Samuel L. Jackson Quote of the Month: October 2010

Four months ago I showcased a film titled The 51st State, which was an action comedy starring Sam that seemed to have disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. This can be a common occurrence in a crowded marketplace and, truth be told, the movie wasn't meant to be a huge blockbuster anyway so I doubt there were a whole lot of people who cared.

But then there's Astro Boy, which is based on a classic and well-beloved Japanese cartoon. This was not a low profile project, but one that had been anticipated for quite awhile. People were paying attention to this sucker, and yet it came and went in the blink of an eye. It took in only 7 million dollars in it's opening weekend (the low-budget Paranormal Activity drew in the most for the fifth week in a row). In the end, Astro Boy's final tally was just less than half of it's 40 million dollar budget. And just like that... it was gone.

And Sam? He gives voice to a giant robot named Zog that has a total of three or four short lines in the entire film. The first line, which is the one quoted here, is the one that the filmmakers probably figured would get a great audience reaction when they heard Sam's voice come out of the giant robot. But, with all respect to Sam, the line is underwhelming. Sad to say, the same can be said of the film itself.

Ham Egg: "You can't kill me! The rules of robotics were created 50 years ago!"

Zog: "I'm old school."