Ivan Reitman vs. Barry Sonnenfeld

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

It’s not easy directing comedy films. You can be seemingly unstoppable one minute and then have everything change the next for a number of reasons. Moviegoers’ tastes may change and certain styles of comedy go in and out of favor. Or you might try to recreate past successes and end up becoming stale.

Take, for example, the parallel careers of Ivan Reitman and Barry Sonnenfeld. For a while, these two directors seemed to be on top of the comedy world. But then they stumbled for a decade or more starting in the late ‘90s. They’ve recently seen their stars begin to rise once more, and we’ll have to see if they can rekindle their old careers. Continue reading →

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Is Superman II as Good as It Gets for Superman Films?

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I saw the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice this weekend, and I couldn’t help asking: Is this what they think we want in a Superman film?

It looks dark, depressing, and charmless – the exact opposite of what I would hope to see in a Superman film. Of course, trailers don’t always perfectly represent the movies that they’re trying to sell. But the fact that Man of Steel already rebooted the Superman series in such a lackluster way doesn’t bode well for this bloated-looking sequel.

Give me Superman II's wit and romance any day over action slug fests.It’s been 35 years since we’ve seen a truly amazing Superman film – Superman II. I don’t mean to slight Superman: The Movie at all. It is practically perfect, and somehow its sequel managed to be even better. That’s an incredible feat considering all the behind-the-scenes drama that took place with Richard Donner quitting as director, Marlon Brando demanding too much money to reprise his role as Jor-El, Director of Photography Geoffrey Unsworth passing away, and Tom Mankiewicz not returning to revise his script.

Superman II set a high water mark for comic book films that took decades for anyone else to come close to. So, is Superman II as good as it gets for Superman films? Let’s find out. Continue reading →

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Braveheart Is a Perfectly Executed Example of Cinematic Chiasmus

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

Sons of Scotland! I am the Deja Reviewer. And I see a whole army of moviegoers who are here in defiance of casual movie viewing. You’ve come here to dig below the surface of a great film, and dig we shall. What will you do with this new perspective? Will you read?

Hike up your kilt and unsheathe your broadsword because we are about to launch into an epic battle as we uncover a whole new way to look at Braveheart. This great film is yet another example of Cinematic Chiasmus. The first half mirrors the second half in a symmetrical storytelling structure that was used in ancient times to emphasize the duality of a story or idea.

Are you ready? Hold. Hold! HOLD! NOW!! Continue reading →

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5 Reasons Why Star Trek V Needed to Exist

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is generally considered one of the worst Star Trek films, if not the worst. It certainly has ambitious ideas, but the perfect storm of a writers’ strike, an overburdened Industrial Light & Magic, and a studio desperate to get something to theaters combined to spell disaster for this film.

But even a movie as hard to watch as Star Trek V led to several positive results. Let’s look for that silver lining as we explore five reasons why Star Trek V needed to exist. Continue reading →

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Guy Pearce Has Quietly Had a Spectacular Acting Career

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I was pleasantly surprised when Guy Pearce showed up in Iron Man 3 because his character fit his career as an actor so oddly well. In that film he plays a nerdy genius named Aldrich Killian who realizes that his greatest strength is his anonymity. He never really makes a lasting impression on people in a way that makes him instantly recognizable. Killian uses that ability to stay out of the limelight while pulling all the strings and making things work out to his advantage.

Guy Pearce may not be as instantly recognizable as, say, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Tom Hanks. But he has turned his lack of superstar status into a strength. He has quietly had a remarkable career, playing a variety of roles that he wouldn’t have been able to if he had become too famous for one role and been typecast. Continue reading →

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10 Actors Who Owe Their Careers to Someone Else’s Misfortune

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

A lot of movie casting decisions have compelling stories attached to them. Sometimes actors get a job at someone else’s expense. I’ve discovered 10 examples of actors who owe a lot of their professional success to someone else’s misfortune.

Some of these stories are tragic and others are kind of funny. Let’s take a look at who rose as a result of someone else’s (sometimes literal) fall. Continue reading →

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Everything in Planet of the Apes (1968) Came from These 6 Twilight Zone Episodes

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s no secret that Rod Serling co-wrote the screenplay to the original Planet of the Apes in 1968. That was four years after his signature TV series, The Twilight Zone, had left the air.

I’ve heard people talk about the social commentary, twist ending, and other general similarities between Serling’s TV series and this feature film. But I’d like to get into the details and show how six episodes of The Twilight Zone seem to have directly inspired just about every aspect of Planet of the Apes.

Let’s get right to it! Continue reading →

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10 Actors Who Played Diametrically Opposed Characters

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

A great actor can play anyone, even if it means playing two characters that seem similar in some respects but are actually the opposite of each other in big and small ways. I’ve come up with a list of 10 actors who have pulled off this feat.

This post was inspired by a comment by my friend O Poderoso Chofer, another excellent blogger. He’s awesome, and I really appreciate this idea because I’ve had a lot of fun writing this article.

Let’s jump right into it! Continue reading →

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Whoa! The Matrix Is a Symmetrical Film

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

The Wachowskis have made yet another box-office bomb in the form of Jupiter Ascending. But that doesn’t mean that all of their films are terrible. I would like to draw your mind back to a time when they seemed like they were going to be the next Ridley Scott.

I’m talking, of course, about 1999 when The Matrix debuted and wowed audiences with its unique visual style and intriguing metaphysical ideas. Do you think this movie has already been dissected to death, and there’s nothing new to say about it? Well, I’ve got a whole new take on it that will have your head spinning.

It turns out that The Matrix is an example of cinematic chiasmus. That is, its first half mirrors its second half so that the film’s events all line up beautifully, creating a symmetrical whole. It joins an exclusive club of other superb sci-fi films that accomplished this remarkable feat of storytelling, like the original RoboCop, The Empire Strikes Back, and the Back to the Future Trilogy.

Grab your red pill and a big glass of water because this is going to be a lot to swallow. Continue reading →

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Forgotten Film Gems: The Villain

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Remember that time when director Hal Needham got really drunk and decided to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cowboy in a western comedy? Yes, that really happened. Maybe not the drunk part, but I assume he had to be out of his mind when he cast a giant Austrian in a western. That’d make about as much sense as having John Wayne play Genghis Khan. Oh, wait. Anyway, the end result of Needham’s insane bit of casting is an anomaly of a film called The Villain.

In 1979, Needham had already directed two wildly successful films (Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper), and he switched gears and made the most unique western I’ve ever seen. This was after Stay Hungry but before Conan the Barbarian, so Schwarzenegger was still relatively unknown at this point in his career.

Let’s see how the West was fun as we explore why The Villain is a forgotten film gem. Continue reading →

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