https://pjmedia.com/author/john-boot/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-usMon, 28 Sep 2026 03:35:33 -0400<![CDATA[The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan made his conservative leanings clear in that film and in The Dark Knight Rises, which earned the sobriquet of “reactionary vision” from the leftist newspaper The Guardian. Is Interstellar as unabashed in its conservatism? No, but there is a political subtext to the film that’s visible to the discerning. It may not be showy about being conservative, but it’s conservative just the same. Let’s look at five ways the film aligns with conservative philosophy and values.]]>Fri, 07 Nov 2014 11:40:40 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/11/07/5-conservative-themes-hidden-in-interstellar-n157175<![CDATA[9. Big Hero 6 (Nov. 7)]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2014 08:00:16 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/09/05/lets-count-down-the-top-9-must-see-films-of-the-fall-n155338<![CDATA[Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a darkly thrilling second episode of version 3.0 of the Planet of the Apes saga, a brooding tale about a desperate band of humans who survived a catastrophic plague. They live near a band of wary forest apes who just want to be left alone but are skilled with weapons and are harboring a bad-tempered would-be leader who is itching to start a war. Thanks to excellent special effects, a suspenseful storyline and bold, frightening action scenes, a 46-year-old series is now as fresh as if it had been dreamed up yesterday.]]>Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:30:00 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/07/11/5-blockbuster-franchises-that-should-learn-from-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-n153982<![CDATA[1. Time-travel movies are cool.]]>Fri, 23 May 2014 07:00:11 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/05/23/5-lessons-other-blockbusters-should-learn-from-x-men-days-of-future-past-n152572<![CDATA[More spandex. More stunts. More destruction. More incredible powers. More yawns. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wouldn’t live up to its billing even if it were called The Adequate Spider-Man. Thanks to phoned-in, factory-produced efforts like this one, with each new superhero movie, super-fatigue threatens to become a super-serious problem. Here’s a look at the five most superfluous, extraneous, unnecessary superhero movies of the last five years.]]>Fri, 02 May 2014 13:49:02 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/05/02/5-lame-superhero-sequels-that-should-never-have-been-made-n152025<![CDATA[&nbsp;]]>Sat, 05 Apr 2014 13:00:05 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/04/05/5-actors-with-careers-that-are-collapsing-n151275<![CDATA[Marvel&#8217;s Captain America was one of the best superhero movies of the last decade, featuring an engaging Chris Evans as the 98-pound weakling who is transformed into a WW II fighting machine and, at the end, wakes up from a long nap to discover himself in contemporary America. The second go-round, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is nearly as much fun as the original, with a delightfully tangled plot, plenty of well-staged action scenes and a superb cast given reams of smart dialogue. Here are four reasons to salute Cap again.]]>Fri, 04 Apr 2014 09:00:35 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/04/04/captain-america-winter-soldier-n151253<![CDATA[&nbsp;]]>Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:00:27 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/29/the-4-big-lies-that-ruined-the-x-men-movie-franchise-n151091<![CDATA[In the beginning, there was a void. Not a single major full-length Hollywood film had ever told the story of Noah and the Ark. Into the void stepped a man with an ego as big as the Cosmos: Darren Aronofsky, the auteur behind films like Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. What Aronofsky did with Noah, though, might be called an epic fail.]]>Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:00:22 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/28/noahs-5-most-laugh-out-loud-qualities-n151062<![CDATA[Editor’s Note: This article was first published in August of 2013 as &#8220;The 5 Most Destructive Political Ideas in Matt Damon&#8217;s Movies.&#8221;  It is being reprinted as part of a new weekend series at PJ Lifestyle collecting and organizing the top 50 best lists. Where will this great piece end up on the list? Reader feedback will be factored in when the PJ Lifestyle Top 50 List Collection is completed in a few months… Click here to see the top 25 so far and to advocate for your favorites in the comments.]]>Sun, 23 Mar 2014 12:00:44 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/23/5-destructive-ideas-matt-damon-devotes-his-movies-to-promoting-n150934<![CDATA[Editor’s Note: This article was first published in September of 2013 as &#8220;6 Animated Kids Movies with Annoyingly Intrusive Political Messages.