Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. Even at the very young age of six, I remember those words in TV and radio commercials, and reading them in newspaper ads for Jaws 2. I'd never seen Jaws, but I sure wanted to after witnessing the publicity for Jaws 2. And when I eventually did, it became my favourite movie of all time. Still is. It's the perfect film, with a masterful blend of scares, suspense, drama, humour and character development. It's superbly crafted, and there's nary a CGI shark in sight. Jaws was, at the time, the biggest hit ever, and launched the summer blockbuster. Universal naturally wanted a sequel, but how do you follow up such a hit? They probably shouldn't have, because you simply can't top a movie like Jaws. It didn't matter how good Jaws 2 turned out to be -- it's entertaining but unspectacular -- it still pales in comparison. Sure, the shark scenes deliver the goods, but Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss...

I wasn't really sure if I wanted to make this review a Drunken one or a Retro one. The Last Shark is an old . . . as in retro . . . movie, but I was drinking while watching it. Just not to the level that warrants a Drunken Review. Then I figured I was thinking about it too much, and stopped. We go Retro on this one! The Last Shark, or Great White, as it was known while making the rounds in theatres back in 1981, is a notorious Italian Jaws rip off that, when I was a kid, was very hard to find. Thankfully it's popped up on Amazon Prime, and I was able to take this mother down.

I love shark movies. And by shark movies, I mean flicks like Jaws or even Deep Blue Sea. I don't mean all The Asylum or other SyFy shark movies, which have cheapened the scare factor of a very real predator. I'm talking seriously made, seriously thrilling shark movies. Looks like the new Sony release The Shallows is attempting to take a serious stab at making sharks threatening again, an they've picked a serious star and and a high concept to do it.

The problem with every movie about sharks is that you can be relatively sure that whenever the characters are on land, there is little to no possibility of danger.  And that's why Ghost Sharks are more dangerous, and more scary, than regular sharks.  Also, they can't be killed by conventional means. I originally thought that this movie was a mocumentary , and then I thought that it was just poorly and oddly narrated. As it turns out, I was watching it with the descriptive video function turned on for about half an hour, and by the time I figured this out, I was not willing to begin the movie over again. Incidentally, if ever you find yourself watching a movie that you feel you might not be getting the maximum about of enjoyment out of, and there isn't a Rifftrax track available for it, I highly recommend turning on the descriptive video. As it turns out, this can be quite amusing, and it is also a great way of remembering the names of characters whose significance...

It's been a while since I've returned to the movies of my youth. And what better flick to revisit the trend than the second sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made? And it cost three extra dollars to see. The sons of police chief Brody must protect civilians at a Sea World theme park after a gigantic 35-foot shark becomes trapped in the park. On the surface, if you'll pardon the pun, this should be a shit-tacular movie. Truth is, it's an awesome piece of B-grade cinema. Sure, it can't hold a candle to the Steven Spielberg original, but that doesn't mean Jaws 3D isn't worth the watch. For one, it's got a brilliant cast including Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Louis Gossett Jr. and Lea Thompson. Oh yeah, and Manimal is in it too. Plus the late, great Richard Matheson co-wrote the script. Impressive, no? Talent aside, this is a fun, mindless romp with some cheesy 3D effects, passable suspense and a few groovy kills. It's not Shakespeare...

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Tonight, Bellamy reminds us why it's still not safe to go back in the water. I had a discussion with a co-worker awhile back about whether or not Jaws is actually a horror movie, he did not think so but I absolutely believe it is--can you think of another film that caused as ma ny phobias? Since it came out in 1975, many people have been terrified of both the water and, of course, sharks. You can't tell me there's never been an occasion where, for example, you've been in murky, deep water, you can't see the bottom and that infamous 'daaaaa na" theme pops in your head! If fear like that isn't horrifying then I don't know what is. Aside from this being one of the most truly scary horror movies e...