Movie Matchups: Wreck-It Ralph vs. Tron

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Disney cemented its role as the king of video-game movies with the debut of Wreck-It Ralph in 2012. It might be a coincidence, but Wreck-It Ralph debuted 30 years after another famous Disney movie, Tron, and the characters celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fictional game “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” in the film.

I suspect this wasn’t an accident, but a direct callback to Tron because Wreck-It Ralph has so many things in common with that classic film.

So pull out your magic hammer and glowing Frisbee as we compare Wreck-It Ralph and Tron. Continue reading →

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Movies That Get Worse on Multiple Viewings: Field of Dreams

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I used to think Field of Dreams was a deep movie. Then I grew up and realized there’s more to life than baseball and the 1960s.

Today I’m going to explain why 1989’s Field of Dreams gets worse on multiple viewings. So let’s go the distance and ease some pain as we explore what went wrong over the years with this classic drama. Continue reading →

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Movie Matchups: The Shining (1980) vs. Manos: The Hands of Fate

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Stanley Kubrick did something that no one else can boast of doing when he made The Shining in 1980. He took the worst horror film ever made, 1966’s Manos: The Hands of Fate, and turned it into the best horror movie ever made.

Down to many of its minutest details, The Shining is a virtual remake of Manos: The Hands of Fate. So grab some red rum and let’s see how these two films on opposite ends of the quality scale are basically the same. Continue reading →

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Forgotten Film Gems: The Boy Who Could Fly

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The Boy Who Could Fly deserves to be recognized alongside E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Stand By Me as one of the best coming-of-age films of the 1980s. It’s that good.

Millie has several experiences where she questions if Eric can fly or if it’s just all in her mind.I gave director Nick Castle some grief in my last review of one his movies, 1984’s The Last Starfighter. I love that movie, but I have to admit it’s far from perfect. The Boy Who Could Fly was his next film, and he wrote and directed it, so I give him extra kudos for bringing such a near-perfect masterpiece into existence. This film mixes adult and childhood themes in a way that has rarely been done as well in other films.

Pull up a windowsill and let’s explore what makes The Boy Who Could Fly a forgotten film gem. Continue reading →

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Pleasant Surprises: Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

As a man who likes Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice, I feel like I’m in on a huge secret. By that I mean that the book is a gem that is hiding in plain sight, and it requires multiple readings to get the full scope of the story and the characters’ inner turmoil.

In just over 300 pages, this book imbues its characters with more depth than most book series ever hope to do. And I’m going to talk about how a five-hour 1995 BBC miniseries flawlessly captured everything that makes Pride and Prejudice the best romantic novel ever written. Continue reading →

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Movie Matchups: Star Trek Into Darkness vs. The Godfather Part III

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I heard a lot of people say Star Trek Into Darkness was mainly inspired by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek: Nemesis. While there are definitely some homages to those two films, I would argue that the film that Star Trek Into Darkness was most inspired by is The Godfather Part III.

I’ve done several Movie Matchups involving Star Trek movies in the past, even comparing the entire series to the Rocky and Karate Kid series. And it’s time once again to return to this wonderful franchise and point out how it boldly went where others have gone before. Continue reading →

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10 Profound Life Lessons from Super Mario World

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Remember when video games were simple? Before co-ops and online gaming, we just had cartridges and two controllers. And Mario was the king of video game characters. He still is, but he was even more so when Super Mario World debuted on the Super NES in 1991.

That game was even better than Super Mario Bros. 3, and it taught us some valuable lessons that we could all use as we grew into adults. Let’s take a look at 10 profound life lessons we learned from Super Mario World. Continue reading →

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Last-Minute Casting Changes That Turned Out for the Best

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Necessity is the mother of invention. Whether it’s budget cuts or sudden casting changes, sometimes the best thing that can happen to a film is to have the rug pulled out from under it because it forces filmmakers to make remarkable improvements they wouldn’t have been able to consider otherwise.

Today I’m going to highlight six examples of last-minute casting changes that definitely turned out for the best. These mini-miracles were painful at the time, but they led to profitable and creative results. Continue reading →

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10 Villains Who Never Get a Comeuppance

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Most movies go to great lengths to give villains a satisfying or ironic comeuppance. For example, Superman II had a super-powered Clark Kent pick a fight with a non-super-powered bully for no other reason than petty revenge.

However, some movies forget about villains and don’t give them what’s coming to them. I’ve compiled a list of 10 villains who never got any comeuppance for their dastardly deeds.

I don’t think it would necessarily make all of these films better to have some sort of retribution on these villains, but it’s just interesting that all of them are left hanging. Let’s start dishing it out. Continue reading →

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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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