Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step’ Review

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“Meet the remarkable Emperor Penguin… again.” That is narrator Morgan Freeman’s opening line from “March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step”, the follow-up to 2005’s groundbreaking, Oscar-winning nature documentary. This is a sequel we never knew we needed. I saw the original “March” at a crowded theater during the height of its theatrical run […]
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‘Annihilation’ Review

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“Annihilation” is writer/director Alex Garland’s follow-up to 2015’s fascinating, visionary Oscar-winning drama “Ex Machina”. This time he adapts Book One of the popular sci-fi Southern Reach Trilogy, creating the most riveting and thought-provoking film of the year so far. Natalie Portman is excellent as Lena, a biologist and Johns Hopkins professor who specializes in cell […]
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‘Paddington 2’ Review

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2014’s “Paddington” was a genuine surprise. The film adaptation of the iconic books about the lovable bear from the jungles of Peru had depth, heart and a fresh filmmaking style from writer/director Paul King. “Paddington 2” is a similar yet very different sequel – that hits nearly all the same marks. Paddington (again voiced by […]
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‘All the Money in the World’ Review

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“All the Money in the World” is based on the true story of the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the teen grandson of the richest man in the world, J. Paul Getty. The kidnappers (Italian radicals) initially ask for $17 million, but Getty, who lives in his elaborate London mansion, refuses to pay […]
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‘The Greatest Showman’ Review

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Hugh Jackman has been attached to the role of P.T. Barnum since 2009. And now the big-top musical “The Greatest Showman” has come to town. It’s five years since Jackman portrayed Jean Valjean in the film version of “Les Miserables”, in which all the songs were performed “live” – and a year after “La La […]
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‘Phantom Thread’ Review

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Three-time Best Actor Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis has said “Phantom Thread” will be his final film. If that’s true, this is quite a way to go out. His performance as ’50s London fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock isn’t as monumental as his Abraham Lincoln portrayal in 2012’s “Lincoln”. But once again, Day-Lewis immerses himself completely into […]
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‘Darkest Hour’ Review

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When the first image of Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill was released, many people had the same reactions as when the first image of Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln was unveiled: “Wow! He looks incredible. He’s a lock to win Best Actor.” Oldman’s face is engulfed in a heap of makeup and prosthetics (that team […]
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‘Daddy’s Home 2’ Review

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2015’s “Daddy’s Home” was a pleasant surprise: some great one-liners, hilarious gags (Will Ferrell’s half court shot is a classic), and he and Mark Wahlberg were terrific together. Since sequels often underwhelm or completely fail in comparison to the original. I went into “Daddy’s Home 2” with rather low expectations. I’d already sat through four […]
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‘LBJ’ Review

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Director Rob Reiner’s “LBJ”, starring Woody Harrelson, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival back in Sept. 2016. That was just a few months after HBO aired its highly-acclaimed film “All the Way”, with Bryan Cranston as President Johnson and a few months before “Jackie”, the Jacqueline Kennedy biopic hit theaters. If yet another movie […]
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‘Lady Bird’ Review

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“Lady Bird” marks the directorial debut of actress Greta Gerwig. She also wrote the screenplay. And no, this is not a biopic of former First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson, but rather an offbeat, coming-of-age comedy that, in the wrong hands, could’ve been quite ordinary. Instead, Gerwig’s smart writing, simple but effective direction, and talented ensemble, […]
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