Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘Widows’ Review

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Director Steve McQueen could’ve chosen any project for his follow-up to 2013’s Oscar-winning Best Picture “12 Years a Slave”. An all-star, action, crime, revenge, heist, political drama wouldn’t have been my first guess. McQueen is the director and co-writer (with “Gone Girl”’s Gillian Flynn) of “Widows”. The story, based on an 80s British TV series, […]
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‘mid90s’ Review

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Jonah Hill has starred in some of the biggest comedies, dramas and animated films of the past decade. Some of his on-screen work has been impressive, including his Oscar nominated performance in “Moneyball” and supporting role in this summer’s little-seen “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot”. But he’s still got a long way […]
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‘Hunter Killer’ Review

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There’s no denying that Gerard Butler has been box office poison. Since his 2007 breakthrough blockbuster “300”, not one of the 18 live-action films Butler has starred in has grossed more than $100 million in the U.S.. And most of those movies (including last year’s “Geostorm”) simply aren’t very good. When it comes to financial […]
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‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ Review

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Melissa McCarthy is America’s sweetheart. She’s also the go-to actress for playing smart-mouthed characters in R-rated comedies. When I met first McCarthy in 2014, she told me, “I’ll keep doing them until they kick me out!” I’ve been waiting a long time to see her take-on a pure dramatic role. A quiet scene in 2011’s […]
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‘Halloween’ Review

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I’m a big fan of movies that allow an actor to step back into the role of an iconic character he/she played decades earlier. Recently “Creed” and “Blade Runner 2049”  gave Sylvester Stallone and Harrison Ford the opportunities to reflect on Rocky Balboa and Rick Deckard, respectively, and provide new depth to those characters. Now, […]
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‘A Private War’ Review

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“A Private War” is the “based on a true story” biopic of Marie Colvin, a war correspondent for Britain’s Sunday Times. At the screening I attended, the film’s Oscar nominated director Matthew Heineman (documentaries “Cartel Land” and “City of Ghosts”) told me that after meeting “Gone Girl” actress Rosamund Pike at a showing of “Ghosts” […]
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‘Wildlife’ Review

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“Wildlife” marks the directorial debut of actor Paul Dano, best known for his roles in “Little Miss Sunshine”, “Prisoners” and “Love & Mercy”. He also co-wrote this screenplay with longtime partner Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”) – based on the 1990 novel by Richard Ford. We are transported to 1960 in a small Montana town, where […]
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‘First Man’ Review

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At only 33, director Damien Chazelle already has three great movies on his resume. And they are three very different, distinct films. First was the heart-pounding two-character showdown drama (“Whiplash”). Then came the dynamic, full-blown romantic musical (“La La Land”). His latest is the most “conventional” of the three. Yet, it’s still bold and wildly inventive: a […]
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’22 July’ Review

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“United 93” and “Captain Phillips” director Paul Greengrass tackles another perilous, true story with the Netflix drama “22 July”. The film centers on the July 22nd, 2011 attacks is Oslo, Norway in which a lone terrorist killed 77 people and wounded more than 200 others. The film is not only being streamed by the online […]
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‘Venom’ Review

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In an interview a few days before “Venom”’s release, star Tom Hardy admitted his favorite 30-40 minutes of footage didn’t make it into the movie. It’s never a good sign when your star thinks the best material was left on the cutting room floor. “Venom” director Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”, “Gangster Squad”) proves he clearly doesn’t know […]
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