Latest news with #JohnWilliams
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Bucks County residents, need ice to keep food cold amid power outage? Check these stores.
While PECO is working to restore power for approximately 30,000 customers still in the dark from Thursday's storms, many outages could still last late into Friday night. Keeping perishable food is probably a concern for the thousands across Lower Bucks County who will possibly be without power for more than 24 hours. Temperatures, meanwhile, are expected to rise as high as 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria growth can take place in some foods after just two hours above 40 degrees, and some foods may need to be thrown out if not kept cool for four hours or more. Ice and dry ice can help temporarily preserve food during power outages. Dry ice can preserve food for up to two days, though it's not as commonly sold to retail customers in grocery stores. The Doylestown Acme has dry ice available for pickup in store. Staff at other stores that typically carry dry ice told this news organization that they are waiting for a restock, or are using the dry ice they have to stock their freezers and keep food cold. John Williams, general manager from Philadelphia Dry Ice & Jim's Ice, said he was in Bucks County all night, delivering dry ice to Acme and ShopRite locations. "I've never seen anything like it,' Williams said. Williams said the company has run out of dry ice for at least the next few hours, but said he is trying to source more. White Oak Ice Co. in Bensalem has also sold out of dry ice. Here's a list of the stores that this news organization contacted earlier today to find out who has regular and dry ice available. Bensalem: 1336 Bristol Pike and 2301 Bristol Road. Doylestown: 480 N. Main St. (selling both dry ice and regular bags of ice). Levittown: 6800 New Falls Road. Trevose: 105 E. Street Road. Warminster: 176 W. Street Road. Middletown: 450 E. Main St. Southampton: 466 Second Street Pike. Warminster: 720 W. Street Road. Warrington: 1661 Easton Road (the ice cooler is broken, but ice is available by request). Yardley: 700 Stony Hill Road. Fairless Hills: 471 S. Oxford Valley Road (sold out of ice). Newtown Borough: 2890 S. Eagle Road, The Villages at Newtown (sells dry ice, but is currently out of stock with more expected later Friday). Yardley: 635 Heacock Road, at the Edgewood Village Shopping Center. Yardley: 925 Vansant Drive. Warrington: 1405 Main St. Bensalem: 2200 Bristol Road. Fairless Hills: 547 S. Oxford Valley Road. Yardley: 1603 Big Oak Road. Warminster: 942 W. Street Road. Bensalem: 3461 Horizon Blvd. Levittown: 180 Levittown Center. Warminster: 100 E. Street Road. Warrington: 299 Valley Gate Drive. Kai Lincke can be reached at klincke@ Elisabeth Seidel can be reached at eseidel@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Stores selling ice during power outage after storms in Bucks County
Geek Vibes Nation
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
Celebrating 50 Years of 'Jaws': A Cinematic Milestone That Redefined Fear
On June 20, 1975, a mechanical shark named Bruce and a haunting two-note score unleashed terror on audiences worldwide, forever changing cinema. Jaws, directed by a then-28-year-old Steven Spielberg, celebrates its 50th anniversary , marking half a century as a cultural juggernaut and the blueprint for the modern blockbuster. This article honors the film's monumental accolades, its transformative impact on the thriller and horror genres, and its enduring influence on filmmakers and audiences alike. Jaws was a critical and commercial titan upon release, earning over $470 million worldwide against a $9 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of its time until Star Wars surpassed it in 1977. Its critical acclaim matched its box-office dominance, securing three Academy Awards in 1976: Best Film Editing (Verna Fields), Best Original Score (John Williams), and Best Sound. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, a rare feat for a genre film, though it lost to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Beyond the Oscars, Jaws earned a Golden Globe for John Williams' iconic score and was later inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2001 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. The American Film Institute ranked it 56th on its '100 Years…100 Movies' list and second on its '100 Thrills' list, cementing its status as a cinematic touchstone. These accolades reflect not just the film's technical brilliance but its ability to resonate across generations. Redefining the Blockbuster and the Thriller Genre Jaws is widely credited with inventing the summer blockbuster. Before its release, summer was a slow season for theaters, but Universal's aggressive marketing—national TV ads, a wide release on 409 screens, and tie-in merchandise—set a new standard for Hollywood. The film's success proved that high-concept, mass-appeal movies could dominate the box office, paving the way for franchises like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Within the thriller and horror genres, Jaws redefined how suspense was crafted. Spielberg's decision to show the shark sparingly, due to mechanical failures during production, heightened tension and forced audiences to rely on their imaginations—a technique now synonymous with effective horror. John Williams' minimalist, pulse-pounding score became a character in itself, its duh-dun motif evoking primal dread. This less-is-more approach influenced countless filmmakers, from Ridley Scott in Alien (1979), which used sparse visuals to build terror, to John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), where