Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘Room’ Review

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“Room” is a powerful indie drama with two heartbreakingly effective lead performances. Brie Larson (most recently seen as Amy Schumer’s sister in the comedy “Trainwreck”) is outstanding as Joy, and nine-year-old Jacob Tremblay is a breakout star as Joy’s five-year-old son Jack. Writer Emma Donaghue adapted her own popular novel for the screen and it’s […]
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‘Steve Jobs’ Review

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I was one of only a few critics who genuinely appreciated “Jobs”, the 2013 biopic on legendary Apple CEO Steve Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher. A little more than two years later, Hollywood tackles the complicated mind of one of the most fascinating technological pioneers of all-time yet again with “Steve Jobs”. And this time they’ve […]
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‘Mississippi Grind’ Review

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“Mississippi Grind” is a solid and engaging drama about the extreme highs and lows of the world of gambling. This low-budget indie more effectively portrays this culture (just how quickly you can make money – and how destructive it can be when you lose it) than both Mark Wahlberg’s recent remake of “The Gambler” and […]
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‘Black Mass’ Review

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Johnny Depp has given a lot of great performances in his career…just not lately. With his portrayal of ruthless gangster Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger in director Scott Cooper’s “Black Mass” , Depp is generating the most positive buzz since he played Sweeney Todd on screen back in 2007. Often it’s the Depp performance that either makes […]
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‘A Walk in the Woods’ Review

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“A Walk in the Woods” is about two older gentlemen who decide to hike the Appalachian Trail. It certainly couldn’t have been a walk in the park for 79-year-old Robert Redford and 75-year-old Nick Nolte to make this film. And, unfortunately, it’s a bit of a struggle to watch as well. This is a true […]
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‘We Are Your Friends’ Review

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“We Are Your Friends” star Zac Efron has called his latest film the “Saturday Night Fever” of this generation. But instead of a white jumpsuit and disco, Efron sports headphones and blares techno music as a DJ looking to make it big. Efron’s Cole Carter is part of a four friend posse. They live in […]
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‘No Escape’ Review

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“No Escape” sounds like the title of a direct-to-DVD (or, these days, direct-to-VOD) movie. But The Weinstein Company thought they could make a little bit of money at the end of an action-packed Summer by releasing it in theaters. But there’s “no escaping” the fact that this thriller belongs in a discount bin at Walmart […]
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‘The End of the Tour’ Review

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“The End of the Tour” is an immersive true-story drama starring two actors who give two of the year’s finest performances. For five days back in 1996, Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky (played by Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg) travelled with and interviewed prolific, 34-year-old author David Foster Wallace (played by potential Oscar-nominee Jason Segel) as he […]
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‘Hitman: Agent 47’ Review

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“Hitman: Agent 47” is a reboot (of sorts) in a film franchise that started, and should’ve ended, with 2007’s bomb “Hitman” starring Timothy Olyphant. Both of these movies are based on the popular video game series that’s been around for 15 years. While video games, especially the shoot-em-up variety, are typically have extremely thin storylines, […]
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‘American Ultra’ Review

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“American Ultra” is the latest in a long line of movies which suffers from the “Pulp Fiction” syndrome: the attempt to mix quirky characters, sarcastic comedy and very graphic violence into one wild, cinematic experience. No one’s been able to successfully pull it off since Tarantino over 20-years ago (including Tarantino himself). The result this […]
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