Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Samuel L. Jackson

Showing posts with label Samuel L. Jackson. Show all posts

5/18/2025

Jackie Brown (1997) - Tarantino's Leonard adaptation marks his most fulfilling picture

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The cool-looking cast in black and white and two taglines alluding to the film's crime plot are prominent along with the yellow title logo on this poster for Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown

A middle-aged flight attendant, Jackie Brown supplements her salary by smuggling cash. But when she gets nabbed by customs police who demand that she squeal, Brown finds herself in a deadly bind.

Jackie Brown is written and directed by Tennessean master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)), whose 4th film it is. It is an adaptation of Rum Punch (1992) by Elmore Leonard (Bandits (1987)).

This is my favorite Tarantino picture, and I love it deeply. The atmosphere, the flow, the outstanding editing, the expertly chosen music, the lighting, the locations and the acting, - everything works together in this entertaining crime yarn. The dialog, not least.

Pam Grier (The Big Doll House (1971)) is a queen here in the title role, a deserved major comeback for her; but also Robert Forster (Twin Peaks (2017, TV-series)), Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable (2000)) and Robert De Niro (Ronin (1998)) are terrific here. SPOILER The ending is bittersweet, and I can never help myself from thinking: "Why the hell didn't Max Cherry go off to Madrid with Jackie?"

Jackie Brown is a beautiful picture.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) - Tarantino gets lost in Hollywood

The Hateful Eight (2015) - Tarantino's indulgences take over
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Django Unchained (2012) - Tarantino's gutsy, colorful 'Southern'
Inglourious Basterds (2009) - The Movies take revenge on Nazi scum

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Top 10: Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Death Proof (2007) - Tarantino's awesome, rubber-burning Grindhouse homage
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Tarantino, Rodriguez and chums' enjoyable Mexico vampire extravaganza (writer-star)
Desperado (1995) - Rodriguez' second Mexico actioner is a sexy, latino fireball (actor)
Four Rooms (1995) - Rodriguez, Tarantino & Co. fail with LA hotel anthology comedy (co-director)

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino makes the 1990s his decade with cinematic crime comedy

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 12 mil. $

Box office: 74.7 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 6.22 times its cost)

[Jackie Brown premiered 8 December (New York) and runs 154 minutes. Shooting took place from May - August 1997 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #5, behind holdover hits Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies, fellow new release As Good As It Gets and holdover hit Mousehunt, to a 9.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 39.6 mil. $ (53 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for one Oscar: Best Supporting Actor (Forster), lost to Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Tarantino returned with Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). Grier returned in Pinky and the Brain (1998, TV-series), Family Blessings (1998, TV movie) and theatrically in Jawbreaker (1999). Jackie Brown is certified fresh at 69 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Jackie Brown?

5/13/2025

Jungle Fever (1991) or, Black and White Difficulties in New York, USA

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A powerful image of the interlocked white and black hands of a black man and a white female evocatively used on the poster for Spike Lee's Jungle Fever

Explores the struggles of an interracial young couple, an African-American architect and an Italian-American secretary in New York, a crack addict and their more or less understanding surroundings.

Jungle Fever is written, produced and directed by Georgian master filmmaker Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It (1986)), whose 5th feature it is. He also co-stars as Cyrus.

Jungle Fever is a very good 'local' film, - 'local' meaning that it is very much an American and a New-Yorker film, which may seem superfluous to audiences not Americans or New-Yorkers, or at least to those uninterested in America and New York. But as someone who falls into this third group, I find it absolutely wonderful.

The film puts a spotlight on modern, American racism, which is a favorite theme of Lee's, and he certainly doesn't make it easy for the characters of Wesley Snipes (The Fan (1996)) and Annabella Sciorra (Luke Cage (2018, TV-series)), who venture on the extra-marital, interracial affair at the film's core. Besides these two blazing stars, the film enjoys strong turns from Samuel L. Jackson (The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)) (as the crack addict), John Turturro (The Jesus Rolls (2019)), Ossie Davis (Philly (2002, TV-series)) and Lee himself. There are fresh songs from Stevie Wonder to enjoy along with the film, and the dialog is great. SPOILER Only the somewhat disappointing "NOOOOO!" ending weighs down on this great piece of filmmaking.

