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Post by kirby101 on May 30, 2022 7:52:50 GMT -5
Actually, the shark was suppose to be on screen much more, but Bruce, the mechanical shark, was so unreliable that Spielberg had to find a way to film it using it sparingly. I saw it when it came out and it might not have kept me out of the water, but I felt very uncomfortable in the ocean for a couple of years. Spielberg is quite remarkable, he has never made a bad movie. Not are all gems, but they are always watchable, and many are great.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197 
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Post by Confessor on May 30, 2022 8:29:29 GMT -5
Alright, checked another one off the list: Jaws
I will admit to being pretty impressed with this one. I never saw any of the movies growing up, but I do remember the steady stream of sequels that arrived at the theaters every so often. I always got the sense that these moves were pretty corny, so they were never on my radar to watch. To add to that, horror films based on animals never really registered with me. While I understand the primal fear that folks have about certain wildlife, I had always grown up with the notion that man was a much more terrifying creature to the animals than the other way around. So the idea of a killer shark terrorizing a seaside community as a horror film never clicked with me. Let's get one thing out of the way -- visually, this is definitely a dated movie. If we had done something like this today, you can be sure there would have been a ton of CGI showing the actual shark ripping it's victims to shreds. I think the ingenuity of this movie is how much they did with the technical limitations of the time. For a movie about a shark, it was onscreen barely at all. All of the tension came from the performances of the actors, the hints of a shape underwater or the famous shot of the dorsal fin skimming the surface, and occasionally a glimpse of those dead eyes and gaping jaws when the shark would surface for an attack. Let's not forget the music. I think it would not be a stretch to say that this movie would not have worked without the John Williams score. In my estimation, the movie is too dated to be frightening to modern audiences -- not to mention that Jaws has been so parodied at this point that the scary scenes have been rendered toothless (ba-dum-bum *crash*). But I think it's a master class in how to do a lot with a little.
is still Spielberg's best film IMHO. I will never not watch it if it's on TV. It's an absolute masterclass of suspense, with a brilliant script, superb direction, and career best performances from Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. It's a magnificent thriller, made all the more sinister and disturbing by not having "a ton of CGI showing the actual shark ripping it's victims to shreds". The sequels are all rubbish. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 30, 2022 13:17:19 GMT -5
Sharks are way scarier when they're not seen, or at least not faked (especially using CGI). Open Water and The Reef had me on the edge of my seat. Deep Blue Sea, The Meg and The Shallows... not so much! (Gotta give props to the first one, though, for its brilliant "I didn't expect THAT!" moment).
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Post by berkley on May 30, 2022 22:02:19 GMT -5
I have never seen Jaws either. I'm sure it's a masterful piece of craftsmanship by Spielberg and I have no doubt that I'll get around to it some day but there are many other films much higher on my list right now.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 7, 2024 8:33:32 GMT -5
Finally got around to watching Network (1976) in its entirety...
Obviously, I've known about this film and was familiar with its basic premise (and I've watched that iconic scene, i.e., "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" many times elsewhere), but this is my first time actually watching it. And - it's pretty good. I can see why it made such a splash when it was released. It's a very harsh commentary on what television was doing (and would continue to do) to popular culture, and I guess it's fair to say that it was quite prescient. However, just from the artistic (for lack of a better term) standpoint, I'd say it falls short: it's very preachy, and also quite shouty (characters either shouting into the camera or at each other). Also, I found that romance sub-plot between Dunaway and Holden's characters kind of forced.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 7, 2024 21:27:44 GMT -5
Finally got around to watching Network (1976) in its entirety... Obviously, I've known about this film and was familiar with its basic premise (and I've watched that iconic scene, i.e., "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" many times elsewhere), but this is my first time actually watching it. And - it's pretty good. I can see why it made such a splash when it was released. It's a very harsh commentary on what television was doing (and would continue to do) to popular culture, and I guess it's fair to say that it was quite prescient. However, just from the artistic (for lack of a better term) standpoint, I'd say it falls short: it's very preachy, and also quite shouty (characters either shouting into the camera or at each other). Also, I found that romance sub-plot between Dunaway and Holden's characters kind of forced. Well, if her reputation holds true, they probably didn't get along, which wouldn't have helped matters. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 9, 2024 7:05:46 GMT -5
Gonna post this here because: a) it's not a new film anymore, b) not a classic, either, and c) I did in fact miss it back when it was released.
Anyway, finally got around to seeing the apparently much-reviled remade Ghostbusters from 2016...
I had pretty low expectations going into it, just because of all of the (overwrought, in hindsight) negative response it received back then, and ended up being pleasantly surprised. It's a pretty funny movie - although I think the main cast, i.e., the excellent Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, can be thanked for that, as they really elevated a pretty middling script.
Is it as good as the 1984 original? Certainly not (although I'd venture to say it's better than the 1989 sequel, which I really didn't like). But like I said, it's a perfectly enjoyable movie.
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