Friday, August 18, 2006

Samuel L. Jackson's: Best and Worst

Today, August 18th, 2006 is an important day.

Not only is it my wife's birthday (Happy Birthday!) it is also the release day of 2 movies off of my vomit enducing summer movie list: Material Girls (staring the Hillary and Haylie Duff) and the notorious Snakes on a Plane.

Back in April I asked people to sort through the best and worst of Samuel L. Jackson's work.

The nominees for best Samuel L. Jackson role:
  • Unbreakable
  • Pulp Fiction
  • The Negotiator
  • Die Hard 3
  • Changing Lanes

The nominees for worst Samuel L. Jackson role:
  • Star Wars: Episode III
  • The Red Violin
  • xXx
  • Johnny Suede
  • National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I
  • Deep Blue Sea

In honor of Snakes on a Plane coming out in theaters feel free to vote by leaving a comment or writing in your own vote if the movie you'd choose is not listed.

Thanks to those who helped create this list of nominations.

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23 comments:

Anonymous said...

i thought the red violin was okay...

RC said...

Arden, I loved the film Red Violin, but I just thought his performance in the film was the worst thing the film had going for it...everything else was great, which almost makes his bad performance all the more bad.

Southern (in)Sanity said...

I'll go with "The Negotiator" for best, and "The Deep" for worst.

Jordan M. Poss said...

My vote's for Unbreakable. It has the most psychological depth of any of his movies that I've seen, and it's has the least of that raging-black-man stereotype that Jackson tends to get.

For worst? I'd say Star Wars, but that's not really his fault--the writing and direction were lame-o.

Anonymous said...

Well I'm a Sam Jackson fan (angry black man or not, he cracks me up and moves me) Can't just pick one:

Loved: Time to Kill; Unbreakable; Negotatior; Pulp Ficton

Disliked:Star Wars; Deep Blue Sea

He has the best one liners and monologues!

Yih said...

Love the nominees. Surprised that non-respectedmovies actually got the nod. Haven't seen Unbreakable, so I'll have to push my vote to Die Hard 3 for sentimental reasons as it was the first time I fell in love with the actor that captured the screen. As for worse movie, I'll go with Star Wars...quite laughable. Worse casting of Samuel L.

By the way, I've caught up to your blog. I'm loving it, man. It looks like you've really gained a big readership.

Kimberly Ann said...

What a winner to come out on my b-day... here is the link to a solid LA Times article about the media buzz New Line Cinema tried to create for 'Snakes,' and how that is not enough to get people to watch it. http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/admark/la-et-snakes18aug18,1,3854248.story?coll=la-headlines-business-advert&ctrack=1&cset=true

Elena said...

My favourite performances by Samuel L. Jackson are "Pulp Fiction", "The Negotiator" (taking Willis' pulse), and Die Hard 3 probably his funniest. I liked him in "Sydney" and "Shaft", too. The worst performance his would be a toss between Deep Blue Sea and xXx, and I haven't watched "Snakes on a plane" yet. I'm impatient.

Ryan said...

Favorite: The Negotiator/Coach Carter
Least: The Man

I'm not gonna go see this mother%@$%@#&^@$ing movie /in my best Sam L Jack impression

Darrell said...

I love Unbreakable and Pulp Fiction and A Time To Kill, but I also think that his work in Jungle Fever was outstanding and worth a mention. If I had to pick one to vote for, though, I'd go with Unbreakable.

jasdye said...

Pulp Fiction. that was classic sam jackson.

as much as i ADORE Unbreakable, he wasn't that affecting in it, i don't think (really impressed with the direction and most of the cast -esp Willis). it was one of his quieter roles, though. in the Star Wars movies, he was way-underutilized (which they fixed in the cartoon versions), but i don't think it was a bad role, necessarily. unlike, say, what Loaded Weapon just reeks from the dvd box (or, for that case, Amos & Andy).

J.D. said...

My absolute favorite Samuel L. Jackson role wasn't even on this list. I thought he was brilliant in "A Time to Kill," even though he wasn't the lead.

As for worst, it kills me to go with Star Wars, but that's definitely the one.

Terence Towles Canote said...

Okay, maybe I'm strange, but I am looking forward to Snakes on a Plane.... (it reminds me of those goofy Seventies horror movies from my childhood).

As to Jackson's best role, while I love "Mr. Glass" from Unbreakable, I think I'd go with Jules from Pulp fiction he was briliant, I thought. As to his worst role, I'd say National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I. Everything about that movie stank...

AWG said...

I'd have to say "A Time to Kill" only because I was living in Mississippi at the time it was filmed and saw Jackson in a local mall. Pretty neat, eh?

Um Naief said...

I like Samuel Jackson. I think some of his best work was in Jungle Fever and Pulp Fiction. Didn't care for him in Star Wars but can't really say that was a leading role or anything. I didn't really enjoy A Time to Kill, so wouldn't have mattered if he was in it or not.

Happy Birthday to your wife!

Paula said...

I vote "Unbreakable" for best. I can't pick a worst, cuz there's a few that I really didn't like.

Unknown said...

I will second Tooners for "Jungle Fever" even though it was a secondary role. He was the most convincing addict I have ever seen. I wonder how is his relationship with L. Fishburne. they are roaming in similar acting range and role .

Attila the Mom said...

I loved loved LOVED him in "A Long Kiss Goodnight". He had some of the funniest and most memorable lines in there.

:-)

MCF said...

I'm not sure a spoof like Loaded Weapon should seriously be considered here; some films are meant ot be bad and its sort of cheating to pick a parody. It's also hard to narrow down the lists because Samuel L. Jackson has been in EVERYTHING.(Blink and you'll miss him in Goodfellas for example). For me its a tie between Unbreakable and Pulp Fiction, with A Time to Kill a close second. I still have to see the Negotiator; thanks for the reminder. He did play Mace Windu somewhat rigid although he was cool in Clones in the big arena scene. In Sith though, total mannequin who gets punked by the emperor. I could get behind that as worst role. Everything about XXX is bad. Cheesy Bond wannabe...

Ramification said...

I liked the Red Violin, but he didn't really have much to do in that film did he!

Mob said...

Only one vote for Long Kiss Goodnight? I'm shocked, he was hilarious in that.

Besides the obvious ones already named, I do like A Time To Kill, because I thought he was dead-on as the avenging father.

Um Naief said...

He was in a short piece of 'Coming to America' w/ Eddie Murphy, and he played this psycho guy that came into the McDowell's to rob the place or something. He was excellent in that role, even tho it only lasted a brief second. He plays a good psycho! and drug addict.

Anonymous said...

This poor dude cannot pick decent projects-- you have listed so many failures in story and logic
that I was surprised at how many there are.. Amazing bad stuff- illogical, unprobable, rediculous,
boring, suspense-less and laughable roles in GUT awful movie projects. The only GOOD character was
the Pulp Fiction guy.. you can forget all the rest I have.