By Kevin Wong on Jan 17, 2019 12:17 am
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood. There are some actors like Daniel Day-Lewis who work seldomly; they take on so few projects that their movies are years apart from one another. Actors like Jackson do the opposite. Since his film debut in 1972, Jackson has performed in over 100 films and counting. And although many of roles are bit parts, a great deal of them are major supporting roles and leads. In 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records announced that Jackson was the highest grossing actor of all-time, combined, his movies have made over $7.4 billion. Despite his prolificness, Jackson has a discriminating eye for what his audiences will love. Plus, he can curse like no one else. Hold onto your butts, here are Samuel L. Jackson's 10 greatest performances, ranked.
10. Ken Carter
Movie: Coach Carter
Director: Thomas Carter There are so many "inspirational coach" movies that they get predictable. But Coach Carter is a great example of formula done properly. Jackson plays the lead; his character based on the true story of Ken Carter, who prioritized his students' academic success over athletics, even when it meant benching them.
9. Abel Turner
Movie: Lakeview Terrace
Director: Neil LaBute A low-art, mean-spirited film, Lakeview Terrace is about an interracial couple that moves to a new neighborhood and the corrupt cop neighbor, played by Jackson, who terrorizes them. Jackson relishes this role in all its vindictiveness and spite, whether he's breaking the rulebook while disarming a suspect or taking a chainsaw to his neighbor's trees. Watch this for some guilty, dark-humored pleasure.
8. Nick Fury
Movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Director: The Russo Brothers Samuel L. Jackson gets to show off his action star chops in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the grittiest, most down-to-earth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's in multiple Marvel films—eight, thus far—and he is visually confirmed to be in Spider-Man: Far From Home via the trailer. But his Winter Soldier performance is, by far, the best of them. The assassination attempt on Nick Fury is masterfully done—a perfect blend of CGI and practical effects, which gives the vehicles and crashes some much-needed weight. And Jackson is all grimace and bile, shooting down Hydra operatives with his one good eye.
7. Ordell Robbie
Movie: Jackie Brown
Director: Quentin Tarantino Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson have a special director/actor relationship, like Scorsese and DeNiro. No one says Tarantino's crude, endlessly clever dialogue better than Jackson. Three of Tarantino's films make this list, the first of which is Jackie Brown. Tarantino wrote Ordell as an unrepentant selfish scumbag—a villain who's not as smart as he thinks he is but is also more dangerous than his enemies give him credit for--and Jackson flawlessly brought him to life.
6. Carl Lee Hailey
Movie: A Time To Kill
Director: Joel Schumacher Jackson plays a man on trial for the crime of killing the men who raped, beat, and nearly killed his 10-year-old daughter. Jackson puts on a performance filled with emotion and dignity, and the moments where his voice rises to anger are all the more impactful for it. The movie's iconic line, where Jackson yells from the witness box, "Yes they deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell!" is right up there with the best of them.
5. Mitch Henessey
Movie: The Long Kiss Goodnight
Director: Renny Harlin It might not be your favorite Samuel L. Jackson film, but it is his. This action movie, starring Jackson alongside Geena Davis, is the actor's favorite performance to watch of himself. Davis plays a woman with amnesia who discovers that she has lethal CIA-esque skills (think Jason Bourne), and Jackson plays an investigator who she hired to find out why.
4. "Gator" Purify
Movie: Jungle Fever
Director: Spike Lee To play the role of horrible brother and crack addict "Gator" Purify, Jackson delved into his personal life; he had just gotten out of rehab for addiction to the drug, weeks before taking on the role. And he imbues what could have been a stock character with sympathy and soul. There's a reason this is his breakout movie role.
3. Stephen
Movie: Django Unchained
Director: Quentin Tarantino A despicable, sadistic man, house slave Stephen is the true brains behind Candieland, a nightmarish plantation in Tarantino's pre-Civil War South. While his degenerate master Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) busies himself with slave fighting for sport, Stephen is the one writing the checks and keeping the other slaves in line. This was the sort of role that was too twisted and too subversive to get mainstream recognition, even during awards season. But it remains one of Jackson's greatest accomplishments, a villain filled with venom, self-loathing, and a mean-spirited wit.
