Random Stuff

The Random Stuff section is for all the stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else on this site. I talk about all sorts of interesting topics here. Enjoy!

March 7, 2023 – Lifting Others When I Am Down

February 28, 2022 – Want to Know What Jean-Luc is Saying in the ‘Camping’ Episode of Bluey?

December 6, 2022 – Final Destination Is Unique Among Movie Series

November 29, 2022 – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Spa

November 22, 2022 – Miracles I’ve Seen This Year

November 8, 2022 – There Are No Accidents

October 18, 2022 – So Much to Write, So Little Time

October 11, 2022 – Be a Little Bolder

September 27, 2022 – Is There Anything That Isn’t More Important Than Ever?

September 13, 2022 – 5 Quick Ways the Parents in The Parent Trap Could Have Distinguished Annie from Hallie

August 30, 2022 – Steve McQueen Is the King of Name Placement on Movie Posters

August 16, 2022 – Ode to the Bank

August 9, 2022 – I’m a Little Late Paying Off My Mortgage

June 28, 2022 – Feeling Bad for Feeling Bad

June 21, 2022 – Unfinished Work

June 14, 2022 – Is It Possible to Tell a Complete Story with No Repeated Words?

June 7, 2022 – The Ongoing Miracle of My Hands

May 3, 2022 – A Significant Change in My Personal Life

April 26, 2022 – My Improved Version of ‘Uninvited’ from City of Angels

April 19, 2022 – How to Write the Best Possible WordPress Blog Post

March 29, 2022 – Is My Good Opinion, Once Lost, Lost Forever?

March 15, 2022 – Do Rotten Sequels Spoil Great Previous Films?

February 22, 2022 – Bedtime Story: The Magic Ring

February 15, 2022 – I Think I Found James Horner’s Inspiration for ‘Willow’s Theme’

February 8, 2022 – Everything I Wanted to Say About Red Notice in One Video

January 25, 2022 – If Holidays Were Superheroes

January 11, 2022 – Bedtime Story: The Strange Fruit

January 4, 2022 – Spider-Man: No Way Home Is the Best Nostalgia Can Offer

December 14, 2021 – 8 Things I Love to Do, But Never Do

December 7, 2021 – ‘Ephemeral’ Broke My Heart

November 30, 2021 – I Promised God I Would Write This

November 16, 2021 – I’ve Reached a Critical Turning Point in My Life

November 9, 2021 – If I Could Do Anything for a Day…

October 26, 2021 – No Article Today

October 12, 2021 – The Quality I Admire Most in James Bond

October 5, 2021 – 3 Lessons I Learned from Being Miraculously Healed

September 28, 2021 – Upcoming Movies I’m Looking Forward to Watching

September 21, 2021 – 30 Movies Featuring 2+ Batman Movie Villain Actors

September 14, 2021 – Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry Gave Us 2 Iconic Sci-Fi Scores Each in 1979

September 7, 2021 – I’m Concerned About the Future of My Alma Mater

August 17, 2021 – My Permanent Scar and What It Represents

August 3, 2021 – A Powerful Tool for Overcoming Temptation

July 27, 2021 – An Example of Seemingly Random Things Happening for a Reason

May 18, 2021 – I Think I Know What Aslan Said to Puzzle at the End of The Last Battle

May 11, 2021 – I Was So Wrong in This Old Article

May 4, 2021 – Quigley Down Under’s Villain Isn’t Such a Bad Guy

April 20, 2021 – A Writer’s Work Is Never Finished

March 30, 2021 – My Cancellation Has Already Begun

March 9, 2021 – Are We a Good People?

February 2, 2021 – An Important Change in the Way I’ll Talk About Movies

January 26, 2021 – I Wonder When I Will Be Canceled

December 22, 2020 – The Best and Worst of Times

December 1, 2020 – Taking a Moment to Be Grateful

November 24, 2020 – Attitude Is Everything

October 20, 2020 – Taking My Future Into My Own Hands

October 6, 2020 – Will Hollywood Survive? And Should It?

