Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘Going in Style’ Review

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“Going in Style” was a 1979 crime caper comedy that earned a special award at the Venice Film Festival for stars George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. Three iconic veteran actors of this generation – Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin – have all earned their fair share of awards. But they won’t […]
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‘Gifted’ Review

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“Gifted” is an indie drama about a child genius. Often movies like this are based on true stories. This one is not, and yet the screenplay, though the term suggests otherwise, is far from “original”. Chris Evans plays Frank. He’s a freelance small engine mechanic who repairs boats in a small Florida town. But his […]
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‘Ghost in the Shell’ Review

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Last year Scarlett Johansson became the highest-grossing North American box office actress of all-time, thanks, in large part, to her supporting role as Black Widow in the Marvel superhero movies. But she’s starred in plenty of films as well, including 2014’s so-so “Lucy”. Now, ScarJo is back to headline the first live-action English language adaptation […]
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‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’ Review

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The Smurfs are back…again. Sony re-vitalized the beloved little blue creatures with a CGI/live-action hybrid in 2011, followed by a just-as-entertaining, but not as financially successful, 2013 sequel. Now comes an all-CG reboot – “Smurfs: The Lost Village”. It begins, interestingly, with a trip down memory lane: Papa Smurf (Mandy Patinkin, taking-over the voice work […]
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‘The Discovery’ Review

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What if someone proved there is an Afterlife – and it’s better than the life you have now? How would you react? That’s the premise of the new Netflix sci-fi drama “The Discovery”. Overall, this is an intriguing film, though one that goes so far “out-there” that, ultimately, it leaves you with more questions than answers […]
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‘The Boss Baby’ Review

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DreamWorks Animation’s first effort of 2017 is “The Boss Baby”, generously adapted from Marla Frazee’s 2010 picture book about a baby with a briefcase who randomly shows-up to the house of a husband and wife. The concept is certainly out-there, and could’ve been taken in a load of directions. My main question going in was […]
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‘CHIPS’ Review

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Just when you thought (hoped) that Hollywood had run out of 60s, 70s and 80s TV shows to adapt to the big screen, here comes a modern version of “CHiPs” – the NBC police drama that ran for six seasons from 1977-1983 and made Ponch/Erik Estrada an instant star. Movie comedies based on TV series have […]
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‘Power Rangers’ Review

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I want to begin this review with an apology – to all the movies in the past that I blasted for having extremely long set-ups. The reigning champ in this category was 2015’s “Fantastic Four” reboot, which was essentially “Fantastic Four Origins” with one action scene at the end. “Power Rangers” is structured exactly the […]
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‘Life’ Review

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“Gravity”, “Interstellar”, “The Martian” and “Passengers” are just SOME of the action movies that have taken us into Outer Space over the past 5 years. The latest is “Life” – a horror/thriller that was originally supposed to open Memorial Day weekend, but now gets to put a jolt in Spring. Going in, I wondered why […]
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‘The Belko Experiment’ Review

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James Gunn, the creative mind behind Vol. 1 and the upcoming Vol. 2 of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” saga, has written a psychological horror/thriller that mixes originality with familiarity. “The Belko Experiment” pulls you in with an interesting premise that could have gone in a variety of directions, but, ultimately, the film leaves you […]
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