626. Eraserhead

Eraserhead
1977
Directed by David Lynch

Oh man.  David Lynch's reign of terror has begun.  At least I am delivering one horror film for Halloween.  My sister and I are attending an all night horror movie marathon tonight!  It should be truly awful, as I think at least one Halloween sequel is on the menu.  Fun, fun, fun!

Ugh.  Let's get this out of the way.  Frequent readers of mine could probably predict I would hate this.  Henry Spencer has a baby with his girlfriend, but there is something wrong with the child (think Voldemort in The Goblet of Fire).  I read that David Lynch's daughter has clubfoot, so she believes that the inspiration behind the mutated baby was Lynch's regret about having her.  If that's true...well, I can't even think about that.

So I guess the filmmakers wanted us to feel disturbed and make us wish we hadn't seen some of the images?  Good job, I suppose?

RATING: -----

Interesting Facts:

Stanley Kubrick made the cast of The Shining watch this movie to get the feel of the horror genre.  You hear a lot of stories about how Kubrick is abusive but that has got to the worst.

John Waters' favorite film.  Surprise!

625. Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep
1977
Directed by Charles Burnett

Another film that doesn't exactly fall under the "Halloween" heading.  Hang on, because I am going to review Eraserhead next!  I can't believe I just wrote that like it is a positive thing.

Uh right.  A plot summary.  Well, there really is no plot in this film.  I guess the kindest way to describe it is as a series of vignettes about Stan, a poor slaughterhouse worker who lives in Los Angeles. It kind of reminds me of the film Gummo, directed by Harmony Korine, although a lot less horrifying.

This is the kind of movie that makes film critics drool.  This film was never released theatrically but was restored in 2007.  There is absolutely no plot or character development. I am sure whoever did this entry in The Book was quite pleased with themselves.  However, it is not the kind of film I can get into.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

No permits were obtained for this film so it couldn't be shown in theaters.  Thirty years later, the film was restored and the proper rights were secured.  Hurray...

624. Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever
1977
Directed by John Badham

Happy Halloween, everyone!  It is strange being in London for Halloween, since it is not as big of a deal here as it is in the United States.  I get the sense that people here are just humoring children by celebrating it and think I'm weird for demanding candy from them.  Go figure.  Anyway, let's get to our thoroughly unthematic film of the day.

Tony Manero is an Italian American man living in Brooklyn.  He works at a hardware store and his only source of pleasure in life is dancing at the local disco club.  He meets Stephanie, who agrees to be his dance partner, but wants their relationship to stay professional.  Bitch.

Okay, I take it back.  This is a good movie to watch on Halloween, as parts of this film are truly horrifying (and I don't just mean the Bee Gees soundtrack).   The treatment of women in this film is truly disgusting.  I don't know how I am supposed to enjoy watching Tony dance when he and his friends all are actual or aspiring rapists.

Of course, I understand how iconic this film is.  I certainly understand its place on the List.  But it wasn't a fun watch and I wish I could unsee a few of the scenes.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

First Hollywood movie to use the term "blow job."  It's fun learning about history.

Gene Siskel's favorite movie.

623. Man of Marble

Man of Marble
1977
Directed by Andrzej Wajda

Well that was a bit of a chore.  I am having a lot of trouble finding these movies lately.  I tried and failed to find Bigger Than Life for my sister today.  I feel so impotent. I was able to find the first half of this movie (without subtitles of course) but had to go to a shady Polish site to get the rest.  Once again, I had to download a separate file of subtitles and scroll along as I go.  The struggle continues.

Agnieszka is a young director who is making her thesis film on Mateusz Birkut.  Birkut was a bricklayer who was hailed as a hero by the Party for his record breaking brick quotas.  How could a film about a bricklayer not be interesting?  That's gold right there.  Anyway, Birkut has fallen from grace and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Of course, I have to bitch about the running time.  It's tradition, after all.  Two hours and forty minutes. It was quite frankly exhausting, mostly because it was difficult keeping up with the subtitles.  That being said, I am glad I watched this.  I suppose Mateusz was the real main character of the film, but even so, I loved the focus on Agnieszka.  When was the last time we had a positive female character in one of our movies?  Annie Hall...maybe.  Princess Leia?  Regardless, it's not very common.  But here we had a woman in charge of something and she wasn't a sociopath!  Yay!