September 29, 2020 – COVID-19 Has Been a Blessing to Me

August 25, 2020 – The Beautiful Music of Randy Edelman

July 21, 2020 – Flattery Will Get You Everywhere, Thor

July 7, 2020 – My Brother, the Nintendo Expert

June 23, 2020 – A Word of Caution About Censoring Old Films

June 9, 2020 – 6 Actors with Appropriate Names for the Alien Series

May 12, 2020 – Trying to Remember Movie Characters’ Names

April 28, 2020 – Middle Movies Everyone Agrees Are the Best in Their Trilogies

March 10, 2020 – 10 Details That Elevate WarGames Above Most Thrillers

February 25, 2020 – The Mystery of the One Crazy Rhyme in ‘Mother Knows Best’

February 11, 2020 – Do Sequels Need to Be in the Same Genre as Their Predecessors?

January 28, 2020 – 10 Actors Who Reached Their Zenith and Nadir in the Same Year

December 31, 2019 – The Defining Movies of the Last 5 Decades

December 24, 2019 – Christmas Message

December 10, 2019 – Doctor’s Orders

November 26, 2019 – 10 People and Things I’m Thankful for

November 19, 2019 – What Makes a Movie Endlessly Rewatchable?

October 29, 2019 – Why The Sixth Sense’s Twist Works

September 3, 2019 – Can Mission: Impossible Survive Without Tom Cruise?

August 27, 2019 – The Secret Weapon of ’80s Comedies: Elmer Bernstein

July 16, 2019 – Why 007 Can Never Be a Woman

May 21, 2019 – Excuses, Excuses…

April 23, 2019 – I Found the Mother of All Plot Holes in The Ten Commandments (1956)

April 9, 2019 – 9 Types of Prayer on Film

March 19, 2019 – My Heart Aches for This Poor Man

March 12, 2019 – Sequel-Proof Movies That Somehow Got Sequels

March 5, 2019 – Movies About Cheating for a Good Cause

February 5, 2019 – I No Longer Think It’s Wise to Mock the Past

January 8, 2019 – Is The Black Hole a Good Movie?

January 1, 2019 – A Year of Change

December 25, 2018 – The Lockard Family as Movie Stars

December 11, 2018 – Does Die Hard Have a Good Soundtrack?

November 20, 2018 – I Love My Work

November 6, 2018 – Have You Ever Had an Idea That No One Else Has Had Before?

October 30, 2018 – I Wouldn’t Be Surprised If the Alien Symbiote Appears in the Next Spider-Man Film

October 23, 2018 – Ayn Rand Predicted the NPC Meme 75 Years Ago

October 16, 2018 – Hitting Rock Bottom

October 9, 2018 – What’s Wrong with Me?

August 28, 2018 – Potentially Ambiguous Movie Titles That Obviously Refer to Just 1 Film

August 21, 2018 – For Every Director in the Alien Series, Their Best Work Was Yet to Come

August 7, 2018 – My Pay It Forward Moment

July 24, 2018 – Fun with Movie Titles: Tag

July 17, 2018 – James Cameron Villain Deaths Ranked

June 26, 2018 – My Undigested Thoughts on Incredibles 2

June 19, 2018 – How Did Scaramanga Escape from James Bond?

June 12, 2018 – My Favorite Episode of Batman: The Animated Series

June 5, 2018 – The Muppet Movie Is an ‘Isn’t It Funny That’ Comedy 

May 22, 2018 – The Most Important Question in Atlas Shrugged

May 15, 2018 – A Change and a Promise

April 24, 2018 – What Is the Ideal Amount of Time Between Superhero Sequels?

April 17, 2018 – My Kids’ First Time Watching a Star Trek Film

February 13, 2018 – Fantastic Four Is the Crucible of the MCU

January 23, 2018 – Timeless Childhood Lessons from the ’90s

January 16, 2018 – My First Time Growing Facial Hair

January 9, 2018 – Why I Don’t Use Profanity

January 2, 2018 – What We Want from Star Wars, and Why We’ll Never Get It

December 25, 2017 – Merry Christmas, My Friends

December 19, 2017 – A Philosopher’s Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

November 21, 2017 – 10 Important Life Lessons I Learned from My Mom and Dad

November 15, 2017 – I’ve Missed Jeff Goldblum

November 7, 2017 – Movies That Managed to Make Mediocre Songs Sound Amazing 

October 17, 2017 – Good Films About Bad Filmmakers

October 3, 2017 – Criticizing Films, Not Fans

September 26, 2017 – This Video Inspired Me to Get Back in Shape

September 19, 2017 – Lessons from The Lion King

August 15, 2017 – 5 Funny Observations About Films

August 1, 2017 – What If the T-1000 Had Found Miles Dyson First?