Movie: Unbreakable
Director: M. Night Shyamalan Unbreakable was ahead of its time— a dark realistic superhero tale about a man (Bruce Willis) who doesn't know he has superhuman strength. But then, he survives a catastrophic train wreck, and he is mentored and guided by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a comic book store owner with brittle bones and an eccentric, tragic vision. This is the type of character work Jackson is capable of when he's forced out of his comfort zone, and you'll be able to see this character front and center on January 18, 2019, when Glass, the second sequel to Unbreakable, debuts in theaters.
1. Jules Winnfield
Movie: Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino Tarantino's Big-Kahuna-burger-loving, bible-quoting hitman was originally supposed to have an afro. But the PA that Tarantino sent to get the wig didn't know the difference between an afro and Jheri curl, and the rest is history. Funny, eloquent, and so cool he has the words "BAD MOTHERF***ER embroidered onto his wallet, Jules is Tarantino's greatest creation and Jackson's greatest performance. Effortless badassery and pathos all rolled into one, Jules netted Jackson an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1995—the only one in his decorated career.
By Mat Elfring on Jan 16, 2019 02:03 am
The first trailer for this year's Spider-Man: Far From Home is finally here. Although the two-minute long video is labelled as a "teaser"--and just what constitutes a trailer nowadays anyway?--it gave us a pretty good idea of what this movie was about. Of course, you can check out the full breakdown of everything that happening in it to learn more, but that's not why you're here, is it? I have some burning questions about what's going on in this film, and the only way to satisfy the fire inside is to make up theories about where I think this movie is headed. Basically, I'm going to be talking about Mysterio a whole lot because something isn't sitting right with me. Also, this has to tie into Endgame somehow, right? At times, I use actual evidence to back up my claims, like you should in real life. Other times, I'm shouting craziness into the wind like an old man on a rocking chair hoping someone will look my way. Regardless of what we were shown in the trailer, there is going to be more to this movie than meets the eye, and that's why I have nine theories about Far From Home, ranging from "plausible" to "what drugs are you taking," and we're kicking things off with the most plausible ones. Spider-Man: Far From Home's release date is set for July 5.
Tony Stark Is Dead, Nick Fury Takes Over
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony Stark played the mentor role for Peter Parker, who was a very new superhero at the time. In the Far From Home trailer, Stark is suspiciously absent, but in his place is none other than Nick Fury--a character who has been missing from most of the later MCU movies. Why is this? Well, Tony Stark will die at the end of Avengers: Endgame, and somehow, this will happen when Fury and Stark are together, but Spider-Man will not be present at the time. Stark will inform Fury--while dying--that he needs to watch over Parker as he's still new to the superhero game, and Fury accepts the role. Cut to the Far From Home trailer, and it's very apparent that this is the first time Parker is meeting Fury. From there, Fury takes on the mentorship role, but there won't be as many funny quips.
Fury Gives Parker The Stealth Suit
Tony Stark has given Spider-Man a few suits already, but since he's not around anymore, it looks like Fury will try and fill that role. Fury doesn't have the technological expertise, so what Parker ends up getting is a hybrid of pieces of the old Stark Spidey-suit and things a low-level thug would wear during a bank robbery. The eye piece here comes straight from Spidey's suit, while the rest is a combination of a ski mask and some tactical gear Fury has lying around. From the look of the background, there's just been a battle, and Fury gives Spider-Man the suit to investigate the "hero" who solved the problem: Mysterio. Spidey has to go undercover to see just who this superhero is and why he just keeps popping up so quickly when these monsters attack.
Mysterio Is A Failed Man Desperate To Become A Hero
The first time we see Mysterio, he looks pretty awesome, but check out his beard and his hair. Call me crazy--please do--but this looks like a guy who has lost it all and is trying to do anything he can to redeem himself. He looks like he's on his last legs. Is he trying to redeem himself for his family or is he a narcissist who wants fame and worship like the rest of the Avengers? Remember, this is a post-Infinity War/Endgame world where people probably know the names of the heroes who saved the universe, and because of this, they are more than likely idolized. There will be others who will want the same admiration and fame that the Avengers have received, including Mysterio.