Related posts:

Spike Lee: The day after the day after ... the 2019 Oscars

Top 10: Best heist movies

Inside Man (2006) - Lee's delicious heist thriller

She Hate Me (2004) or, Champion of the Lesbians

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
25th Hour (2002) or, Taking a Second Chance

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

He Got Game (1998) - Lee's basketball classic

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 14 mil. $

Box office: 43.8 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.12 times its cost)

[Jungle Fever premiered 16 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 132 minutes. Jackson had left crack rehab two weeks before filming and his ravaged look was reportedly caused by this. Shooting took place from August - December 1990 in New York. Universal Pictures made Lee scrap a prologue with his views on racism from the film. It opened #3, behind fellow new release City Slickers and holdover hit Backdraft, to a 5.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4), grossing 32.4 mil. $ (74 % of the total gross). The film won a National Board of Review award and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. It lost the Palme d'Or to Barton Fink. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Lee returned with 9 music videos prior to his theatrical return with Malcolm X (1992). Snipes returned in The Waterdance (1992); Sciorra in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992). Jungle Fever is certified fresh at 84 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Jungle Fever?

9/03/2023

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino makes the 1990s his decade with cinematic crime comedy

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One of the most iconic of the decade, Uma Thurman's bed-smoking and sexy stare on the dime store book cover-designed poster for Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction

Two well-dressed, quarrelsome middle men gangsters are out to reconquer a suitcase for their boss. A couple in love get ready to rob a diner. And Butch the boxer wants to escape with his French girlfriend.

Pulp Fiction is written and directed by Tennessean master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)), whose 3d feature it is. Roger Avary (Odd Jobs (1997, TV movie)) contributed story elements.

The chronologically out of order plot drifts forward strangely, but it is brilliantly devised and collected in what is certainly one of the best pictures of the 1990s.

A lustrous line of stars appear and unfold phenomenally in Tarantino's extremely well-sounding version of (movie world) Los Angeles: John Travolta (Primary Colors (1998)), Samuel L. Jackson (Shaft (2000)), Harvey Keitel (Saturn 3 (1980)), Maria de Medeiros (Mar (2018)) and especially Bruce Willis (Last Man Standing (1996)) are terrific. Willis' Butch is among his best performances.

Pulp Fiction is long but not too long. It is an electric masterpiece.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) - Tarantino gets lost in Hollywood

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 8.5 mil. $

Box office: 213.9 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 25.16 times its cost)

[Pulp Fiction premiered 21 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 154 minutes. It was Miramax's first film after the company was bought by Disney. Willis was paid 800k $ for his performance; Travolta 150k $; Uma Thurman (Vatel (2000)) 300k $. Shooting took place from September - November 1993 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #1 to a 9.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another weekend and then spend another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4-#4), grossing 107.9 mil. $ (50.4 % of the total gross). Miramax reportedly spent 10 mil. $ marketing the film in North America. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning for Best Original Screenplay. It lost Best Actor (Travolta) to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump; Supporting Actor (Jackson) to Martin Landau in Ed Wood; Supporting Actress (Thurman) to Dianne Wiest in Bullets over Broadway; Director to Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump; and Editing and Picture also to Forrest Gump. It also won 2/9 BAFTA nominations, 1/6 Golden Globe nominations, was nominated for a César award, won 2/3 David di Donatello nominations, 3 National Board of Review awards, the Palme d'Or in Cannes, and many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #8 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Tarantino returned with ER (1995, TV-series), Four Rooms (1995, segment) and theatrically with Jackie Brown (1997). Travolta returned in White Man's Burden (1995); Jackson in The New Age (1994); Willis in North (1994); and Thurman in A Month by the Lake (1995). Pulp Fiction is certified fresh at 92 % with a 9.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pulp Fiction?

5/18/2023

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) - Weak story sinks Hughes' action comedy

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The poster for Mick Jackson's audience favorite The Bodyguard (1992) gets spoofed on this more or less funny poster for Patrick Hughes' The Hitman's Bodyguard

A dethroned bodyguard gets as his new assignment to secure a very competent on-the-loose assassin, who is to witness against an Eastern-European dictator.

The Hitman's Bodyguard is written by Tom O'Connor (Fire with Fire (2012)) and directed by Patrick Hughes (Red Hill (2010)).