From a historical point of view, this was definitely an interesting piece.  How they got this past the sensors, I have no idea.  Definitely not a favorite, but still worth seeing.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Because of the anti-communist material, the film was in development hell since 1962.

622. Stroszek

Stroszek
1977
Directed by Werner Herzog

Continuing my rant from the last post, what does the title Last Chants for a Slow Dance even mean?  It just sounds like Chance!  Chants doesn't make any sense!  Sorry, I am still bitter.  Let's transition to my rant for this film.  I am a real treat, aren't I?

Bruno Stoszek is released from prison.  He was incarcerated for some charge related to alcohol, but we are never told what it is (my first grievance).  He immediately goes to a bar, because addicts are lovely, and comforts an unhappy prostitute.  The pair decide to leave Germany and come to America.  Blah, blah, blah the American dream is actually a nightmare blah blah blah.

Sorry, I am cranky today.  My subtitles for this film were absolutely horrible.  The words on the screen were about five minutes ahead of what was actually happening.  This was confusing, to say the least.  Even without this obstacle, I think I would have disliked this movie.  The characters were extremely self destructive, which is always frustrating to watch.  There were also so many irritating scenes in this film that just set my teeth on edge.  The earsplitting accordion music, the voice of the auctioneer, the chicken dancing...I just wanted to punch a whole in my computer.

Werner Herzog continues his slow torture.  Oh, the pain.  Will Man of Marble stop this?

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Apparently, Ian Curtis watched this film before committing suicide.  Is it insensitive to say I understand this?

Admired by David Lynch.  Wow, these facts are really reinforcing my opinion.

621. Last Chants for a Slow Dance

Last Chants for a Slow Dance
1977
Directed by Jon Jost

Prepare for a rant, everyone.  This movie was almost impossible to find.  It didn't seem to exist on any reputable site.  I searched for this film on so many dodgy sites that the UK List of Court Orders (ACCESS TO THE WEBSITES LISTED ON THIS PAGE HAS BEEN BLOCKED PURSUANT TO ORDERS OF THE HIGH COURT!) became a frequently visited page on my browser.  I was finally able to find a download, but the file format wouldn't work on my computer.  Using my savvy computer skills, I was able to convert the file.  Am I a hero?  I am not sure I am completely comfortable with that label, but obviously, I can't stop anyone from saying it.

Of course, none of this was worth it, since this film was an absolute trainwreck.  Basically, we are treated to an hour and a half of the character Tom being a terrible person.  He cheats on his wife, says crude, misogynistic things to strangers, and, in a particularly charming scene, blames his wife for getting pregnant.  The "action" is broken up by painfully long scenery shots that were obviously just there to prolong this movie's miserable life.

We are forced to watch a lot of movies that focus on one character (usually a man) being terrible.  Then we always have to ask ourselves the following questions. Is the disgust we feel for this person intended by the filmmakers?  Are we adding dimensions to a character that we would usually write off as a villain?  Is it important to see this?  Would jumping off this ledge be worth it so I can stop watching this movie?  Sorry, that last one might just be me.

Frankly, I am sick of having rapists be the heroes of our stories.  I am pretty sure this guy might be a rapist as there is a very questionable piece of dialogue when someone asks if the girls Tom chases are willing and Tom replies, "As willing as they can be."  What does that mean??  Maybe I don't want to know.

Let's not let a pretentious critic stop this film from fading into obscurity!  Avoid at all costs.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

Shot on a $2000 budget.  This seems to impress a lot of people, but I probably could have guessed that.

620. Annie Hall

Annie Hall
1977
Directed by Woody Allen

This movie is another obsession of mine.  It is one that I could watch over and over again.  I wrote a paper on it in college (which got an A, although my professor still rejected me when I asked him out; but that's another sad tale).  Most recently, I forced a friend of mine to watch it in Florida.  He said that I was Annie Hall, which is why I enjoy it so much.  Perhaps...

The film explores the relationship between Annie, a neurotic singer, and Alvy Singer, an equally neurotic comedian.  It's incredibly sweet, hilarious, and heartbreaking.  As someone who has an extremely difficult time getting over break ups (as in, I don't get over them), I can testify that the hardest part is replaying your own lobster scenes.  When you were both perfectly happy with each other.  That is something that this movie captures beautifully, particularly because Woody Allen and Diane Keaton dated in real life.

So definitely one of my favorite movies of all time.  Romantic comedies don't get any better than this.  Seriously.  Have you seen Moonstruck?

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Diane Keaton's real name Diane Hall and people frequently call her Annie.

619. The Last Wave

The Last Wave
1977
Directed by Peter Weir

I managed to squeeze another movie in today.  My sister was watching a film for this List, as she has also undertaken this journey, and I got intimidated!  I ended up being slightly resentful that she got to watch The Incredible Shrinking Man and I was stuck with this.

I found this film to be somewhat confusing and once again, we don't get any satisfying explanation about what the hell is happening.  It's quite an annoying trend.  Basically, four Aborigines are accused of murder.  David Burton is procured for their defense and I guess the men's tribal ways break his brain.

So I like I said, this was a bit of a chore to sit through.  I have been very disappointed in the Australian films on the List.  They have all been rather dull and they always seem to end in a really confusing way.  I suppose it was interesting seeing Aboriginal culture, but I am not sure how accurate or flattering their portrayal in this film was.

Are we done with Peter Weir yet?

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The city of Adelaide was used instead of Sydney for the majority of the scenes.

618. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
Directed by Steven Spielberg

I have been on such a high from the last few movies that this came as a bitter disappointment.  We have just seen some pretty great science fiction films and then this one comes along?  Not to mention the fact that this is Spielberg's follow up to Jaws.  Sigh.

Several people, including the wonderful Richard Dreyfuss, begin to experience strange phenomenon.  The obsession gradually takes them over, culminating in a rather ridiculous scene involving mashed potatoes.

Sorry for the shitty summary, but really I did not care for this movie one bit.  I have never been a huge fan of aliens.  There are exceptions, of course, but in general I find the whole concept to be boring.  There is never a satisfying ending; it usually just ends with some ambiguous abduction.  God, this film was dull.  I feel like nothing actually happens in this film, which is astounding to me, because Jaws was so exciting.

So disappointing but I am still eager to see Spielberg again.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Meryl Streep auditioned for the role of Veronica.

Steven Spielberg was displeased with this film, feeling like there wasn't enough "wowness."

617. Star Wars

Star Wars
1977
Directed by George Lucas

All right, ladies and gentlemen.  It's happening!  Star Wars is here.  Star Wars is here!!

Would I consider myself a warsie?  The term makes me think of some frightening, overweight creature with a collection of Jabba the Hut pez dispensers (sorry, warsies).  I have seen the series several times, own the prequels (I know, gasp) and several posters, and have had in depth arguments with my ex boyfriend about the nature of the new lightsaber hilt.  So I guess, yes, I have to start liking pez.

Wow, suddenly the plot seems complicated to explain.  Or, at least, complicated to explain without giving away spoilers.  Of course, if you are going to get mad at me for spoiling Star Wars, just know that I am flipping you off all the way from London.

I know some people simply don't "get" it.  I am not old enough to have nostalgia be the motivator behind my obsession.  I just think it is fun.  The dialogue is fun (how can it not be when someone is called a nerf herder?), the characters are entertaining, and the action never stops.  Special effects never exactly age well, but I think that is part of the enjoyment!  Just have a good time with this one.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Brian De Palma reportedly called this "the worst movie ever."  Oh, what do you know?

First science fiction film to be nominated for Best Picture.

Carrie Fisher was only given the role when she agreed to lose 10 pounds.

616. The Man Who Fell to Earth

The Man Who Fell to Earth
1976
Directed by Nicolas Roeg

Once again, we have a rock star playing the lead in one of our movies.  David Bowie actually managed to be decent in this film, but remember: we are getting closer and closer to Cher in Moonstruck.  Everybody beware!

