Category Archives: Movie

June 29: Icthyology Numerology

A lot of things happened on both Tinian and Amity Islands on June 29. Let us help you make some sense of it. If history is written by the victor, then we do not know whom to trust in the … Continue reading

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July 6: Farewell And Adieu, Bruce

It was the best Fourth of July Amity (which, as you know, means “friendship”) had ever had, until Estuary Victim was gobbled. The bright side was that Mayor Vaughn’s kids were on that beach, too, so he did something he … Continue reading

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July 5: The Voucher

Never has a voucher played so pivotal a role in a movie. Do you remember a voucher in “Amelie,” “The Godfather,” “Koyaanisqatsi”? No. Only “Jaws” has the cinematic heft to feature a single, folded piece of paper with the words … Continue reading

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July 4: It’s not “The best Fourth of July we ever had” for the Estuary Victim

That poor Masshole in the Pond, Ted Grossman. Grossman—the stunt coordinator in “Jaws”—has a cameo as “Estuary Victim.” It’s the 4th of July, and Amity Town Beach is on high alert. Chief Brody is the only sane man left on … Continue reading

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July 1: So Long, Chrissie Watkins

“A Summer Girl goes swimming,” says Mayor Vaughn. “Swims out a little far…” In the book “Jaws,” Chrissie Watkins is about 25, the date of Tom Cassidy, and a houseguest at the home of his friends. The couple decide to … Continue reading

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Freezer Full of Meat And Booze: An 8-Day Amity Island Diet

Amity Island, like Brigadoon or King Arthur’s Avalon, is a place out of time that is powered by summer dollars and magical realism. But an Islander’s gotta eat — and not some license plate he found in a river. As … Continue reading

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Two Days on Amity

It’s Chief Brody’s first summer and he is still on the steep end of the learning curve. He doesn’t know you need a resolution by the Board of Selectmen to close the beaches, he’s unclear that he has to inform … Continue reading

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Mating mates: Just a theory I happen to agree with

The mates of Ben Gardner and Quint are seen briefly, say nothing, and disappear. But not in the jaws of a Great White Shark; into the arms of each other. How else to get out from under the shadow cast … Continue reading

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July 2: So long, Ben Gardner

Things happen fast on Amity Island. What else is there to do but get drunk and fool around? Shortly after Chrissie’s partially denuded remains are found, Brody has Polly print up “Beaches Closed” signs, there is a town meeting at … Continue reading

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Shark coughs up Obama’s birth certificate

“Call Dave Axelrod in New York,” says Amity newspaper editor Meadows to his windswept assistant. “Tell him he owes me a favor.” Born in New York, Dave Axelrod later moved west to attend the University of Chicago. He stayed in … Continue reading

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