Ryan Reynolds' (Red Notice (2021, VoD)) cutesy ironic star persona style lies heavily over this action comedy, which sets his minimally autistic character across from Samuel L. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)) letting loose as a shouting and/or laughing-his-face-off assassin. The veteran star's endearing laugh is really thoroughly used here.

The two at times have entertaining chemistry, - while in other sequences they mainly just curse each other out, because ... that's the buddy action comedy dynamic. Salma Hayek (Drunk Parents (2019)) is here as a raw, sexy and funny spice. The film doesn't lack for action, including a cool car chase in Amsterdam. But the story is regrettably quite poor, so that The Hitman's Bodyguard never becomes thrilling.

Patrick Hughes: The Expendables 3 (2014) - Unique, bizarre, largely entertaining third action fireball

Watch the red band trailer for the film here

Cost: 69 mil. $

Box office: 183.4 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.65 times its cost)

[The Hitman's Bodyguard was released 10 August (Hong Kong) and runs 118 minutes. 13 companies cooperated in the financing and making of the film. Shooting took place around April 2016 in Sofia, Bulgaria and in the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam. The film opened #1 to a 21.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends at #1 and then another 2 in the top 5 (#3-#5), grossing 75.4 mil. $ (41.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were China with 21.1 mil. $ (11.5 %) and the UK with 9.7 mil. $ (5.3 %). Hughes returned with Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021), the flop sequel with returning stars Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek. Reynolds first returned in 7 TV-series and video credits prior to his theatrical return in Deadpool 2 (2018); Jackson in Unicorn Store (2017, VoD). The Hitman's Bodyguard is rotten at 43 % with a 5.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hitman's Bodyguard?

1/26/2023

The Hateful Eight (2015) - Tarantino's indulgences take over

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A fearsome bunch of gun-carrying characters appear to be headed towards the same cabin through a blizzard on this exciting poster for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight

A bounty hunter with a wanted woman in his wagon runs upon an old acquaintance in a blizzard en route to Wyoming and brings him along with them; but soon the little company meet trouble at Minnie's Haberdashery.

The Hateful Eight is written and directed by Tennessean master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs (1992)), whose 10th feature it is.

Tarantino's second western, The Hateful Eight takes place in the same somewhat unreal Tarantino world as the preceding Django Unchained (2012). (The feeling is only enforced by Tarantino narrating the film himself.) Robert Richardson's (Breathe (2017)) exceptional 65 mm images and Ennio Morricone's (Days of Heaven (1978)) wily score make this tale of hoodlums easy to take.

In the cast Walton Goggins (The Crow: Salvation (2000)) stands out along with Jennifer Jason Leigh (The First Time (1982, TV movie)), the latter throwing herself head-first into a both frightening and pitiful character. The basic idea is to take a group of diverse, villainous characters and let them fight out their grievances in a cabin during a storm. A lot of sulfurous dialog and blood splatters predictably result, but without the shadow of a hero, it is hard not to feel that The Hateful Eight is somewhat overlong. We recognize some of Tarantino's tricks from past films, and curiously enough for this major wide format revival, he keeps his The Hateful Eight almost entirely indoors.

Some of Tarantino's trademark speechifying is just filler, - and I think it a shame that we don't get more wingspan to the film location-wise. SPOILER - What is one to think of the master filmmaker's career now, as the film ends with two men hanging a woman in a cabin to their great mirthful laughter, whereupon it ends? It feels a bit sad. For a newcomer I'd instead advice to watch Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994) and Jackie Brown (1997).

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) - Tarantino gets lost in Hollywood
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Django Unchained (2012) - Tarantino's gutsy, colorful 'Southern'
Inglourious Basterds (2009) - The Movies take revenge on Nazi scum

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 44-62 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 155.8 mil. $

= Box office success or a big hit (returned somewhere between 2.51-3.54 times its cost)

