This is a new interview piece with director Pete Docter, co-director Kemp Powers and producer Dana Murray – all about their new Disney/Pixar animated feature “Soul”. It debuts December 25th. on Disney+ ————————————— Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson […]
We’re two-thirds of the way through 2020 and I’ve already got enough original songs to fill a couple awards show category ballots. Here are my 10 favorites of the year so far. And yes, three of them are from the same film: “CARRIED ME WITH YOU” Brandi Carlile’s closing credits song for Disney/Pixar’s “Onward” is […]
Next month marks the 25th anniversary of a unique Walt Disney Animation Studios Mickey Mouse short: “Runaway Brain”. It was released theatrically in August 1995 with the film “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court” (which flat-out bombed). But “RB” was nominated for that year’s Best Animated Short Film Academy Award (losing to “Wallace & Gromit” […]
And now… here are the winners of LCJ’s First Half of 2020 Movie Awards: Best Picture “Bad Education” Best Director Andrew Ahn – “Driveways” Best Actor Hugh Jackman – “Bad Education” Best Actress Dakota Johnson – “The High Note” Best Supporting Actor Brian Dennehy – “Driveways” Best Supporting Actress Allison Janney – “Bad Education” Best […]
This Summer, I’ll be having great conversations with film critic colleagues on the special podcast event series ‘Cinema Stories’. Remember what it was like to go to the movies? It feels like it was a long time ago (even though it wasn’t). As the anticipation builds towards returning to indoor movie theaters, ‘Cinema Stories’ will […]
So far, CBS and ABC have gone into the vault and dug out some classic Paramount and Disney movies (respectively) to air. The “CBS Sunday Night Movies” series has already done well with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (5.3 million viewers) and “Forrest Gump” (5.6 million). It will continue throughout the month of May with […]
“Monsters vs. Aliens” opened 11 years ago this week: March 27, 2009. The DreamWorks Animation sci-fi action comedy starred the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett and Hugh Laurie. When you think of DreamWorks animated movies, the first ones that probably pop into your head are “Shrek”, “Madagascar”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “How to Train […]
Some say it’s 2012 because of “Marvel’s The Avengers”. Others think it’s 2015 because of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, among other titles. But if you truly want to break down the most fascinating and pivotal year for Walt Disney Pictures, you have to go back to 2003. Disney had 10 theatrical releases in 2003, […]
In July 2012, the folks at ‘The Simpsons’ decided to release a new animated short starring Maggie Simpson in theaters. Paired with 20th Century Fox & Blue Sky Studios’ ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’, ‘The Longest Daycare’ charmed ‘Simpsons’ fans and critics alike. It was the first time that Maggie was on the big screen since […]
On Saturday February 29th – Leap Day – Disney is holding early nationwide pay preview screenings of the latest Pixar animated movie “Onward”. The fantasy adventure opens the following Thursday, March 5th, at 6pm. This isn’t the first time the Mouse House has done early pay screenings with a Pixar picture. I remember seeing ads […]