The Rundown: That's My Motherfucker!

NBC was showing Shrek last night instead of my usual 8 PM episode of Law & Order: SVU. Needing something to watch for an hour before House came on, I flipped through the guide and came across something even better than SVU on AMC.
Samuel L. Jackson: An American Cinamatheque Tribute

Can I just tell you how much I love Sam Jackson? Is there a cooler man on the face of the Earth?

While he's made a few poor choices in his cinematic career - Amos & Andrew, The Man - there isn't an actor who hasn't. What Sam has also done is create some of the best characters of my generation and deliver some of the best lines and performances during the time I've spent being a total film junkie.

In honour of the man that has made the word motherfucker a term of endearment, I thought we'd take a look at my favourite Sam Jackson portrayals in today's Rundown.

Top Five Samuel L. Jackson Characters

5. Gator Purify - Jungle Fever
Do The Right Thing made me a Spike Lee fan (Clockers and Crooklyn made it a life long deal...) and so watching this movie was a given. Personally, if it wasn't for Sam's portrayal of Crackhead Gator Purify, I would lie like a rug if I was asked if I ever saw this flick. Welsey Snipes as a romantic lead... puh-lease! Still, Sam was incredible. In fact, he was so damn good, the Cannes Film Festival invented a new award just to give to Sam. How many actors can say that?

4. Mitch Hennessey - The Long Kiss Goodnight
Geena Davis as a killer turned housewife turned killer aside, Jackson steals this flick with some classic Sam Jackson deliveries:

• "I'm earnest and frank in all my dealings with women. In New York, I'm Earnest and in Chicago, I'm Frank."
• When asked if he's tender and gentle when sleeping with a virgin: "I usually just sock'em in the jaw and say Pop Goes the Weasel!"
• There is also an extended speech where he uses the term ass-fucking more times in five minutes than I've said it in my entire life.

3. Elijah Price / Mr. Glass - Unbreakable
He sucks you in and makes you feel a little bad for him and then BLAM! Turns out he's been the diabolical arch villain all along. Extra points of course for getting mentioned in a Kanye verse too - "Unbreakable, whatcha think they call me Mr. Glass?" from the song "Through the Wire" off the album The College Dropout

2. Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction
Bet you thought the verbose hitman would top the charts, didn't you? That would be too easy. Still, you can't question the awesomeness that is Jules Winnfield and if you do, I'll be showing up at your house to read to you from the Bible. Ezekiel 25:17...

1. Carl Lee Hailey - A Time to Kill
Yes, Hollywood over did it with all the John Grisham novels being turned into movies. We all could have done without The Pelican Brief, I agree. But this bad boy right here was excellent. Sure, McConaughey was typical McConaughey and Sandra Bullock was typical Sandra Bullock, but Sam? Sam was out-fucking-standing as the angered father of a raped child accused of killing the Redneck KKK boys that did it. Eleven words: "Yes I killed them and I hope they burn in Hell!"

Honourable Mentions go out to Jackie Brown and Resurrecting the Champ and I think we can all agree on the greatest Samuel L. Jackson quote of all time...

I'm tired of these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane!

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The Rundown: You Know... That Guy!

Everybody knows the superstars by name - big ticket movie stars who make millions per flick.

You see their pictures everywhere. They headline the movie posters and magazines, getting name dropped on all the talk shows. Kids in Sri Lanka could tell you who Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are without fail.

But what about those character actors who steal the picture more times than not, with their always impressive, albeit less hyped performances? What about those actors, usually asked about through questions like "Where do I know him from?" or "What was that guy in?"

Today, we pay tribute to That Guy.

Top Five "That Guy" Actors*
(* actors meaning persons who act, not strictly males...)

5. David Morse
Probably the most recognizable of the list, Morse has made a living playing the creepy serial killer next door (Disturbia), the crooked cop (16 Blocks) or the guy who is a little left of center and steals most scenes he's in, like in The Green Mile. David Morse is the new Tom Sizemore, without the drug addiction and prostitutes.

4. Elizabeth Banks
Remember the sexually-charged book store girl from The 40-Year-Old Virgin who ends up in her bathtub taking care of things herself? That's Elizabeth Banks and she is one of the funniest woman in Hollywood. So far, she's been a supporting cast kind of girl, either in Virgin or the new Ryan Reynolds movie Definitely, Maybe, but she's also got the lead in the next Kevin Smith flick along side of Seth Rogan, Zack & Miri Make a Porno. Yes, that's what it's called. She's going to be huge... trust me.

3. JK Simmons
I know what you're thinking: Who? And that's precisely the point. Fans of the Spiderman franchise know him as J. Jonah Jameson, while Juno watchers would recognize him as Juno's old man Mac McGruff. I first came to be a Simmons fan during his long tour of duty on the insanely good prison series Oz and as Aaron Eckhart's boss BR in Thank You For Smoking. Everyone remembers him, no one knows his name... but now you do.

2. Diane Wiest
D'you know who Brad Pitt's favourite actress is? Yep, it's Diane Wiest, but you don't know who she is or do you? She's currently District Attorney Nora Lewin on Law & Order: SVU and is also a two-time Academy Award winner for her roles in Bullets Over Broadway and Hannah and Her Sisters. Both are Supporting Actress statuettes of course. She gets mega bonus points from me for being in two recent films I loved (Dedication and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) and one old school pic that is cheese on celluloid... Footloose!

1. Tom Wilkinson
I don't know why I am continually amazed by Wilkinson's performances whenever I catch him in something new. He's been outstanding for as long as I can remember. Even before I knew who he was, I remember him being great. Flipping through his IMDB page and remembering him as Hugh Fennymen in Shakespeare in Love or as the mob boss Carmine Falcone in Batman Begins, the characters spring to life in my mind. Where Wilkinson stands out for me though is in his Oscar nominated role along side George Clooney in Michael Clayton. Guess who I'm picking to take home the Best Supporting Actor trophy Sunday night?

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