You Haven't Seen That Yet??? - Jaws

Plot: The police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council, which wants the beach to remain open to draw a profit from tourists during the summer season. After several attacks, the police chief enlists the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter.

Matt's Rating: A+

Why He's Appalled Nicole's Never Seen It: It's a classic. I mean it's essentially the film that launched Spielberg's career, it was the first summer blockbuster, and it's terrifying. The acting in the movie is incredible. Richard Dreyfuss is my personal favorite but both Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw are great. There is just something I like about Dreyfuss's dry humor. Of course, Shaw steals almost ever scene he is in. Especially the famous scene in the boat where he tells the story about the USS Indianapolis. Actually most of his lines are awesome and he delivers them to perfection. I mean, there are just SOOOOO many classic movie scenes in this movie I can't even begin to list them. The music alone is legendary. Hell, I was scared to go into an above ground pool after I first saw it. But then again, this was one of the first movies my parents ever had me watch...when I was like 10. I remember my parents debating letting me watch it. Mom says "I don't know..." and dad replies with "He's gonna have to see it sooner or later." For weeks I had the image of the young boy on the boogie board getting eaten alive as nobody notices ingrained in my mind. So it holds a special and kind of messed up place in my heart. Thanks mom and dad.

Nicole's Rating: A

Nicole's Review: There's a reason I'd never seen this movie. And that reason is - I'm freaking terrified of sharks. I had to watch this movie with Evan (best friend) in a brightly lit room to keep myself from having nightmares later. I was still freaking out. You can ask him how I was screaming and hugging his bed post (does that sound dirty? or is it just all this excitement from the holiday season?) when Quint meets his Ahab-ish end. Or maybe he'll just confirm it in the comments for you. Whatever.

Anyway - brilliant film. The three main actors, Dreyfuss, Scheider and Shaw were incredible to watch. For this anxiety prone girl, the music - a character in its own right - did exactly what it was supposed to. Created a tension that made me squirm and made Evan roll his eyes at me more than once.

Obviously the famous sharing of the battle scars scene and the story of the USS Indianapolis was - ugh, the only word I can think of to use is brilliant. I mean it was. Genius? Can we say genius? Just thinking about Shaw delivering those lines - "So, eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb." - gives me chills. But, my favorite scene of the entire movie is right at the end. I don't know why I loved it so much. It was just so poignant - after they've finally blown up the gd shark and Scheider resting on the only part of the boat that hasn't sunk yet and Dreyfuss comes up out of the water and they are both laughing, sort of sad, hysterical laughter at the fact that they did it. They made it. Dreyfuss asks, mid-laugh, "Quint?" And Scheider just answers, "No."

Anyway, I sort of hated that right after that beautiful scene, the movie just ends. I sort of wanted to see them go home. I wanted to see the utterly defeated mayor and Brody's excited and relieved wife. But, I guess cutting back to the town would have made the ending cheesy. Still - Dreyfuss and Scheider just swimming off into the distance and talking about what day it is just after one of the best scenes EVER was slightly anti-climactic.