samuel l jackson

Review: Renny Harlin’s DEEP WATER – A Gloriously Entertaining Shark Thriller

There used to be a time when films just came out. Yes, they would have reviews that were good, bad or indifferent, but they would play simply as entertainment. Today there’s so much noise – maybe it’s devised by marketing teams as a way to [...]

April 28, 2026

Review: Pierce Brosnan & Samuel L. Jackson Face Off In The Gritty Western THE UNHOLY TRINITY

Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson make for an intriguing pairing in Richard Gray’s gritty western, The Unholy Trinity. It’s an entertaining entry into the genre, and while it doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground, there is enjoyment to be [...]

July 22, 2025

Petition To Reinstate The Original Ending To Renny Harlin’s DEEP BLUE SEA

Movies In Focus isn’t one for online petitions – but it has been brought to my attention that there’s a change.org petition to get the original ending of Renny Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea reinstated for some sort of release by Warner Bros. [...]

September 24, 2023

Notebook Reviews: SPHERE

Barry Levinson – 1998. Sphere is an under-appreciated, but enjoyable science fiction film from director Barry Levinson. The first 3/4 of this big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton‘s novel is great stuff, but the film literally loses [...]

December 29, 2021

Notebook Reviews: THE NEGOTIATOR

F. Gary Gray – 1998. The Negotiator is an enjoyable suspense film with a very strong cast. This tense thriller is top-lined by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, while J.T. Walsh, Ron Rifkin, David Morse and John Spencer fill out the [...]

December 27, 2021

You Can’t Always Get What You Want: Casting Quentin Tarantino’s PULP FICTION

The impact that Quentin Tarantino had on cinema in the 1990s can not be understated. Budgeted at $1.2 million, 1992’s Reservoir Dogs was a small movie that grossed less than $3 million worldwide. However, as time went by Tarantino’s [...]

December 13, 2021

Movies To Watch This Christmas

Christmastime is here again and Movies In Focus is presenting you with a list of Christmas movies to watch over the festive season. Some are naughty and some are nice, but they’re definitely an intriguing selection of movies to light-up your [...]

December 4, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Jalmari Helander’s BIG GAME

Finnish director Jalmari Helander’s 2014 film Big Game is a fun action movie which is as enjoyable as it is forgettable. It’s totally far-fetched, but it has an old-fashioned action vibe augmented by some flashy CGI effects. It’s as [...]

November 11, 2021

Notebook Reviews: JURASSIC PARK

Steven Spielberg – 1993. Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is great fun. It’s an excellent adaptation of Michael Crichton‘s best-selling novel and Spielberg doesn’t get bogged down in too much of the book’s [...]

November 6, 2021

Notebook Reviews: PULP FICTION

Quentin Tarantino – 1994. Quentin Tarantino‘s Pulp Fiction changed the face of cinema when it was released in 1994. A modern noir, the film packed a visceral punch with its snappy dialogue and rich characterisation. Movies had never felt [...]

October 8, 2021

Remembering The Mighty Joel Schumacher

The mighty Joel Schumacher was born on the 29 August 1939 – the same year that Batman made his first appearance. As one of the all-time great directors, he helmed a wonderful selection of films that included everything from The Incredible [...]

August 29, 2021

Remembering Renny Harlin’s DEEP BLUE SEA Starring Thomas Jane & Samuel L. Jackson

Renny Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea scored $75 million in the US and $164 globally (from a $60 million budget) following its release on 28 July 1999. That’s a very good number for an original property released over 20 years ago. Nobody has [...]

July 28, 2021

Trailer: Martin Campbell’s Assassin Thriller THE PROTÉGÉ Starring Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson & Michael Keaton

Director Martin Campbell is like an assassin – when he’s great he hits the bullseye (Goldeneye, The Mask Of Zorro) but when he misses, he fails to hit the target at all (Vertical Limit, Green Lantern). The Protégé looks like [...]

May 15, 2021

Notebook Reviews: THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT

Renny Harlin – 1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight is a hugely enjoyable and slickly made action film with a sparkling script from the great Shane Black. Geena Davis and Samuel L.Jackson are both well cast in this Renny Harlin directed film. The [...]

January 10, 2021

Notebook Reviews: JACKIE BROWN

Quentin Tarantino – 1997 Although it’s not quite as good as Pulp Fiction (few films could be), Jackie Brown is brilliant piece of filmmaking from Quentin Tarantino. This Elmore Leonard adaptation is an engrossing, laid-back [...]

December 30, 2020

Top Christmas Movies: THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT

The Long Kiss Goodnight sees Renny Harlin direct the action and Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson trade barbs and shoot bullets in this Shane Black scripted action film. Davis plays a mother who discovers that she’s actually a finely honed [...]

December 9, 2020

Notebook Reviews: DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE

John McTiernan – 1995 Die Hard With A Vengeance is an enjoyable entry into the Die Hard franchise. John McTiernan‘s film sees Bruce Willis‘ John McClane taking on another member of the Gruber family – this time in the form of [...]

November 9, 2020

Behind The Scenes Image: Bruce Willis & M.Night Shyamalan On The Set Of GLASS

Entertaining and well put together 2019’s, Glass is definitely worth seeing if you enjoyed Unbreakable and/or Split. It’s not as good as the former but it’s better than the latter and it’s great to see Bruce Willis back in the green [...]

September 15, 2020

Review: DEEP BLUE SEA 3 Is A Tremendously Entertaining Piece Of Schlock Cinema

Director Renny Harlin‘s 1999 killer shark actioner Deep Blue Sea is a stone cold cult classic. Harlin played-up the film’s far-fetched moments and the Thomas Jane/LL Cool J/Samuel L. Jackson starrer wore its ridiculous B-movie tropes with [...]

August 29, 2020

Obituary: Director Joel Schumacher Dies Aged 80

The mighty Joel Schumacher has died at the age of 80. Having quietly battled cancer for a year, he finally succumbed to the disease. Movies In Focus has always been impressed by Schumacher’s visual flair and technique for storytelling. [...]

June 23, 2020

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