Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘Vacation’ Review

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As the son of loving husband and father Clark W. Griswold (who, in the previous “Vacation” movies, may have looked like he did everything wrong, but actually did everything right), Ed Helms is the grown-up version of Rusty in this modern version of “Vacation”, which is just as zany and uneven as the original. Jonathan […]
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‘Minions’ Review

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After seeing 2010’s “Despicable Me” the first of several times, I knew that supervillain turned Superdad Gru’s little yellow assistants, the Minions, were destined to star in their own movie. Five years later, “Minions” puts the title characters front and center. Unfortunately, the film falls short on the fun meter. “Minions” is a prequel to […]
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‘Jurassic World’ Review

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In 1993, four little words, an iconic John Williams score and some mind-blowing visuals changed cinema forever, as the late Richard Attenborough welcomed us to Jurassic Park. Now, 22 years later, original director Steven Spielberg hands the reigns of the “dinos on the loose” franchise over to Colin Trevorrow for “Jurassic World”, which covers similar […]
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‘Pitch Perfect 2’ Review

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“Pitch Perfect” only made $65 million back in 2012, but a cult “Girl Power” following along with the growth in popularity of stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson helped convince Universal that they were A Ca-ready for “Pitch Perfect 2”. Elizabeth Banks, who reprises her role as A Cappella competition co-commentator Gail, also directs this […]
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‘Furious 7’ Review

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“Furious 7” is not nearly as much fun as 2013’s “Fast & Furious 6”. And star Vin Diesel’s prediction of a Best Picture Oscar win will not be coming true. However, it’s still good enough, and a fitting farewell to the late Paul Walker. This seventh edition in the blockbuster franchise is surprisingly serious, with […]
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‘McFarland, USA’ Review

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“McFarland, USA” is the latest “Based on a True Story” sports drama from the studio king of the genre, Disney. This time, the Mouse House employees had to go all the way back to 1987 to find their latest inspirational, underdog story. And, after using baseball, football, basketball, hockey, horse racing, golf, bobsledding, and even […]
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‘Two Days, One Night’ Review

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Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) is nominated again this year in the Best Actress category for her raw and consistently believable performance as Sandra, a wife and mother of two, fighting to keep her job in the Belgian drama “Two Days, One Night”. That’s all the time Sandra has to find […]
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‘The Wedding Ringer’ Review

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Practically a year to the day after the Ice Cube/Kevin Hart action comedy “Ride Along” opened (becoming 2014’s first box office hit), Hart is back with the romantic comedy “The Wedding Ringer”. He plays Jimmy, the owner of a Best Man service business in which he participates in the weddings of total strangers who don’t […]
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‘Big Eyes’ Review

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Tim Burton’s movies are typically set in fantastical worlds, with wacky characters (usually at least one is played by Johnny Depp), a unique story, and tons of makeup, costumes, and bold colors. Many are calling “Big Eyes”, Burton’s latest, the most “normal” movie he’s ever made. And after seeing this dramedy biopic, based on a […]
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‘Top Five’ Review

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In September, Chris Rock’s all-star, R-rated comedy “Top Five” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Following the screening, an all-out bidding war began. Nearly every major studio (except, very likely, Disney) wanted distribution rights. Paramount emerged victorious, buying “Top Five” for $12.5 million and adding another $20 million for marketing. Rock’s been everywhere recently […]
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