Bowie is an alien.  I found this premise completely believable and thought this film might actually turn out to be a documentary.  Anyway, there is a drought on his planet and he plans on transporting some water from Earth back home.  He is able to make money by patenting his planet's technology.  He meets an incredibly obnoxious hotel maid or, as I call her, Naggy McNaggyson.  He also befriends a former professor who seems to prey on young girls (Creepy McCreepyson).

I have heard the film's plot described as being about "the corruption of an innocent being."  I don't necessarily think that's true.  Our "hero" seems pretty ready to cheat on his wife from the beginning and, based on the ending, it doesn't seem like his "people" are all that better than us earthlings.

I didn't expect to like this movie that much.  I didn't love it, but maybe I got a bit more out of it than I thought I would.  It is definitely way too long and some of the characters are insanely annoying.  Still, it had a decent plot and there are worse ways to spend two hours.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Roeg initially wanted to cast Michael Crichton as the lead.  What is the logic behind these casting decisions??

615. 1900

1900
1976
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci

Oh dear lord.  Another four hour movie.  I wish I was that guy who controls the music at the Oscars and starts playing it when people's speeches go on for too long.  At about the ninety minute mark of these films, I could just put the music on and the director would have to wrap up whatever he was saying in ten seconds.  It would be glorious.

It is a bit difficult to sum up a four hour long movie, especially when you stop paying attention at the two hour mark.  Alfredo and Olmo are friends, despite Alfredo being raised as a populist and Olmo being raised as a socialist.  Lots of shit goes down and Donald Sutherland appears as a complete psychopath.

I am always annoyed at long films, but the length of this movie particularly pissed me off.  I could have actually enjoyed this film, but I couldn't stay connected to a film for this long.  Perhaps I should have broken it up, but really, that's not the point of a movie!  Maybe it doesn't matter; every character was so unlikable that I might have been unable to enjoy this regardless, even if it was a respectable length.  I do love me some Robert De Niro, though.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

The film used more than 12,000 extras.

The uncut version is over five hours long.

614. In the Realm of the Senses

In the Realm of the Senses
1976
Directed by Nagisa Oshima

The Book claimed this was an "art" film, but let's call it what it is: porn.  Maybe it has more to say than other pornos, but that doesn't stop it from belonging in that genre.  I guess it still counts as a film, though, so we will roll with it.

Sada Abe is maid in a hotel.  The hotel owner molests her and the two begin an affair, despite the fact that he is married (aw, romance).  I suppose she begins to unravel but honestly, he's the one behaving like a monster.  When you have been single for awhile like me, these Alex Forrest characters start to seem quite reasonable.  But that's a discussion for another time.

I don't want anyone to feel like a pervert for saying they like this movie.  I wasn't offended by what I saw but to me, the sex scenes weren't particularly interesting.  Watching this man consistently be a dick wasn't exactly compelling viewing for me.  I get enough of that in real life.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Based on a true story.  Hold onto your penises, if you weren't already.

613. The Ascent

The Ascent
1976
Directed by Larisa Shepitko

A black and white Soviet film!  This should be cheerful.  I just googled the phrase "Soviet Union comedies."  Man, that was a short list.

I feel like I can't say too much about this plot without giving key points away.  Let's just say two Soviet soldiers attempt to evade capture from the Germans in World War II.

In a lot of ways, I felt like this film should have been really interesting to me.  Americans always love to act like we were the real heroes of World War II and that we saved the day.  But the statistics of the casualties during this War are mind-blowing; the USSR lost 20 million people, while the US lost half a million.  Not to discount any of the Allies' contributions, but you would think you would hear more stories about World War II involving Russians.  Still, I can't say I found this film particularly interesting.  In fact, I was quite bored; only about three things happen in this film.  Can we move a little faster please?

I have heard this film praised for its cinematography, but having grown up in Pennsylvania, I have seen more than my share of dirty snowscapes.  Definitely a dull experience.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Last film of the Shepitko's before her death.  She died in a car accident in 1979.

