Top 5 Films of 2015

In just 24 short hours 2015 will officially go down as the biggest year in box office history, a healthy seven percent increase over 2014 and a nearly two percent rise over previous record holder 2013.

Obviously behemoths like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World helped push numbers over the top, but there actually was a healthy dose of other worthwhile titles that arrived pretty steadily over the course of the year: Mad Max, The Walk and The Hateful Eight, to name a few. I did my part as usual, catching 26 films from January through December. Below are my top 5 of 2015.


1. Brooklyn: John Crowley's adaptation of Colm Toibin's 2009 bestseller concerning a young girl who leaves her Irish home for prosperity in 1950s America is not just a beautiful, perfectly told love story, it's a career triumph for actress Saoirse Ronan, who melts your heart with every smile, tear and word that falls from her mouth. Having Nick Hornby write the script doesn't hurt either.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road: George Miller's reimagining of his popular 1980s post-apocalyptic action franchise was easily the best and most original film of the summer, simply two hours of mind-blowing, in-your-face action the likes we've never seen before. Sure the story was a bit thin, but you tend to forgive such minuscule concerns when finding cinematic Xanadu.

3. Spotlight: Tom McCarthy's compelling true-life tale of the Boston Globe's investigation of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is an All the President's Men for a new generation, all anchored by the terrific ensemble of Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Liev Schreiber. More than enough to forgive McCarthy's 2014 misstep The Cobbler.

4. The Martian: Ridley Scott's adaptation of Andy Weir's 2014 bestselling tale of an astronaut left for dead on Mars is grand Hollywood entertainment, full of thrills, humor and heart and featuring a masterful, Oscar-worthy performance from star Matt Damon. This is why we go to the movies.

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: J.J. Abrams' surprisingly effective, deeply moving continuation of the George Lucas' iconic space saga offered both a nostalgic look back and an exciting look forward for fans of all ages, making us pine for the revelations yet to come. Let's hope Luke has a few more lines in the next one.

If I Could Pick Five More: 6. Bridge of Spies 7. The Hateful Eight 8. The Walk 9. Trumbo 10. Steve Jobs

Happy New Year!

Quick Flick Review: The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight is pretty much business as usual for Quentin Tarantino fans, full of desperate, wily characters, thunderous, razor-sharp dialog and merciless, bloody violence. Exactly what we want, right?

Set in in the Wyoming wilderness not long after the Civil War, the film opens on a stagecoach racing across a snow-shrouded trail amidst a brooding opening theme by legendary composer Ennio Morricone. It's not long before the coach comes across stranded bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), asking for a lift into the town of Red Rock, as a blizzard is fast-approaching. The driver tells Warren he'll need to ask the passenger in back for permission, as the man has paid for a private ride into town.

That passenger is fellow bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell, doing his best John Wayne) and his prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). After verifying Warren's identity and making sure the former Union officer has no interest in the $10,000 price on Domergue's head (Warren has three of his own dead bodies to cash in on), Ruth allows the man to board and the three roar off toward a nearby way station known as Minnie's Haberdashery.

Shortly thereafter, another man, one Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), is trailside asking for a ride. Mannix, a loose interpretation of a Southern gentlemen if there ever was one, claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock and tells Ruth if he wants to get paid for Domergue, he'd better extend him a ride. After some "colorful" dialog insues, Ruth again agrees.

The four barely make it to Minnie's before the brunt of the storm hits and there they are met by four more "stranded" individuals: hangman Oswaldo Mosbray (Tim Roth), cowpuncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), former Confederate army general Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern) and storekeeper Bob (Demian Bichir). Of course it's not long before suspicion takes over and all hell breaks loose.

Every character in The Hateful Eight is memorable and each actor seems to to be having the time of their lives spouting that one-of-a-kind Tarantino verbiage, especially Jackson and Goggins. They really are the two linchpins of the film, sworn enemies at first, but strangely closer by journey's end.

As if the dialog and characters weren't enough of a draw, this time around Tarantino has chosen to shoot his film in the long-dormant, super-wide Ultra Panavision 70 format and release it as a throwback Cinerama roadshow presentation in select cities. I was fortunate enough to screen the film this way and while it was nice to have an overture, intermission and souvenir program, 70mm road shows just don't work in small, run-of-the-mill multiplex theaters, where The Hateful Eight has been relegated since every large, premier screen in the country is committed to Star Wars for the next month.

