Movie Review: Barracuda (1978)

(1978)
Directed by Harry Kerwin & Wayne Crawford
Starring Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, Roberta Leighton, Cliff Emmich, William Kerwin, Bert Freed

Being fans of Jaws, and all of his underwater brethren, I’m always curious, though tread lightly, on movies that deals with a type of killer fish. But if was made in the ’70s, on the box office wave the Spielberg movie made, it is even more appealing, mainly because they never could hold water compared to the original. Granted, no matter how good or bad they might be, it always enforces my fear of what just might be in the water waiting for me. Continue reading

Book Review: Jaws Unmade

Jaws Unmade
Published by Bicep Books, 2020. 341 pages
By John LeMay

One only needs to look at all the rip-offs and inspired titles from a particular film to really know how successful it was. Granted, for Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws, it might have some to do with the box office profits as well. As we all know, movie monsters only die at the box office, which means if it made money, there will be a sequel. Or two. Or more, until the cash cow, or shark as the case may be, is completely dead and resting at the bottom of the ocean. Now we have to remember that in the mid ’70s, sequel-itis hadn’t really spread in Hollywood, but the money Jaws made was just too much to leave well enough alone, so we got Jaws 2 in 1978. Now the story of that production is enough for a book on its own. In fact, there is! Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel, by Louis R. Pisano & Michael A. Smith, is essential for any fan of the Jaws series, not only because it’s on the sequel, but you get a real insight of how much the producers have control of what the final movie is going to be. And Pisano and Smith books gives plenty of info. Continue reading