[The Hateful Eight premiered 7 December (Los Angeles) and runs 168 minutes (long roadshow version runs 187 minutes.) Originally thought as a Django sequel, Tarantino changed it up for his first draft, which leaked online in 2014, upsetting Tarantino to the point of naming the few trusted colleagues he had apparently shared it with and scrapping actually filming it. He instead held a reading with many of the stars present in 2014 and finally deciding to go ahead and film it anyway. Shooting took place from December 2014 - April 2015 in Colorado and Los Angeles, California. The state of Colorado contributed 5 mil. $ to the production. Kurt Russell (Touchback (2011)) accidentally smashed an antic 1870s Martin guitar during shooting, resulting in the Martin Guitar Museum no longer lending guitars out as props in movies anymore. The film was shot on 3 types of 65 mm cameras and transferred to 70 mm film, the widest 70 mm release since Far and Away (1992). The film opened #3, behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Daddy's Home, to a 15.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America after getting released as a longer roadshow version for its first week in only 70 mm equipped theaters, making 4.6 mil. $ for a final gross of 54.1 mil. $ (33.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 13.2 mil. $ (8.2 %) and France with 12.3 mil. $ (7.6 %). The film's Box Office Mojo site is flawed, listing the film's 5.4 mil. $ Australian gross twice, both in 2015 and in 2021. The film was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning for Best Score (Morricone's first and only Oscar). It lost Best Supporting Actress (Leigh) to Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl and Cinematography to Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant. It also won 1/3 BAFTA nominations, 1/3 Golden Globe nominations, was nominated for 2 Grammys and won 3 National Board of Review awards, among many other honors. Tarantino returned with Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019). Samuel L. Jackson (Common Grounds (1990, miniseries)) returned in Cell (2016); Russell in Deepwater Horizon (2016); and Leigh in Morgan (2016). The Hateful Eight is certified fresh at 74 % with a 7.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hateful Eight?

5/11/2021

Glass (2019) - Shyamalan buries past effort in ominous superhero nonsense

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+ Worst Movie of the Year

Three contrasting colors and a cool dual image graphic design outline this anticipation-building poster for M. Night Shyamalan's Glass

In a special mental hospital patients are kept, who believe they are superheroes...

Glass is written and directed by Indian-born American master filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan (Praying with Anger (1992)), whose 13th feature it is. It is the final installment in his Unbreakable trilogy, which also contains Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016).

It is a ghastly and yawn-inducing boring dud that takes James McAvoy's (Wanted (2008)) personality split character and his Beast 'superhero' persona introduced in Split for another bow, as this is served as somehow 'psychological' material, while Bruce Willis (What Just Happened (2008)) and Samuel L. Jackson (Jumper (2008)) ravage as their unnecessarily and agonizingly reanimated characters from the memorable Unbreakable. Sarah Paulson (Swimmers (2005)) is on duty to put her face in serious folds as a doctor.

Without a plot that is anywhere near exciting, Glass flows onwards like a swamp of ominous nonsense. It may be labeled a superhero dystopia for adults, - but who will honestly enjoy this horrid junk?

M. Night Shyamalan: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

The Visit (2015) - Shyamalan's creepy mini-comeback

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 20 mil. $

Box office: 246.9 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 12.34 times its cost)

[Glass premiered 7 January (Paris, France) and runs 129 minutes. The success of Split prompted Glass, which Shyamalan funded himself, - and likely via this strategy kept star salaries and thus the final cost at an impressive minimum. Shooting took place from October - December 2017 in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. Universal Pictures reportedly spent 80 mil. $ at marketing the film. It opened #1 to a 40.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in #1 and one more weekend in the top 5 (#5), grossing 111 mil. $ (45 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 14.2 mil. $ (5.8 %) and Mexico with 10.8 mil. $ (4.4 %). Shyamalan returned with Servant (2019-21) and theatrically with Old (2021). McAvoy returned in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019); Willis with a voice performance in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), The Orville (2019, TV-series) and theatrically in Motherless Brooklyn (2019); and Jackson in Captain Marvel (2019). Glass is rotten at 36 % with a 5.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Glass?

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)

5/18/2025

Jackie Brown (1997) - Tarantino's Leonard adaptation marks his most fulfilling picture

5/13/2025

Jungle Fever (1991) or, Black and White Difficulties in New York, USA

9/03/2023

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino makes the 1990s his decade with cinematic crime comedy

5/18/2023

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) - Weak story sinks Hughes' action comedy

1/26/2023

The Hateful Eight (2015) - Tarantino's indulgences take over

5/11/2021

Glass (2019) - Shyamalan buries past effort in ominous superhero nonsense

Related posts:

M. Night Shyamalan: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

The Visit (2015) - Shyamalan's creepy mini-comeback

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (5-25)

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