Tag Archives: science fiction

10 Good Sequels That Sowed the Seeds of Their Series’ Destruction

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s really hard to make a good sequel to a hit movie. The filmmakers have to please fans of the first film while also adding something new to the mix to make the sequel stand on its own. But something … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, aliens, comic books, empire strikes back, films, george lucas, james cameron, karate kid, lethal weapon, movie review, movies, science fiction, scream, sequels, spiderman, star trek, star wars, superman, terminator, x-men | 1 Comment

Another Reason to Love Aliens – It’s a Symmetrical Film

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve heard Aliens described as a “rollercoaster” because it’s such a thrilling ride. It turns out that that metaphor is true on an entirely new level. The first and second halves of that movie closely mirror each other, creating another … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged 1980s, action movies, alien, aliens, chiasmus, films, james cameron, movie review, movies, relationships, science fiction, sequels | 46 Comments

Marvel’s Unique Approach to Secret Identities

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Marvel superheroes don’t have secret identities in the same way that we usually associate secret identities with superheroes. The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Guardians of the Galaxy all have completely public identities. Everyone knows who they … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, batman, comic books, dc comics, films, marvel comics, movie review, movies, science fiction, spiderman, superman | 4 Comments

How to Fix Star Trek Generations

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In 1994, the first film starring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew arrived in theaters. I’ve had a lot of time since then to think about what went wrong with it. Star Trek Generations is a puzzling film because … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged action movies, films, james t kirk, movie review, movies, science fiction, star trek, star trek generations | 14 Comments

Bill and Ted’s Symmetrical Adventure

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

In my last Cinematic Chiasmus, I demonstrated how the entire Back to the Future Trilogy follows the same pattern backwards and forwards. This time I’ll delve into another classic ‘80s time-travel movie: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Wait. A seemingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged 1980s, bill and ted, bill and teds excellent adventure, chiasmus, comedy, films, fun, funny, history, humor, jokes, keanu reeves, love, movie review, movies, puns, romance, science fiction, time travel | 14 Comments

Pleasant Surprises: Robots

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

Remember Robots – the most generically titled animated film until Cars came out the following year? I skipped it when it first came out because if the title was that uninspired I was sure the rest of the movie wouldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Pleasant Surprises | Tagged animated films, comedy, films, funny, humor, movie review, movies, robin williams, robots, science fiction | 1 Comment

Great Scott! The Entire Back to the Future Trilogy Is One Big Chiasmus

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

I’ve discovered that some films follow a chiasmus formula in the way their stories are set up. What is a chiasmus? It’s an ancient writing structure in which ideas are listed in one order and then repeated in the opposite … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged 1980s, back to the future, chiasmus, comedy, films, fun, funny, humor, movie review, movies, relationships, science fiction, sequels | 86 Comments

10 Amazing ’80s Directors Who Lost Their Mojo in the ’90s

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

It’s not always easy for directors to make the transition from one decade to the next. For every Steven Spielberg there are several Francis Ford Coppolas. Filmgoers’ expectations change, technology improves, and the industry moves in a new direction. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged 1980s, 1990s, action movies, comedy, directors, films, fun, funny, humor, john badham, john carpenter, john g avildsen, john hughes, john landis, john mctiernan, jokes, lawrence kasdan, mel brooks, movie review, movies, movies based on books, puns, richard donner, roland joffe, science fiction, sequels, star wars, superman | 11 Comments

9 Iconic Performances That Weren’t Even Nominated But Should Have Won Oscars

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

The Academy Awards seem so arbitrary to me. Sometimes they completely forget to acknowledge performances that turn out to be iconic genre changers in retrospect. Here are nine particularly egregious examples of actors who should have not only been nominated … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged academy awards, actors, animated films, back to the future, beauty and the beast, characters, christopher reeve, disney, et the extra terrestrial, films, james dean, jim carrey, movies, oscars, robocop, science fiction, star trek, superman, the truman show, tombstone, val kilmer | 11 Comments

Bad Movies with Great Music: Explorers

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Robert Lockard, the Deja Reviewer

What were the makers of Explorers thinking? Few movies have such lofty aspirations and yet such disastrous outcomes as this one. Explorers feels sort of like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial or Super 8 except without the compelling stories of those films. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad Movies with Great Music | Tagged 1980s, comedy, films, humor, movie review, movies, music, parody, science fiction, soundtrack | 7 Comments