The Monsters Don't Exist
This one is a bit tricky, since we see Peter get doused with water from Hydro Man. However, these monsters we see--Hydro Man, Molten Man, and Magnum--do not exist. They are nothing but mere illusions, which is right up Mysterio's alley, if you've read the comics. He has created these illusions, and that's why--in the trailer--he seems to be the only person to have any sort of success against them. Again, he's created them for the simple reason to fight them and win, so he can look like a hero. This goes back to Mysterio wanting to be idolized by the public, and he's desperate enough to somehow create illusions of these monsters to fight off. But how does he do it?
Mysterio Is A Mystic, Like Doctor Strange
The mystic side of the MCU is pretty shallow right now. There's Doctor Strange, Dormammu, Wong, and Mordo currently running around, and that's all we've seen so far. Mysterio is the perfect way to expand on this element, without having to connect it to Doctor Strange. Where's the proof in this pudding? In the trailer, Mysterio is fighting Hydro Man, and he's using what looks like to be a magical shield similar to what we saw Doctor Strange use in both his solo film and Infinity War. However, unlike Doctor Strange, he's not the master of everything mystical. Going with the the theory above, he can only cast illusions: however, these illusions somehow can interact with the real world and cause real damage... I guess that doesn't make them "illusions" though, does it?
Mysterio Controls These Otherworldly Creatures
Continuing with the mystic side of things, what if these aren't illusions at all, but creatures from the Dark Dimension that Mysterio somehow rules over? The Dark Dimension--a major part of the Doctor Strange movie--has only been used once, but if Mysterio is a mystic, this would be the perfect place to go back to that well. That would mean these Elementals aren't superpowered humans at all. They're beings from Dormammu's plane of existence that somehow made it to our realm. And again, Mysterio is using them to fake fight and gain fame.
Mysterio Really Is The Hero
Before we get completely off-the-rails with a couple more wacky theories, let me pose this. What if Mysterio really is a hero in this film and not someone pretending to be one to gain notoriety? Let's break it down how this could happen. Mysterio is a mystic. We're sticking with that. Using his powers, he made contact with the Dark Dimension, but in doing so, accidentally summoned the Elementals. This is where we go back to the idea of Mysterio redeeming himself. He knows he's screwed up, and he's trying to do everything he can to make things right, but he's an untrained mystic user and needs some outside help. Spider-Man learns all of this about him when he puts on the stealth suit and investigates him after the second major battle. Mysterio always shows up to the events first because he can track the Elementals. I mean, who wants to boo Jake Gyllenhaal?
This All Takes Place In New York, Not Europe
Time to go down the rabbit hole. Peter Parker and company NEVER make it to Europe. Everything that happens in this movie happens in New York City, and it's simply an illusion that it takes place somewhere else. Mysterio is from NYC and for some reason--which I haven't figured out yet--he puts Spider-Man in this illusion to have them team up and battle monsters in Europe.
This All Takes Place In The Soul Stone, During Endgame
This is the ultimate "screw you" to the audience. Marvel has been exceptionally tight-lipped about everything revolving around Endgame, and there were rumblings that the studio wasn't happy that Far From Home was coming out so close to Endgame's release date. What if that was all a red herring? Why would the studios do that? Because this entire movie takes place during Endgame, within the Soul Stone. Remember when Peter got Thanos snapped, but it took him a bit longer to disappear, as it seemed he was fighting it off? What if his willpower somehow made his consciousness transfer into the Soul Stone? What if the events of this movie aren't really happening because that's where Peter actually is and this will all end with Peter being released? The movie is called Far From Home, right? What's farther from Parker's NYC home than being trapped inside a cosmic rock, with its own plane of existence? He's out of NYC, off of Earth, and trapped inside an infinity stone and can't escape.
Recent Articles:
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment