Lights Camera Jackson

Movie Reviews, Entertainment News and Views from Lights Camera Jackson

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‘The Painter and the Thief’ Review

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While watching “The Painter and the Thief”, I had to keep reminding myself that this isn’t a narrative film. It’s a documentary — that really doesn’t feel like one. And that’s not just because of the way it’s shot, that there’s no omniscient narrator, or because the timeline keeps jumping back and forth. It’s mainly […]
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‘Driveways’ Review

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“Driveways” was filmed a few years ago near my neck of the woods in rural Upstate New York. Hong Chau (who deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance in 2017’s “Downsizing”) stars as single-mom Kathy. She’s studying to be a nurse (doing medical transcriptions to make money) while raising 8-year-old Cody (Lucas Jaye from “Fuller […]
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‘Spaceship Earth’ Review

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“Spaceship Earth” is not an inside look at the popular Disney World EPCOT attraction. Instead, it’s a  documentary on the ground-breaking human science experiment called Biosphere 2. If you lived during the early ‘90s, you may remember Biosphere 2: eight people were quarantined for two years inside a research structure — built in the Arizona […]
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‘Bad Education’ Review

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“Bad Education” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. At that time it was still seeking a distributor. Many industry analysts predicted the film would be bought-up by a studio looking to, both release it theatrically, and make it immediately eligible for the 2019 awards season. That strategy would’ve complicated things for a […]
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‘2020 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts’ Review

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This year’s Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films all have something to say — a cause to champion or an issue to put front and center. It’s not the most feel-good collection, but you can find positives in all of them. “Daughter” won the Student Academy Award in 2018. It’s a moving, stop-motion father-daughter story with […]
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‘Taylor Swift: Miss Americana’ Review

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Taylor Swift is one of the biggest American success stories of this century. Some performers make a big initial splash and gradually fade into the background. Others flash brightly very quickly and then disappear entirely. But Swift has maintained her lofty status as a shining star of American pop culture — through good times and […]
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‘Color Out of Space’ Review

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Nicolas Cage has been in a bunch of low-budget action/thriller/horror films in recent years. His latest is a starring role in an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft short story, “Color Out of Space”. In a Q&A following the screening I attended, Cage said, “Family drama is my favorite genre. Horror is my second.” He told […]
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‘I Lost My Body’ Review

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“I Lost My Body” is the year’s most abstract animated feature. And at just 80 minutes, it packs-in as much as depth and emotion as the longer, much more commercial “Toy Story 4”. This story, based on a 2006 book by Guillaume Laurant, is told from the POV of a human hand that’s been separated […]
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‘2019 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts’ Review

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When it comes to this year’s Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films presentation, The Academy and Shorts.TV, which distribute this to select theaters nationwide, took the word “short” literally. The five nominees are shown, of course, though they only add up to 55 minutes. Normally, a handful of other contenders are added to the program to […]
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‘Love, Gilda’ Review

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The incredibly talented and beloved comedian Gilda Radner died nearly 30 years ago at the too young age of 42. “Love, Gilda” is a sweet but superficial tribute to the iconic “Saturday Night Live” star. Clearly well intentioned and researched, this documentary fails to go as deep as it could or should have. Maybe that’s […]
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