“Jaws” Indeed!
It’s an iconic shot from one of the greatest thrillers ever made – and of course my “Movies A – Z” would find a nice place to relax and get ready to bite into ten great movies that begin with the letter “J”!
As the picture above shows, Steven Spielberg has gotten comfortable as we begin with a film that changed the way we went to the movies!
10 – “Jaws”
In 1975, Bruce the Shark terrorized movie audiences in a way that had never happened before: it was the first time in cinema history that a film opened in thousands of theaters across the country on the same day!
Here is the trailer for this timeless shocker:
From the moment crowds lined up across America, movie distribution changed forever…”Jaws” was also a monumental achievement for its young Director, Steven Spielberg.
The movie stands the test of time as well, and 42 years later, people still respond to the shark, the music, and of course, THAT LINE:
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Roy Scheider’s reaction after seeing the shark for the first time is priceless – see more trivia about this great thriller by clicking here:
Tom Cruise has a great film with a classic line as well:
“Show Me The Money!”
9 – “Jerry Maguire”
Cameron Crowe directed this great romantic comedy about a disgraced Sports Agent with one shot at redemption – with an Oscar-winning performance by Cuba Gooding Jr.
Check out the trailer:
Cuba Gooding Jr. won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Renee Zellwegger has never been better as the only person who supports – and then falls in love with – disgraced Sports Agent Jerry Maguire.
A terrific movie with Tom Cruise at the top of his game.
Speaking of that performers at the top of their game, what about Keanu Reeves?
8 – “John Wick”
Every single one of the 4 “John Wick” films could have made tis list – they are all action classics with great stories to tell, so it’s go back to the beginning: Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, who just wants a quiet life – but then someone made the mistake of messing with his dog…here is the trailer:
Reeves is an accomplished martial artist, and the fight scenes in this film are brutal and real – and yes, this is one bloody ride!
As I said, all three sequels are equally as entertaining – and bloody – as Keanu and the other creatives on the film built a fully realized world that John Wick inhabits…really terrific storytelling.
Reeves has been making a wide range of films lately, so I also want to recommend a film he directed a few years ago:
Click here to see more about this terrific martial arts film that Keanu directed as well as starred in:
Enough fighting – time to eat!
7 – “Julie & Julia”
Meryl Streep’s performance as Chef Julia Child is one of her best ever, and the film “Julie & Julia” tells her fascinating story, intercut with the story of a young Blogger who cooks one of the Chef’s recipes every day for a year!
See the trailer and lots of trivia about his movie by clicking here:
I never got to meet Julia, but I did meet another “J” – the legendary Joan Rivers!
6 – “Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work”
Joan was my friend, so I had to include her on my “J” list! This incredible documentary is honest, candid and of course hilariously funny, because she’s Joan Rivers! Here is the trailer:
My wife and I worked for years with Joan and Melissa, including one year at the Cannes Film Festival, where we shot a “Fashion Review”.
Joan was one of the most compassionate, warm and caring people I’ve ever had the honor to know. Here is a short tribute I posted when she passed away:
The documentary is an amazingly candid look at her life – worth every minute you spend with her.
Next on the “J” list is another Spielberg film that raised the bar on what special effects could accomplish in film:
5 – “Jurassic Park“
This 1993 action spectacular imagines a world where dinosaurs exist!
Checkout the trailer here:
The first time you see the Dinosaurs takes your breath away – gorgeous special effects set against a very real story with terrific acting from the entire cast. Oh, and then we meet some of the “less friendly” Dinosaurs as well…
A terrific action thriller with a larger message – and a great thrill ride as well!
Next up on my “J” list is the 2019 Best Picture nominee that they said couldn’t be made:
4 – “JoJo Rabbit“
The initial reaction to the premise was shock: how could a film tell the story of a friendship between a young boy –
AND HITLER?!?!?!
Well, Writer/Director Taika Waititi, who also starred as Hitler, found a way to tell a compelling and insightful story about the horror of WW2.
Waititi very deservedly won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and the film is a real masterpiece. I know that it’s a divisive film, but for me it is just another example of how creative Waititi is!
Click here to see the trailer and more about the film:
Another offbeat but compelling film stars an iconic action figure:
3 – “JCVD“
Jean-Claude Van Damme gives a searing performance – REALLY! He plays himself: an over-the-hill action star trying to make a comeback – and the film includes one of the most honestly compelling scenes I’ve ever seen – check out the trailer for this neglected gem:
Jean-Claude is mesmerizing in the film – a great performance. Click here to see more fun trivia about the film!
Next up, a hit TV series goes to the big screen in all its painful glory:
2- “Jackass”
It seems like a lifetime ago when Johnny Knoxville and the boys took their hit MTV show to the big screen, with an absolutely hilarious film – here is the trailer:
No plot, just offensive stunt after stunt after “abuse to the body” stunt – inventive, hilariously profane, and I can watch it every single day!
Finally, we go from jackasses to the world’s greatest “sushi master”:
1 – “Jiro Dreams Of Sushi”
This Tokyo sushi bar costs hundreds of dollars for a single meal, you are fed in twenty minutes, and the Chef may or may not want you to look at him – and it’s so popular you can’t get in – here is the trailer:
Jiro is a Sushi Master, but this is also a touching and poignant story of an obsessive Chef who doesn’t quite know how to communicate with his young son…a great documentary about food and family – see more here:
There’s a look at ten great movies beginning with “J”, and if you missed any of my previous posts, you didn’t see this classic film – that begins with a “B”:
“Body Heat” is a great cult film noir, and you can see 59 other great movies when you click on my “Movies A-F” list here:
Don’t worry, gangsters haven’t been forgotten, even if Marlon Brando always forgot his lines:
Yep, that’s why Robert Duvall “wore” Brando’s lines on set! It’s just one of the great “G” movies, which you can see here:
“The Godfather” is a classic, and so is this:
Before Paddy Cheyefsky wrote the brilliant “Network” he tackled medical malpractice with “The Hospital” – just one of ten great films that begin with “H” – see them all here:
If you missed my list of “I” movies, then you didn’t see this obscure Robert Altman thriller:
See more about “Images” here:
If you like these stories, why not sign up to receive emails whenever I post? It’s easy to do, I do NOT collect any information about you at all, there are absolutely NO ads of any kind, just stories about movies, music, books, food, travel and pop culture…
You can sign up by clicking on my blog here and see the note on the right!
Sign up for a daily hit of social media!
Let me know what you think of movies with the letter “J” – and if you like this story, please share on social media – thanks!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Academy Awards, Action Films, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, documentary films, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
so many iconic ‘j’s’. the one that really impacted me was ‘jaws,’ I went in to see without knowing much about it and loved it and was terrified by it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jaws is just as exciting a motion picture experience as it was when it opened…some movies are pop culture bits of fluff that dont last but that’s a classic for sure – thanks for the comment!
LikeLike
Jaws and Jurassic Park get my vote. The scene where the water in the glass moves is brilliant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
I didn’t expect to enjoy the John Wick films as much as I did, and they have become a ‘guilty pleasure’. Jaws was such a big deal at the time, and though it’s still a very powerful film, I don’t think the dummy shark aged well. That said, I still prefer it to CGI animals, like those in Jurassic Park.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
For me Pete they are great stories with incredible real acton sequences…agree that CGI always looks fake and takes me immediately out of the story. Thanks for the comment – cheers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great list. J really does run the gamut — I would not have thought that, but really spread across the board Jaws to jackass!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always say they can’t all be award winners! Thanks for the comment!
LikeLike
I’m curious: what did you think of Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had that on the list to include…I really enjoyed it and wonder why it didn’t resonate more with Cruise fans – that should have been a series in the making! Thanks for the comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person