J is for killer, pregnant, rock opera!

 J was hard! I had to struggle to find enough movies to review. And I tried hard to find another movie to start with, but when it comes right down to it, this is truly a great movie. The first ever 'summer blockbuster', this movie may have lost it's place at #1 for highest grossing film a long time ago, but it will always be the movie that kept more people out of the ocean than any other film. I was too young to see it in the theater when it came out, but I still remember my older sister's reaction. Not only did she swear never to go into the ocean, but I don't think she's gone in since. That's a testament to how powerful this film is. But this wasn't an easy film to make. The failure of 'Bruce', the mechanical shark, to work underwater necessitated using the camera as the shark, thus creating some incredible pov shots that heightened the suspense. The animosity between Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw translated well to the mutual disdain of their characters onscreen. And the boat built to be sunk at the end of the movie was much more seaworthy than the one used in the rest of the movie. With all this adversity, you'd think we would have never heard from director again. Fortunately, Steven Speilberg doesn't scare as easily as the audience.

Juno is such a fun film...about teen pregnancy, no less! Poor Juno. Her very first sexual experience was a complete disappointment AND she's pregnant. Fortunately, she is much more adept at handling the situation then most of the adults around her. It's her sharp wit and tenacity that create this wonderful story. This film earned a well-deserved Oscar for screenplay for Diablo Cody. Add incredible performances from Ellen Page, Michael Cera, and Jason Bateman, great direction from Jason Reitman and this is a fantastic film. Yet more proof that you don't need a big budget, star power, or special effects to not only make a great film, but also make some money, too

I don't remember if I saw this in the theater. In fact, I can't remember the last time I actually watched the entire film. But I had to include it in this list. It's not because of the incredible cinematography, it was filmed on location in Israel. It isn't the beautiful costuming. It's the music. I grew up singing this rock opera. Not the British stage version, either. This one. Because, in my opinion, no one evokes the helplessness of Jesus in "Gethsemane" better than Ted Neeley. No one shows the forsaken devotion of Judas in "Heaven on their Minds" more poignantly than Carl Anderson. I have been singing "What's the Buzz" since I was a little girl, dancing in my living room. Along with Hair (the original Broadway recording, not the horrible movie), JCS got me across the United States when I moved to California. There is so much history in these songs, they are so woven into my life, that I can't possible separate them. As I write this review, the verses are echoing in my skull. "I only want to say, if there is a way, take this cup away from me, for I don't want to taste its poison."