Sharks. Fascinating. Terrifying. Humanity has long been fascinated by these ancient predators that come in so many forms. They’ve even earned their own Week on National Geographic! There are Ghost Sharks that terrify, there are Mega Sharks that devour, there are 6-Headed Sharks that have trouble sharing, there are Ouija Sharks that are just confusing. Sometimes these strange beasts merge with other horrors, forming such things as a Sharktopus, a Mummy Shark, or even a Jurassic Shark (or two). There have even been reports of sharks merging with other natural disasters, forming such things as a Sharknado (five times!). But I think it’s safe to say that the movie that launched all of the cinematic classics mentioned above (all of which are real, by the way) is also the movie that became the first Summer Blockbuster and is the perfect choice to round out our series “Summer Blockbusters and Summer Not”: Steven Spielberg’s second-ever cinematic release, “Jaws.” Pull up a floatation barrel, secure yourself in your shark cage and give a listen as your favorite salty old seadogs Max and Mike tell you if it’s safe to go back in the water again. Farewell and adieu, you fair Spanish ladies (and gentlemen).
Poll question: When you’re in a bad mood, what movie or what sort of movie do you like to watch, if any, to take you out of it? Write below or call our shark-spotter hotline at 617-398-7266!
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One of those people running and screaming on the beach in Jaws was my friend Toby who grew up on Martha’s Vineyard. His drama teacher was the mom who slapped Roy Schneider.
I am having a hard time answering the poll question and not answering “ Aguirre the Wrath of God”. It’s soothing! Depending in how sad or bad a mood I am in will change a film I might watch to feel better. Past choices were the 60s and ONLY version of “Bedazzled” or “ the Loved one” but I will choose a movie in the monster genre more than anything else. A Ray Harryhausen film, some kaiju film I watched as a young kid at the local cinema are great for changing my mood. For it to work though, I need to watch it by myself and not be interrupted .
Dang! I knew Mrs. Kintner was a native; did not know she was a drama teacher. Very cool.
Werner Herzog. Soothing. Sure, why not…. Good point about needing different movies for different bad moods. I could certainly see a Gamera movie being soothing, in the right circumstance. Thanks, Vince!