Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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Sparks Fly with Spirit Awards Nominations

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Awards Season has officially begun! The Independent Spirit Awards nominations have been announced. If this is an indicator of the season to come, things have gotten off to a firecracker of a start: The Best Feature category has the fantastic “Clemency” and “The Farewell”, as well as Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life”, “Marriage Story” and […]
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A Beautiful Experience in the Neighborhood

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One of the most highly-anticipated movies of the rest of the year is “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (out Nov. 22). Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers, and Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) is journalist Lloyd Vogel, who meets Rogers and writes an article about him in the late ’90s. That character is inspired by real-life […]
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Why ‘Frozen II’ Will Perform Below Expectations

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Some analysts are predicting that “Frozen II” could earn $100 million in its opening weekend. I don’t think that will occur, simply because it’s opening before the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. While the “Frozen” name was such a powerhouse in 2013, 6 years later, Disney is faced with a slightly uphill battle for their animated […]
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TV REVIEW: ‘Green Eggs and Ham’

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Nearly 60 years after it was first published, the classic Dr. Seuss work “Green Eggs and Ham” is now a Netflix animated series. Executive produced by Ellen DeGeneres, it aims to reach the same level of success on the streaming service as “The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!” over on PBS. […]
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TV REVIEW: ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’

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It’s the start of something new. Disney+ is ready to take over the entertainment landscape. And one of the first shows to debut on the new streaming platform is “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”. The first episode will be there when Disney+ launches on Nov. 12. But ABC, Disney Channel and Freeform will […]
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And here’s your host… ELMO!

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Sure, they’re getting “South Park”, “Friends” and “The West Wing”. DC films, Hayao Miyazaki movies and new Conan O’Brien stand-up comedy specials as well. But of all the shows and projects recently announced by the folks at upcoming streaming service HBO MAX, one stood out above the rest. “Sesame Street”’s Elmo is getting his own […]
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TV REVIEW: ‘The Morning Show’

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In 2010, I began appearing on NBC’s “The Today Show”, CBS’s “The Early Show” and Australian TV’s top AM program “The Morning Show”. A film called “Morning Glory” was also released that year. It tackled the ratings game, the “news vs. entertainment” debate and the clashing of personalities on and off the air. With AppleTV+’s […]
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Under the Radar Spotlight: Michael Shannon

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Michael Shannon is a two-time Academy Award nominee and one of the most reliable actors working today when it comes to delivering solid, confident performances. His latest is as George Westinghouse in the drama “The Current War”. Shannon is a critical and cinephile darling who, I think, hasn’t gotten as much appreciation by the masses […]
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NBC’s Tricky Timeslot

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One of the Fall TV season’s first cancellations is the NBC comedy “Sunnyside” starring Kal Penn. The show had been pulling-in a tad over 1 million viewers in its live airings for most of its (few) episodes. So the network had to make a quick adjustment. They decided to move-up the premiere of the final […]
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FilmColumbia Turns 20

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It’s the 20th year of one of Upstate NY’s most popular and successful film festivals. FilmColumbia kicks off this weekend in Chatham, NY with a special tribute to James Schamus, the former CEO of Focus Features. Schamus has been nominated for three Academy Awards, one for “Brokeback Mountain” and the other two for “Crouching Tiger, […]
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Since the First ‘Zombieland’…

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Since the First “Zombieland” was released 10 years ago (October 2009), here’s what has happened to the film’s stars: EMMA STONE won an Academy Award for “La La Land” and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards. Her resume include “Birdman”, “Irrational Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man”, along with three Ryan Gosling collaborations. Total […]
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FOX Betting Big on Animation Domination 2.0

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“Animation Domination” kicked off on May 1, 2005 with popular and long-running FOX shows “The Simpsons”, “King of the Hill”, “Family Guy” and newbie “American Dad!”. (The latter aired its Pilot episode in February to big ratings.) But while all four programs were on the Sunday schedule, it wasn’t until Fall 2006 that FOX actually […]
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Mini-Review Roundup

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Here’s my mini-review roundup: Thoughts on four films I saw over the weekend. All are aiming for big awards season play: “CLEMENCY”
 Studio: Neon Release: Dec. 27 (Limited) Alfre Woodard stars as longtime Death Row prison warden Bernadine Williams. Aldis Hodge (“Brian Banks”) has served 15 years for a murder he still insists he didn’t […]
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The Acting “Glory” of Antonio Banderas

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4-time Golden Globe and 2-time Emmy nominee Antonio Banderas is getting Oscar buzz for his performance in the new drama “Pain and Glory” (opening in select theaters this weekend). Here are the biggest films and roles of his career to date: “PHILADELPHIA” (1993) Banderas played Miguel, opposite Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, in this powerful […]
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Drive-In Box Office Boost

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Drive-In movie theaters are still going strong – and not just for summertime. Films like “Joker” and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” should benefit from outdoor audiences (as long as the weather is good). Studios tend to make package deals for drive-in owners: show our new movie as the first feature IF you play an older […]
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TV REVIEW: ‘The Unicorn’

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In an era where scripted streaming shows seem to attract the most television attention, network programs can still have an impact. Case in point: the new CBS comedy series “The Unicorn”. From co-creators and writers Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) comes a show about a widower looking to get back […]
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2019 Primetime Emmys Predictions

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The 2019 Primetime Emmys (No. 71) is this Sunday. Following what the Oscars did, there is no host – which means this show shouldn’t go long. But it probably still will because A TON of awards have to be given away, including these: COMEDY Outstanding Comedy Series My Pick: “Veep” Alternate: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” […]
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Vieira Back in the Daytime Game

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In 2002, “The View” moderator and “60 Minutes” journalist Meredith Vieira stepped into a pretty big position, becoming the host of the new daytime version of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” After three years in primetime, ABC decided to shift the show to syndication in mornings and afternoons. Regis Philbin didn’t want to continue […]
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