Let's Jaws For a Minute

It's time to wrap up Spielberg Season 2 with the man's deeply cynical alien invasion film War of the Worlds. Sarah and MJ discuss the movie as an allegory for 9/11, refute even more schmaltz claims, talk about if there is a defenitive pandemic movie, and yes, brush up against Spielberg's latest release, Disclosure Day.

We pull into the penultimate stop on our journey through the second act of Spielberg's career to talk about his slight, feel good film The Terminal. They discuss the post-9/11 optimism of the piece and its connection to post-WWII optimisim, whether or not Tom Hanks' accent is good, and Sarah admits her belief in an age old addage (at least in this circumstance).

This week, returning guest Rob Wallis joins us to talk about the only Spielberg/Di Caprio collaboration to date, Catch Me If You Can. They talk about the excellent 1960's production design, the loss of Leo's baby face, and refute accusations of Spielberg schmaltz (yet again).

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Missy Lonsinger to talk about Spielberg's sci-fi follow-up to A.I., Minority Report! They talk about how A.I. primed him to work in the cynical worlds created by Phillip K. Dick, the brief moment where Tom Cruise almost became a frequent Spielberg collaborator, and the beginning of the uglyfication of Spielberg's movies.

Hey! Did you know we have a Patreon page? Check out this free Patron episode in lieu of your normal episode while MJ is on vacation! If you like what you hear, maybe drop by and subscribe at patreon.com/jawforaminute.This month's Patron Episode takes us to Northern California (which, ironically, is where MJ is spending some of his vacation), to witness a small town terrorized by spiders in Amblin's 1990 film, Arachnophobia. They discuss the "good ole days" of cinema, practical effects, and discover some similarities between Arachnophobia and a certain movie about a certain shark (hint: it is not Shark Exorcist).

Schmaltzy garbage? Misunderstood masterpiece? Unsung prophet of the modern age? A.I. is an odd, divisive film in Spielberg's filmography, but Sarah and MJ are joined bye Kip Mooney to get to the bottom of it!

Spielberg Season 2 keeps chugging into Spielberg's final film of the 1990's (or 1900's), Saving Private Ryan. MJ and Sarah are joined by Nick Mear to talk about the reverence Spielberg is able to maintain for its subjects while also keeping things moving at a good pace, lots of behind the scenes magic, and whether accusations of Spielberg being "schmaltzy" are legitimate.

This week, Sarah and MJ talk about Spielberg's other 1997 film, Amistad. They discuss its odd placement in his filmography, the beginning of the "soft" look of his films, and the glorious wigs that dot the film.

This week, Sarah and MJ head to Site B to talk about the sequel to Jurassic Park! They talk about Spielberg's evolved mean streak, the fact that the film is his King Kong riff, and one of the most masterful sequences of Spielberg's career

Spielberg season 2 continues as Sarah and MJ discuss Spielberg's harrowing historical epic, Schindler's List

Spielberg Season 2 kicks off with a casual 3 hour chat about Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster effort, Jurassic Park! Sarah and MJ are joined by Harley Mumford to discuss the film's themes, how it fits in conversation with his other creature feature, the enduring legacy of the film, and why other blockbusters (even the other entries in the Jurassic franchise) aren't as effective at entertaining the masses.

The lost episode returns from the dead and is twice as nice! Sarah and MJ are joined by Nick Mear to re-record their lost Piranha 3D episode and decided to up the game by also watching its sequel, Piranha 3DD!

Sarah and MJ finally reach the end of Jaws ... a tumultuous journey that has proven one thing: the movie is a lot better than the book. They discuss the anti-climactic and unsatisfying end to the book, what the movie gets right in terms of pay-off, and whether they'll ever consider reading this book again...

This week, Sarah and MJ board the Orca as they round the corner into the home stretch of Peter Benchley's Jaws! They talk about how they picture the book versions of the characters, how they translate and chage to the film, and perk up once they get to read about everyone's favorite salty sea captain: Quint

Join Sarah & MJ as they get into chapters 8-10 of Jaws by Peter Benchley, covering a very saucy encounter between Ellen Brody and Hooper, what the book really is about, and the disappointing July 4th events.Quick heads up in case you usually listen in earshot of small children ... this episode is very NSFW!

This week, Sarah and MJ talk about chapters 6 and 7 of Jaws by Peter Benchley. They spend their time lauding the sassy mail woman in charge of who gets a mailbox and who doesn't, and attend an interminable dinner party.

This week we dive into the next two chapters of JAWS by Peter Benchley and uncover somethings we actually kinda like about the book. However, it's not all smooth sailing and you might need to get the thesaurus out for this one!Stay tuned right to the end of the episode for a special song sent in by listener Fredrik!

