Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘Cake’ Review

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“Cake” is quite a departure in the career of star Jennifer Aniston. First of all, it’s a drama. Most of the films Aniston has done have been over-the-top, romantic comedies. And before that, of course, she became a star on the TV sitcom “Friends”. Next, “Cake” deals with difficult subjects: pain, suicide and death. And […]
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‘Annie’ Review

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In the opening scene of this modern update of the “Annie” story, a brainiac girl is doing a class presentation. She’s white, with red hair, and her name is Annie. When she finishes, the teacher asks the other Annie in the class (our young heroine, played by “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Oscar nominee Quvenzhane […]
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‘A Most Violent Year’ Review

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“A Most Violent Year” is Oscar-nominated writer/director J.C. Chandor’s follow-up to last year’s Robert Redford “I’m alone in the middle of the ocean and I’m barely going to talk” drama “All Is Lost”. With “A Most Violent Year”, Chandor has paired-up Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) and Jessica Chastain for an intriguing crime drama. The […]
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‘The Theory of Everything’ Review

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British actor Eddie Redmayne’s breakout performance was opposite Michelle Williams in 2011’s underappreciated biopic “My Week with Marilyn”. One year later, he joined the stellar ensemble of Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried for the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical sensation “Les Miserables”. Now, Redmayne finally takes center stage, giving […]
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‘Fury’ Review

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“Fury” is one of the bloodiest, saddest, and most authentic-looking war movies in recent years. Director David Ayer (“End of Watch”) holds nothing back in depicting the gritty ugliness of WWII through a five man tank platoon assisting the Allies in finishing-off the Nazis in 1945 Germany. Brad Pitt, who won his first Academy Award […]
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‘Gone Girl’ Review

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The opening scenes of “Gone Girl” are filled with so much rapid-fire dialogue and whip-fast editing that I thought Aaron Sorkin had re-teamed with director David Fincher. But then I remembered that author Gillian Flynn, who wrote the hit 2012 novel, adapted her own work into this screenplay. Set in the summer of ’12, “Gone […]
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‘The Expendables 3’ Review

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“The Expendables 3” boasts the most star-studded cast of any film this year – from Hollywood heavyweights to an actual welterweight, a sitcom star, a vampire heartthrob, the Governator, and an ex-con who, both in real life and in this backstory, served time for tax evasion. And at the center of it all, once again, […]
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‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’ Review

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Last August, Disney’s non-Pixar animated “Cars” spin-off “Planes”, originally set for a Direct-to-DVD release, opened in theaters in the middle of a crowded animation summer. A $200 million worldwide box office total was good enough for The Mouse House to push full steam ahead on a sequel. Now, less than a year later, in likely […]
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’22 Jump Street’ Review

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Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill teamed-up two years ago for the big screen revival of the 80s TV series “21 Jump Street”, which featured loads of action, laughs, and even a Johnny Depp cameo. That film was so successful that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who began 2014 with “The LEGO Movie”) decided to […]
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‘Maleficent’ Review

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In recent years, Disney has enjoyed twisting-up some of the all-time classics, including the Sam Raimi”Wizard” prequel “Oz: The Great and Powerful”, and the behind the scenes story of the Mouse House’s own beloved “Mary Poppins” – “Saving Mr. Banks”. And this trend will continue next year with live-action remakes of animated treasures “Cinderella”and “The […]
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