Samuel L. Jackson slams Hollywood ‘Oscar bait’

IF YOU prefer big fun Hollywood blockbusters to the more serious fare that gets nominated for the Academy Awards, you’re not alone.

Samuel L Jackson isn’t here for your art house fare.

IF YOU prefer a big, dumb, fun Hollywood blockbuster to the more serious fare that usually gets nominated come Oscar season, you’re not alone — A-lister Samuel L Jackson feels the same way.

The outspoken star, famed for bringing the immortal phrase ‘Get these motherf***in’ snakes off my motherf***in’ plane’ to the masses with the trashy crowd pleaser Snakes On A Plane, shared his views at the recent Dubai International Film Festival.

The 67-year-old film veteran revealed that Oscar season was far from his favourite time of year in Hollywood.

Snakes On A Plane wasn’t nominated for a single Oscar — the world has gone mad.

“The politics of what happens during this time of year is very interesting in Hollywood. The movies they choose to say are amazing and great, you know —  Manchester by the Sea, oh my god, you must see it, it’s an amazing film! But, ehh, I guess it is  —  to somebody,” he said.

Starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, Manchester is a low-budget US drama about a lonely janitor forced to take on family responsibilities. It’s scored a 97% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and should be up for several Oscars — but Jackson isn’t a fan.

“It’s not an inclusive film, you know what I mean? And I’m sure that [acclaimed African-American drama] Moonlight will be thought of the same way. They’ll say, ‘Well, that’s a black movie. Where are the white people?’ We’ll say the same thing about Manchester by the Sea,” he said.

Jackson also singled out Will Smith’s upcoming drama Collateral Beauty — in which Smith plays a grieving New Yorker who “seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time, and Death” — as another snooze-fest.

You can talk smack about Oscar season when you’re the second highest-grossing actor of all time.

“There are all these ‘Oscar bait’ movies. I was looking at the trailer for this Will Smith movie the other day and I’m like, really? It’s another one of those, ‘Oh my God, life is so wonderful, take time to sniff the roses,’” he said.

Jackson certainly has a knack for knowing what cinemagoers want — thanks to his roles in franchises including Star Wars, The Avengers and several Quentin Tarantino hits, he now ranks as the second-highest grossing actor of all time, with combined box office earnings of $4,859 million dollars US across all his films.