Tag: Jaws
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The John Hughes-Written ‘Jaws’ Parody That We Never Got
In 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws changed film history forever. It was, at the time, the box office king, and the movie that created the trend of summer blockbusters. Like all good things, though, Hollywood couldn’t leave it alone. Desperate to try to recapture that magic, in 1978 came Jaws 2, where star Roy Scheider returned…
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This Horror Script Inspired Two Steven Spielberg Classics
In the late 1970s, Steven Spielberg was on top of the cinematic world. After back-to-back smash hits Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, moviegoers eagerly awaited what the wunderkind filmmaker from Arizona would do next. Though he’d ultimately stumble with critics and audiences in releasing the underappreciated manic comedy, 1941, the filmmaker had…
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The Most Satanic Film of All Time Preys on Our Deepest Fears
While it’s hard to pin down a singular “golden period” in the history of Hollywood cinema, the 1970s were certainly responsible for many of the classic horror films often cited as being influential today. The rise of the “New Hollywood” era allowed a younger generation of filmmakers, international auteurs, and maverick independent directors reach a…
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Steven Spielberg’s Funniest Moment in Indiana Jones Wasn’t Even Planned
Steven Spielberg has been working in Hollywood for 50+ years and is still going strong. Spielberg’s films have made a whopping $10.7 billion worldwide. From Jaws to Jurassic Park to Schindler’s List, and the more recent The Fablemans, Spielberg succeeds by making his audiences feel deeply. He can scare us with sharks and dinosaurs and…
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Five Nights At Freddy’s Director Drew Inspiration From A DC Supervillain – And Steven Spielberg
Once upon a time, it’s not inconceivable Steven Spielberg might have directed “Five Nights at Freddy’s” or a film just like it. Recall that the young Spielberg loved terrorizing audiences. His first feature-length directorial effort, the made-for-tv 1971 thriller “Duel,” was such an exhilarating blast that it eventually got a theatrical release. Then came his…
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Raiders Of The Lost Ark Countered Jaws In Taking Advantage Of An Underrated Effect
He’s one of the greatest, most successful filmmakers in the history of the moving image, but there were times throughout his career when even Steven Spielberg needed a hit. Badly.One such crucial juncture arrived in 1980. After the unprecedented blockbuster combo of “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Spielberg face-planted with the critically…
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10 Thrilling Maritime Movies, Ranked
In June 1975, the summer blockbuster was born when three men set sail to kill a monstrous 30-foot great white shark before realizing they were “gonna need a bigger boat”. Jaws was one of the first thrillers to take place on a boat or in the water, and it gave movies a relatively unexplored new…
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Raiders Of The Lost Ark Had Steven Spielberg Doing Things He Swore He Wouldn’t Do Again
In 1981, Steven Spielberg admitted that filmmaking was a learning experience … in what you hate. Spielberg’s first feature was “Duel,” a horror movie based on a short story by Richard Matheson, and it was made on a budget of only $450,000, cheap even for 1971. He followed that with “The Sugarland Express” in 1973,…
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Box Office Stats Have Nothing To Do With a Film’s Quality, Actually
The top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time at the domestic box office (without adjusting for inflation) are The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avatar, Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Infinity War, Titanic, and Jurassic World, respectively. Out of those 10, five were nominated for Best…
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Jack Nicholson Manipulated An Oscars Bigwig To Promote Tim Burton’s Batman
“Jaws” might have been the first blockbuster in 1975, but nearly 15 years later, 1989’s “Batman” changed the definition of the term. Tim Burton’s third studio movie not only proved a financial success, bringing in $411 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, it kicked off a summer of so-called “Bat-mania,” becoming a bonafide phenomenon…