70mm aside, The Hateful Eight doesn't exactly break any new ground in the Tarantino canon, but it does extend an extremely talented filmmaker's incredible eight-film run of giving audiences exactly what they want: indelible entertainment. Grade: B+

Dec. 31: Top 5 Films of 2015

Quick Flick Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens delivers both a nostalgic look back and an exciting look forward for a 40-year-old saga that can easily be labeled the most influential and enduring film franchise in cinematic history.

Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, we learn from the now-iconic opening crawl that Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, is missing and in his absence a new order of evil has risen from ashes of the old Galactic Empire and now threatens the entire republic, so much so that a resistance has formed (they called it a rebellion in my day), led by none other than General Leia Organa.

As the film opens, Leia has dispatched crack X-wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to the desert planet Jakku to obtain a clue to Luke's whereabouts. Before Poe can take off with the vital information, the First Order, led by the Force-sensitive, Vader-esque Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), drops in looking for the same quarry, forcing Dameron to hide it inside his beach-ball-looking droid BB-8, who rolls off all alone into the desert night.

BB is soon befriended by the young scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the two intersect with Finn (John Boyega), a morality-stricken AWOL Stormtrooper who's recently crash-landed on Jakku while helping Poe Dameron escape the clutches of the First Order. The trio barely get past introductions before a swarm of Tie fighters come calling, forcing our new heroes to escape in the only ship handy....a long-since-abandoned Millennium Falcon.

The Falcon isn't in the air long before it's swallowed up by a large freighter. Soon its crew, a certain Corellian smuggler of some repute and his Wookie cohort, are boarding the fabled "hunk of junk," claiming to be "home." Yes, a graying Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca have joined our adventure and eventually agree to help Rey and Finn get BB-8 to Leia and the resistance.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is surprisingly effective, full of subtle nods to the original trilogy while successfully marrying a believable, satisfying story with engaging, purposeful personalities, both new and established. While the film does mirror the 1977 original at times, right down to a Death Star-type weapon, and illicits more questions than answers, the enveloping narrative and characters allow you to forgive the little transgressions of unoriginality and plotting.

Ford hasn't been this energetic and enjoyable to watch in years, maybe decades. His Han Solo really drives this new installment and carries most of the emotional weight of what has come before, and will transpire later. It's a performance that stays with you long after you've left the theater. Carrie Fisher's Leia is a little more reserved than we remember, but it's nice to see our favorite princess still fighting the good fight and keeping Han in check.

Newcomers Ridley and Boyega are really the ones who will carry this new trilogy forward and they both have an easy, natural rapport and infuse their characters with just the right amount of heart and spunk.

The Force Awakens is an entertaining, deeply moving continuation of the Star Wars franchise, one that should satisfy both old and new fans alike, and make all of us yearn for the revelations to come. Grade: B+

Happy Holidays!

Quick Flick Review: Spectre

Sam Mendes' Spectre wants to be as good as 2012's Skyfall, and for a while it achieves its lofty goal, but unfortunately when it comes time for the big reveal, the much-anticipated confrontation between British super spy James Bond and the master villain pulling all the strings, the one we've patiently been waiting for over the course of nine years and four films, things fall a bit flat.

Set shortly after the events of its predecessor, Spectre opens during a Day of the Dead festival in Mexico City and finds Bond (Daniel Craig) hunting a terrorist who's keen on blowing up a stadium full of people. After an attempt to neutralize his target goes spectacularly awry, Bond is soon chasing his prey through reveler-packed streets, climaxing in a breathtaking helicopter battle that ultimately gives our favorite secret agent a new clue on a much bigger organization operating behind the scenes.

Placed on inactive field duty by the new M (Ralph Fiennes) for his unsanctioned stunt in Mexico, Bond secretly travels to Rome to attend the funeral of the operative he threw out of the copter. There he encounters the man's widow (Monica Bellucci) and through some "friendly persuasion" gleans that the mysterious cabal in question is actually meeting in the city the next night.

