Tag Archives: movies

The Beautiful Story Structure of How to Train Your Dragon

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

How to Train Your Dragon’s message of Vikings and dragons coming together to live in peace and harmony is complemented by the very way its story is told. Continue reading →

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged animated films, chiasmus, dreamworks, films, fun, how to train your dragon, movie review, movies, movies based on books, relationships | 18 Comments

Most Comedic Actors Have a 10-Year Window of Greatness

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Nothing lasts forever. Case in point, comedic actors. Even the ones who reach superstar status and enjoy years of success eventually slip into mediocrity. The interesting thing is the pattern they follow. I’ve noticed that usually these kinds of actors … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged 1980s, actors, adam sandler, bill murray, chevy chase, comedy, dan aykroyd, eddie murphy, films, fun, funny, humor, jim carrey, jokes, mike myers, movies, parody, puns, rick moranis, robin williams, steve martin | 10 Comments

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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged barry sonnenfeld, comedy, directors, films, funny, ghostbusters, humor, ivan reitman, men in black, movies, sequels | 5 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged 1980s, action movies, films, movie review, movies, relationships, romance, science fiction, sequels, spiderman, superman | 15 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged academy awards, action movies, braveheart, chiasmus, drama, epic, films, history, love, mel gibson, movie review, movies, oscars, relationships, romance, scotland, war | 10 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged 1980s, action movies, box office bombs, film score, films, george takei, jerry goldsmith, movie review, movies, music, science fiction, sequels, soundtrack, star trek, william shatner | 10 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, actors, drama, films, guy pearce, iron man, memento, movies, prometheus, science fiction, the count of monte cristo, the hurt locker, the kings speech | 12 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, actors, aliens, back to the future, batman, batman and robin, christopher nolan, comic books, dark knight rises, films, funny, ghostbusters, james bond, james t kirk, movie review, movies, science fiction, sequels, star trek, superman, the godfather, tim burton | 10 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged action movies, charlton heston, films, movie review, movies, movies based on books, movies based on tv shows, planet of the apes, rod serling, science fiction, the twilight zone, TV shows | 27 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, actors, al pacino, chris evans, comedy, films, fun, james bond, jeff bridges, johnny depp, matthew broderick, movie review, movies, richard gere, science fiction, timothy dalton | 16 Comments