Lights Camera Jackson

Reviews, News, and Views from Jackson Murphy

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TV REVIEW: ‘Betty White: First Lady of Television’

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“Betty White: First Lady of Television” is a new PBS documentary special on the life and career of, arguably, the most prolific person in the history of TV. Three separate PBS interviews with White over the course of ten years are incorporated into this 55-minute doc. Sections from one of them were previously used on […]
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Dynamic Actor & Director Duos

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“Mile 22”, opening next Friday August 17th, is the fourth collaboration for actor Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. The pair previously made 2013’s Oscar-nominated true story action drama “Lone Survivor” and a duo of 2016 efforts – “Deepwater Horizon”, about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and “Patriots Day”, about the Boston Marathon Bombing. […]
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TV REVIEW: ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’

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“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is the latest heroes in a half-shell franchise reboot from Nickelodeon, which has already produced a CGI TV series and two successful movies (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, released in 2014 and 2016’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”), with another film in the works. “Rise” is […]
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Twitter Trouble: I’m Locked Out Because of My Birthday

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On Monday, I went into my Verified Twitter Account (@LCJReviews) and decided to put in my birth year. I had never been able to put it in before, because my birth year (1998) was never allowed as an option. When I saw that it finally was, I decided to select it, and once I confirmed […]
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Is Animated Feature Category Already Settled?

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Six major animated movies have been released so far in 2018: “Early Man” (from Aardman and Lionsgate), “Gnomeo & Juliet” follow-up “Sherlock Gnomes” (Paramount), Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” (Fox Searchlight), Disney/Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” (now the highest-grossing animated movie of all-time), Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” and WB/DC mash-up “Teen Titans Go! To the […]
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How Many Ways Can You Tell the Same Kind of Story?

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It’s the latest trend in moviemaking: the coming-of-age story – told in various decades, from the perspective of kids at various ages, and in different styles. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012), “The Spectacular Now” (2013) and the underrated “The Way, Way Back” (also 2013) showcased teen angst. But the trend really kicked into […]
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‘The Parent Trap’ Turns 20

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About once a year, some cable channel airs a personal guilty pleasure of ours. No matter what we’re doing – or what we planned on doing that evening – we have to stop everything and sit on the couch and watch part (or all) of that film. These sentimental favorites can’t be watched every single […]
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Put the Spotlight on Lily James

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Lily James is one of Hollywood’s “It”-Girls. The 29-year-old British actress is currently headlines musical sequel/prequel “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”, playing the younger version of Donna Sheridan (portrayed by Meryl Streep in the original). James shines during a number of performances, including “When I Kissed the Teacher”, “Why Did it Have to Be […]
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‘Millionaire’ is the Best Kept Secret in Vegas

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Last week, I went to Las Vegas – for a little business and a whole lot of pleasure. One of the highlights, without question, was attending a taping of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Millionaire” tapes in Vegas? When I told people I was going to Vegas, they […]
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Mamma Mia! This is a Great Cast

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Musical comedy romance sequel “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” boasts one of the most star-studded casts of the year. Here are some of my favorite roles/movies from each of the 11 main cast members: Christine Baranski “A Bad Moms Christmas” had plenty of problems, but Baranski’s “psycho mom” wasn’t one of them. Pierce Brosnan […]
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No New Horror Films This Friday the 13th

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This Friday the 13th, there are no major horror movies opening in theaters, as family sequel “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” and Dwayne Johnson’s action film “Skyscraper” will face-off at the box office. This is the first time that a horror movie hasn’t opened on a Friday the 13th since 2015 – which had 3 […]
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6 Game Shows that Should Be Revived

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“BIG FAN” Last year, ABC aired four episodes of this Jimmy Kimmel-produced game show hosted by Andy Richter. Contestants had to answer questions about their favorite celebrities in order to win special prizes chosen by the celebs themselves. The first episode featuring Matthew McConaughey was a fun and surprisingly successful half hour with a concept […]
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Best Movies of the First Half of 2018

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Here’s LCJ’s list of the Top 10 Best Films of the First Half of 2018 1. “READY PLAYER ONE” Steven Spielberg’s dazzling, rousing and emotional book to screen action/adventure adaptation is one of the most exciting and entertaining big-budget movies in recent years. 2. “INCREDIBLES 2” Brad Bird knocked it out of the park again, […]
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9 Best Trailers of 2018 So Far

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We’re halfway through 2018. At the end of the year, I’ll have my complete list of the 18 Best Movie Trailers of 2018. Here are my 9 selections for the first half of the year: “BEAUTIFUL BOY” The newest trailer released of the group – this drama stars Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet as a […]
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8 Best Moments in ‘Fallen Kingdom’

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J.A. Bayona is the talented director of 2012’s Oscar-nominated drama “The Impossible”, based on the true story of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland) and the 2016 drama “A Monster Calls”, based on the novel about a boy dealing with sadness and grief (with Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver […]
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Studio Shift

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“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” (out June 29th) is the sequel to 2015’s action/thriller “Sicario”, which earned 3 Oscar nominations, a Critics Choice Best Picture nom, a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA nom for Benicio del Toro. del Toro returns alongside Josh Brolin for the second chapter in this series. However, “Soldado” comes from a different […]
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Can Costner’s Winning Streak Continue?

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Kevin Costner returns to TV this week on Paramount Network’s new drama series “Yellowstone”. Costner’s career was monstrous in the 80s and 90s, with films such as “Bull Durham”, “Field of Dreams”, “Dances with Wolves” (for which he won 2 Oscars), “JFK” and “The Bodyguard”. But after a string of critical and box office disappointments, […]
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Who Should Win at MTV Awards

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Last year, to shake things up, the MTV Movie Awards became the MTV Movie & TV Awards, with non-gender or genre defining categories. Most of the nominees came from films that had recently opened in theaters (such as “Get Out”, “Logan” and “Beauty and the Beast”) instead of the entire prior 12 months. This year’s […]
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‘The Chew’ Goodbye Will Be Hard to Swallow

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When ABC cancelled two of their iconic soap operas in 2011, they decided to replace them with a duo of lifestyle talk shows. “The Revolution”, featuring Tim Gunn and Ty Pennington, was canceled after just six months (January – July 2012). [A summer stint of “Good Afternoon America” with Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott aired […]
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Tony… Meet SpongeBob, Olaf and The Boss

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Sunday night’s 72nd Tony Awards will have a much different vibe than last year. For starters, the host of the 2017 ceremony, Kevin Spacey, will not be on the premises. Instead, the emcees are singing/performing/Broadway vets Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles – safe choices who might do a fine job, but they’re not gonna bring-in […]
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