Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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’12 Years a Slave’ Review

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“12 Years a Slave” earned strong critical praise at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It’s no surprise director Steve McQueen’s latest drama won 3 Oscars, including Best Picture of the Year, and deservedly so. This is a heartbreaking, moving and inspiring film that needs to be seen. Based […]
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‘Dallas Buyers Club’ Review

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Up until a few years ago, Matthew McConaughey was best known for starring in a series of bland, predictable romantic comedies. But thanks to critically acclaimed work in “The Lincoln Lawyer”, “Killer Joe”, “Bernie”, “Mud”, and even last year’s “Magic Mike”, McConaughey is establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s top dramatic actors. And, with the […]
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‘Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa’ Review

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In “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”, star Johnny Knoxville doesn’t attempt daredevil stunts with his buds as he did on the TV show and in previous film installments (including 2010’s highly-successful “Jackass 3D”). Instead, Knoxville is “Bad Grandpa” – 86 year-old Irving Zisman. There’s a ridiculous and irrelevant plot, involving Irving having to take his 8-year-old […]
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‘The Fifth Estate’ Review

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2013 was a break-out year for actor Benedict Cumberbatch. As if his playing (you know who) in “Star Trek Into Darkness” wasn’t enough, he also had roles in Awards Season contenders “12 Years a Slave”, “August: Osage County”, and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”. And there was some early buzz surrounding Cumberbatch’s work as […]
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‘Rush’ Review

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The tagline for “Rush” is “Everyone’s Driven by Something”. I was driven to see Ron Howard’s latest because of the very promising trailer (even though it gives away too much). “Rush” has a good cast, a well-respected director and an Oscar nominated screenwriter – Peter Morgan. And I was driven by something during the film: […]
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‘Prisoners’ Review

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Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman was marketed as the star of “Prisoners”. Jackman plays the father of one of two abducted children in this mystery/crime/thriller. But it’s Jake Gyllenhaal who receives most of the screen time as the intense, straight-forward detective in charge of solving the case and saving the kids. “Prisoners” immediately grabs you, […]
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‘The Family’ Review

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Making a dark comedy based on one family’s life on the run from the mob: Interesting. Casting Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones as the two main characters: Genius. Having Martin Scorsese as executive producer of the film that not only references the great director but works his classic movie, “Goodfellas” (which starred De […]
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‘Riddick’ Review

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Vin Diesel is best known for the hugely-successful “Fast & Furious” movies. One of his other breakout roles was introduced in 2000’s “Pitch Black”: Richard B. Riddick. A sequel, “The Chronicles of Riddick”, followed in 2004. Nine years later, the cult character returned in the definitively titled – “Riddick” – one of the worst films […]
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‘In a World…’ Review

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“In a World…” was the iconic opening line spoken by late movie trailer voice-over pioneer Don LaFontaine. Actress Lake Bell (“No Strings Attached”, “It’s Complicated”) uses that piece of dialogue as the basis for her feature film directorial debut of the same name. She also wrote the screenplay (a winner at Sundance) and stars in […]
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‘Closed Circuit’ Review

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The trailer for “Closed Circuit” leads you to believe that this is going to be an action/suspense thriller about hidden cameras and the fact that we’re being watched at all times. But it turns out that’s not what “Closed Circuit” is about AT ALL! There are no action scenes (other than a two-second, minor car […]
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