https://pjmedia.com/author/james-jay-carafano/feedPJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 22 Apr 2026 02:08:28 -0400<![CDATA[Yep, that’s right. Get Out (2017), a modern-day quirky remake of another fright film, The Stepford Wives (1975), is a top box-office draw of the summer, pulling in more than a $175 million worldwide. Not bad for a movie made for at a cost of, wait for it, $5 million.]]>Mon, 07 Aug 2017 12:36:45 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/08/07/7-wonders-of-the-horror-movie-world-n168383<![CDATA[What is wrong with filmmaker James Cameron? The producer/director recently mused that he might do another series of Terminator films. Seriously? The first film (1984) was awesome. The second film (1991) was arguably better. But then the movies just started to wander into the sequel wilderness—lost in search of something fresh to say—and became object lessons in how more CGI can’t substitute for good filmmaking. Sure, the original series gave us some really cool moments, but it is time to bring this to an end.]]>Mon, 31 Jul 2017 23:43:02 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/07/31/4-reasons-to-terminate-the-terminator-n168277<![CDATA[What is wrong with Hollywood? Today’s movie makers seem incapable of delivering a first-class film about the worlds beyond earth. It all started with Jupiter Ascending (2015), a gorgeous, but unwatchable space opera, and it was all pretty much downhill after that. In recent months, we were assaulted with Life (2017). If there was an award for best preview followed by worst movie, this film would win it. Then, there was the disappointing and dreary sequel, Alien: Covenant (2017). It was followed by the incredibly boring Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). Some have high hopes for Avatar 2: Return to Pandora (2018). I am not one of them.]]>Mon, 31 Jul 2017 19:39:46 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/07/31/8-must-see-outer-space-films-n168256<![CDATA[Cue music.]]>Mon, 24 Jul 2017 07:25:02 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/07/24/6-spies-better-than-bond-n168168<![CDATA[Who can count on clear weather for picnics and fireworks everywhere in the world where an American is celebrating the Fourth of July? Somewhere it has got to be dark and rainy. If you have to spend your holiday inside with popcorn and a movie, here is an eclectic list of the top five top films for passing the time. These movies offer something for all red-blooded patriots of every size, shape, age, and interest. Each story reminds us that America is not just an exceptional nation, but that our great land is filled with exceptional people.]]>Mon, 03 Jul 2017 06:25:40 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/07/03/top-5-movies-to-celebrate-this-july-4-n167956<![CDATA[Trump landed in Europe like a lead weight. One writer called his speech at NATO headquarters a “disaster.” After the visit, the head of the German government mused that maybe Europe cannot depend on the U.S. anymore. Fair enough. In retrospect, Trump’s few days on the continent look like a bad blind date.]]>Fri, 09 Jun 2017 19:44:01 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/06/09/6-movies-explain-why-europe-is-in-such-a-sad-state-n167699<![CDATA[“After that something changed.”]]>Wed, 31 May 2017 13:09:43 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/05/31/gary-sinise-after-911-n167598<![CDATA[There are many signs that a new sheriff is in town: one being how the White House has started turning immigration and border security policies on their head. Instead of looking for loop holes on how not to enforce the law, the new administration has made restoring the rule of law its top priority. Next up on the agenda could be a revamping of US counterterrorism strategy. In particular, a big rethink about how the US addresses Islamist extremism.]]>Mon, 15 May 2017 06:35:45 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]><![CDATA[Homeland Security]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/05/15/will-trump-make-war-on-obamas-war-of-ideas-n96185<![CDATA[When the president said he would be “honored” to meet with Pyongyang bad boy Kim Jong Un, detractors went more ballistic than a North Korean missile test. The uproar was understandable. Dealing with authoritarian governments is always a challenge for democratic regimes that both respect human rights and are responsible for safeguarding their own state’s interests.  