Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and filmmakers and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.

Today we dive into the highest-grossing actor in the history of cinema: Samuel L. Jackson. The man of many franchises, he’s one bad mother––Shut Your Mouth!

Our B-Sides include Sphere, The Red Violin, Rules of Engagement, and Formula 51 (a.k.a. The 51st State a.k.a. woof). We talk about what the “L” in Samuel L. Jackson stands for, we marvel at the legend’s insane activist past, and his late-breaking career.

There’s also a deep dive into the historical origins of The Red Violin (inspired by a violin currently played by the great Elizabeth Pitcairn), the downfall of Sphere’s plot, and the troubled politics of Rules of Engagement.