Let's Jaws For a Minute

Monster Movie Season makes a stop in Sarah's backyard as Sarah and MJ discuss An American Werewolf in London. They talk about what makes this film work, why it shouldn't, the incredible effects, and take a detour to discuss their love of music videos!

This week on LJFAM, monster movie season keeps on trucking to the 1954 classic, Creature From the Black Lagoon. Sarah and MJ talk about the film's unspoken influence on basically every film that followed it, the unjust accredidation of the Gill Man's design, and whether style over substance is, in fact, a bad thing.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Christopher P. Hood to talk about everyone's favorite ancient radioactive lizard, Godzilla (1954). They discuss the timing of the film's release in the midst of a revolutionary year for the country of Japan, the status of Godzilla as a folk hero, and MJ tries to reign in his nostalgia for the Godzilla franchise.

It's the second episode of monster movie season, and Sarah and MJ contend with the king of all monster movies, King Kong! They talk about its influence and staying power 91 years after the fact, how exhilirating the second act is, and whether or not its technical merit make up for some of the content in the film that is more "of its time."

It's the official beginning to Monster Movie Season! On this episode, Sarah and MJ kick off the new season with one of the all-time great monster movies: James Whale's Frankenstein (1931). They discuss its differences from the book, how the film set the template for the monster movie, and the way it was chopped to bits by the implementation fo the Hays Code.

On this very special episode of LJFAM, Sarah and MJ are joined by Zach Sharpe of Stern Pinball to talk about everything Jaws Pinball. They talk about taking the theme and integrating it into a pinball format, how new players should approach the machine, and ways in which you can find a Jaws pinball machine near you!

For the season finale of their shark films season, Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Daniel of the movie Robcast to talk about Johannes Roberts' 47 Meters Down. They talk about effective jump scares, real time thrillers, the ways in which Mandy Moore's fans are willing to watch her perish on screen, and of course, devolve into puns.

Joining Sarah and MJ this week is friend of the show and creator of the podcast theme song, Harley Mumford from the Fandomentals podcast. Together they discuss whether 2016's The Shallows really is the best thing shark movie since Jaws, disagree on the film's ending, and take a deep dive into the illustrious acting career of Sully the Seagull.

This week Sarah and MJ are joined by returning guest Chris Hood, to talk about 2016's USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. They discuss the other films that do this type of thing better, the many, MANY Jaws connections in the movie, and MJ learns a fun new British phrase.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Alex Jenkins, designer of their incredible artwork for both shows, to talk about one of the all-time great dumb shark movies, Sharknado. They discuss the surrealistic appeal of films like this, what it means to "understand the assignment," and Alex teaches Sarah and MJ about octopi and snake reproductive systems.

This week, Sarah and MJ go guestless to talk about another Australian shark film, Bait (2012)! They talk about the logistics of an underground car park that is not flooded, whether or not sharks have good hearing, and MJ educates Sarah about a popular American grocery chain!

Sarah and MJ Started a new podcast! It's all about Martin Scorsese! It has an absolute belter of a theme song! Listen to the introductory episode here and make sure to subscribe to the Let's Party With Marty feed on your podcatcher of choice to stay up to date with all things LPWM!

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Johnny Fo-er...Nick Mear of the NickFlix Podcast to talk about Shark Ni-er...Open Water. Once again, they discuss the ethics of telling true stories with fictionalized endings, whether the film would have benefitted from being a found footage movie, and then spiral as they realize A Star is Born came out 5 years ago.

Also, Sarah and MJ have a big big big announcement at the end of this episode you won't want to miss!

On this uh, spicy, episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Wallis of The Movie Robcast to talk about a shark film grounded in realism, The Reef. They discuss the film's use of real shark footage, the palpable romantic chemistry between two of the leads, the ethics of making a film inspired by a true story without actually telling that story, and also say a lot of things that required bleeping.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Adam Moffett, co-host of The Bond We Share to talk about one of the five Will Smith films Adam has seen. They talk about the one joke that worked for each of them, the unpleasant aesthetics of the film, and eventually devolve into talking about Adam's current project of watching every Scorsese film. Also, MJ makes a joke too spicy to air.

On this very special episode of LJFAM, Sarah and MJ are once again joined by their resident shark boy, Jack Cooper to discuss the double feature of The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench starring Jason Statham. They talk about the scientific accuracy (or lack thereof) of the film, how big budget schlock should always be an option, and breakdown the myriad Jaws and Spielberg references found across both films!