Bond of course gains entrance to this shin-dig (a dimly lit gathering of nefarious types in evening gowns and tuxedos huddled around a boardroom) and is soon called out by name by the head man, a soft-spoken, shadow-shrouded figure whose face we never see. Bond flees and narrowly escapes after being pursued in another breakneck sequence by a relentless, hulking thug reminiscent of Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love.

From there we travel to Austria and then Morocco as Bond follows more clues and enlists the help of one Doctor Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr. White from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

Eventually, Bond comes face to face with the mystery man again and we learn he is one Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), an individual who shares a hidden past with our hero. As Oberhauser succinctly labels himself: "The author of all your pain."

There's no denying Spectre is wildly entertaining, full of the prerequisite kinetic action, exotic locales and beautiful women the franchise is famous for. It features several nods to previous Bond adventures and actually feels like a more natural follow-up to 2008's Quantum of Solace than Skyfall did.

Where the film ultimately stumbles a bit is in that eventual face-to-face between Bond and Oberhaueser. All the implied backstory, the hidden history the two share and they barely scratch the surface during their climatic encounter. We want Bond to ask questions, dig deeper. Instead he just sits there as Oberhauser peels back the layers of the last nine years. Bond treats it all like old news, a matter of public record, unworthy of response. You've got two great actors in Craig and Waltz just ready to verbally spar, and all we get is polite, benign chit-chat.

The end of Spectre pretty much guarantees hero and villain will meet again. Let's hope Craig does indeed return for another go-around and that we finally get that epic exchange we've all been waiting for. Grade: B

Quick Flick Review: Bridge of Spies

While Steven Spielberg's unparalleled cinematic artistry alone makes Bridge of Spies required viewing, it's really the star power of Tom Hanks that commands the screen, sometimes a little too well for its own good.

Based on true events during the height of the Cold War in the late '50s and early '60s, Hanks plays James Donovan, an extremely affable-yet-shrewd Manhattan insurance attorney who is asked by the U.S. government to first defend and then negotiate the swap of captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel for shot-down American pilot Francis Gary Powers.

The first half of the film toggles back and forth between Donovan's attempt to secure Abel a fair, impartial trial (not an easy task) and Powers getting up to speed on his super-secret U2 mission. The second half mostly unfolds in East Berlin as Donovan must not just negotiate the release of Powers, but a recently detained American college student as well. There are a lot of characters and moving parts to wade through at times, but Spielberg keeps things rolling along at an efficient pace. Every shot is meticulously framed and serves the story perfectly.

The one constant in all the action is Hanks' Donovan, the epitome of unflappable, seamlessly moving through the worlds of Madison Avenue and the federal court system with the utmost of ease. His suits are crisp, his confidence high and his snappy banter neverending.

You'd think by the time the CIA dumps him in East Berlin to more or less fend for himself, he'd start to show a little vulnerability, but it never materializes, and that, unfortunately, is where the character's believability begins to suffer a little. We realize we're being drawn in by the magnetism of Tom Hanks, not a fish-out-of-water insurance attorney.

While Bridge of Spies may come off as a bit of a star vehicle at times, it's still an extremely entertaining, well-made and well-acted film that reminds us how old-fashioned Hollywood craftsmanship can still deliver something truly special. Grade: B+

Quick Flick Review: The Martian

Ridley Scott's The Martian is grand Hollywood entertainment, full of thrills, humor and heart, all anchored by a masterful, Oscar-worthy performance by Matt Damon.

Scott's adaptation of Andy Weir's 2014 bestselling tale of an astronaut left for dead on Mars carries the director's usual visual flair and moves quickly to fit in all the science and problem-solving scenarios Damon and NASA must face to survive and effectively mount a rescue mission. It's a lot of data to digest at times, but it never slows the story, mainly because the film has strong supporting players like Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain and Chiwetel Ejiofor to effectively get its points across.

The film, though, truly belongs to Damon. His Mark Watney is an experienced scientist, smart and resourceful, but he's also a human being, alone on an alien planet and facing an increasingly grim chance of survival. Damon deftly toggles between both "realities" with the utmost of ease. We celebrate his triumphs and agonize in his defeats not because the story dictates it, but because we feel it from an affable, engaging soul that could just as easily be one of us.