Summer Chompin' enters its final phase as Sarah and MJ talk about the first two chapters of Peter Benchley's Jaws!

In this very special episode, we're joined by friend and fellow podcast host, Mark Woodyatt from the Mark & Me podcast to celebrate all things JAWS!We talk about our favourite scenes, favourite lines, and some of the favourite pieces of Jaws merch we own. And along the way end up pitching a new movie idea to the SyFy channel...

We've reached the end of our read-through of The Jaws Log and wrap things up with some silliness that the Jaws cast would be proud of. We chat about the new things we've learned about the cast and crew, sing the praises of editing Queen Verna Fields, and learn a surprising connection between Spinal Tap and Jaws.

This week, Sarah and MJ continue their journey through the Jaws Log and talk about Peter Benchley's arrival on the island, the stress of shooting on the ocean, why noboy has tried to use a fully practical shark to make a movie to this day, and how everyone coped with the overlong shooting schedule.

Join Sarah and MJ as they dive into the next few chapters of Carl Gottlieb's The Jaws Log, exploring the creation of Bruce the Shark, the efforts to get a real shark, and Richard Dreyfuss' *ahem* island exploits.We dive into the problematic elements of Jaws' legacy, and potentially get sued by two different people. Listen now wherever you find your pods!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming, Sarah and MJ discuss chapters 6 - 8 of The Jaws Log. Here, they learn about the casting process, compare their 2025 expereince with the politics of Martha's Vineyard to those experienced by the Jaws crew, and Robert Shaw's less than friendly welcome to the island. Also they talk about the menaces that were Spielberg's dogs.

In this very special (and very long!) episode, Sarah & MJ give the full rundown of their Martha's Vineyard and Boston adventures for the 50th anniversary of Jaws. As well as talking about all the Jaws-y stuff we did, we get into the plethora of great lobster rolls available on MV, what MJ thinks of some quintessentially British snacks, and why Sarah is now evangelising about Koozies to everyone she meets.

It's the first ever live and in person LJFAM! Recorded in person at Nick Mear's (Johnny4Boats) very echo-y AirBnB in Martha's Vineyard. Nick put together a sprawling quiz about the Jaws franchise, other shark movies, and our boy Spielberg's career that has everything including a dramatic ending! This is the first of two very special 50th anniversary episodes of LJFAM

Summer Chompin' continues with the next instalment in our series on The Jaws Log. This week, Sarah and MJ get deep in the weeds of pre-production on the film, go over the names of the major (and potentially major) players, learn about Carl Rizzo's harrowing Australian adventure, and find out about Hollywood accounting.

Summer Chompin' (#JawsGirlSummer) kicks off with the first two chapters of Carl Gottlieb's account of the making of Jaws, The Jaws Log. Sarah and MJ talk about the wit of Gottlieb's writing, their love of books about movies, and how Gottlieb was the perfect choice to write the definitive work on the making of one of the greatest movies ever made.

Silly naming convention is back for our longest episode to date. Sarah and MJ are joined by The Nicest Man in Podcasting, Harley Mumford to talk about Jordan Peele's masterwork, NOPE. The conversation goes all sorts of places from reckoning with the legacy of your chosen art form to the dangers of being arrogant around nature, and wraps up with some talk about Hollywood budgeting that leaves Harley a shell of his former self.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Wallis to discuss Tremors and nothing else out of the ordinary. Just a couple of pals getting together to talk about the excellent Fred Ward/Kevin Bacon vehicle Tremors. They talk about the efficient storytelling and sense of place, and not Mr. Blobby ever.

This week, Sarah and MJ head to Maine to discuss the giant crocodile film Lake Placid. They talk about what makes a good creature feature, why Lake Placid falls flat despite having most of the ingredients of a good creature feature, and Oliver Platt's raw magnetism, as well as Ebert's review and some of the most memorable lines they've seen in this season!

This week, Sarah and MJ tackle a film that takes broad and abstract inspiration from Jaws: Basic Instinct. They wax poetic about erotic thrillers, Jerry Goldsmith, and their favorite topic, replacing one of the lead actors with Roy Scheider.

What would a season all about the films that were inspired by Jaws be without at least one shark movie? And what would an episode about a terrible shark movie be without our resident shark boi, Dr. Jack Cooper. Dr. Jack Cooper joins us to talk about The Last Shark, a 1981 Italian film that bears so many similarities to Jaws it was successfully barred from release in the United States by Universal. The movie's bad, but the goofs and gags are good!

The Jaws inspired films season makes a stop in St. Louis? Chicago? to spend time with Alligator. Sarah and MJ had a B L A S T with this movie and talk about what makes it so great, who one of the antagonists may have inspired, and crack the Bong Joon-Ho code to see Alligator's influence on many of his films.

