it to be funny and creative in its twists on the familiar moments and plot points from the original novel.

But that’s not really what I want to talk about. The fact that that film opens this week is just a pretense for a much more interesting discussion. This Movie Matchup will show you that Fiddler on the Roof borrows most of its story from Pride and Prejudice. In this case, I’m not concerned about the exact film version of Pride and Prejudice to compare to Fiddler on the Roof because I plan to just talk about the book. The images I’ll use in this article come from the 1995 BBC miniseries because that one is the most faithful and literal interpretation of the book.

There is no enjoyment like reading, so let’s bring this Movie Matchup to life as we explore the similarities between Fiddler on the Roof and Pride and Prejudice. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

9 Variations on the ‘Nanny Fixes a Family’ Movie Plot

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve written about Mary Poppins and Uncle Buck recently, and those films got me thinking about their niche within the wider comedy genre. These are movies that follow what I call the “Nanny fixes a family” plot. A quirky nanny comes to a troubled family and helps them solve their own problems. Then the nanny usually leaves as soon as their work is done, leaving everyone better off, including themselves. And there’s always a larger social issue at work in the story.

It’s a fun type of film, and there have been a lot of variations on it over the years. I’ve broken down these films into a number of categories: the number of kids, nanny’s description, father’s reaction to the nanny, social issue, and nanny’s fate. That way we can compare them more easily and see how they have fun with the formula set up by Mary Poppins. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Forgotten Film Gems: Truly Madly Deeply

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Would you like a cathartic film to deal with the loss of Alan Rickman? Watch Truly Madly Deeply. It’s a refreshingly low-key ghost movie that came out the same year as Ghost, but attracted much less attention. It also came out two years after Rickman’s star-making performance as the villainous Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the same year he costarred in another excellent film, Quigley Down Under.

Truly Madly Deeply is a touching film that deals with heavy themes of life and death in subtle ways. I’m going to talk a little about this film and some of the wonderful things you’ll find in it. It’s a forgotten film gem that deserves a little love in honor of Rickman’s passing. Continue reading →

Posted in Forgotten Film Gems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Short Stories That Grew Into Big Films

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Films can come from anywhere. They can be original ideas or adaptations of stories from other media. When they’re based on literature, they usually have a lot of source material to draw from. But what happens when they’re based on short stories? Then it’s usually up to the filmmakers to fill in the gaps and craft something interesting, using the short story as a springboard for their creativity.

With this in mind, I’d like to share 10 short stories that served as little kernels that germinated into big films. Some films are good, some are bad. But they all show something about how the filmmakers chose to put their distinct mark on the material they were given. Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mary Poppins, The Twilight Zone, and the Epidemic of Male Suicide

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

What drives a man to take his own life? Not my usual topic, I know, but I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the epidemic of male suicide in the United States in my own peculiar way by seeing what films and TV shows have to say about it.

Let’s go back 50 years to a couple of pieces of popular entertainment that approach the problem of male suicide from two very different angles: Mary Poppins and the classic Twilight Zone episode “A Stop at Willoughby.”

Mary Poppins is about two children who desperately wish to spend more time with their middle-aged father. “A Stop at Willoughby” is about a middle-aged man who desperately wants to get away from his miserable life. What on earth could these two seemingly disparate things have in common with each other? Read on and it will become quite apparent. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Art of Stuttering in Film

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I have a stutter. I’ve stuttered since I was a kid. Over the years I’ve managed to gain more control over it, but at times when I’m overly eager to say something or I’m nervous, my speech impediment has a tendency to rear its ugly head.

Stuttering isn’t something that’s usually explored in films – probably because it’s not conducive to storytelling when you have a character who’s hard to understand. But a few brave films have broached the topic, and I’m going to talk about a few interesting ways stuttering has been used to inform characters. And as a stutterer, I will also share my own insights into these films’ instances of stammering. Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why It’s a Wonderful Life Succeeds and Click Fails at Telling the Same Story

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s a Wonderful Life quietly debuted in 1946 and went on to become one of the most beloved Christmas classics of all time. Sixty years later, Click showed up as yet another example of Adam Sandler’s slowly declining career after the apex of The Wedding Singer.

One tells a charming tale of a man learning that his life means more than he ever thought possible to many people while the other tells the story of a man learning that everyone in his life would be better off without him. But oddly enough, they’re both telling the same story. It’s a Wonderful Life simply succeeds while Click utterly fails.

With Christmas right around the corner, let’s compare these two films and find out why one is a delight to watch again and again while the other is painful to sit through even once. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Why Uncle Buck Is an Almost Impossible Film to Categorize

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Uncle Buck is so many things that they all seem to cancel each other out, making it extremely difficult to fit the film into a single category or genre. I’ve always liked it, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on exactly what it is. It has a lot of elements of a comedy, but it has an equal number of elements of a drama and even kids movie. It doesn’t seem to fit any mold I can think of.

There are at least five categories contained in this one film:

  • A screwball comedy
  • A teen movie
  • A drama about a man struggling to overcome his vices
  • A romantic comedy
  • An irreverent kids movie

So, is Uncle Buck a comedy with dramatic elements or a drama with comedic elements? Let’s find out by exploring the five categories it might fit into and seeing how they interact and finally come together in the end. Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

What Star Trek: Nemesis Did Right

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Star Trek: Nemesis has aged surprisingly well. I’m not saying it’s a flawless film or a misunderstood masterpiece. It deserves pretty much all of the criticism it has received. I’m simply saying it has quite a few positive qualities I hadn’t noticed buried beneath the badness.

It had been more than 10 years since I last saw this movie when I finally gave it another shot last week. I was surprised to find myself enjoying it much more this time around. I’d like to share what Star Trek: Nemesis did right to find the good in this maligned movie. Continue reading →

Posted in Movies That Improve | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

James Bond’s Awkward Yet Awesome John Glen Years

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The end of the Cold War, the escalation of the War on Drugs, the end of two James Bond actors’ careers, and the beginning of the modern Hollywood blockbuster are just a few world-changing events that took place under director John Glen’s watch over the Bond franchise from 1981-1989.

Terence Young and Guy Hamilton are frequently mentioned among the greatest directors of James Bond films. They helped to set the tone for the series in its formative years in the 1960s. Other directors came and went in the 1970s, but then something unprecedented occurred. For an entire decade and five straight films, one man was in charge of it all: John Glen. He is responsible for more Bond films than any other director. In fact, Sam Mendes is the first one since him to direct two in a row.

I’d like to talk about the many beginnings and endings that occurred during John Glen’s tenure and how he managed to keep the series going through so many changes. Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments