There have been plenty of bad "number twos" over the years, but rarely epic ones. Jaws 2 is the latter. '70s hair, hotpants and steel-rimmed glassed aplenty, it's one of the earliest teen slashers.

Richard Dreyfuss chose not to reprise his role as marine biologist Matt Hooper due to Spielberg not directing. Roy Scheider was also dead against returning and only starred in the film end a contractual issue with Universal.

He was also unhappy during production and had several heated arguments with director Jeannot Szwarc. Testament to Roy, he put in another flawless performance — even though he didn't want to be there.

So Martin Brody is back with a yellow barrel from Jaws as a makeshift flowerpot. His tan is oranger, his shorts are tighter, and the Amity Island sand is whiter. Jaws was filmed on Martha's Vineyard's golden beaches in Massachusetts; Jaws 2 was filmed at Navarre Beach, Florida.

Brody is convinced a Carcharodon carcharias is seeking revenge for his destruction of a fellow great white three years ago.

His early instincts as he stares into the ocean after a boat explodes are right. There's little to suggest that a shark was involved, but Brody just knows.

But "sharks don't take things personally", says the patronising woman: marine biologist Dr Lureen Elkins. She's hell-bent on putting Chief Brody's paranoia and suspicions to bed.

Unlike Spielberg, Szwarc doesn't keep the shark hidden, and we see the predator early in the film. Brody shoots up the beach, and we feel sorry for him. We don't feel anything but squirm for Len Peterson, an Amity official who's built a new resort in the town to attract tourists with only money on his mind. Joseph Mascolo plays the slimy character brilliantly.

Larry Vaughn hasn't learnt his lesson, either. What's lacking from Jaws 2 is Vaughn's and Peterson's reactions to Brody's "I told you so". There's a short fallout scene between Brody's wife and Peterson, but it's rushed. It needed a Vaughn and Peterson licking Brody's boots scene — like in Jaws when Vaughn is mumbling that he "was acting in the town's best interests". His kids were on that beach too!

The violent deaths really work. Marge's death is genuinely heartbreaking, and the shark smacking Eddie into the side of a boat before devouring him is mighty. Ann Dusenberry puts in a powerhouse performance as Miss Amity, Tina Wilcox. It's a shame that the extended death of the helicopter pilot was left on the cutting room floor. Just as Roy ab-libbed the famous "You're gonna nee a bigger boat", he told Ann to stutter her words.

Jaws 2 will always be compared to Jaws. As a sequel or viewed as a standalone film, it's solid. John Williams' score is worth the entrance fee alone. If Jaws didn't exist, it would be one of the greatest horror films ever — and certainly the most elite shark film. It's not as good as Jaws, but which film is?

Copyright © 2025 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chief Brody, the reluctant hero of Amity Island, has an awkward but endearing demeanour. The handheld camera introduces him to the audience as he gets out of bed.

He's scared of the ocean but lives on an island. He sports a towel over his shoulder inside his jacket. There's the odd skip in his walk as he heads to the store. He knocks over the paintbrushes once there.

His glasses don't sit right on his face. As the shark book pages reflect in his specs, Steven Spielberg creates foreshadowing with an air tank in a shark's mouth. He smokes around Chrissie's remains. He wears a life jacket on Hooper's expensive boat. He clumsily knocks his head on a light in the Orca, on a sign in the the town hall (and again on a lamp in in his home in Jaws 2). This relatable clumsiness endears him to the audience.

Brody allows himself to be bullied. With his garish suit jacket and lapels, Vaughn and his heavies surround Brody as he's ferried to the Scouts swimming. He even patronises him for this being his "first summer" on the island.

The powerhouse performances behind Brody, Quint, Hooper and Vaughn show them as complex characters. They each have separate fears, motivations and backstories. There's a power struggle between man and shark and between these three men. They all clash.

The islanders also fight to be seen and heard. They crowd Hooper when he suggests (correctly) that they've caught the wrong shark. One of the many remarkable things about this film is that most were either bit-part, local actors or not actors at all.

Quint, Hooper, and Vaughn are arrogant and confident, unlike Brody. Quint laughs at the "bozos" who catch the tiger shark from afar on his Orca. Without even inspecting the shark, Quint knows it's a shark, not the shark.

And who else, bar Matt Hooper, would take someone's dinner while he hasn't even finished asking if anyone's eating it? No one could rock double denim with a tie quite like him. He's not too bothered about getting his hands dirty. Said tie gets drenched with the insides of a shark's gut.

As soon as Chrissie Watkins is killed, Brody isn't interested in the mundane goings-on of the island. He doesn't care about the truck parked in front of the store, bad-hat Harry's broken fence or "cats barking" in front of Mr Taft's house.

Who knew cats could bark or that Alex's pruned fingers would be cause for concern? Moments later, Mrs Kitner has a more permanent problem than when the shark takes his second victim — her son. Watch out for the running theme of yellow: Alex's inflatable, his mum's hat, Quint's barrels and more. Deliberate from Speilberg.

Brody seems sick of people goading him about being scared of the water. He gets narky with Harry and abruptly cuts off his wife when she mentions it. Watch out for when he's rushing people out of the water after the shark attacks Alex. His toes touch the water. He doesn't like it and pulls back.

The internet is full of comments about Mrs Kitner being too old to have an 8-year-old boy and that she looks more like his grandmother. But Lee Fierro was 45 at the time of filming, which would've made her 37 when she gave birth. Nothing now. But probably "left on the shelf" in the mid-70s.

She scolds Brody for being responsible for her son's death. Vaugn claims she's wrong. Brody claims she's right. She was right. Brody allowed himself to be intimidated. Vaughn even allows his thirst for money and intimidation techniques to take over and bully a family into the water when "no one's going in". A herd mentality takes place when everyone follows them. Vaughn doesn't care that he's potentially serving them up as shark food.

Only after the fourth victim does Brody take a stand against the bullies. He stares into the water while his son is passed out from shock on the beach.

Only when Quint and Hooper fix the Orca's engine on calm water does the audience get some respite from the non-stop intensity. Robert Shaw was a master at playing the "certifiable", as seen in From Russia with Love (1963).

Quint burns out his boat despite protests from Hooper, which leaves the three men flooded and stranded. You can see his certifiability in his eyes as he intensely stares at the shark heading for him after Roy Scheider's famous ab-libbed line. If you want more evidence of Scheider's prowess and screen presence, look no further than Sorcerer (1977).

In the end, Hooper is partly responsible for Quint's death when his oxygen tank crushes his hand, and he slides down the deck to his death.

No thoughts on this masterpiece would be complete without mentioning John Williams. It's wild how this film improves with each viewing, even if you're well into triple viewing figures.

It's the perfect film. The only jarring thing is that some of the supporting cast are dressed for winter in July. But it does get nippy at Martha's Vineyard — even in the summer.

Queue Jaws 2: a solid sequel and a masterful, early teen slasher. It's not as good as Jaws, but which film is?

Copyright © 2025 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.

I recently had a trip down nostalgia lane with Birth of The Beatles (1979). I must've worn the VHS to an inch of its life as a kid. But enough about me.

Directed by Return of the Jedi's Richard Marquand, it's the only Beatles biopic made while John Lennon was alive. 

It's unknown whether John saw it in the 12 months leading up to his untimely death. It's also a mystery if any of the other Beatles saw/have seen it.

In a loophole allowing songs written by the Beatles to feature, every tune in the film was recorded by a Beatles tribute: Rain. They're good.

Nick Cotton as George Harrison. Nigel Havers as George Martin. And the bloke from 2point4 Children as Rory Storm (complete with a stutter).

Pete Best, infamously sacked for Ringo Starr, served as Technical Advisor. And it shows.

He's first in line to fight back against the thugs who jumped Stuart Sutcliffe. This attack was supposedly the cause of his death 15 months later. But that's never been confirmed.

Brian Epstein claims Pete was eliminated because John Lennon was "sick of the girls liking him and saying 'Pete Best and the Beatles'". To which John half-admittedly replies: "Maybe, Sigmund Eppy. Maybe".

Pete declares "all of Liverpool knows" Ringo isn't the better drummer — even Richard Starkey himself.

And Brian proclaims EMI liked his drumming. The truth is that EMI's George Martin, who knows a thing or two about these things, didn't think he could keep in time well. So, he wanted him out of the studio.

I can't fault the characterisations of the Fab Four, even Ringo's nose. Their Liverpudlian accents aren't cartoonish like in other Beatles biopics. The supporting actors also get Brian Epstein and George Martin spot on.

As Brian says:

Paul's the heart of the group, George is the soul, John's the mind and Ringo's the flesh and blood. 

Brian's sexual desire for John is evident. Wendy Morgan gives a powerhouse performance as Cynthia. The film's script is sharp. 

Copyright © 2023 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.

When George Lazenby walked out on Bond after one outing, United Artists' chief David Picker was determined to entice Sean Connery back. Money was to be no object.

Connery's boredom with Bond fandom had become apparent when he sleepwalked through 1967's You Only Live Twice. A break in films seemed to do him good.

Connery was in much better spirits for Diamonds Are Forever. He embraced a breezier portrayal of 007 that paved the way for Roger Moore and the more comedic '70s Bond films.

Connery demanded the fee of £1.25 million to return in Diamonds. He used his paycheck to establish the Scottish International Education Trust. The charity enables Scottish artists to apply for funding without leaving their country to pursue their careers.

Picker pledged to back two of Connery's film projects as part of the deal, provided they cost $2 million or less. Picker teamed with the Scottish actor's production company, Tantallon Films. The Offence was the first, made under the working title Something Like the Truth (a line that appeared in John Hopkins' original play).

Connery had previously worked with Hopkins when the writer had co-scripted Thunderball. He'd seen the play during its original run in London's Royal Court Theatre in 1968. Seeing potential in the story, Connery bought the option on the film rights. He asked Hopkins to adapt the script for a film.

