While the weekend’s big new release, “Need for Speed”, has some entertaining action sequences, it isn’t a great car racing movie. However, this genre has had some high-powered entries over the past few years – some clear winners and some clunkers. “The Fast & Furious” series has been incredibly popular and successful since it took […]
I’ve been going to screenings of The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films for the past five years and I’ve had the pleasure of watching some truly memorable shorts, including “Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death”, “Logorama” (if you’ve never seen it look it up on YouTube), and great entries from Disney, […]
I have officially seen all the major contenders for this year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar. It’s time for my nomination picks: THE THREE LOCKS: “FROZEN” – Disney’s spectacular musical comedy inspired by The Snow Queen is an animated triumph. With songs destined for Broadway, memorable characters, and two fantastic twists, it’s truly the best of […]
In the animated comedy, “Free Birds”, a pair of turkeys named Reggie and Jake (voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving in 1621 so they can get their kind off the menu. When I first heard this concept, I thought it was unique, clever and had a […]
When people think of Halloween movies, they usually go to the horror films. Sure, the “Saw” and “Scream” movies should do the trick if you want to be frightened, but I’m going to recommend three untraditional “scary” films that you can treat yourself to just in time for the holiday: The good, but not extraordinary […]
I talk with former Pixar animator and “Jonah Hex” director Jimmy Hayward about his new animated film, “Free Birds”. The LCJ Q&A Podcast is hosted by Emmy award-winning film critic, entertainment reporter and media personality Lights Camera Jackson. Jackson interviews actors, directors, writers, producers, animators, TV hosts, comedians and other celebrities. They discuss their latest, […]
“Toy Story of Terror”, Pixar’s first TV special, is only 22 minutes long, but it’s far better than most of the animated features released in theaters this year. The first half plays-on the classic horror movie theme, with young Bonnie and her mom stuck at a rest-stop after getting a flat tire on a rainy […]
A variety of actors have put together outstanding bodies of work over the past several years. But no one can match the success of Tom Hanks. With his latest performance, as the title character in “Captain Phillips”, about to hit theaters let’s look back at the impressive list of accomplishments of Hollywood’s “Man of the […]
In 2009, Sony Pictures Animation’s adaptation of the classic children’s story, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, was served-up to moviegoers, complete with an updated twist. Actually, it was a major overhaul. In fact, the only thing the popular book and the movie script had in common was the title. But the energetic food-fest about a young inventor with […]
While “Justice League” is still TBD for 2015, there are at least two dozen other blockbuster films already set for release the year after next. Either 2015 will play out like 2011, when it was Big Movie after Big Movie and it was impossible for moviegoers to see them all, or the film industry will […]