July 11, 2017 – 10 Villains Who Were Defeated by Simply Ignoring Them 

June 27, 2017 – Ron Howard: The Circle Is Now Complete

June 20, 2017 – My Newborn Son Is Finally Home

June 13, 2017 – I’m Still Glad to Be a Dad

May 30, 2017 –12 Things I Love About Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

May 23, 2017 – MovieBob’s Mistake

May 9, 2017 – Clever Titles for Inevitable Sequels

May 2, 2017 – The Wisdom of Montgomery Brewster’s Great-Uncle 

April 25, 2017 – I Hated Avatar, But Here’s Why I’m Going to Watch Avatar 2

March 28, 2017 – Selfish Sacrifices

February 7, 2017 – The Dynamic Do-Over

January 17, 2017 – 10 Best Film Trends from the Obama Years

December 25, 2016 – Welcome and Merry Christmas

December 6, 2016 – The Return of ‘The Return of’ Movie

November 22, 2016 – How to Be Happy

October 18, 2016 – The Death of a Family Member

September 27, 2016 – Star Trek‘s Insights Into the Campus Rape Hysteria

September 13, 2016 – 5 Ways Marty McFly Could Get Rich Without the Sports Almanac

August 31, 2016 – Tevye and Mr. Bennet Demonstrate Why Envying the Rich Is Foolish

August 16, 2016 – Movies with ‘The Movie’ in the Title

August 9, 2016 – 2 Absent Friends

July 12, 2016 – My Book Is Finally Ready

June 28, 2016 – 5 Films About Forcing the British to Leave

June 21, 2016 – Will Avatar 2 Share the Same Fate as Alice Through the Looking Glass?

June 15, 2016 – Movies About Spending Ungodly Amounts of Money

June 7, 2016 – The Glaring Omission at the End of The Pursuit of Happyness

May 31, 2016 – When Singers Try Their Hand at Acting (Part 2)

May 24, 2016 – When Singers Try Their Hand at Acting (Part 1)

May 17, 2016 – The Internet Etiquette Guide

May 10, 2016 – The Truth Behind James Bond’s Conquests

May 3, 2016 – Movies About Picking Sides

April 19, 2016 – 10 Actors Whose Presence Adds Gravitas to Torch-Passing Sequels

April 13, 2016 – 4 Ideas for Sequels to The Last Starfighter

April 6, 2016 – Disney’s History of Remaking Old Animated and Live-Action Films

March 8, 2016 – Faithful Sidekicks Who Stayed with Film Franchises to the Bitter End

February 23, 2016 – Unceremonious Ways Sequels Dump the Previous Film’s Love Interest

February 10, 2016 – The Huge Impact of ‘The’ in Movie Titles

January 13, 2016 – Short Stories That Grew Into Big Films

December 29, 2015 – The Art of Stuttering in Film

December 15, 2015 – Why Uncle Buck Is an Almost Impossible Film to Categorize

December 3, 2015 – James Bond’s Awkward Yet Awesome John Glen Years

November 24, 2015 – Thank You to My Wonderful Readers

November 17, 2015 – Modern Hollywood Trends the Salkinds Were Doing Decades Ago

November 3, 2015 – The 10 Best Sequels That Came Out Just 1 Year After the Original Film

October 14, 2015 – 10 Actors Who Had to Suffer to Make Their Movies

September 29, 2015 – The Most Brutally Honest Line in a Romantic Comedy Comes from The Wedding Singer

September 22, 2015 – Did MST3K’s Joel Robinson Create Artificial Intelligence for His Bots?

September 15, 2015 – The Types of Movies That Currently Dominate Each Month of the Year

September 1, 2015 – The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of the Muppets

August 26, 2015 – Take Out One Tiny Thing and The Godfather Part II Would Be Rated PG

August 19, 2015 – Intense PG Movies

August 4, 2015 – 10 Beautifully Sad Movie Music Themes for a Good Cry

July 29, 2015 – 10 Movies About Aliens That Don’t Have Any Language Barriers

July 21, 2015 – What Makes the Trailer for Aliens (1986) Perfect

July 8, 2015 – 5 TV Shows Named After Their Most Useless Character

July 1, 2015 – 1996 Was the Year the Macho ’80s Action Hero Died

June 24, 2015 – Unidentified Flying Oddball – What Were They Thinking?

