Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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December Movie Preview: What Opens When?

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December is always the most exciting movie month of the year. Holiday Season + Awards Season = Box Office Bonanza. So when do all these blockbuster and trophy contenders open… and where? It’s time for your official December Movie Preview. Friday December 7 There are no new wide releases to kick off the month. But […]
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Ranking the Walt Disney Animation Studios Films

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The core Disney animation studio was re-named Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2007. Since then, The Mouse House has released nine CGI and two hand-drawn animated films. All but three have either been nominated for or won the Best Animated Feature Academy Award. And one of them is the just-released “Ralph Breaks the Internet”, which […]
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Big Deal for ‘Deal or No Deal’ to Return

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It’s a Big Deal that NBC is re-opening the case with a revival season of hit game show “Deal or No Deal”. Howie Mandel is back as host, and he couldn’t be more excited to help give deserving people a shot at a million dollars. “Case” in point: a recent behind-the-scenes special that aired on […]
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Spirit Awards Nominations React

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The Independent Spirit Awards nominations are out! And the categories are filled with surprises that will (already) definitely make this awards season interesting. Film Independent has showed plenty of love for The Orchard’s “We the Animals”, which picked several noms, along with Amazon’s “You Were Never Really Here”. That Joaquin Phoenix drama, released in the […]
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Great Performances That Will Likely Be Snubbed

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A few years ago, I wrote a piece called “Great Performances That Won’t Be Nominated”. At that time, in September 2015, I named four performances – one in each of the four major acting categories – that I believed wouldn’t be up for major awards. Many factors went into this: how many people saw these […]
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Official Awards Season Calendar

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It’s almost the middle of November. Awards Season is officially here. And yet – movies are still being entered into the race. Netflix’s late addition of “Mowgli” from director Andy Serkis definitely shakes-up the technical category predictions. But before writers and analysts (including yours truly) dive into all the big nominated films and performances for […]
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‘The Grinch’ Directors on Updating a Classic

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Dr. Seuss stories have been adapted into iconic holiday specials, Broadway musicals and feature-length films. A certain “mean one” previously hit the big screen in 2000, embodied by Jim Carrey. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in director Ron Howard’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. It also won the Best Makeup Academy […]
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Why Billy Crystal Should Host the 2019 Oscars

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Now, I know what you’re thinking. Jackson, didn’t you write a piece in March – just after this year’s Academy Awards – stating that Matthew McConaughey should host the 2019 Oscars? As Phineas from “Phineas and Ferb” would say, “Yes. Yes I did.” But in the nearly 8 months since then, things have changed a […]
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Helen Mirren’s Best Recent Movies

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Helen Mirren has starred in movies for decades. But after winning the Best Actress Oscar for 2006’s “The Queen”, her career skyrocketed. Her latest film, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, opens next week. Here are Helen Mirren’s best recent movies since “The Queen”: “EYE IN THE SKY” This underrated 2016 drama featured Mirren, Aaron […]
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Justin Timberlake Concert Review

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Justin Timberlake is one of the top entertainers of our time. And he reinforced that statement with a recent concert stop in my neck “of the woods”, Albany, NY, on his latest “Man of the Woods” tour. Tickets said the show would start at 7:30 but wouldn’t get over until 11:00. That made me a […]
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FilmColumbia 2018 gets Underway

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FilmColumbia 2018, which runs from Oct. 19-28, is sure to be one of the biggest years yet for the Chatham, NY-based film festival. Now in its 19th year, FilmColumbia is one of the premiere Upstate NY film fests and has shown a number of Academy Award nominees and winners. I’ve been attending since 2012 and […]
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Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nom. Highlights

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The nominations for the 3rd Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards have been announced. The ceremony will take place on Saturday November 10th in Brooklyn, NY, hosted by iconic TV personality and science educator Bill Nye. Filmmaker Stanley Nelson will receive the Critics Choice Impact Award and Oscar winner Michael Moore is this year’s Lifetime Achievement […]
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‘Live PD’ Trio Thrilled with Show’s Success

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It’s the No. 1 cable show on Friday and Saturday nights. It even tops some network programming in total viewers and the coveted 18-49 demo. It’s a social media phenomenon, trending during every broadcast. It’s the “COPS” of this generation with couple of a big twists. This… is “Live PD”. A&E’s hit reality/crime series debuted […]
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2018 Woodstock Film Festival Preview

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The 19th Annual Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, NY kicks-off this Wednesday October 10th and runs through Sunday the 14th. It is one of the premiere film festivals in Upstate New York and, according to their official press release, “will showcase 9 World Premieres, 4 North American Premieres, 1 US Premiere, 12 East Coast Premieres […]
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Why Didn’t These Movies Make More Money?

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Last weekend’s box office saw new releases “Night School”($27 million) and “Smallfoot” ($23 million) lead the way. However, their box office openings were underwhelming. Using Box Office Mojo as a guide, I ask this question about 14 other recent films: Why didn’t these movies make more money? “The A-Team” (2010) You could argue that this […]
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New Philbin Making Waves with “Single Parents”

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One of the Fall TV Season’s big new shows is the comedy “Single Parents”, which debuted to nearly 5 million viewers Wednesday night on ABC. The single-camera sitcom stars Taran Killam (“Saturday Night Live”, “Night School”), Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”) and three-time Emmy-winning “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett. They’re three of five single parents […]
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‘Dragon 3’ Will Fly Into Oscar Weekend

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Universal has moved-up the release date of DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” one week. The third (and reportedly final) installment in this blockbuster and critically acclaimed franchise will now open on March 1. Yes, ‘Dragon 3’ will take wing two days before the Academy Awards.  Typically, films released on Oscar […]
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Winning a Box Office Day, but Not a Weekend

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A number of movies released so far in 2018 have succeeded in winning a Box Office day, but not a weekend. Here’s how it’s happened: “INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY” These days, new movies tend to open on Thursday nights. Since this trend began about six years ago, all the studios decided that money a film […]
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Celebrity Documentaries are on the Rise

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2018 is proving that a new category has emerged in the documentary genre: the high profile celebrity biography documentary. Celebrity documentaries are on the rise thanks to a few key films. With $22.6 million in the U.S. to date, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is the 12th highest-grossing doc of all-time, and the biggest moneymaker […]
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