a simple piano riff amplified suspense. The film's character-driven storytelling also set it apart. The trio of Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), oceanographer Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) grounded the horror in human conflict and camaraderie. Their dynamic inspired ensemble-driven thrillers like The Thing (1982) and Predator (1987), where interpersonal tension amplifies external threats. Influence on the Creature Feature and Beyond Jaws birthed the modern creature feature, spawning a wave of 'nature strikes back' films. The late 1970s and 1980s saw a flood of imitators, from Orca (1977) and Piranha (1978) to Alligator (1980), each attempting to replicate Jaws' formula of a predatory beast terrorizing humans. While few matched its artistry, these films cemented the subgenre's popularity. Even today, low-budget shark thrillers like The Shallows (2016) and 47 Meters Down (2017) owe their existence to Jaws, as does the tongue-in-cheek absurdity of Sharknado (2013). Beyond creature features, Jaws influenced aquatic horror and survival thrillers. Films like Open Water (2003) and The Reef (2010) echo its primal fear of the ocean, while Crawl (2019) channels its blend of natural disaster and predatory menace. Spielberg himself revisited the template with Jurassic Park (1993), swapping sharks for dinosaurs but retaining the awe, terror, and human drama that made Jaws timeless. The film's impact extends to technical filmmaking. Spielberg's use of point-of-view shots, particularly the shark's underwater perspective, became a staple of horror, seen in everything from Friday the 13th (1980) to The Blair Witch Project (1999). His innovative use of the dolly zoom to convey Brody's shock on the beach inspired directors like Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright to experiment with visual storytelling. A Lasting Legacy Fifty years later, Jaws remains a masterclass in suspense, storytelling, and innovation. Its influence is evident not just in cinema but in pop culture—theme park rides, memes, and even shark conservation efforts spurred by the film's demonization of great whites. While it inspired countless imitators, few have matched its balance of terror and humanity. As we celebrate this milestone, Jaws reminds us why we fear the ocean and why we keep diving back in. It's more than a movie; it's a primal scream, a technical triumph, and a testament to Spielberg's genius. Here's to 50 years of keeping us out of the water—and glued to our screens. Note: All box-office figures and award details are sourced from historical records and industry databases like Box Office Mojo and the Academy Awards archives.
Washington Post
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
It's 1975, and ‘Jaws' just came out. Here's what critics had to say.
Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' arrived on movie screens 50 years ago Friday. It was no sleeper hit — the director's second feature, a thriller that focused just as much on the people of Amity Island as its infamous apex predator, garnered near-universal praise from the get-go. Time magazine even proclaimed that season the 'Summer of the Shark' in a gushing cover story. With rare exceptions, the film's reviews spoke enthusiastically of Spielberg's nimble, suspenseful direction, John Williams's unforgettable score, and the performances of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jaws at 50: the Jewish sensibility that shaped Spielberg's blockbuster and transformed cinema
It's hard to believe Steven Spielberg was just 27 when he directed Jaws. Before that he'd mostly worked in television, helming episodes of detective show Columbo and the acclaimed TV movie Duel. He'd made just one theatrical feature, The Sugarland Express. Then came Jaws, a technically ambitious shoot set on open water with a mechanical shark that barely worked. But the result was a record-breaking blockbuster that redefined what Hollywood could be. Adapted from Peter Benchley's 1974 novel, the film almost didn't happen. When Spielberg first read it he said he found himself rooting for the shark because the human characters were so unlikable. What followed was a series of creative rewrites and re-castings that gave Jaws its distinctive personality and enduring power. Spielberg brought in Howard Sackler, a writer and scuba diver, to work on the script. Sackler left early without a screen credit. The director then turned to actor Carl Gottlieb, originally hired to play a toadying local newspaper editor, to redraft the script. Screenwriter and director John Milius, a second world war expert, also contributed. John Williams added what became an iconic musical score. Its simple two-note motif created suspense and became one of the most recognisable cinematic themes of all time. As a researcher of Jewishness in popular culture, I argue that many of these creatives brought a Jewish sensibility that lurked beneath the surface of the film. Spielberg took Benchley's bitter, cynical and pessimistic novel and gave it a more hopeful vibe. He even humanised the shark, giving it the name Bruce after his lawyer, Bruce Ramer, a powerful and influential Los Angeles attorney specialising in entertainment law, also Jewish. That choice layers in unexpected meanings, from the 'loan shark' stereotype to echoes of Shakespeare's Shylock from The Merchant of Venice. Spielberg cast Jewish actor Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper, the young ichthyologist and oceanographer. Against him stood Robert Shaw as Quint, the grizzled boat captain, who is a sexist, misogynistic, racist macho drunk. Hooper is everything Quint is