The Martian is not just one of the most entertaining films of the year, it's one of the smartest, for its science and technology, but more importantly, for its humanity. Grade: A -

Quick Flick Review: The Walk

Robert Zemeckis' The Walk is truly a sight to behold on the big screen, a completely immersive, awe-inspiring experience that just may rank as the best 3D film Hollywood has ever produced.

Based on French high-wire artist Phillipe Petit's covert 1974 1,300-foot-high stroll between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the film admittedly starts off a little slow as we spend most of the first half in France getting acquainted with our key conspirators, but once the action moves to New York for first the Mission: Impossible-like planning and then the eventual feat itself, we're buckled in for a ride of truly epic proportions.

The towers are living, breathing characters, looming larger than life amidst the hovering fog and platinum skyline. We watch breathlessly as the steel walking cable is extended between the seemingly mountainous cavern separating the two chrome-laded behemoths. Then, just as our hearts have quieted, Petit steps off and begins a nearly thirty-minute-long traversal, spinning, lying down, basically floating on air, and we're right there with him amongst the clouds, searching for breath again.

The film really is all about that thirty-minute walk. The always-good Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives an endearing, whimsical performance as Petit and both Ben Kingsley and James Badge Dale provide nice supporting work, but the characters are really never fleshed out and that unfortunately gives the film at times a bit of a hollow, empty quality.

But make no mistake, we're there for the spectacle and The Walk surely provides it a way unlike anything we've ever seen, especially on the big screen and even more so in 3D. Run, don't walk to see it. Grade: B+

Quick Flick Review: Black Mass

It's hard not to think of Martin Scorsese's The Departed when watching Scott Cooper's Whitey Bulger biopic Black Mass.

You've got the same South Boston setting, the same unscrupulous lowlifes, the same duplicitous cops, the same '70s-era rock hits and even the same bad guy more or less, as the Jack Nicholson gangster in Scorsese's film was loosely based on Bulger and his stint as one of the nation's most notorious crimelords.

Unfortunately, it's those similarities that give Black Mass that "been there, done that" vibe and ultimately cloud an otherwise exceptional performance from star Johhny Depp.

Depp, who has seemed content living in the shadow of Jack Sparrow the last 10 years, slips into the skin of Bulger with the ease of trying on a well-worn glove. With his Southie drawl, thinning blond hair and ice-blue eyes, Depp masterfully balances his performance between soft-spoken nurturer and unholy menance. One second he's talking up the merits of orange juice to his small son, the next he's strangling a woman inside his mother's house. It's a glaring reminder of the type of talent Depp still possesses, one that should warrant serious consideration come Oscar time.

Black Mass really doesn't offer audiences anything new to chew on. But if it gets Johnny Depp to seek out more challenging rolls, it'll have served its purpose. Grade: B -

Five Autumn Films Worth Falling For

You probably could tell from my lack of a preview post in May that I didn't think much of the then-pending summer movie season. Nothing but sequels and uninspiring CG-heavy fare. A far cry from last summer's bumper crop of original, character-driven offerings.

Four months and a handful of screenings later, my initial opinion hasn't changed much. Granted, Mad Max: Fury Road was amazing and both Jurassic World and Mission: Impossible - Rouge Nation were far better than I thought they'd be, but films like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man seemed overly repetitive and unoriginal. And then there was Tomorrowland. What the heck happened there?

All told, I caught eight films this summer, the fewest in recent memory, perhaps ever, and with the exception of Mad Max, I'd give none of them a grade higher than a B. Too harsh? Maybe. All I know is that I love cinema and when I drop my $15 to see a movie on the big screen, I want to see something special, something with a little thought behind it. I bet most of you feel the same way.

Luckily for us, things look pretty optimistic from now through Christmas. Below are my five films worth falling for this autumn, especially on the big screen (in order of release).