612. Network

Network
1976
Directed by Sidney Lumet

This used to be my older brother's favorite film (I don't know if it still is; he has the tendency to make broad proclamations sometimes and then pretend he never meant them).  As the dutiful doting younger sister, I watched it too.  I actually found it to be quite dull, although I am sure I pretended otherwise.

Howard Beale is the anchor of the UBS Evening News.  He learns that he will be fired in two weeks so declares on air that he will shoot himself on camera before his deadline.  His um, colorful antics actually cause a ratings spike, one that Diana Christensen, played by Faye Dunaway, tries to capitalize on.

Like I said, I found this movie to be exceedingly dull.  All the actors were "acting" so hard that it was pretty exhausting to watch.  I also didn't really understand what the point was.  Yes, it sucks that Howard will soon be out of a job.  But times change, people change, and that is just the way it is.  I don't think the company is "evil" for trying to get ratings (at least, initially).  It was also annoying, but not unexpected, that the successful career woman of course had to be a cold bitch.

A chore to get through and easily skippable.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Jimmy Stewart turned down the main role because of the strong language.  Aw, Jimmy.  You are my favorite square.

611. Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver
1976
Directed by Martin Scorsese

After yet another mass shooting in the United States, I am reluctant to praise a film that seems to glorify this kind of violence.  I am not one to point fingers at the media when it comes to tragedies like this (it has more to do with America's gun rights) but I think a lot of the monsters that commit crimes like this want to be seen as Travis Bickle's.  Maybe that's a stretch, but it's how I feel right now in the wake of the Oregon shooting.

Let's still go through the motions with this one.  Travis Bickle is a lonely veteran in New York City who drives cabs at night.  With this job, he is exposed to all kinds of horror, including seeing child sex workers.  He also tries to woo a campaign volunteer, but freaks her out a bit with his strange personality.  I am pretty sure I have dated him at some point.

Robert De Niro is, of course, absolutely amazing in this film.  Mostly, people want to discuss the ending of the film.  Even if I didn't have a no spoiler rule, that would be the part that I want to skip right now.  I will just go ahead and say that this is extremely well done movie and be done with it.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Robert De Niro would work for fifteen hours a day as a cab driver for a month in preparation of this role.

John Hinckley's attempt on the life of Ronald Reagan was supposedly triggered by this film.

De Niro improvised his character talking to the mirror.

610. Rocky

Rocky
1976
Directed by John G. Avildsen

There have been so many iconic movies lately to review!  Mostly, I have given them the praise that everyone else but I am not going to be able to get behind this movie.  Although I do have to admit, when I visited Philadelphia, I did the pose on top of the steps.  There, got that off my chest.

Rocky Balboa is an enforcer for a loan shark by day and a prize fighter by night.  The World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed, selects Rocky as his opponent when his original challenger backs up.  I know from experience that it is always great being a second choice.

I don't like sports movies and wasn't particularly impressed by any of the actors here.  Still, watching this film wasn't the worst experience.  The training scenes fill me with a kind of film related nostalgia that made seeing this movie semi worth it.

Even so, the fact that this movie won Best Picture over All The President's Men makes me twitch a bit.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Sylvester Stallone had only $106 in the bank when his screenplay was sold.

Stallone flattened his knuckles by hitting the meat so hard for so long.

609. All The President's Men

All The President's Men
1976
Directed by Alan J. Pakula

I have had to watch this film several times for my journalism class, where it is devoutly worshipped.  Rightfully so, since this is a masterpiece of a film.

The film covers the first seven months of the Watergate Scandal, with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford playing Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, respectively.  There are more details here, of course, and this film can be just about as confusing as The Big Sleep.

So, like I said, this movie is a masterpiece, which, to my knowledge, has very few minor inaccuracies.  Maybe I am biased, but I loved watching the reporters' processes.  It wasn't car chases and death threats; it was simply following up every lead, usually from your desk. I can't honestly say that it is a fun movie to watch over and over, but it certainly is a must see, just for the performances alone.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Frank Willis, the security guard who discovers the break in, plays himself.

Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman memorized each other's lines so that they could interrupt each other in character.

608. The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales
1976
Directed by Clint Eastwood

This movie was so unremarkable that I really don't think I would be able to pull it out of a line up.  It makes me wonder how it managed to earn a 1001 spot.

