5 Inspiring Films That Show Winning Isn’t Everything

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Most Hollywood movies like to end on a triumphant note. The aliens are defeated in Independence Day. The Death Star is destroyed in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. And Marty McFly makes it back to the future in Back to the Future.

But sometimes it’s refreshing to see a film in which everything goes wrong in the end and the heroes are sorely disappointed. That’s okay, though, because they win some sort of moral victory in spite of losing the big battle, race, or game.

I’m sure there are plenty of films that demonstrate that winning isn’t everything. Here are five of my favorites. Continue reading →

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The Surprising Parallels of Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The careers of Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan are on inverted trajectories. The greater Nolan rises, the lower Shyamalan falls. Their films have a surprising amount in common with each other, in terms of subject matter, but Nolan just seems to have more success at telling those stories than Shyamalan.

Let’s look at how Nolan and Shyamalan compare by going through each of their films and discovering their surprising similarities. Continue reading →

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Who Is Steven Spielberg’s Best Protégé?

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I recently watched Super 8 for the first time. It brought back memories of my own experience writing short stories as a kid. I even wrote and directed a family movie once. Super 8 is J.J. Abrams’ homage to Steven Spielberg films like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Plus, it was his chance to work with his idol. Spielberg inspired many of today’s filmmakers with his ability to mix rich characters with stunning visuals and adventurous stories.

I’d like to examine several filmmakers who Spielberg worked with over his career. These are writers, directors, and producers who he helped at the start of their careers by executive producing their films or providing other aid. They’ve each reached different levels of success during their careers as filmmakers. I won’t include Abrams on my list because he idolized Spielberg, but they didn’t work together until Abrams was an established writer/director/producer.

I’ve listed the filmmakers alphabetically so I won’t give away the winner until the end. So let’s see who Steven Spielberg’s best protégé is! Continue reading →

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How Han Solo Became Luke Skywalker (and Vice Versa) in The Empire Strikes Back

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is probably the most-analyzed film in the Star Wars saga. There’s no doubt why that is. It is the fan favorite, it has the most interesting character development, and it has one of the biggest twists in cinematic history.

I’m going to focus on an aspect of this film I’ve never heard anyone discuss before: The many ways that Luke Skywalker and Han Solo become more like each other through the course of the plot. Everyone knows the events of this film, but probably few have thought of them in this way.

Let’s whip out our blaster and turn on our lightsaber as we discover how Han Solo became Luke Skywalker (and vice versa) in The Empire Strikes Back! Continue reading →

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10 Ways to Make a Memorable Movie Character

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

This summer’s movies have had plenty of action and spectacle, but can you name one character from those films that made an indelible impression on your mind? One who joins the ranks of Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Michael Corleone as someone you know by name and by their characteristics?

The new Superman isn’t as memorable as Christopher Reeve’s iconic portrayal.I can’t think of one. The new Superman isn’t as memorable as Christopher Reeve’s iconic portrayal. The main villain in Star Trek Into Darkness is too bland to join the ranks of other great baddies from the Star Trek pantheon. Making a memorable character is really hard to do because a movie has to make us care about them in more than just a superficial way that services the plot.

So today I’m going to list 10 ways to make a memorable character and give 10 examples of characters who exude these qualities. Let’s start leaving an impression. Continue reading →

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10 Words That Shouldn’t Be Used in Movie Titles

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I love creative movie titles. For example, The Shawshank Redemption works on several levels, and Back to the Future describes the plot in a unique way not usually found in time-travel stories. But there are also plenty of titles that don’t work because they lack creativity and overuse a number of tired words.

I’m going to go through 10 words that I think should be used extremely sparingly, if at all, in movie titles. To be fair, there are some exceptions to the rule, but most of those films are classic films or based on classic books. So let’s start making films an offender for a word with my list of 10 words that shouldn’t be used in movie titles. Continue reading →

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Movie Matchups: X-Men Origins: Wolverine vs. Rambo: First Blood Part II

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Why does X-Men Origins: Wolverine get such a bad rap? Maybe it’s because people were expecting it to be a full-blown origin story of Wolverine (hence the title), but instead what they got was simply a solid action film. It goes out of its way to turn Wolverine into John Rambo and it even follows the story of Rambo: First Blood Part II.

I thought long and hard about how to approach this article because basically my point is that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an underappreciated film that should be judged for what it is, not what it could have been. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s a perfectly decent film.

I was going to write this as a Pleasant Surprise article, but in my planning I kept comparing it to Rambo: First Blood Part II, so I figured I would just go ahead and do a Movie Matchup of these two films. They aren’t exact matches, like many of the other films I’ve compared, but they’re close enough to warrant a detailed inspection. Continue reading →

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The Only Funny Joke in 10 Unfunny Comedies

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Comedy is hard. I understand that. It’s also subjective. Something I find absolutely hilarious might be completely devoid of humor to many other people, and vice-versa. Keep that in mind as you read this list I have put together of the only joke I found to be funny in 10 films that are otherwise complete wastes of time, in my opinion.

I included a clip of several of them so you can see for yourself how funny they are. Let the fun begin. Continue reading →

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Movie Matchups: Tangled vs. The Lord of the Rings

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Disney’s Tangled has much more in common with the three Lord of the Rings films than it does with the story of Rapunzel. I’m not kidding. A kid-friendly throwback film to Disney greatness follows the same exact story as the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. Don’t believe me? I am so excited to show you all of their similarities.

Let’s journey to Middle-earth and climb the tallest tower to discover how Tangled and The Lord of the Rings compare. Continue reading →

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10 Things an Outsider Doesn’t Understand About Utah

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I don’t typically reveal much about myself or discuss any topic other than movies, but I’d like to try something different this week.

I was raised in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. That’s a really beautiful place, and I enjoyed all the lush trees, friendly people, and easy access to the waterfront. However, when I finally grew up I met a wonderful girl from Utah and we fell in love through letters and a few brief in-person encounters. When it came time to get married, I decided to quit my job, leave most of my immediate family, and move to Utah. It wasn’t easy, but my wife was worth it and the past four years have been the happiest of my life.

Even though I’ve lived in Utah for a while now, I still consider myself an outsider in many ways. After all, I grew up in a different geographic region with a somewhat different culture. Utah has a lot of quirks that I still don’t understand as a stranger in this strange land. Here are the top 10 things that don’t make sense about people and places in the state of Utah. Continue reading →

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