The Walk: Oscar-winning visual maestro Robert Zemeckis takes us back to 1974 when French high-wire artist Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) took a covert, commando-like 1,300-foot-high stroll between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. This one definitely needs to be seen on the largest screen possible. Just don't look down. (Sept. 30)

The Martian: Ridley Scott adapts Andy Weir's 2014 bestseller in which an astronaut (Matt Damon) is left for dead on Mars and must find a way to survive until NASA and his Earth-bound crewmates can figure out a way to retrieve him. The book was a little too technical for my liking, but the story is undeniably cinematic and with sci-fi master Scott calling the shots, this one should prove to be a very worthwhile ride. (Oct. 2)

Bridge of Spies: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks reteam for the first time in 11 years. I'm in! (Oct. 16)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: As a first-generation Star Wars fan, I have my reservations on a J.J. Abrams-helmed SW tale filled with Rebels-like misfits only a seven-year-old could love. But here's what I keep telling myself: it's a sequel to Return of the Jedi and features Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie. How can you not go? (I'm actually writing this while waiting in line.) (Dec. 18)

The Hateful Eight : Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to Django Unchained is another "wild" Western in which a group of unsavory strangers get stranded together in close quarters and must "work out" their differences as only Tarantino characters can do. Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh headline the eclectic cast, and as an added bonus, select theaters will screen the film in glorious 70mm. I guess I know what I'm doing the day after Christmas. (Dec. 25, limited)


Five More That Should Be On Your Radar: Black Mass (Today); Everest (Today); Steve Jobs (Oct. 9); Spectre (Nov 6); In The Heart of the Sea (Dec. 11)

Quick Blu Review: Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road was easily the best and most original film of the summer: simply two hours of non-stop, jaw-dropping, in-your-face action that completely immerses you in a world of sight and sound like few films ever have.

Fury Road is Miller's reimagining of his popular post-apocalyptic Mad Max films of the 1980s. Tom Hardy takes over for Mel Gibson as road warrior Max Rockatansky, a former highway cop who now battles gangs of vicious marauders across a dystopian wasteland. This time around Max finds himself in the middle of deadly conflict between warlord Immortan Joe and Imperator Furisoa (Charlize Theron). Nothing major, Furiosa's just absconded with five of Joe's enslaved wives in an attempt to secure their freedom.

The story and characters in Fury Road are pretty one-dimensional, and that's fine. We're here for the action and frankly there just isn't enough room for anything else. Miller and his team have taken the kinetic energy of the first three films and thrown them on their ear, delivering amped-up visuals unlike anything we've ever seen. Everything is a feast for the eyes. I've long dreamed of finding cinematic Xanadu. Damned if George Miller hasn't delivered it.

As expected, Fury Road looks spectacular on Blu-ray. Presented in its native 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the razor-sharp images leap off the screen. The rust-colored desert, the blood-red sandstorms, that fire-spewing guitar player from hell, everything, just gushes with vibrant color and gritty menace.

The Dolby Atmos-enhanced TrueHD 7.1 audio track is fully immersive and both dialog and music are crystal clear at minimal levels.

Extras include a handful of insightful make-of documentaries that should keeps fanboys busy for hours.

Mad Max: Fury Road is a landmark achievement in action filmmaking and will most likely end up on many reviewers' best-of lists for 2015, my own included. Grade: A

Quick Flick Review: No Escape

No Escape is one of those late-summer, ninety-minute head-scratchers you question why was even made.

The set-up is laughably simple: within hours of landing in an unnamed Southeast-Asian country, an American family, led by Owen Wilson and Lake Bell, must flee for their lives as guerillas stage a coup and begin executing foreigners.

The whole film is devoid of any characterization and basically plays like one endless chase sequence: running, jumping, shooting and screaming. Lots of screaming.

Wilson seems grossly out of place in this type of role (his last action film was 2001's Behind Enemy Lines) and the always-engaging Bell has really nothing much more to do here than cry and question her husband's actions.

Pierce Brosnan is somewhat intriguing as a British intelligence operative who helps the family, but not even 007 can breathe any sustainable life into this pointless turkey. Grade: D

Quick Flick Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

It's pretty much business as usual for Tom Cruise and the nearly 20-year-old Mission: Impossible franchise, but Rogue Nation offers just enough wildly inventive, breathtaking sequences to make taking another trip with Ethan Hunt and his IMF team worthy of your time, especially on the big screen. Grade: B

Quick Flick Review: Southpaw

Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw basically plays like a reworking of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky III: boxing champ loses both his title and a member of his family and mounts a comeback with an unconventional trainer.