June 10, 2015 – 10 Ways American Sniper Missed the Mark

May 26, 2015 – 10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You

May 13, 2015 – Most Comedic Actors Have a 10-Year Window of Greatness

May 5, 2015 – 10 Obscure TV Shows I Loved as a Kid

April 29, 2015 – Ivan Reitman vs. Barry Sonnenfeld

April 22, 2015 – Is Superman II as Good as It Gets for Superman Films?

April 7, 2015 – 5 Reasons Why Star Trek V Needed to Exist

March 31, 2015 – Guy Pearce Has Quietly Had a Spectacular Acting Career

March 25, 2015 – 10 Actors Who Owe Their Careers to Someone Else’s Misfortune

March 11, 2015 – 10 Actors Who Played Diametrically Opposed Characters

February 3, 2015 – 10 Clever Uses of Old Pop Songs in Modern Movies

January 20, 2015 – 10 Directors Who Seamlessly Transitioned to Sci-Fi on Their First Try

December 30, 2014 – 10 Great Westerns That Aren’t Set in the Old West

December 16, 2014 – 10 Villains Who Think They Are Heroes

November 25, 2014 – Thank You from the Deja Reviewer

November 18, 2014 – 10 Movies Whose Hero and Villain Never Actually Meet

November 4, 2014 – 10 Successful Actors Who Have Never Starred in a Sequel

October 14, 2014 – 10 Good Sequels That Sowed the Seeds of Their Series’ Destruction

September 30, 2014 – Marvel’s Unique Approach to Secret Identities

September 23, 2014 – The 10 Most Obscure Movies That Earned More Than $300 Million (Adjusted for Inflation)

September 16, 2014 – How to Fix Star Trek Generations

August 12, 2014 – Which James Bond Movies Actually Had You Convinced Bond Was in Danger of Being Killed?

July 29, 2014 – 10 Amazing ’80s Directors Who Lost Their Mojo in the ’90s

July 22, 2014 – The Duality of The Dark Knight

July 15, 2014 – 9 Iconic Performances That Weren’t Even Nominated But Should Have Won Oscars

June 3, 2014 – 8 Timeless Yet Dated Classic Films

May 27, 2014 – Thanks to Days of Future Past, X-Men Is Finally the Series It Always Deserved to Be

May 13, 2014 – 1990: The Year of Failed Film Franchises

May 6, 2014 – In Defense of Joel Schumacher’s Batman Movies

April 22, 2014 – 10 Ridiculously Lopsided Hero-Villain Fights

April 15, 2014 – 10 Movie Poster Mashups

April 1, 2014 – Predator Is Surprisingly Deep for an Action Movie

March 25, 2014 – “Lego” – A Parody of “Let It Go” from Frozen

March 10, 2014 – Top 10 Best Speeches in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy

March 4, 2014 – The Always Good (But Never Great) Writer/Director Gary Ross

February 25, 2014 – The Best 3 Back-to-Back Years for American Comedy Films

February 11, 2014 – Spoilers, Trailers and Other Terms That Mean Opposite Things for Movies and Cars

February 4, 2014 – Could Disney’s Frozen and Tangled Be Setting the Stage for an Avengers-like Team-up Movie?

January 28, 2014 – 11 Movies That Actually Live Up to Their Hype

January 14, 2014 – It’s Time for Spider-Man to Leave New York City

January 7, 2014 – 10 Unpleasant Things That Make Perfect Character Names

December 17, 2013 – 10 Classic Films You Probably Didn’t Know Are Based on Books

December 10, 2013 – 10 Films (Besides Raiders of the Lost Ark) Whose Heroes Have No Effect on the Outcome of the Story

December 5, 2013 – This Is What Should Be on the Welcome Sign to Chevy Chase, MD

November 26, 2013 – What I Learned from Two Days of Intense Suffering

November 19, 2013 – The Man with the Golden Pun: Funny Descriptions of All 6 James Bonds

November 5, 2013 – Was It a Good Idea for Bryan Singer to Return to X-Men After a Decade-long Absence?

September 17, 2013 – 10 Profound Life Lessons from Super Mario World

September 10, 2013 – Last-Minute Casting Changes That Turned Out for the Best

September 3, 2013 – 10 Villains Who Never Get a Comeuppance

August 27, 2013 – 5 Inspiring Films That Show Winning Isn’t Everything

August 20, 2013 – The Surprising Parallels of Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan

August 13, 2013 – Who Is Steven Spielberg’s Best Protégé?

