You know Christmas is coming up, I highly recommend the recently released Blu-Ray of JAWS as a stocking stuffer. Universal painstakingly resotred that classic from it's not so well preserved master negative, and I'm sure it looks even better now than it did back in 1975.

Of course I love JAWS. Opens as a great monster movie, suspenseful as this serial killer shark stalks the island. Then JAWS does something more blockbusters (most inspired by JAWS one way or another) don't have the balls to do, which is change the plot structure half-way through and become an adventure picture. Dreyfuss and Shaw are greast, almost Oscar worthy really as two dueling models for masculinity, but Roy Scheider really gets the unglamorous part, underrated truely in having to play the guy who's unable to keep up with these two, more reactionary than proactive to this menace, until the very end when he solves his impotency with "Smile you son of a-" BOOM!!!!

I wonder if a young Michael Bay saw that ending and thought he would like to do that as a grown up?

I also note that in 1975, look at the other movies (w/ JAWS) nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Robert Altman's NASHVILLE, Stanley Kubrick's BARRY LYNDON, Milos Forman's ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, and Sidney Lumet's DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Definately one of the best Best Picture line-ups ever.


Speaking of '75, how about some thoughts from the old timers who actually saw this back in the day? My mother told me the story of when she saw it, she was getting up to go the bathroom when the guy's head rolls out from the wrecked fishing boat. It scared her and she accidentally fell down the (unlighted) aisle steps.