The film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, but it is engaging and offers solid performances from both Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker.

The real star, however, is 13-year-old Oona Laurence, who more or less breaks your heart every time she appears on screen. Grade: B

Remembering James Horner

I was very sad to hear of film composer James Horner's sudden passing yesterday at 61.

With the exception of John Williams, I don't think another composer's work has fostered my love of cinema more than Horner's.

I was just nine years old when I heard the rousing Main Title for 1980's Battle Beyond the Stars, a film really only notable for the music. Two years later came the beloved score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, followed by Something Wicked This Way Comes and Krull.

Each of those scores was pure magic, full of conflict, playfulness and adventure. Sitting in the dark with my friends at the neighborhood five-plex are some of my most cherished childhood memories. James Horner's music was a big part of that.

Over the next 15 years Horner delivered unforgettable compositions for films like Cocoon, Aliens, Willow, Field of Dreams (one of my personal favorites), Glory, The Rocketeer, Legends of the Fall, Braveheart, Apollo 13 and of course, Titanic.

In all, James Horner scored over 100 films in 35-plus years. His work remains a testament to the power of cinema and will undoubtedly inspire audiences and filmmakers alike for generations to come.

You're Gonna Need A Bigger Theater: 40 Years of Jaws

I was just four years old in the summer of 1975, too young to see Steven Spielberg's Jaws during its record-breaking theatrical run.

No, my initial exposure to the cinematic phenomenon then sweeping the country came in the form of an IDEAL Great White-shaped scavenger game and a deluge of rubber sharks flooding the toy aisles.

It wasn't until a quiet Sunday afternoon a few years later that I finally realized what all the fuss was about.

I was visiting my dad's place, flipping through TV channels, trying to find something to hold my interest. My old man was in the garage, washing the car or something, and I had the house to myself.

I came across one of the pay movie channels, HBO or ON-TV, and the scene where Brody's son gets attacked in the estuary was just getting started. You know the one where the guy in the skiff falls in and his gnawed-off leg slowly sinks to the bottom? I remember feeling a sudden horrific thrill at the sight of that indelible image, unlike any I'd ever seen, and for the next hour, right up through when Quint becomes a "hot lunch," I sat glued to the television, perpetually sneaking glances over my shoulder, afraid that at any second my dad would come in and bust me.

My dad never did come in and that secret, heart-pounding viewing inside a non-descript '70s-era townhome, one I kept to myself for many years after, remains one of my all-time favorite cinematic experiences.

Based on Peter Benchley's 1974 bestselling novel, Jaws appears on the surface (no pun attended) as just another thrilling man-versus-beast genre tale. I mean the set-up is pretty simple: a Great White shark begins terrorizing a small New England island and a trio of heroes must work together to destroy it. A perfect recipe for a Saturday matinee or a night at the drive-in. Two hours of fun, cheap thrills, easily forgotten by morning. At the time, that was the tried-and-true, paint-by-numbers formula for these types of pictures. Fortunately for us, the makers of Jaws never got that memo.

Director Steven Spielberg had already proven himself an adept filmmaker with the 1971 TV movie Duel. What had made that film work so well was the fact that you never completely saw the menacing tanker truck chasing Dennis Weaver across the desert. You were only afforded glimpses, long shots, tire close-ups, etc. You weren't sure what the hell was chasing him and that scared you even more.

Spielberg applied the same precept for Jaws. You never completely see the shark, only outlines, until the last half hour of the film. You know there's something big, something scary lurking under that inky water and while you dread the eventual reveal, you secretly can't wait.

And then there's John Williams' score. Talk about classing up a monster movie. Sure the now-iconic "duh-dunt..duh-dunt..duh-dunt" gets all the attention, but dig deeper and you find a wonderful adventure score, full of playful nautical references and tension-packed action cues. There's a reason it earned the composer his second Oscar.

But what really allows the film to break out of its genre mold and become something truly special is the relationship between the three main leads: Brody (Roy Scheider), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw). Each is as different as different can be. Brody's the water-fearing chief of police, Hooper the young, sardonic marine biologist and Quint the salty shark hunter. None would have any business being around one another if it wasn't for the shark. But they form a bond that plays off one another perfectly and the result is really the main reason the film still resonates so well today.