August 6, 2013 – How Han Solo Became Luke Skywalker (and Vice Versa) in The Empire Strikes Back

July 30, 2013 – 10 Ways to Make a Memorable Movie Character

July 23, 2013 – 10 Words That Shouldn’t Be Used in Movie Titles

July 9, 2013 – The Only Funny Joke in 10 Unfunny Comedies

June 25, 2013 – 10 Things an Outsider Doesn’t Understand About Utah

June 18, 2013 – Will Movie Budgets Ever Reach an Upper Limit?

June 11, 2013 – 10 Unsung Heroes Who Saved Star Wars

May 14, 2013 – Iron Man 3 Is What Iron Man 2 Should Have Been

May 7, 2013 – Will the Next Star Wars Trilogy Stray Far, Far Away from the Original Formula?

May 1, 2013 – A Rested Development: The Evolution of Cancelled-TV-Show Comebacks

April 23, 2013 – 10 Films That Contradict the Endings of the Books They’re Based on

April 17, 2013 – Famous Filmmakers with Ironic Initials

April 9, 2013 – 10 Films That Barely Resemble the Books They’re Based on

March 26, 2013 – 5 Awesome Endings to Bad Movies

March 5, 2013 – Why Are There So Many Wizard of Oz Sequels, Prequels, Remakes and Spinoffs?

February 26, 2013 – 5 Unsatisfying Endings to Otherwise Good Films

February 5, 2013 – What Is the Best Star Wars Parody?

January 29, 2013 – What Is Christopher Nolan’s Legacy in the Batman Mythology?

January 22, 2013 – 10 Movies I Wish I Didn’t Like

January 15, 2013 – 10 Movies I Wish I Liked

January 8, 2013 – Top 10 Best Things About Marvel’s The Avengers

December 11, 2012 – The Dangers of Second-Guessing: George Lucas vs. Robert Zemeckis

December 4, 2012 – 10 Cool Details You May Have Missed in How to Train Your Dragon

November 28, 2012 – What The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘s Tagline Should Have Been

November 20, 2012 – Why I’m Glad to Be a Dad

November 13, 2012 – Why True Freedom Can’t Be Found in Either U.S. Political Party

October 23, 2012 – 8 Movies I Deeply Regret Watching

September 25, 2012 – 10 Good Movies Overshadowed by Superior Sequels

September 18, 2012 – When Giving Is Not a Virtue: Fletch’s Lesson on Socialism

September 11, 2012 – The George Lucas Guide to Overcoming Adversity

August 31, 2012 – Why I Love Telling Jokes

August 7, 2012 – How to Restore Liberty in the United States

July 31, 2012 – Michael Kamen: The Best Film Composer You’ve Never Heard of

July 17, 2012 – 12 Things The Amazing Spider-Man Did Better Than the Original Trilogy

June 26, 2012 – Universal Soldier Is an Unwatchable Travesty (and 5 Other Reasons I Love Roland Emmerich)

May 29, 2012 – What Made Someone I Don’t Know Threaten to Kill Me

May 22, 2012 – 10 Movie Remakes That Are Better Than the Originals

May 8, 2012 – How to Destroy the Star Wars Saga in One Easy Step

May 1, 2012 – 10 Movies That Will Make You Bawl (While You Have a Ball)

March 20, 2012 – Is Anger Funny?

March 13, 2012 – James Cameron’s Best Movie

February 28, 2012 – Moneyball and The Book of Mormon

February 21, 2012 – How MST3K Inspired the Internet Generation

January 31, 2012 – 6 Movies That Are Better If You Skip the First Half

January 24, 2012 – Special: 2011 Highlights from the Deja Reviewer

January 17, 2012 – A Tale of Two Satans: The Joker vs. General Zod

December 25, 2011 – Funny Christmas Carol: Let Us Know!

November 22, 2011 – How I Know Miracles Are Real

November 15, 2011 – Making Star Wars vs. Writing the U.S. Constitution

September 20, 2011 – 5 Great Movies That Were Saved By Budget Cuts

August 30, 2011 – I Just Ran 9 Miles and I Feel Fine

July 19, 2011 – What the Star Wars Prequels Did Right

June 13, 2011 – Video: Why Girls Are Good