not. Making up the triumvirate is Roy Scheider as police captain Martin Brody. Together, the three seek to capture and kill the shark that is menacing the town of Amity. The casting of Dreyfuss as Hooper, whom Spielberg called 'my alter ego', significantly changed the character and the tone of the film. Together, Dreyfuss, Gottlieb and Spielberg fleshed out Hooper's part, making him much more sympathetic than in the novel. He became a 'nebbishy novice on a swift learning curve'. For Spielberg, Hooper 'represents the underdog in all of us'. Benchley, however, was less than impressed, describing him as 'an insufferable, pedantic little schmuck'. It's telling that Benchley used a Yiddish epithet to describe Hooper as if recognising his underlying Jewishness. Together, Spielberg and Gottlieb used Hooper as a mouthpiece to voice a social perspective. Brody wishes to close the beaches but is prevented from doing so by the mayor and the town council because Amity needs the business. The mayor puts commerce before human life. In a shift from Benchley's novel where the pressure to keep the beaches open comes from shadowy pseudo-Mafia figures in the background, Spielberg placed the blame firmly on Amity's merchants and civic representatives. Throughout, Spielberg undermines the dominant masculinity of the screen action hero of the 1970s. This was an era dominated by men like Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Nerdy Hooper outlives Quint, who becomes the shark's fifth victim (hence his name, which is Latin for five or fifth). To show his contempt for Quint, Spielberg gives him a particularly gruesome death. And because Spielberg identified with the shark, we see things from its subjective perspective. This was also dictated by pragmatic concerns as the mechanical shark kept breaking down. Shooting the killings from the shark's point of view was a cinematic device borrowed from A Study in Terror (1965), a British thriller about Jack the Ripper. Jaws was a box office smash, breaking records previously set by The Godfather and The Exorcist and becoming the first film to reach the US$100 million (£74.5 million) mark at the American box office. Read more: Before Jaws, studios typically released major films in the autumn and winter, leaving the summer for lower-quality movies. Jaws proved that it could be a prime time for big-budget, high-profile releases, leading to the current dominance of tentpole films during the summer season. It pioneered the strategy of opening a film in a wide release, rather than a gradual rollout. This helped it break box office records and redefine Hollywood's practices. It was something that people got excited about, planned for and lined up for tickets in advance. Half a century on, Jaws still has the power to shock. When I took my kids to see the 3D re-release, we all jumped during the scene when the decapitated head bobbed out of the sunken boat – even though I knew it was coming. Another reason why the film has lasted is the shark itself. It's a primal, prehistoric creature that taps into our deepest fears. Quint calls it a thing with 'lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes'. It's a chilling line. Read more: But the film also works as allegory. The shark is a floating (or swimming) signifier, open to interpretation. Amity, the town it terrorises, is all white picket fences and small-town harmony. The shark's arrival punctures that illusion. There's also a political undercurrent. Hooper becomes the conscience of the film, voicing the dangers of civic denial and inaction. And in the end, Jaws isn't just about a shark. It's about masculinity, morality and capitalism. It's about the stories we tell ourselves to feel safe. That's why it endures. That, and one of the most iconic scores in cinema history – John Williams' two-note motif that still makes swimmers glance nervously at the waterline to this day. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Nathan Abrams receives and has previously received external funding from charities and government-funded, foundation or research council grants.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Jaws' at 50: Steven Spielberg says he was surprised by Oscar snub
For acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, making Jaws was an unforgettable and stressful experience. So much so that he thought the ordeal would land him a best director nod at the Academy Awards. The famed filmmaker recalled in National Geographic's upcoming documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. "When a film is on the cusp of being considered for awards, it's not so much what you want for yourself — it's what everyone else says is going to happen for you," said Spielberg. "So I just understood, 'I guess I'm getting nominated." "So when I wasn't, I was surprised. And I was disappointed," he said. "Because I was believing the noise, and you have to not believe that stuff." Despite Spielberg missing out on a best director nomination, Jaws was nominated for four Oscars in 1976 and won three, only missing out in the best picture category. John Williams took home best original score for his iconic music, while the shark thriller also clinched trophies for best film editing and best sound. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau and produced in partnership with Spielberg's Amblin Documentaries, Jaws @ 50 includes the only interview with Spielberg about the movie's milestone. Other famed directors who appear in the documentary to reflect on Jaws' legacy include James Cameron, JJ Abrams, George Lucas, Jordan Peele and Guillermo del Toro. Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres July 10 on National Geographic.