Getting the balance right is the acme of statecraft.]]>Thu, 04 May 2017 08:51:20 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/05/04/8-movies-on-how-to-mess-with-dictators-n167340<![CDATA[North Korea warned of a “super mighty preemptive strike” if the U.S. messes with the Hermit Kingdom. Maybe Kim Jong Un watched one too many movies. While the U.S. and North Korea have not traded artillery fire in real life since the end of the Korean War, the two countries have sparred on the silver screen many times over the last decade. Here is an overview of some of the most serious cinematic confrontations.]]>Thu, 27 Apr 2017 07:36:25 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]><![CDATA[asia]]><![CDATA[Culture]]><![CDATA[Entertainment]]><![CDATA[listicles]]><![CDATA[North Korea]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/04/27/7-american-movies-about-messing-with-north-korea-n167244<![CDATA[“The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I thought that putting that round in the chamber was going to wake my wife up,” recalls veteran Justin Miller. Miller did not become a statistic. Others did. About 20 veterans commit suicide every day; that’s one lost life almost every hour, every day. And the loss can be greater than an individual tragedy. In the wake of a suicide are family members and friends who must bear the grief.]]>Fri, 21 Apr 2017 06:18:45 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/04/21/getting-military-suicides-to-zero-n167216<![CDATA[It is official. Harrison Ford will crack the whip one more time for Steven Spielberg. The Walt Disney Company has announced that the next chapter of Indiana Jones will flicker to life in theaters during the summer of 2019.]]>Wed, 22 Mar 2017 08:13:26 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]><![CDATA[Hollywood]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/03/22/5-movies-to-set-up-the-next-indiana-jones-movie-n166956<![CDATA[Thanks to Ronald Reagan, when madmen like Kim Jong-un threaten to attack us with “merciless strikes,” we can do something about it. March 23 is the 34th anniversary of President Reagan&#8217;s televised speech to the nation in which he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, his vision to make the world safe from nuclear weapons by building missile defenses. If we had not started then, we would not have defenses now. Reagan didn’t call it “Star Wars.” It was Senator Ted Kennedy, who took the title from the now iconic 1977 space opera, suggesting the president’s idea was pure science fiction.]]>Wed, 22 Mar 2017 03:04:24 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/03/22/6-movies-about-the-real-star-wars-n166948<![CDATA[]]>Wed, 01 Mar 2017 09:21:02 -0500<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]><![CDATA[Movies]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2017/03/01/6-films-to-get-ready-for-blade-runner-ii-n166739<![CDATA[What kind of war movies best capture the day set aside in remembrance of the honored dead?]]>Fri, 27 May 2016 06:36:12 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/05/27/6-must-see-movies-for-memorial-day-n163635<![CDATA[The next installment of James Bond won’t include Daniel Craig. He has said he has shaken his last movie martini. While the search is on for a new replacement, there is talk the next Bond might be named Jane. Among the names being floated for the role is &#8220;X-Files&#8221; star Gillian Anderson.]]>Tue, 24 May 2016 06:12:55 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]><![CDATA[Movies]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/05/24/the-next-james-bond-might-be-a-jane-n163564<![CDATA[]]>Thu, 19 May 2016 06:38:14 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/05/19/watch-out-for-a-sinister-new-cyber-hack-n163508<![CDATA[https://youtu.be/4O4LpY0gG5c]]>Fri, 13 May 2016 10:51:44 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/05/13/next-suicide-bombers-might-be-american-n46469<![CDATA[]]>Wed, 04 May 2016 07:27:10 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/05/04/magnificent-7-rides-cowboy-cinema-dies-n163367<![CDATA[Documentary filmmakers are busy trying to rouse interest in the West on the perils of Putin. While it is not news that the Kremlin is reviving Soviet-era dirty tricks, two new films raise some serious red flags.]]>Sat, 30 Apr 2016 18:37:42 -0400<![CDATA[James Jay Carafano]]>https://pjmedia.com/james-jay-carafano/2016/04/30/putin-the-puppet-master-at-the-movies-n163346