Podcast Episode 8: The Shark Still Looks Totally Badass In JAWS

"It's only an island if you look at it from the water."

It's absurd, I know.

How is it possible that I could consider myself a film fan and yet somehow manage to go over 30 years without having seen Jaws?  In truth, I have no real good excuse.  Sure there was never a copy in my house growing up and it's not the kind of movie you really want to watch panned and scanned on TNT some Tuesday night.  And yeah, none of my roommates in college or L.A. ever owned it, so I've never really had it handy.  But as some point sheer sloth set in.  I certainly could have gotten it from Netflix at any time and, what's worse, it's one of Jamie's favorite movies.  That means it's literally been sitting on a shelf right within reach for the last four years.  That's simply inexcusable.  I dunno.  Maybe on some level I suspected that the film would end up disappointing me.

I needn't have worried.

Jaws is simply incredible, a sublime mix of popcorn entertainment and genuine human pathos.  Not only do I instantly want to watch it 50 more times, but I want to live with those characters.  In fact, I feel angry that I've deprived myself of all those missing years with Quint, Hooper and Brody.  I simply can't imagine how 15 year old Daley would have reacted to this movie.  And let's not forget about Bruce, that most formidable of shark adversaries.  I fully expect I'll spend the next ten viewings discovering all kinds of fun and fascinating new details.  I can't wait.

I watched the movie along with Bart, Jamie and my friend and self-professed Jaws fanatic Jeff Schwartz, who actually brought me a brand new Blu-ray of the film as an early birthday present.  We ordered delivery from the local Mexican joint, although my plans for culinary satisfaction was thwarted when my order of enchiladas was accidentally morphed into an order of ensaladas.  Otherwise it was a blast.  The four of us sat down immediately afterwards to record what I think is our best podcast episode yet.  I really loved the dynamic of having more voices in the conversation, so I hope we can continue to get some more guests for future recordings.

I'm off to South By Southwest tomorrow, but so I might not be able to turn out any more articles till next week, but I'll certainly be tweeting from @DaleyScreening and hopefully be able to report in on some fun new flicks.  In the meantime, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and rate us.  Once I get home this is gonna become a weekly affair, so get ready.

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Title: Jaws
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
Year Of Release: 1975
Viewing Method: Blu-ray