Our hats are like shark's fins and we are officially BACK. In the first official episode of LJFAM for 2023, Sarah and MJ are joined by Josh Glenn of the Ramblin' Amblin podcast to talk about the 1999 shark thriller Deep Blue Sea. They talk about how it shapes up as a successor to Jaws, why Samuel L. Jackson should not be trusted around animals, and delve deep into LL Cool J's not-so-smash hit, Deepest Bluest.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd we're back. After a 7 month hiatus, Sarah and MJ triumphantly return to the podcasting throne to provide an update on where they've been. And more importantly, where they're going. This episode has it all! Life updates, a call for guests, a wild story involving Barack Obama, and Sarah educating MJ about some very UK specific naming conventions.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by one of MJ's co-hosts on Reel Perspective, Missy Lonsinger! They close out Spielberg Season 1 with a beloved childhood favorite of many, Hook! They discuss whether or not it is a film that is looked at favorably because of nostalgia blinders, the Oscars it was and was not nominated for, cinematographer Dean Cundey's background shooting horror films, and Sarah and MJ come clean about their dislike of the film for the whole internet to hear.

In this episode, Sarah had to bow out of recording at the last minute due to unforseen circumstances. Fortunately, MJ is not flying solo and has returing guest Katie Doe to talk about the final Indiana Jones film of the inagural Spielberg season, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They talk about the layer of polish that the franchise has by this point, the chemistry between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford, Spielberg's eye for camera movement and blocking, as well as John Williams' excellent score, and whether or not Indiana Jones should be recast!

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Andy Gaudion of Ramblin' Amblin to talk about Spielberg's second forray into historical drama, Empire of the Sun. They discuss his growth between The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun, how he took a deeply personal story and made it his own, the influence of David Lean on the sweeping nature of the story, and how child Christian Bale looks like a compressed version of adult Christian Bale.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Russ Bailey to talk about The Color Purple. The film was a blindspot for all three of them and Spielberg's first foray into making a historical drama. They discuss the phenomenal performances in the film, the wonderful cinematography, score, and art design, as well as a glaring "flaw" that didn't make the film sit quite right with them. Also, Sarah and MJ talk about bizarre movies that made them cry.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Cameron Harrison to talk about Indiana Jones' second adventure, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. They talk about the similarities the film has with James Bond movies, the much darker tone of the sequel, how attractive Harrison Ford is in the movie, the film's messier nature, and what, if anything, all this has to do with 1941.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Kip Mooney to talk about one of Spielberg's most successful and beloved films. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. They discuss how Spielberg masterfully balances whimsy, horror, and grief as well as whether or not E.T. is cute, the merits of having a real puppet on set, the way the film is told like an adult drama from a child's POV, and whether or not one of Spielberg's famous buddies makes a cameo appearance.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Chris Payne to talk about the first installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark. They discuss the classic influences of the film, the masterful filmmaking on display, how Spielberg was able to right the ship of his career following the disastorus 1941, and how Indiana Jones should have been America's answer to James Bond.

In this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Daniel to talk about what is widely considered Spielberg's worst film, 1941. They talk about *what* kind of movie they suspect it was trying to be, what elements do work, what elements don't work, and a slew of other movies that accomplish its same goals in much more successful ways. Also, conspiracy theories about Bambi's mom.

 In this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Rob Wallis to talk about Spielberg's major studio debut, The Sugarland Express. They discuss its similarities and differences with Duel, the "aw, shucks" style performances, how the film was received by critics such as Ebert, Siskel, and Pauline Kael, and how the film was influenced by Westerns, Italian Neorealism, and the French New Wave.

In the first post-Jaws franchise episode of LJFAM, MJ and Sarah take a look at Steven Spielberg's first feature film, Duel. They discuss the influence of Hitchcock on the film, how fully formed Spielberg's sensibilities were out of the gate, a charming mistake that can be found in the phone booth scene, the recurring thematic and visual motifs that stem from Duel and happen throughout the rest of Spielberg's career, and whether the truck driver is both inside and outside the diner. They also come to a potentially controversial decision regarding the film's status as a horror movie and a slasher movie.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Shaurya Chawla to talk about the final film in the Jaws franchise, Jaws The Revenge! They discuss whether the movie is as bad as its reputation, the score's troubled road to a commercially available release, other films that embody one of the film's worst traits, the ethics of film criticism, and then they decide to get cancelled by ranking the Jaws sequels from favorite to least favorite.

