The Types of Movies That Currently Dominate Each Month of the Year

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

When you study movies all the time, you start to notice interesting patterns. This week I took a long hard look at movie release schedules over the past few years, and I noticed that certain types of films seem to dominate specific months year after year.

It makes sense. I mean, movie studios like to stake out certain release dates for their blockbusters years in advance and sometimes others latch on to that same idea and put out their own similar films around the same time to try to capitalize on the trailblazers’ efforts.

Some of the movies that dominate a specific month are in the same series while others are in the same genre or from the same studio, but aren’t necessarily in a shared universe. So let’s find out what movies currently dominate the box office during each month of the year. Continue reading →

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Similarly Named Movies That Couldn’t Be More Different

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

Have you ever looked for a film you’re excited to see, only to be surprised when you realize what you got isn’t what you expected at all? For example, mistaking 28 Days for 28 Days Later. One is a Sandra Bullock-starring melodrama while the other is a nightmare-inducing zombie flick. Choose carefully.

To help you avoid such errors, here are 20 films that have similar titles, but their subject matter is drastically different. Continue reading →

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The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of the Muppets

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Anyone who has ever watched Sesame Street or enjoyed John Denver’s acting or been alive during the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s loves the Muppets. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Great Gonzo, and Rowlf the Dog have been the stars of numerous TV shows, theatrical films, and TV specials over the years.

The rise and fall and rise and fall and rise of The Muppets.Like any other long-running series, the Muppets have seen their fair share of meteoric rises and punishing descents in their fortunes. With the premiere of their newest TV series, The Muppets, rapidly approaching on September 22, I’d like to explore the events leading up to this (hopefully) triumphant return of the Muppets to the small screen.

So let’s take a wocka wocka down memory lane as we witness the rise and fall and rise and fall and rise of the Muppets! Continue reading →

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Take Out One Tiny Thing and The Godfather Part II Would Be Rated PG

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The Godfather has plenty of brutal scenes, from the man who finds a severed horse’s head in his bed to another man being strangled to death and yet another man being shot over and over by a seemingly unending barrage of bullets.

The most surprising thing to me about The Godfather Part II is that its violence is so restrained compared to the first film. It has just as many shocking moments as the first one, but it has far less blood and gore.

I think The Godfather Part II is right on par with the PG-rated Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and it would have also been PG had it not been for one minor detail. Let’s examine the violence level in these Godfather and Star Trek sequels to see why The Godfather Part II could have easily earned a softer rating. And then I’ll reveal the tiny detail that made it rated R. Continue reading →

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Intense PG Movies

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The modern movie rating system was established at the end of 1968 as a way to help audiences understand what kind of content they were in for. Not every movie is meant to be watched by children. The first iteration of the ratings didn’t have a PG rating. Instead, they had M, short for Mature, in between G and R.

Two years later M was changed to GP and then finally to PG in 1972. It’s interesting to think of PG as a “Mature” rating because it’s basically synonymous with innocuous entertainment. Just about every non-animated summer blockbuster is PG-13, so PG has become a little more of an anomaly when it comes to big-budget fare. But that hasn’t always been the case.

I’d like to talk about PG movies that are far more intense than their light rating might make them appear. These films adhere much more to the Mature origin of the rating than the more kid-friendly interpretation it has taken on over the years. We’ll go from the early ‘70s to the early ‘90s because those years saw many films that made a big impression on my young mind. Continue reading →

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Shall We Play a Game? Let’s See How Symmetrical WarGames Is

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

How about a nice game of guess how symmetrical WarGames is? The answer is quite simple: It’s completely symmetrical.

I grew up loving this movie, so I feel like it’s a privilege to share just how awesome this movie is. Not only is it one of the best Cold War-themed movies of all time, but it is a flawless example of Cinematic Chiasmus.

So let’s turn our keys and launch what promises to be an explosive adventure through the astonishing symmetry of the 1983 classic WarGames. Continue reading →

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10 Beautifully Sad Movie Music Themes for a Good Cry

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I have something really special to share with you next week. It’s been a while since I did a Cinematic Chiasmus, and I’ve got a great one in store for you.

In the meantime, I have prepared a list of beautifully sad movie music themes in case you’d like to shed some tears. Continue reading →

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10 Movies About Aliens That Don’t Have Any Language Barriers

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

Science fiction is a funny business. You want to have just enough scientific realism to be believable, but you don’t want to spend the whole film talking about hardware or the linguistics problems involved in human-alien communication.

Some movies manage to turn language barriers into a strength, like E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial and The Iron Giant, while others fail spectacularly, like Mac and Me and Battlefield Earth.

And then some movies throw caution to the wind and disregard the problem altogether. And I’m going to talk about 10 movies about aliens that don’t have any language barriers. Continue reading →

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What Makes the Trailer for Aliens (1986) Perfect

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Are you in the mood for a perfect movie trailer? Look no further than the trailer for the 1986 masterpiece Aliens:

The first time I saw this trailer was on a VHS copy of Aliens: Special Edition, which includes deleted scenes that were left out of the theatrical cut. The trailer came on just before the feature film itself, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to whet my appetite for the film I was about to see. Seriously, I can’t watch it without yearning to watch the movie itself. It’s that good.

So I’m going to talk about what makes the trailer for Aliens so perfect. Continue reading →

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Why Terminator: Genisys Is a Good Movie

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Last week I had to choose between seeing Jurassic World or Terminator: Genisys with some friends. First-world problems, I know.

I’ve never really cared for the Jurassic Park series. I saw the first film at age 11 and even then I was unimpressed by it. I had heard it was really scary and that it might be too intense for me, but I found it frankly dull. Over the years I’ve gained an appreciation for its technical achievements, but I still don’t think it’s that great. The two awful sequels it spawned didn’t help, either.

The Terminator series is another story. I grew up being infatuated with the first two films. They both live up to their hype and have an amazing combination of ideas, character development, action, and visual style. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is my favorite of the two. Sure, the next two sequels in the series were lackluster, but when I heard someone was doing a Terminator reboot, I was intrigued.

So I saw Terminator: Genisys, and I’m glad I did. I don’t understand why reviews have been so negative for this film. It tells a compelling story and it gave me pretty much everything I could want from a story about time travel and killer robots from the future.

There are some pretty major spoilers ahead, so please watch the movie before continuing. I would hate to give anything away for you because I really like all the twists and turns this movie offers. With that caveat, let’s find out why Terminator: Genisys is a good movie. Continue reading →

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