Samuel L. Jackson Collection DVD (2008) John Cusack, Hafstrom (DIR) cert 18 5Title:Samuel L. Jackson CollectionLeading Actor:John CusackRegion:Region 2Duration:531 minsFormat:DVD / Box SetType:DVDNo. of Discs:5 disc(s)Studio / Publisher:Universal PicturesUK Release Date:06 Oct 2008Edition:Box SetCollection of five films starring Samuel L. Jackson. ‘1408’ (2007) is an adaptation of a Stephen King short story about a notoriously haunted hotel room and the efforts of a sceptic to debunk the myth. Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a horror novelist specialising in exposing paranormal events in houses and graveyards worldwide, decides to add suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin Hotel to his list of conquests for his latest project, ‘Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms’. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager Gerald Olin (Jackson), Enslin checks in, sure of exposing yet another sham. But before too long Mike is forced to accept proof of the afterlife, as he fights to survive until the morning. In ‘Black Snake Moan’ (2007), Rae (Christina Ricci) is a bedevilled, troublesome and lubricious young woman whose life has been a series of sexual misadventures since being abused in early life. Lazarus (Jackson) is a former blues musician whose career has run aground due to self-imposed seclusion. Lazarus is himself tormented by inner demons - left a cuckold by a woman of easy virtue who took up with his own brother after a fling with his best friend. When Lazarus finds Rae stretched out on a dirt road near his cabin after an attempted murder, he takes her in and tends her wounds. As Rae awakens, she’s keen on repaying him in kind, using the only currency she understands - a notion the burned Lazarus finds abhorrent. He resolves to cure the girl with good old-fashioned virtue and the bible, much to her chagrin. In ‘Changing Lanes’ (2002), hot-shot New York attorney Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and recovering alcoholic Doyle Gibson (Jackson) find their lives become intertwined on the evening of Good Friday when their cars collide. Late for a meeting, Banek gives Doyle a blank cheque to cover the damage, whilst Doyle’s car is a write-off and he is late for a custody-hearing. But not only have their cars collided, they also end up accidentally walking away with important files of each other’s; in fact Doyle loses his house and family because of it. Thus begins a cat and mouse game to retrieve the files and it seems neither man is ready to play clean. In ‘Coach Carter’ (2005), Jackson plays controversial basketball coach Ken Carter in a drama about a failing inner-city school. When the tough, no-nonsense coach decides to take extreme measures to improve his team’s poor academic performance, he makes national news. Although the team is undefeated, Carter locks them out of the gymnasium in an attempt to focus their minds on their studies, and to show them a world beyond drugs, gangs and even basketball. But Carter realises he has an uphill struggle when his controversial approach puts him into opposition with an irate community that wants the team back in the league. Finally, ‘Shaft’ (2000) is a remake of the 1971 blaxploitation classic with Jackson taking over from Richard Roundtree in the title role. When waitress Diane (Toni Collette) sees ultra-rich playboy Wade (Christian Bale) murder a young black man outside a nightclub, she knows that she will be next and promptly goes into hiding. Enter Armani-wearing supercop John Shaft, the only man who cares enough to bring Wade to justice, and Diane’s only hope of survival. Wade pays the drug-boss Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright) to have Diane killed, but Shaft is also hot on her trail and he’s not a man put off easily. Shoot-outs and car chases follow. Please note this DVD is region 2 and will only work in the following regions Japan, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East (including Egypt) and Greenland, Unless you have a multi-regional DVD Player.