&#8221; It is being reprinted as part of a new weekend series at PJ Lifestyle collecting and organizing the top 50 best lists. Where will this great piece end up on the list? Reader feedback will be factored in when the PJ Lifestyle Top 50 List Collection is completed in a few months… Click here to see the top 25 so far and to advocate for your favorites in the comments.]]>Sat, 22 Mar 2014 08:00:17 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/22/6-kids-films-filled-with-green-propaganda-n150902<![CDATA[This week’s derivative new dial-a-blockbuster is Divergent, which stars Shailene Woodley (George Clooney’s teen daughter in The Descendants) as a teen girl living in post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the remains of society have amicably organized into five factions in order to survive against an unseen enemy outside the walls of the city. Watching the movie, which is based on a novel that sold when its author Veronica Roth was 21, is like browsing the shelves at the video store, because almost everything in it seems like something you&#8217;ve seen done better elsewhere. Here’s a partial list of films that Divergent ripped off/was influenced by:]]>Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:00:59 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/21/5-movies-shamelessly-ripped-off-by-divergent-n150890<![CDATA[Editor’s Note: This article was first published in November of 2013. It is being reprinted as part of a new weekend series at PJ Lifestyle collecting and organizing the top 50 best lists. Where will this great piece end up on the list? Reader feedback will be factored in when the PJ Lifestyle Top 50 List Collection is completed in a few months… Click here to see the top 25 so far and to voice your favorites in the comments.]]>Sun, 16 Mar 2014 13:00:23 -0400<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/16/5-reasons-childish-liberals-love-their-hunger-games-so-much-n150750<![CDATA[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBljQmC65w8]]>Mon, 03 Mar 2014 10:41:16 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/03/03/the-oscars-in-review-5-highs-and-5-lows-n150366<![CDATA[Liam Neeson is back in fine form with an old-school whodunnit packaged as an action thriller, Non-Stop. Fans of the over-the-top action style of Taken may wish it had more stunts and less Agatha Christie, but it’s a solid piece of entertainment. Here are five reasons it works:]]>Fri, 28 Feb 2014 07:00:52 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/02/28/5-reasons-to-book-a-non-stop-ticket-n150201<![CDATA[Editor’s Note: This article was first published in May of 2013. It is being reprinted as part of a new weekend series at PJ Lifestyle collecting and organizing the top 50 best lists. Where will this great piece end up on the list? Reader feedback will be factored in when the PJ Lifestyle Top 50 List Collection is completed in a few months…]]>Sat, 22 Feb 2014 08:00:13 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/02/22/4-ways-star-trek-into-darkness-shills-for-surrender-in-the-war-on-terror-n150056<![CDATA[Editor’s Note: This article was first published in May of 2013. It is being reprinted as part of a new weekend series at PJ Lifestyle collecting and organizing the top 50 best lists of 2013. Where will this great piece end up on the list? Reader feedback will be factored in when the PJ Lifestyle Top 50 List Collection is completed in a few months…]]>Sat, 15 Feb 2014 09:00:34 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/02/15/5-reasons-hangover-part-iii-star-zach-galifianakis-is-a-hack-n149843<![CDATA[Tom Clancy died last fall at 66, just as marketing was getting started for the new relaunch Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.  It’s a pity he didn’t get to see the new film, because it’s a strong followup to The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Clancy was gruff bordering on insulting when it came to previous cinematic adaptations of his work, but the new film isn’t based on a Clancy novel &#8212; it’s an original story using Clancy’s agile hero. Here’s why the thriller author might have given the thumbs-up to how it turned out.]]>Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:30:41 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2014/01/17/5-reasons-tom-clancy-might-be-smiling-at-the-new-jack-ryan-reboot-n148980<![CDATA[Why does the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire excite today’s kids so much? Maybe because it plays to their childish views, which in many cases are interwoven with the central thinking of liberalism. Here are five reasons why childish liberals love The Hunger Games.]]>Fri, 22 Nov 2013 10:00:37 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2013/11/22/5-reasons-why-childish-liberals-love-the-hunger-games-n147969<![CDATA[[jwplayer config=&#8221;pjm_lifestyle&#8221; mediaid=&#8221;63292&#8243;]]]>Fri, 15 Nov 2013 10:00:21 -0500<![CDATA[John Boot]]>https://pjmedia.com/john-boot/2013/11/15/2013s-top-10-oscar-contenders-n147881