JaZ Make a Podcast

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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With The Devil Wears Prada 2 on the horizon, John and Zac return to the 2006 original — and their verdicts diverge. The cast is undeniable: Meryl Streep delivers one of the great screen performances of her career, Anne Hathaway brings real charm, Emily Blunt is razor-sharp, and Stanley Tucci elevates every scene. The moment Miranda Priestly shows vulnerability is extraordinary. But the script meanders, can't decide what it's saying about ambition, and never gives supporting characters the complexity they deserve. The 2005-era body-shaming humour hasn't aged well. Patrick Dempsey's character has no discernible reason to exist. Somewhere inside this film is a great movie about the seduction of power — it just never fully commits. John found it hard going. Zac found more to appreciate.

SHOW NOTES

Film: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Director: David Frankel

Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger

Topics covered:

• Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly — all-time great screen performance
• - Anne Hathaway's Andy — the arc that almost works
• - The sweater monologue — the film's best scene
• - The body-shaming culture of the mid-2000s and how it reads now
• - Emily Blunt underwritten; Stanley Tucci underused
• - Patrick Dempsey — a character without purpose
• - What The Godfather does better with ambition as a theme
• - John hated it; Zac was more charitable

Fast Facts:

• The film made over $216 million globally on a $52 million budget
• - A sequel has been announced
• - Stanley Tucci was subsequently diagnosed with throat cancer

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Generally considered the greatest WrestleMania of all time. Also four hours long, which John consumed across multiple sittings. Zac — a lifelong wrestling fan who once ran an annual family Christmas wrestling league called Christmas Chaos in his grandmother's basement — guides John through the full card from Houston's Reliant Astrodome. The highlights: TLC II between the Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian is one of the most spectacular sequences ever broadcast. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit is the best pure wrestling on the card. And the main event — Rock vs. Stone Cold, ending with Austin aligning with Vince McMahon — officially signals the death of the Attitude Era. Too many McMahons. Not enough Mick Foley. The whole thing slaps.

SHOW NOTES

Event: WrestleMania X7 | April 1, 2001 | Reliant Astrodome, Houston, TX

Card highlights:

• Chris Jericho vs. William Regal (Intercontinental Title)
• - APA vs. Right to Censor (Tag Team)
• - Hardcore Championship: Kane vs. Raven vs. Big Show
• - Eddie Guerrero vs. Test (European Championship)
• - Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit — best match of the night
• - Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon (Street Fight)
• - Chyna vs. Ivory (Women's Championship)
• - The Undertaker vs. Triple H
• - TLC II: Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian
• - The Rock vs. Steve Austin — WWF Championship (Austin heel turn; end of the Attitude Era)

Fast Facts:

• WCW had been purchased by WWF just five days before this event
• - Zac's family ran an annual backyard wrestling league called Christmas Chaos in spandex and long underwear
• - Linda McMahon, fictional WWF Commissioner in this era, is now US Secretary of Education

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It was supposed to launch a franchise. It bombed at the box office. Thirty years later, John and Zac are here to explain why it absolutely shouldn't have. The Phantom (1996) is one of the most purely enjoyable action adventure films of the decade: Billy Zane as the Ghost Who Walks, Treat Williams as a villain of boundless charisma, Kristy Swanson as a Marion Ravenwood-worthy love interest, and Catherine Zeta-Jones doing her Bond femme fatale thing before Entrapment put her on the map. Billy Zane studied the original Lee Falk comic strip to replicate the character's exact physical poses, and you can see it. Hitchcock's bomb theory is alive and well in the third act. The CGI skulls are gloriously bad. The purple suit is completely badass. Slam evil.

SHOW NOTES

Film: The Phantom (1996)

Director: Simon Wincer

Starring: Billy Zane, Treat Williams, Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Topics covered:

• The Phantom's origin as the first costumed superhero (1936 Lee Falk comic)
• - Billy Zane's physical performance studied from the source comic
• - Treat Williams as Xander Drax — the most charismatic villain
• - Kristy Swanson as Diana Palmer — underrated lead performance
• - Catherine Zeta-Jones pre-Entrapment, pre-Zorro
• - Hitchcock's bomb theory in the final act
• - Practical stunts and 1930s production design
• - Why it bombed in 1996 and why it deserves a reboot
• - Zac attended the original premiere and received the Phantom ring

Fast Facts:

• "Slam evil" is the film's actual tagline, now an unofficial JaZ motto
• - A planned trilogy never materialized after the box office disappointment
• - Zac attended the original theatrical premiere as a teenager

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The 98th Oscars are this Sunday. John and Zac head back forty years to the 59th — the 1987 ceremony celebrating the films of 1986 — and find the Academy getting some things defensible, some things wrong, and largely missing the bigger picture. Platoon wins Best Picture and Best Director (Oliver Stone, Vietnam veteran — defensible). Sigourney Weaver loses Best Actress for Aliens to Marlee Matlin (not defensible). David Lynch is nominated for Blue Velvet and loses (also not defensible). Paul Newman wins Best Actor for The Color of Money in what looks like a long-service award. Meanwhile the films with real staying power — Top Gun, Ferris Bueller, Labyrinth, Highlander, Aliens, Stand By Me — were largely absent or overlooked. 1986 had more going on than the Academy noticed.

SHOW NOTES

Event: 59th Academy Awards | March 30, 1987

Hosts: Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan, Goldie Hawn

Key winners and verdicts:

• Best Picture: Platoon — defensible, if safe
• - Best Director: Oliver Stone, Platoon — David Lynch (Blue Velvet) was robbed
• - Best Actor: Paul Newman, The Color of Money — career achievement energy
• - Best Actress: Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God — Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) deserved it
• - Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine, Hannah and Her Sisters
• - Best Supporting Actress: Dianne Wiest, Hannah and Her Sisters
• - Best Visual Effects: Aliens — correct call

Overlooked by the Academy: Labyrinth, Highlander, Big Trouble in Little China, Ferris Bueller, The Fly, Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator, Manhunter

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Zac's all-time favourite comedy. The funniest thing John has seen in years. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) is David Wain's absurdist masterpiece — a summer camp comedy in which everyone is obviously in their early 30s playing 16-year-olds, children die and nobody notices, Paul Rudd gives the greatest comedic performance of his career as the most aggressively bad boyfriend in screen history, and a can of vegetables (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) has an existential crisis and then has sex with a refrigerator.

Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Elizabeth Banks, and Molly Shannon all deliver career-best comedic work. Katie's final speech to Coop is one of the great gut punches in American comedy. The go-to-town sequence changes the film entirely. "Specifically sex with Andy. Not you." This film is a masterwork.

SHOW NOTES

Film: Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Director: David Wain

Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Molly Shannon, Chris Meloni

Topics covered:

- David Wain's direction — corralling genius into coherent absurdism

- Paul Rudd as Andy the terrible boyfriend — career-best comedic work

- The go-to-town sequence as the movie's turning point

- Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black in the storage shed

- Katie's final speech — the long con that pays off perfectly

- The children who die (at least two, possibly more)

- H. Jon Benjamin as the talking can of vegetables

- David Wain as one of three comedy pillars of the early 2000s

- Netflix follow-ups: First Day of Camp (prequel) and Ten Years Later (sequel)

Fast Facts:

- This is Zac's actual all-time favourite film

- The go-to-town sequence supposedly happens within one hour of camp time

- Katie's speech: "I'm sixteen. I'm all about sex. Specifically sex with Andy. Not you."

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