Jaws (1975)

My favorite Spielberg film, this is an exciting movie about the hunt for a killer shark off the coast of the fictional town of Amity Island. Told from the point of view of police chief Brody (Roy Schieder) who's torn between the stubborn mayor's decision to keep the beaches open on the fourth of July and his gut reaction to the dangers in the water, where a skinny dipping hippy was chewed alive the night before. It takes two or three more chompings for the idiot mayor to take the threat seriously. In comes gung-ho shark hunter Quint (great character actor Robert Shaw) and collegiate shark expert Richard Dreyfuss. The three go out to sea in the second half on Quint's boat and look for the beast. John William's music is just brilliant; this movie deserves its status as a classic. Robert Shaw, from "Pelham", "Sting" and "Man for All Seasons", passed away much too soon. Such a great actor. This movie was so awesome to watch under the stars in Hollywood Forever Cemetary, where I saw it on July 4th 2009 in LA, proceeded by a tribute to Michael Jackson with some of biggest hits. People dancing and having a great time outdoors. An awesome night. In Los Angeles during the summer, you must check out the outdoor Cinespia screenings.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

The original thriller from 1974, when train fare was 35 cents: a group of hijackers hold a subway and its passengers for ransom, demanding a million dollars from New York city. Robert Shaw ("Jaws") is the head hijacker, and Walter Matthau is the cop who works to negotiate with them. The original is a decent thriller, but very "70s". Also starring Martin Balsam, Jerry Stiller, Doris Roberts, Earl Hindman (of "Home Improvement") and Hector Elizondo as one of hijackers. I always love Walter Matthau as a comedic actor, but I think he is miscast in this role. I could see another actor, maybe Steve McQueen, play this. Every time Matthau is on screen he provides some comedic relief. (This is the same year he plays "The Drunk" in "Earthquake") At one point Matthau refers to one of the hijackers as possibly being a "fruitcake". Then there's a strange interspersing of scenes which are very violent (the hijacker's beating of passengers, shooting down of someone on the tracks) then very comedic: (One of the Grand Central supervisors back on the ground swears like and sailor and says, "How can you run a g-damn railroad without swearing?" and doesn't want to quit swearing just because "they lets some broads work there" - there's a woman in the room). One of dim-witted hijackers threatens someone on the train by saying, "I'll shoot your pee-pee off". Actor Lew Wallace plays the mayor of New York City, and he's a dead ringer for Ed Koch. (Wallace also played the mayor of Gotham City in Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989). "Pelham" was remade twice, for the second time in 2009 starring Denzel Washington in Matthau's role and John Travolta as the hijacker.

Another review of this film from the blog Cinematic Sara

Another review of this film from What I Watched Last Night