"Inspired by" season continues with a stop on the Nostromo! Sarah and MJ are joined by their illustrious graphic designer, Alex Jenkins to talk about all things Xenomorph. They discuss the biomechanics of the alien, the lengths directors will go to get a reaction out of their casts, and improve the chestburster scene with their own sound effects.

Jaws-piration season rolls on as we catch up with 1978's Piranha, directed by Joe Dante and produced by the legendary Roger Corman. Sarah and MJ discuss lil guys, weird British ladies, why Dick Miller is always a good casting choice, and collecting physical media.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we're back! This episode kicks off 2025 and a brand new season chock full of movies that were inspired by Jaws. We begin things with the very sane and normal film, Orca: The Killer Whale starring Richard Harris as a man who enters into a rivalry with an orca and the orca reacts in a very normal way.

Scheider season comes to a not so thrilling conclusion as Sarah and MJ reluctantly talk about a 90's Scheider film that features one of the worst scripts they have seen on the show as well as some truly terrible performances, but their loss is your gain listening to them cope each other through this mess of a film!

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by three-peat guest, Cordelia Keston for a far ranging chat about one of the wildest movies we have ever covered on the show, Naked Lunch. They talk about the Beat Generation, the jaw-dropping real life events depicted in the film, and stare into the void of what it means to be a creative. Oh, and they talk about a shirtless Roy Scheider, of course.

The Scheider express pulls into 52 Pick-Up station this week as Sarah and MJ discuss this overlooked expoloitation gem co-starring Ann Margaret and John Glover. They talk about the value of "just entertaining" movies, when low brow meets talented performers, and the history of The Cannon Group

Scheider season travels to the one that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism: SPACE! This episode features Adam Moffett of The Bond We Share talking about 2010: The Year We Make Contact. We discuss its validity as a legacy sequel, whether it works as a companion to 2001, how great the cast is, and Roy Scheider's intensely likeable energy.

It's showtime, folks! This week, we make our last stop in the 1970's era of Roy Scheider's career to talk about his Oscar nominated turn in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. Sarah and MJ are joined by Randy Burrows of the Uncut Gems podcast to talk about legacy, commerce, art, and reckoning with your mortality. You know, all the light stuff.

The time has come for Sarah and MJ to talk about the movie they have talked about the second most on this show besides Jaws, Sorcerer! Johnny 2 Trucks joins the hosts once again to talk about this overlooked gem of a film.

Roy Scheider seasons chugs to its next stop, Marathon Man! Sarah and MJ are joined by returning guest (and Sarah's husband), Martin Buddery to talk about the *other* 1976 political thriller starring Dustin Hoffman. Sarah shares a hot take, discusses a shirtless Roy Scheider in front of her husband, and MJ springs a Patreon subscriber challenge on Sarah at the last minute.

The man, the boat, the legend, Nick "Johnny FourBoats" Mear joins Sarah and MJ this week to talk about a quasi-sequel to The French Connection, The Seven-Ups. They talk about Roy Scheider's undeniable swagger, what he has in common with a certain modern day actor, and lament a time when interesting faces could be on full display in movies

Scheider season continues with the film that earned Roy an Academy Award nomination! Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Wallis to talk about the Scheider spiciness scale, the importance of not editing films to make them appear more "modern" and Sarah's future as a detective solving chicken crimes

It's beginning to look a lot like Scheider around the LJFAM studios as Sarah and MJ kick off a season focusing on the films of Roy Scheider with 1971's Klute. They discuss how great 70's movies are, the wonderful building of tension that was created by Hitchcock and perfected by Alan J. Pakula, and heap some praise on Roy Scheider's brief, but substantial role!

It's the final episode of monster movie season! On this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by the host of Fandomentals, Harley Mumford, to discuss Cloverfield. They talk about the viral marketing campaign and larger ideas surroudning *what* Cloverfield is and then talk about the brilliance of the film being found footage and its cynisism towards the Iraq war.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined once again by Rob Daniel to discuss Bong Joon-ho's brilliant The Host. They talk about how wathcing the film feels...different in 2024, what context it came out in in 2006, and try to stay on topic talking about only ONE Bong Joon-ho film.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Nick Mear of the NickFlix Podcast to talk about the 1999 cinematic masterpiece, The Mummy. They talk about the film's surprising staying power considering it was released in what many consider to be a stacked year for movies, the joys of watching a movie that is pure "fun" and of course, how incredibly attractive the cast is!

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Sarah's husband, Martin Buddery, to talk about David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly. They talk about the effects, what insect they would like to be gene spliced with, and the efficient way the script gives viewers believable reasons for Seth Brundle's gruesome transformation!