In this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Emma Whitty Haddock to discuss Jaws 3-D! They talk about the immaculate 3-D effects, wonderful sound design, and impeccable direction as well as Emma's time working at an aquarium, Dennis Quaid's amnesia at appearing in the film due to his.....altered state, and they solve the mystery contained within Jaws 3-D.

LJFAM triumphantly returns to begin the next leg of their journey, discussing each of the JAWS sequels (as a whole, not minute by minute). First up is JAWS 2. Sarah and MJ discuss how this film takes the slasher conventions established by the original film and cranks them to 100. There's emojis, an alternate idea for what JAWS 2 could have been, and a bit of a connection to Roger Corman as well.

It's the Megalodon-sized final (of this iteriation) episode of LJFAM! In this episode, surprises abound, one of your illustrious co-hosts deals with yet another broken ankle, and Sarah and MJ answer your questions! They go deep (get it?) on how JAWS plays to them now, what they learned about the film and themselves along the way (the real JAWS was the friends we made, it turns out), they talk about their favorite recurring bits, and the plan for the future of LJFAM is revealed. 

In the penultimate minute by minute episode of LJFAM, Sarah and MJ are joined by Calum Cooper to talk about the scene in which Brody stabs the shark with a spear and then blows up the oxygen tank in the shark's mouth. They discuss how the individual elements of the scene make-up a triumphant climax for the film, connections to Moby Dick, and most importantly, begin the episode with a critical piece of shark knowledge that should have been divulged to our listeners ages ago.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Dan Cole to discuss the aftermath of Quint's death, and Brody's quick thinking to toss the oxygen tank into the shark's mouth. They talk about the confined space of the Orca's cabin, how quickly the film moves from event to event without feeling rushed, how the film is colored in around the edges by the disaster movies of the 1970's, and whether or not the shark roars as it charges into the cabin.

This week Sarah and MJ head back up to the Orca to talk about Brody and Quint attempting to bring the shark cage out of the water. They also discuss the tail end of the real shark footage as well as the documentary Playing With Sharks about the career of Valerie Taylor. Discussions about Quint's demeanor, Brody's journey, and the excellent visual storytelling about the fate of the Orca abound.

In this episode, Sarah and MJ discuss the scene where Hooper is confronted by the shark head on and the shark destroys the cage. Once again, they espouse the idea that JAWS is a slasher movie, find even more connections to PSYCHO and THUNDERBALL, and give dubious advice that should not be followed about what to do in case of shark attack.

In this very normal episode of the show, Sarah and MJ talk about the scene in which Hooper is lowered into the water and we see the shark in all its glory for the very first time. They discuss how terrifying it is to finall be in the shark's "house," notes of other films that can be found in the scene, how to respectfully tackle heavy subjects without being exploitative or saccharine, and the absolute gumption of Ron and Valerie Taylor. And that's all there is to this very normal episode.

In this episode, Sarah and MJ take a look at one of the most poignant scenes in the film, as we see Quint contemplating his choices while Farewell and Adieu plays in the background. They theorize about Quint's life before Amity and the Indianapolis, talk about the five stages of grief, and the parallels the film has with the war films of John Ford.

This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by returning guest Nick Mear to discuss the scene where things really start to fall apart on the Orca. Quint begins to become singularly focused on the shark no matter the cost and eventually blows out the engine, nearly injuring Hooper in the process and the shark behaves in some very un-shark-like ways. This episode is full of people getting hot under the collar, whether it's about The Academy Awards or whether JAWS is, in fact, a slasher movie (spoiler alert: of course it is).

This week Sarah & MJ are talking about one of the more chaotic scenes in the back half of the film as the shark ramps up the assault on the Orca and we're introduced to Quint's machete - something that ends up becoming very important later on. They also get into more slasher film comparisons, the mind games the shark plays with the trio, and a particularly excellent shot with some neat symmetry between the barrels and the characters. 

In this episode, Sarah & MJ take a look at the scene where the trio continues to battle with the shark and Brody inadvertently catches a Hooper instead of a shark. Also features an in-depth discussion on curmudgeonly old directors, and why the best films are edited by women.

With huge thanks to Harley Mumford who kindly edited this episode for us when MJ's computer became an expensive paperweight. 

In the first proper episode of 2022, Sarah and MJ are joined by Tim Hopkin (in a recording session that took place on his birthday!) to discuss the small montage scene where our three heroes chase down the shark to shoot new barrels into its back. They talk about the reuse of footage, the modes of montage in Soviet film theory, and the perils of Quint removing his tooth on the pulpit of The Orca as well as a lengthy discussion of some lesser (and lesser known) shark movies.