Having made two films with Sidney Lumet, The Hill and The Anderson Tapes, Connery appreciated his stark approach. He offered him the director's chair. 

The film was shot on a small budget of £385,000 in March and April 1972 in and around Bracknell, Berkshire. The interior sets were built at Twickenham Studios.

Connery was keen to shake off the smooth image of Bond and expand his range as an actor. And what a way to do it. Here, Connery is a far cry from the blasé and carefree attitude of the British agent.

He plays the Scottish Detective-Sergeant Johnson. He's a police officer of 20 years who's been deeply affected by murders, rapes and other violent crimes. Images of violence plague him, and he appears to be losing his mind under the strain.

In an outstanding scene, Johnson resorts to violence and heavy drinking when he returns home to his wife, Maureen. Stage actress Vivien Merchant played her suberbly. Johnson is harsh on his wife, and Connery gets some cruel but entertaining lines.

We see Connery like never before. He's heavier set, without his toupee, and sports a thick moustache. He still looks fantastic. Johnson dons a heavy coat and wellies as he investigates molested girls as they make their way to and from school.

While interrogating Kenneth Baxter, the detective opts for a brown suit and Windsor-knotted knitted tie. Black slip-on boots complete the outfit. The maniacal loner, suspected of raping the young girls, is played brilliantly by Ian Bannen.

The viewer becomes confused and uneasy by how he looks and touches when Johnson discovers a girl lying in the woods. The film keeps the story's theatre qualities by being tightly shot but transfers brilliantly to the big screen. 

It's a dark, grim, and harrowing watch. It's neo-noir, police drama and British cinema at its best. Connery displays his remarkable screen presence. The typical, early Spring British weather adds to the film's feel.

The fight sequences between Connery and Bannen were choreographed, uncredited, by Bob Simmons. He'd designed similar action scenes for Connery's six Bond films and acted as his stunt double. The film remains Sir Harrison Birtwistle's only film score.

United Artists released The Offence early in 1973. It was a critical success but a commercial failure and didn't make a profit for nine years. 

It went unreleased in several markets, including France, where it did not premiere until 2007. 

United Artists pulled out of Connery's, a film version of Macbeth that Connery was to direct before Roman Polanski beat him to it.

Copyright © 2021 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.

The DVD's days appear to be numbered. Department store John Lewis has announced it won't put any more devices on shelves when stocks run out.

At the turn of the millennium, Generation X willingly updated the VHS cassettes that adorned their shelves to DVD.

Then came the constant DVD re-releases: the ultimate edition release, which was a re-release of the anniversary edition release, which was a re-release two-disc special release. How many releases can a film company milk out of one film?

They know there are enough cinephiles out there who have to have it. They fork out on the latest release despite already owning the re-release of the re-release of the first release.

Just when you thought your guests were in awe of your 100+ DVD collection, the bottom began to fall out of the DVD market. Gen X and millennials reluctantly took their DVDs to the charity shop and slowly started to upgrade to Blu-ray. Now, once again, it's time to upgrade to Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray.

Just as VHS blew away Betamax, DVD blew away VHS, and Blu-ray technology has blown away DVD. Be it dodgy rear projection, the join on Spock's pointy ears, or a lady's nipple and pubic hair in a Bond film title sequence, Blu-ray has uncovered a multitude of sins. Now, the mask has slipped.

Bond title sequence stalwart Maurice Binder later admitted smearing Vaseline petroleum jelly on models' pubic hair to flatten the "70s bush".

Ladies' grooming habits have since evolved. I doubt current Bond title sequence director Daniel Kleinman faces the same challenge.

The make-up plastered on Sean Connery's arms to cover his now 'Scotland forever' tattoo momentarily ruins the illusion he is James Bond. As do the individual weaves of his hairpiece above his forehead. The wires that lifted Christopher Reeve into the sky ruin the illusion he is Superman.

The jowls on the eating machine in Jaws — fondly named 'Bruce' by Spielberg and crew — now resemble your nan's. Bruce's mechanical munching of Quint aboard the deck of the Orca has become slightly noticeable. Bruce still looks phenomenal, especially in the close-up scenes with Chief Brody.

Richard Dreyfuss thinks Jaws could be improved by replacing Bruce with a CGI shark. Duel (Jaws on land) and the Amity Island tale are masterclasses in directing a taut thriller with compelling characters. Jaws is a masterpiece and a brilliant demonstration of cinema. It should never be tampered with.

George Lucas hasn't been able to resist making the odd nip and tuck to the original Star Wars trilogy: much-maligned among fans. I'd welcome a few CGI retouches to Bruce, but not the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.

A grim tale emerged in the late 1980s when The Wizard of Oz was released on VHS. An actor playing a munchkin supposedly hung himself on set over his unrequited love for a fellow munchkin-playing dwarf.

It's been said that his body is swinging from a tree as the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Dorothy gleefully sing and dance their way up the Yellow Brick Road.

This old chestnut has been debunked, thanks to HD. It turns out it was an exotic stray bird or something. HD swings and roundabouts.

Copyright © 2018 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.