Let's Jaws For a Minute

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 Spielbe...

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.

LJFAM is now live on Patreon ! You can support the show with a monthly donation and get some cool bonus content and a shout-out on each episode!

 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...

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 fr...

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 abou...

In the final minute by minute episode of Let's Jaws for a Minute, Sarah and MJ are joined by Kevin Held, a.k.a Sean Orleans to talk about Brody's triumphant moments following Bruce's demise all the way up until the final credits roll. They wax poetic about the end of the show, discuss barrell continuity one last time, and talk about the bittersweet nature of Hooper and Brody heading back to shore...

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 piec...

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 sha...

In this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Tom Grant-Ward of the Lost in The Lockdown podcast to discuss Quint's final moments. They go in-depth into what this moment means for Brody, how the scene functions as a microcosm of Quint's entire arc over the film, the next-level production design of Joe Alves, and invent a new breakfast cereal.

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 abso...

In this.....creatively....edited episode, MJ and Sarah welcome Chandru Ravindran back to the show to talk about the scene where the trio works together to build the shark cage and lower Hooper into the water. They talk about the montage of it all, shirtless Roy Scheider, the last looks between Quint and Hooper, and how the tone of the scene switches from somber to resolute back to somber.  DI...

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 colla...

In the illustrious 69th episode of LJFAM, Sarah and MJ are joined by JAWS superfan Christopher Hood to talk about the scene the shark runs silent underneath the Orca, leaving the crew frantic and speechless before Quint decides to take the boat back towards the shore in an attempt to "drown" the shark. They discuss the ramping up of the film's horror elements, the excellent shot of Quint's machete...

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 symmetr...

This week, Sarah & MJ dive into the scene where the shark hooks a rogue Orca, Brody avoids near-disaster by quickly securing the oxygen tanks, and we get a great shot of Bruce chowing down on the line. Of course, there are also plenty of tangents as we discuss Michael Myer's flair for the dramatics, and discover a knife block for all your premium stabbing needs.  Huge thanks to Harley Mum...

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 paperwei...