Let's Jaws For a Minute

This week, Sarah's world's collide as her and MJ are joined by her former co-host, Barry Levitt to talk about 1940's Pinocchio. They run the gamut through the film's astonishing animation, its simple but effective storytelling, and all the subtle and not so sublte ways the film has seeped into the DNA of Spielberg's films over the decades.

As the seasons change irl, so do the seasons of LJFAM. This week we kick off a brand new season! This time around we are focused on the films that inspired Steven Spielberg. Many of these will be first time watches for your illustrious hosts, and all of them came out before 1970, so if you're watching along, this is a good way to get some early film education under your belt. Dedicated listeners will know the format of this season will mirror that of our other show, Let's Party with Marty. Now, without further ado, we present a rollicking high seas adventure that inspired our favorite guy, Captains Courageous!

On this very special episode of LJFAM, Sarah (and Thelma), are live in the field, speaking with Jon Fieldhouse, creator and steward of the full size Orca replica, Orca II. They talk about the legacy of the film, what led him to pursue such a lofty goal, the trials and tribulations of securing screen accurate (and in some cases screen used) props, and what fan reaction has been to stepping onto the iconic boat. Keep in mind that this was literally recorded ON Orca II, so there is a bit of an Attenborough quality to the recording.

It's time to wrap up Spielberg Season 2 with the man's deeply cynical alien invasion film War of the Worlds. Sarah and MJ discuss the movie as an allegory for 9/11, refute even more schmaltz claims, talk about if there is a defenitive pandemic movie, and yes, brush up against Spielberg's latest release, Disclosure Day.

We pull into the penultimate stop on our journey through the second act of Spielberg's career to talk about his slight, feel good film The Terminal. They discuss the post-9/11 optimism of the piece and its connection to post-WWII optimisim, whether or not Tom Hanks' accent is good, and Sarah admits her belief in an age old addage (at least in this circumstance).