Movie Matchups: Three Men and a Baby vs. Baby Boom

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In 1986, there was a famous rivalry between fighter-plane movies in which Top Gun trounced Iron Eagle. In 1988, it was body-switch movies in which Big crushed Vice Versa and 18 Again! But what about 1987? Was there any rivalry along the lines of the year before and after it? There sure was! That was the year of the baby race at the movies.

Three Men and a Baby and Baby Boom made their mark in 1987. I don’t think many people remember Baby Boom, even though it was the debut of the husband-and-wife director/producer team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers. They went on to do remakes of Father of the Bride and The Parent Trap. Three Men and a Baby was the biggest box-office hit of 1987, and it was directed by Leonard Nimoy, who was hot off of directing Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Despite being made by totally different people and having a distinct story focus, Three Men and a Baby and Baby Boom have some interesting similarities. Let’s talk about them. Continue reading →

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It’s Finally Happening

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve been on two concurrent journeys over the past 15 years. One involves joke-telling and the other involves homeownership. And both of them are about to collide next month in the best way possible. Continue reading →

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The Hunt for Red October’s Chiasmus

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Jack is back, and so is Jo!

The first Jack Ryan film I uncovered as an example of Cinematic Chiasmus was Patriot Games. It turns out that that is not the only film featuring the famed CIA agent to be perfectly symmetrical. His initial outing, The Hunt for Red October, is also a chiasmus, and I wasn’t the one who instigated this discovery. It was actually Jo, who previously gave me the How to Train Your Dragon 2 chiasmus and asked me to look for a chiasmus in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, who is responsible for this one, too.

She has a knack for helping me find the symmetry of additional films in series I thought I had finished with. This one will be an absolute delight to write, so let’s get started as we hunt for Red October’s chiasmus! Continue reading →

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The Most Surprising Thing About Kung Fu Panda 4

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The fourth film in a series is a big make-or-break moment. It is often where a series runs out of ideas and begins recycling old ones or else it becomes a self-parody. That’s true of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Matrix Resurrections, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Batman and Robin, Alien: Resurrection, and The Next Karate Kid. However, most of those series managed to reinvent themselves after their fourth films, so it’s still possible to recover from a poor outing.

Sometimes the fourth film can be great on its own, as well as the start of something even better, like with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Thunderball, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That last one actually managed to parody many aspects of itself and still be successful, leading to a long, prosperous collection of spinoff TV shows and films.

Unfortunately, Kung Fu Panda 4 falls into the category of being a repetitive entry in its series. And it’s unclear if it’s the end or the start of something better. The story ended just fine with the third film, and the fourth one feels like it’s been tacked on. Continue reading →

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I Cannot Write Without This

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I have learned that I cannot write without something very special. The power I have with words is not something that is natural to me, but it’s a gift. And I’d like to share how I realized that by describing a recent time when I couldn’t write. Continue reading →

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An Experience in Patience I’ll Never Forget

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

From an early age, I was told I had a temper. There are probably many reasons that caused me to have this flaw, but I can’t blame anyone for it. It’s a weakness I’ve struggled to overcome all my life. I don’t want to give the impression that I’m the Beast from Beauty and the Beast or some other uncontrollable rage monster. But I do not always make the wisest choices when I’m under stress.

Patience is a virtue I’ve yearned to cultivate in my soul. Understanding that patience is the solution to my problem, I’ve worked hard at developing it as an attribute of my personality. For some people, it seems to come naturally. I admire them. I’ve heard that I should never pray for patience because God will answer that prayer in ways I won’t enjoy. But I did anyway. And I paid a hefty price, as I discussed recently.

Last month, I had an opportunity to put my patience to the test, and something wonderful happened. I’d like to share it with you to show how much I’ve grown. Continue reading →

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A New Cinematic Chiasmus Takes Flight

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Flight of the Navigator is one of my favorite films. I loved it growing up, and I enjoy it even more as an adult. The acting is incredible, the story is equal parts mystery and wish fulfillment, and the special effects are exhilarating.

If you haven’t seen this film, you’re in for a treat. If you have seen it, you’re in for an even bigger treat because you’re about to discover the symmetrical nature of Flight of the Navigator. It’s a chiasmus, which means that its first half mirrors the second half perfectly. It’s a wonder to behold. Continue reading →

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Miracle Accomplished

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’m happy to report that January 2025 came and went without any serious disasters, water leaks, appliance breakdowns, or anything else at my home. It just went smoothly. That is what I have been praying for, and it truly is a miracle in light of what has come before. Continue reading →

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Big Is a Bridge Between Tom Hanks’ Early and Later Film Career

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Like two parts of a piano duet, Big feels like the perfect bridge between Tom Hanks’ early and later career in film. He may have made a Splash in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1988 that he really hit the Big time. He had a few rocky years before and after that year, but he eventually reached extraordinary heights.

This film revolves around an almost 13-year-old boy named Josh Baskin who wishes to be big, and he wakes up the next morning in the body of a 30-year-old. It’s rather poetic that a movie about the past and future versions of a person would also encapsulate so much about the main actor’s career beforehand and afterward.

I’d like to highlight all the things I’ve noticed in Big that point to Hanks’ previous work and many of the future projects he would be involved in. Continue reading →

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An Even Better Title for the ‘Deja Q’ Episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

“Deja Q” is one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It manages to be equal parts funny and poignant, adding a new dimension of nobility to the Q character that gets explored in later Q episodes like “Tapestry” and “All Good Things.”

“Deja Q” is from season 3 when the show was reaching its long-lasting zenith. There are two parts of the story: Q loses his godlike powers, and a planet is about to be destroyed by powerful gravitational forces when its moon falls out of orbit. Q helplessly spends the first part of the episode in the brig of the Enterprise, and he’s also imprisoned in a lowly human form. Continue reading →

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