Jaws (1975)

Jaws (1975)

The first summer blockbuster. The movie that changed Hollywood forever. The JaZ Make a Podcast Season 1 finale is dedicated to Jaws (1975) — and after rewatching it, both John and Zac are in complete agreement: this is a masterpiece. They go deep on why the broken mechanical shark was the best thing that ever happened to Spielberg's direction, how Roy Scheider's Brody works as the ultimate everyman protagonist, what Robert Shaw's USS Indianapolis monologue means for the film's emotional centre, and why John Williams' deceptively simple two-note theme is one of the most effective pieces of music in cinema history. Plus: the Hitchcock bomb theory in action, Quint's extraordinary death, Hooper's statistically improbable survival, and the larger question — are we past the era of the summer blockbuster? Season 2 has been announced. SHOW NOTES Film: Jaws (1975) Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw Music: John Williams Topics covered: * The broken shark as a storytelling gift — Spielberg's greatest accident * - Brody as the perfect everyman protagonist * - Quint's USS Indianapolis monologue — the emotional heart of the film * - "You're gonna need a bigger boat" * - John Williams' score and how restraint makes it devastating * - Hooper's survival (the math doesn't add up, and that's fine) * - Chekhov's compressed air tank * - Are we in the post-summer-blockbuster era? * - Season 2 announcement Fast Facts: * This was the JaZ Make a Podcast Season 1 finale * - The USS Indianapolis monologue was largely developed by Robert Shaw himself * - Spielberg has called the broken shark one of the best things to ever happen to him Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Supergirl (1984)

James Gunn's Supergirl film was on the horizon, so John and Zac went back to the 1984 original — and it delivered far beyond anyone's expectations. Helen Slater is a genuinely charming Supergirl/Linda Lee, who enrols in high school while Argo City presumably ceases to exist. Faye Dunaway plays Selena, a villain whose primary motivation is getting laid. Peter O'Toole exists as Zoltar — clearly operating in his own film, bless him ("squirt squirt"). Peter Cook is there too. There's an invisible Storm Dragon fight. An abandoned amusement park villain lair. A love potion applied to a gardener named Ethan. And a Phantom Zone escape that is, somehow, almost moving. This is the director's cut — the longest version — and it is a specific and extraordinary gift to cinema. "Squirt squirt" is now part of John and Zac's permanent vocabulary. SHOW NOTES Film: Supergirl (1984) — Director's Cut Director: Jeannot Szwarc Starring: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O'Toole, Peter Cook, Mia Farrow Topics covered: * Helen Slater as Linda Lee/Supergirl — genuinely charming * - Faye Dunaway as Selena — villain motivated entirely by lust * - Peter O'Toole as Zoltar ("squirt squirt") — inexplicable in the best way * - The omegahedron MacGuffin * - The invisible Storm Dragon fight (a choice) * - Argo City's probable extinction while Supergirl attends high school * - The Phantom Zone escape — surprisingly emotional * - Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) in a brief cameo * - James Gunn's upcoming Supergirl film as context Fast Facts: * The director's cut is significantly longer than the theatrical version * - Peter O'Toole's performance cannot be explained, only experienced * - "Squirt squirt" is now the show's unofficial catchphrase Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island (2010) is a film so meticulously constructed that a second viewing transforms every scene. John and Zac go deep on Martin Scorsese's psychological masterpiece: the Hitchcockian and Kubrickian visual language, the deliberate breaking of the 180-degree rule as a disorientation technique, the way frozen bodies thawing represents suppressed memory returning, and the glass continuity trick that signals the hallucination before the film admits it. Was DiCaprio slightly miscast — too innocent-looking for the character's history? Maybe. Are Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley doing quietly extraordinary work? Absolutely. And what does that final line mean? Andrew chose the lobotomy. Deliberately. And it's the most devastating choice in the film. John watches it for the first time. He's on board by the end. SHOW NOTES Film: Shutter Island (2010) Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane Topics covered: * Scorsese's visual grammar — Hitchcock, Kubrick, and the 180-degree rule * - The glass continuity trick as an early hallucination signal * - Frozen bodies = suppressed memory (the film's central metaphor) * - Was the hurricane real? * - Leonardo DiCaprio — possibly miscast? * - Ruffalo and Kingsley's quietly brilliant performances * - The final choice: Andrew's lobotomy is intentional and devastating * - John's first viewing — immediate conversion Fast Facts: * The score was assembled by Robbie Robertson from existing classical pieces — no original music * - Dennis Lehane also wrote Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone * - This was Zac's former favourite Scorsese film Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

SeaQuest DSV (1993)

Steven Spielberg executive-produced it. Irvin Kershner — director of The Empire Strikes Back — directed the pilot. Roy Scheider stars as Captain Nathan Bridger. So why does SeaQuest DSV feel like it's missing everything that would make it work? John and Zac dig into the 1993 NBC pilot for this ambitious underwater sci-fi series. The production design holds up. The 1993 CG is impressive for its era. Darwin the talking dolphin is a genuine delight. But the pilot has no story engine — it builds a world without giving you a reason to live in it. Compared unfavourably to Star Trek: TNG's Encounter at Farpoint. Three seasons were made. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a perfect movie. These facts are unrelated and yet appeared in the same episode. SHOW NOTES Show: SeaQuest DSV (NBC, 1993-1996) Creator: Rockne S. O'Bannon | Exec. Producer: Steven Spielberg Pilot Director: Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) Starring: Roy Scheider as Captain Nathan Bridger Topics covered: * SeaQuest vs. Star Trek TNG — how a pilot should establish a story engine * - Darwin the talking dolphin (a genuine delight) * - Why great pedigree can't save a weak pilot structure * - 1993 production design and CG — impressive for its era * - Jonathan Brandis as the young crew member (more charming than Wesley Crusher) Fast Facts: * Irvin Kershner directed The Empire Strikes Back before this pilot * - SeaQuest ran for 3 seasons (1993-1996) * - Roy Scheider also starred in Jaws — covered in the JaZ Season 1 finale Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Batman on the Silver Screen

The Caped Crusader has had more cinematic lives than any superhero in history — and John and Zac are ranking them all. This episode is a chronological tour through every Batman film: from the gloriously campy 1966 original through Tim Burton's gothic reinvention, Joel Schumacher's ice-pun disasters, Christopher Nolan's unimpeachable Dark Knight trilogy, and beyond. The big answers: Who is the greatest Batman? Kevin Conroy (animated series) — not close. Who is the greatest Joker? Mark Hamill, full stop. What is the greatest Batman film? The Dark Knight, unanimously. And what is Batman & Robin (1997)? Hot garbage. Affectionate, nostalgic, occasionally enjoyable hot garbage — but hot garbage. SHOW NOTES Films covered: * Batman (1966) — Adam West * - Batman (1989) — Tim Burton / Michael Keaton * - Batman Returns (1992) * - Batman Forever (1995) — Val Kilmer * - Batman and Robin (1997) — George Clooney * - Batman Begins (2005) — Christopher Nolan / Christian Bale * - The Dark Knight (2008) * - The Dark Knight Rises (2012) * - Batman v Superman (2016) and the DCEU * - The Batman (2022) — Matt Reeves / Robert Pattinson Fast Facts: * Kevin Conroy (animated series) is declared the greatest Batman of all time * - Mark Hamill's Joker is the gold standard — even above Heath Ledger * - Batman and Robin's ice puns are cited as evidence that nobody said no Follow us on Instagram: @jazmakeapodcast Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Acast Email: jazmakeapodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.