Jaws opened on June 20, 1975 and became an instant cultural phenomenon, playing to packed houses all summer long and becoming the first film in history to gross $100 million (The Godfather had held the previous record with $86 million).

Its success signified a radical change in Hollywood as studios could now make back their investments in days instead of months or years. Everyone wanted a summer blockbuster (20th Century Fox would get theirs two years later with Star Wars), not the gritty, anti-establishment auteur films that had so memorably defined the first half of the decade. For better of worse, the tentpole picture had been born.

40 years after its release, Jaws still holds a special place in my heart. I screen it every 4th of July and each time it's like visiting with an old friend. I admit, however, after countless viewings the film no longer provides the horrific thrill of that initial screening back in the '70s.

No, my admiration today extends to just about every aspect of the production itself - direction, acting, writing, music, editing, etc. Jaws is not just a masterwork of the genre, it's a masterwork of cinema, a textbook on how to tell a story in the dark.

Most call Jaws the perfect summer film. I just call it perfect, period.

Experience Jaws as audiences did 40 years ago when it returns to select theaters June 21 and 24.

Remembering Christopher Lee

The wife woke me this morning with news the great Christopher Lee had passed away June 7 at 93.

Such an imposing, eloquent actor with so many great roles over eight decades, it's hard to pick my favorite performance.

I think the first time I saw him was in Airport '77 and then in films like Return From Witch Mountain and 1941. It was years later that I found the classic Hammer horror films for which he is most remembered. Paired with the equally great Peter Cushing, I ate up titles like The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Mummy.

Of course more recently he was introduced to a whole new generation of fans as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Lee was a true icon of cinema and one that will be sorely missed. At least we'll always have his films.

New Star Wars Trailer Still Hasn't Awakened Me

I'm sure by now you've all seen the second Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer that debuted last week. I've been on the fence about this film ever since it was announced a few years back. The first trailer sure didn't help persuade me. Now having seen the second a few times over the weekend, I'm still not ready to commit.

I liked the Luke voiceover, the image of Vader's charred helmet and the natural, un-CGI look of the film. I was excited when I heard my favorite smuggler's voice, but a little let down at the image of a 70-year-old Han Solo. And what's with Chewie? He looked like a distant relative, a second cousin perhaps, not the Wookie I remember from the original trilogy. (Granted, it's 30 years later, but still.)

The simple fact is I don't care about any of these new "central" characters they keep showing us. Mainly because we know nothing about them. Give us some glint of where they fit in, something to give us hope going forward. I mean it's a sequel to Jedi, we want to see those familiar, iconic characters, their offsprings, etc. Instead we get scavengers and unmasked Stormtroopers. Are these images really supposed to get us excited?

Look, I'm first-generation Star Wars, I'm going to see this thing regardless. But I want to look forward to December, not dread it. I want to know it's going to being something special for all fans, not just the kids looking for another Clone Wars or Rebels.

My guess is the official, full-length trailer will hit in September. Let's hope it finally reveals a Christmas present every fan can't wait to open.

Criterion To Release The Black Stallion On 4K Blu-ray

Back in January 2011 I wrote a piece on five films that deserved some love for the coming year on the home-video front. One of those titles was Carroll Ballard's long-neglected 1979 classic The Black Stallion .

I mentioned how "someone like Criterion could really give this film the polish it deserves." I even talked the film up on Twitter a few months later when Criterion asked what films people wanted to see released going forward.

Well, four long years and one sub-par MGM Blu release later, Criterion announced this week it will be releasing The Black Stallion on Blu-ray July 14, with an all-new 4K digital transfer.

Suddenly, I have a film to look forward to this summer. Way to go, Criterion. Of course, I'd like to think I was the one that planted the seed.

Oscar Predictions

My picks in the major categories for Sunday's Academy Awards. Enjoy the show.

Picture: Boyhood
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Birdman
Actor: Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything
Actress: Julianne Moore Still Alice
Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons Whiplash
Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette Boyhood
Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson The Grand Budapest Hotel
Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore The Imitation Game