It was a fast and furious summer at the movies – filled with moving films and performances. “Crazy Rich Asians” took the box office by storm, “Incredibles 2” broke animation records, and studios weren’t afraid to release some of their major awards contenders this early. Here’s my look at what Summer 2018 had to offer. Please note, since Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” opened on April 27th, I deemed it a Spring release, not a Summer movie, so therefore you will not see it listed as a recipient in any category. And the winners are:
Best Picture – “CHRISTOPHER ROBIN”
Best Director – MARC FORSTER, “CHRISTOPHER ROBIN”
Best Actor – BEN FOSTER, “LEAVE NO TRACE”
Best Actress – GLENN CLOSE, “THE WIFE”
Best Supporting Actor – JOSH HAMILTON, “EIGHTH GRADE”
Best Supporting Actress – MICHELLE YEOH, “CRAZY RICH ASIANS”
Best Young Actor/Actress – ELSIE FISHER – “EIGHTH GRADE”
Breakthrough Performance – JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON, “BLACKKKLANSMAN”
Best Cameo – STAN LEE, “TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES”
Best Acting Ensemble – “CRAZY RICH ASIANS”
Best Action Film – “SKYSCRAPER”
Best Animated Feature – “INCREDIBLES 2”
Best Comedy – “MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN”
Best Drama – “EIGHTH GRADE”
Best Documentary Feature – “GAME CHANGERS”
Best Family Film – “CHRISTOPHER ROBIN”
Best Suspense Thriller – “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT”
Pleasant Surprise – “BOOK CLUB”
Biggest Disappointment – “THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS”
Worst Movie – “TAG”
Best Original Screenplay – BO BURNHAM, “EIGHTH GRADE”
Best Adapted Screenplay – ALEX ROSS PERRY, TOM MCCARTHY AND ALISON SCHROEDER, “CHRISTOPHER ROBIN”
Best Film Editing – “MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN”
Best Cinematography – “FIRST REFORMED”
Best Costume Design – “CRAZY RICH ASIANS”
Best Production Design – “SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY”
Best Sound Editing/Mixing – “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT”
Best Visual Effects – “SKYSCRAPER”
Best Original Score – “INCREDIBLES 2”
Best Original Song – “UPBEAT INSPIRATIONAL SONG ABOUT LIFE”, “TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES”
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Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
Jackson is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The BFCA’s annual Critics Choice Awards is one of the industry’s most respected awards shows. Jackson is also a member of SAG-AFTRA. He votes annually for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers. Among those who have joined LCJ on the show are comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried, “Wallace & Gromit” creator Nick Park, Emmy-winning game show host Todd Newton and Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Lights Camera Jackson has been co-starring in photographs with his favorite celebrities since he was 6 years old. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest appeared in the first. Seacrest was a VIP guest at a local telethon. Jackson, a big fan of “Idol”, approached Seacrest during a break and asked for an autograph. The “Idol” star eagerly obliged. Jackson and Ryan then posed for this photo.
Since then Jackson’s collection of photos with stars from film, TV, stage and sports has grown to over 400. Every one represents a special moment in the life/career of Lights Camera Jackson and includes its own unique backstory.