Josey Wales' family is murdered by Union soldiers.  He is driven to revenge and joins the Confederate Army.  Then he is further driven to revenge when his officer betrays their regiment.  Let's take it easy on the motivation, shall we?  Anyway, I am pretty sure that even someone who hadn't seen this movie could map out the rest of the plot.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this movie.  I suppose it wasn't awful and I definitely liked it better than High Plains Drifter (guys, the hero doesn't rape anyone!  It's a miracle). Maybe I have seen too many Westerns at this point, but this was completely forgettable for me.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Eastwood's favorite film that he made.  Um, why?

Received praise from Native American viewers for the film's non stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans.  Well, that's something.

607. Carrie

Carrie
1976
Directed by Brian De Palma

Happy October everybody!  I am just going to go ahead and take credit for the fact that I am reviewing a horror movie right now, even though I go through the List chronologically and this is a complete coincidence.

Carrie tells the story of an awkward teenager who has an abusive, religious mother.  It makes me feel better about my own experience in high school.  I mean, I couldn't have been that weird...right?  Anyway, Carrie gets her period at school (which is a nightmare in itself) but doesn't know what it is so starts screaming.  Naturally, she is laughed at, because it is high school and everyone is terrible.  One of the girls feels guilty for her part in it and arranges to have her boyfriend take Carrie to prom.  A pity date.  Those always end well.  Oh yes, Carrie also has telekinetic powers.

This is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time and everyone is at least a little familiar with it.  I actually watched the remake, which is horrifying for its own reasons.  I am sorry, but if you were as hot as Chloe Grace Moretz, you wouldn't be unpopular in high school.

Yes, the acting can be somewhat cheesy but I thought Piper Laurie, at least, was terrifying.  Definitely a must see, just so you don't have annoying people (me) say "You've NEVER seen Carrie???"

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Stephen King loved this film.  An author likes a movie that was based on their book?  That's refreshing.

In real life, Sissy Spacek was homecoming queen.

606. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
1976
Directed by John Cassavetes

Wait, is this a John Cassavetes film that I actually like.  It can't be...

Cosmo Vitelli owes money to the mafia (with a name like that, it's kind of expected).  He agrees to perform a hit on a rival, but the target might be bigger than he anticipated.  It's a very simple story, but it still took Cassavetes over two hours to tell it in his original cut, according to some online digging I did.  Apparently, once it was received poorly, Cassavettes reedited it to be 108 minutes.  I don't have a lot of respect for a director who needs hours and hours of our time to tell a basic story.

I suppose I did end up liking this, mostly because it felt like a Martin Scorsese movie pretending to be directed by someone else. I did find the ending to be rather cliche at this point.  I might need to amend my spoiler rule so I don't always have to end with vague statements like that.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

One of the few John Cassavetes movies that do not feature his wife Gena Rowlands.

605. Jaws

Jaws
1975
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Finally welcoming Steven Spielberg to the blog!  I know it must have been hard for the Listmakers to admit that they like a director that the average person might have heard of.   Don't worry guys; we will get through this together.

Is there really any need for a plot synopsis here?  A girl goes skinny dipping one night with somewhat disastrous results (for some reason I can never watch this scene; I find it too upsetting).  The police chief wants to close the beaches when it becomes clear it was a shark attack, but the mayor is too concerned about the town's revenue during tourist season to do the right thing.  Another attack happens (something I couldn't watch as well; I am growing soft in my old age), and it is up to the police chief (who is afraid of water), a shark expert, and a crotchety fisherman to fin-ally kill this monster.  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Is it possible to dislike this film?  I think the scar discussion is one of the most brilliant scenes in cinema.  All the characters are fascinating and the action never slows down.  I recently rewatched this with my family and I had forgotten how silly the townspeople were.

Pure entertainment and spectacularly done.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

The mechanical shark that the filmmakers intended to use broke down, prompting Spielberg to use the camera as "the shark."

Roy Schneider ad-libbed the line "you're gonna need a bigger boat."

Highest grossing movie until Star Wars.